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Summary
Summary
Kevin Kwan, bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians , is back with a wickedly funny new novel of social climbing, secret e-mails, art-world scandal, lovesick billionaires, and the outrageous story of what happens when Rachel Chu, engaged to marry Asia's most eligible bachelor, discovers her birthfather.
On the eve of her wedding to Nicholas Young, heir to one of the greatest fortunes in Asia, Rachel should be over the moon. She has a flawless Asscher-cut diamond from JAR, a wedding dress she loves more than anything found in the salons of Paris, and a fiancé willing to sacrifice his entire inheritance in order to marry her. But Rachel still mourns the fact that her birthfather, a man she never knew, won't be able to walk her down the aisle. Until: a shocking revelation draws Rachel into a world of Shanghai splendor beyond anything she has ever imagined. Here we meet Carlton, a Ferrari-crashing bad boy known for Prince Harry-like antics; Colette, a celebrity girlfriend chased by fevered paparazzi; and the man Rachel has spent her entire life waiting to meet: her father. Meanwhile, Singapore's It Girl, Astrid Leong, is shocked to discover that there is a downside to having a newly minted tech billionaire husband. A romp through Asia's most exclusive clubs, auction houses, and estates, China Rich Girlfriend brings us into the elite circles of Mainland China, introducing a captivating cast of characters, and offering an inside glimpse at what it's like to be gloriously, crazily, China-rich.
Author Notes
Kevin Kwan was born in Singapore He attended the University of Houston-Clear Lake, where he graduated with a BA in Media Studies, after which he moved to Manhattan to attend Parsons School of Design in order to pursue a BFA in Photography. In New York, Kwan worked for Andy Warhol's Interview Magazine, Martha Stewart Living, and Tibor Kalman's design firm M&Co. He soon became a novelist and is widely known for his satirical novels Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems. In 2018, Kwan made Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Booklist Review
The sequel to Crazy Rich Asians (2013) plunges readers back into the opulent lifestyles and torrid love affairs of the fabulously wealthy Chinese expats Kwan introduced in her debut. History professor Nick Young defies his mother, Eleanor, to marry his American girlfriend, Rachel Chu, but Eleanor surprises everyone when she shows up at their secret wedding with Rachel's birth father in tow. After meeting her father for the first time, Rachel is surprised to learn she has a younger half brother, Carlton, and she and Nick are soon swept up in Carlton's chaotic life, as well as that of his super-rich, trendsetter girlfriend, Colette. Nick's cousin, Astrid, tries to ignore the flaws in her marriage and the increasingly erratic behavior of her husband even as she confides in an ex-lover, while social climber Kitty Pong attempts to reinvent herself in the hopes of being accepted into the upper echelons of high society. Lovers of clothes, cuisine, and cars will find themselves at home in Kwan's second smart and snarky send-up of the Chinese jet set.--Huntley, Kristine Copyright 2010 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
PROUDHON SAID, "PROPERTY ÍS theft"; Balzac said, "Behind great fortunes without apparent cause lies a crime forgotten." Well, if great wealth is a great crime, Kevin Kwan's "China Rich Girlfriend," a sequel to his 2013 "Crazy Rich Asians," slots neatly into the grand tradition of true-crime narratives - those lurid paperbacks that aim to repulse and to fascinate, all in order to keep you turning the page. The opening event of the novel sets the tone: We learn that Carlton Bao, the scion of a billionaire family from mainland China, has gotten into a car accident in London and killed a girl. We follow the family banker, Edison Cheng, as he scrambles to move assets around to pay people off and protect Carlton from legal consequence, altering the official record so that the dead girl never existed. In a different novel, the sheer inhumanity of literally erasing a human being's death would be the core theme. In this one? It's just one of many high jinks that begin the wild tale of how Edison's wealthy aunt learns that the scandalously middle-class woman her son is running away with - Rachel Chu, the protagonist of "Crazy Rich Asians" - is actually Carlton's illegitimate half sister and heir to a bigger fortune than her own. The tangled genealogical web that connects the brooding Carlton Bao, the Singapore-socialite-turned-housewife Astrid Leong, the narcissistic social-media star Colette Bing, the odious social climber Kitty Pong and our unassuming Everywoman Rachel Chu becomes hard to follow. But the soap opera is less important than the black comedy. What I enjoyed most while reading "China Rich Girlfriend" were the moments of nihilistic glee at the self-absorption of the Chinese demimonde, the "American Psycho"-like obsession with designer brands and desirable addresses. Kwan speaks of this culture with the authoritative tone of an insider, and the best passages are his footnotes with anthropological analysis detailing the habits of various subspecies of "crazy rich Asians." It's when the book goes for a more serious tone that it stumbles. The trouble with telling a story about the world's richest people is that they never seem to experience consequences; Astrid Leong's fortune, for instance, gives her an instant golden parachute when she's had enough of her abusive marriage. Similarly, I have no patience for Carlton Bao's feelings of guilt and self-pity over his act of manslaughter, considering no one ever suggests turning him in for it - and no one, not even the author, deigns to give the girl he killed a name. Kwan, like his characters, is more interested in the glitzy surface of the world he describes than the dark depths - his characters all speak with a similar, breezily conversational voice and fit certain well-worn stereotypes. The closest the book comes to hazarding a moral examination of its characters takes place when Rachel's friend points out how billionaires' extravagant spending creates jobs - something about which Rachel, an economics professor, ought to have far more of an opinion than she does. In light of this, the climactic ending, of Rachel "taking down" Colette in a viral video rant for being "spoiled" and "entitled," rings hollow. The bad people are the nouveau riche, like Astrid's insecure husband, or too-extravagant mainlanders like Colette. But when it comes to old-money Singaporeans like Astrid, Rachel's husband or presumably Kevin Kwan himself - people who are cultured and discreet about their privilege - the book is firmly on their side. And that ultimately left this nouveau riche hundred-thousand-aire walking away with a bad taste in my mouth. ARTHUR CHU, an actor, comedian and 11-time "Jeopardy!" champion, has been published in The Daily Beast, Salon and Fusion.
