Readers Companions - Crazy Rich Asians: By Kevin Kwan | Digest & Review

A READERS COMPANION TO

Kevin Kwans

Crazy Rich Asians

DIGEST & REVIEW

By Readers Companion

Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved.

Published in the USA

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RAZY RICH ASIANS IS THE FIRST novel written by Kevin Kwan. The main characters in the novel are Nick Young and his American-born Chinese girlfriend, Rachel Chu. In this book, Rachel was invited by Nicks family to visit Singapore and attend a wedding. Therefore, Nick and Rachel traveled to Singapore during the summer. During her stay in Singapore, Rachel was culturally surprised when she witnessed the highly luxurious lifestyle of Nicks family and friends.

One of the central focuses of the novel is an opulent wedding, which was branded as the wedding of the century in Singapore. The name of the bride is Astrid, who comes from a very powerful and wealthy family. Her family is very close to Nicks family. Astrid is referred to as the it girl of Singapore, more so when it comes to fashion. Her wardrobe and jewelry collection is crazily luxurious. In this wedding, the richest families in mainland China come together and display their wealth. It is a wedding between a nouveau rich and an old-money. The lavishness of the wedding is what makes the book interesting to the readers.

Although Rachels family is not rich like Nicks, she doesnt take advantage of her boyfriends wealth. Instead, she pities Nicks relatives and their wealthy friends because they are too materialistic, insecure, malicious, and hostile. On the contrary, she sees Nicks lifestyle as totally different from those of his relatives, and she continues to admire him for who he really is.

The novel depicts the tradition of wealthy families in China. As highlighted in the novel, the eldest son is always expected to succeed and further the business of the family. He is also not allowed to live on his own, even after marrying and having his own family. As a way of showing respect and gratitude, the children of wealthy Asian families are also required to give something in return to their parents and grandparents.

Crazy Rich Asians shows how close Asian extended families still are, something that is rare in American and European society today. It is common for Asians to regularly visit or reunite with members of their extended families from time to time. But despite this closeness, there is still a lot of competition and politics within an Asian family. Asians have jealousies, strife, and rivalries within the family.

The novel also highlights the difference between the younger and older generations with respect to how they view love and relationships. The older generation is very traditional and doesnt believe in marrying just for love. They view marriage as a means of safeguarding their wealth and power. On the other hand, the younger generation regards love as the main basis for marriage.

In this novel, Kevin Kwan portrays the difference between Chinese living overseas and those who live on the mainland China. The Chinese overseas, regardless of their wealth, tend to be more quiet, circumspect, and frugal in the way they use their riches. Mainland Chinese, however, are very flamboyant and proud of their wealth. They enjoy displaying their wealth as a way of showing others how influential and powerful they are.

The main inspiration for writing this novel was Kevin Kwans desire to display how old families in Asian countries such as China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and the Philippines, have become richer and richer over the recent years. The writing of the novel started as an experiment and was developed from an old poem entitled Singaporean Bible Study written by Kevin Kwan himself. He then just continued writing and writing until things built up, and the novel was accomplished. Crazy Rich Asians was the first attempt by Kevin Kwan at writing a fiction book.

In certain ways, Crazy Rich Asians also deals with the subject of consumerist culture and gives his perspective of it. It is Kwans observation that many Asians from the upper class are very keen and specific about brand names in their expenditure and consumption. They are preoccupied with shopping for expensive brands and commodities and spend more money on shopping than anyone could possibly imagine.

Crazy Rich Asians was published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group on November 6, 2013. The novel by Kevin Kwan is available in Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, and Audiobook versions. The Hardcover version consists of 416 pages. The novel has become an international bestseller and is now being adapted into a movie.

Interesting fact:

K EVIN KWAN BEGAN WRITING HIS NOVEL, Crazy Rich Asians, after recollecting with his father memories of their childhood experiences, since they both grew up in Singapore in a well-off family. At that time, Kevins father was very ill, and they spent hours reminiscing and talking about their families, friends, memories, and childhood experiences.

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EVIN KWAN WAS BORN AND raised in Singapore. Kevin Kwan went to high school in Houston, Texas. After finishing high school, he attended the University of Houston where he earned a degree in media studies and creative writing. He then proceeded to Parsons School of Design where he studied fashion photography.

During his childhood, Kevin Kwans dream was to be a scientist rather than writing or doing creative work. He wanted to become a successful marine biologist. However, things took a different turn when he was in high school, during which he started developing a keen interest in writing. Writing soon became a passion for him, although it still took him many years to consider making a career out of it.

Although Kevin Kwan did earn a degree in creative writing, writing is more of a passion rather than a career to him. He didnt work as a writer after graduation but instead delved into fashion, which is his first love. It wasnt until after many years that he finally went back to writing. In fact, Kevin Kwan actually wrote his first novel, Crazy Rich Asians, when he was in his mid-thirties. When he is not writing, Kwan serves as a fine arts photographer and a creative consultant.