Kirkus Review
Kwan (Crazy Rich Asians, 2013) returns with an equally good-natured, catty-as-hell sequel to his bestselling roman clef about China's new and old money dynasties. For those not cued in, Kwan's tone is breakneck and utterly disarmingpart Oscar Wilde, part Judith Krantz, part Arthur Frommeras he reintroduces his jet-setting ensemble of socialites and social climbers. They include: Nick and Rachel (star-crossed Asian-American lovers who are searching for her father while avoiding his meddlesome Singaporean mom); Mrs. Bernard Tai (aka Kitty Pong, former mainland soap-opera star, who must temper her nouveau urges if she hopes to impress members of Hong Kong's exclusive dining clubs); Astrid Leong (married "beneath" her rank, wears off-the-rack dresses that, on her, pass for designer; her jewelry and class are the real deal, however); plus a circle of spoiled-rich 20-somethings who think they're re-enacting The Fast and Furious. Whenever a character drops a salty Hokkien, Cantonese, or Mandarin phrase or an unfamiliar reference, Kwan translates in a wry footnote (a device he used to great effect in his previous book). Occasionally the sendups of squillionaire excess fall a little flat: "Lookit's a koi pond," gasps Rachel as she absorbs the dcor of her Shanghai host's private jet. "God, you scared me. For a moment I thought something was wrong," answers her fiance, Nick, who stands to inherit one of China's great fortunes but prefers teaching undergrads at NYU. "You don't think anything's wrong?" Rachel presses. No wonder Nick's mom, the not-to-be-bested Eleanor Young, tries her utmost to topple their engagement! (Until she stumbles onto the true identity of Rachel's birth fatherand is now using it to reel her son home to face up to his privileged heritage, with unanticipated results.) Most hilarious when he's parodying uber-rich Chinese aunties who'd "rather camp out six to a room or sleep on the floor than spend money on hotels" and professional image consultants who help clients "take [their] most embarrassing biographical details and turn them into assets," Kwan keeps more than a few plot resolutions in the air but delivers at least one priceless declaration of love: "The bathroom [renovation] is fully funded.Now please pick out a dress." Over-the-top and hard to stop. A third installment is promised. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
Here, listeners will happily become re-acquainted with down-to-earth Nick Young and his fiancée Rachel Chu. Rachel has never met her biological father, but sets off on a wild adventure in hopes of finding him in time for him to walk her down the aisle. There are many new faces-bad boys and It Girls abound-and plenty of jet-setting adventure as the characters travel to glamorous locations including Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, London, New York, and Los Angeles. Most astonishing is the extreme stinginess of some of the richest people on the planet who look for the cheapest parking garage or "steal" an extra piece of cake from the church's coffee hour. Kwan's (Crazy Rich Asians) well-drawn characters and brilliant writing add to the surreal fun. Clever footnotes clarify unusual words or phrases, with occasional snarkiness adding humor. Narrator Lydia Look uses a very appealing conversational style and deftly captures wide-ranging accents, ages, and personalities. Verdict A must for those who enjoyed Kwan's first gem, though it'll stand alone for those who are sampling him for the first time. ["Those who enjoy splendid writing and getting a glimpse at how the other half (probably much less than 50 percent) lives will delight in this book"; LJ 5/1/15 starred review of the Doubleday hc.]-Susan G. Baird, formerly with Oak Lawn P.L., IL © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.