Rich People Problems

I have mixed feelings about this book, because although it was a huge improvement over China Rich Girlfriend, it still largely lacked the charm and intrigue of Crazy Rich Asians.

I was much more pleased with the characterization of Nick compared to the first two books. He shows a lot of personal growth over the often petulant, childish, and unnecessarily aggressive Nick of books 1 and 2. There is also no want for drama, and it definitely kept my interest in its sheer ridiculousness. In terms of characterization, I think Eddie made the perfect villain and I loved watching Kitty's descent into madness over Colette).

The constant questions about Su Yi's past and her will built up a huge degree of curiosity for me. Kwan does a great job of show more building up suspense and half of the reason I kept reading the book was wanting to know how it would conclude. I especially loved the ending, as it was the perfect blend of satisfying, surprising, and inventive. The result of Su Yi's estate was, in my opinion, very characteristic of the Su Yi we got to know over the course of the book. It blended her somewhat strict and frustrating old ways with her sense of humor and love for her family. Honestly, I liked how the characterization of Su Yi in this book gave her more depth while still honoring the stubborn and old-fashioned Ah Ma of the previous books. And the affair! What a twist!.

I almost quit the trilogy after the second book because it was so disappointing, but overall I'm glad I finished it. Rich People Problems has the charm, drama, and outlandish story-telling that I expect out of a Kevin Kwan book, and it's a good conclusion to a much-beloved story. show less

Rich People Problems is a fabulous read. Kevin Kwan’s witty writing and highly entertaining characters make Rich People Problems so much fun to read. There are A LOT of characters to keep up with, but once I had them all straight again I didn’t want the book to end. Kwan is a master at depicting familial relationships, and with everyone descending on Tyersall Park, there is much family drama to be had.

I really enjoyed learning more about Su Yi’s background and Tyersall Park itself. Kwan’s descriptions of the ultra-rich lifestyles of certain characters and the outlandish behavior of others, including poor Eddie and Kitty. A fish gets plastic surgery, a socialite has a “personal documentarian”, and a decorator creates a look show more he called “Ming emperor meets Louis-Napoleon at Studio 54” which includes Tibetan yak hair dyed simmering shades of persimmon. Kwan is truly a master at depicting the absurdity of various characters’ lifestyles in the most hilarious manner. Be prepared to laugh out loud repeatedly.

I was excited to see artist James Turrell receive a shout-out from Kwan. Turrell designed an illuminated tunnel at the art museum near my home, and it remains one of our favorite things to see whenever we visit the museum.

I highly recommend this book and hope there will be another one. I am looking forward to the Crazy Rich Asians movie in the meantime. Thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. show less

Considering the intricacies of the Shang/Young family lineage and the habits of the hereditary rich, it comes as no surprise to discerning readers that Kwan chose to focus his penultimate Crazy Rich Asians novel on examining themes around property, inheritance, and family lineages. The infamous Young family residence, Tyersall Park, is at the heart of the story throughout all of the shenanigans and drama that unfold as Su Yi (the family matriarch) lies on her deathbed, and while we wonder until the very final pages if Nick and Rachel will wind up holding its keys, it is the surrounding historical narrative that ends up being just as captivating. While cousins vie for attention and marriages reach their breaking point, Su Yi’s story show more quietly unfolds for readers, tracing back through her time as a resistance fighter during the Japanese occupation and the early years of her (initially unhappy) marriage. Paired with Su Yi’s memories are the ideas of the new generation of the family – Nick and Rachel wanting to live a relatively normal life in New York but still preserve some of the Young family history, Astrid and Charlie trying to break free of their restrictive marriages and family obligations, and cousin Eddie finally getting his just deserts as his carefully crafted persona and control crumbles around him – which creates a narrative that contrasts tradition with innovation, while still putting Kwan’s entertainingly crafted personalities at the centre of the story. We’re kept guessing until the very final pages of the story (even past the apparent climax of the reading of the will), which makes for a completely obsessively engrossing read throughout. It’s giving age-appropriate (and culturally unique) Gossip Girl and Edith Wharton, and I just wish that we could keep reading more about these hilariously complex characters! show less

By the third book in a trilogy, you should know exactly what you're getting, and Kevin Kwan meets expectations in Rich People Problems: campy, tacky ridiculousness perpetrated by obscenely wealthy people who are themselves camp, tacky, and ridiculous. I enjoyed this about as much as the others for the most part—it's got that mindlessly diverting quality that makes for a good beach read—but there were a number of elements here that left a particularly sour taste in my mouth. Kwan has a predilection for making the "good" characters beautiful, tasteful, wealthy, and light-skinned, while punishing the "bad" characters with mental illness and physical disability. He does make a token effort at bemoaning greed and commercialism—Nick's show more favourite hole-in-the-wall noodle place vanishes due to gentrification—but honestly, I do get the impression that whatever his faith may be, Kwan is likely an adherent of the prosperity gospel hucksters.

(Also, how on earth have Nick and Rachel not been fired from their respective jobs? Professors at NYU, indeed.) show less

I am one of those people who have obsessively followed the Crazy Rich Asians filming and have eagerly awaited the release of this book, the final in the trilogy. I love this series for its out there craziness, lavish lifestyle and extreme problems only the ultra-rich can face. While the first book is still my favourite, Rich People Problems is a fitting end to the story that’s a bit more serious (well, sometimes). It’s like the series has grown up and matured. But there are still plenty of fun revelations to be had, such as plastic surgery for fish. (I kid you not).

At the start of the novel, the Shang-Young families are doing their usual thing at the ends of the globe. Nick and Rachel has happy in New York, Eddie is colour show more coordinating his outfits somewhere and Astrid is working through her divorce. (Or so she thought until an unexpected visitor arrived at the Fellowship Banquet she was attending) Others are on remote islands, some are lunching with Singapore’s finest. Until they get the call. The matriarch of the family, Su Yi has had a heart attack and is dying. Cue the sound of many private jets (unless you’re part of the Thai royalty side of the family, who flew discount economy because it’s cheaper) arriving in Singapore. Some of the family want to see Su Yi, others (hello Eddie) are hoping and wishing for a last minute change in her will. That’s the primary plot of the novel, with flashbacks to Su Yi’s time in India and Singapore during World War II. I found those parts fascinating, showing that Kevin Kwan can write more than light-hearted fiction. A Su Yi novel would be one of courage, determination and resistance as she takes on the Japanese almost singlehandedly during their occupation of Singapore.

But I digress. Where there are Shangs and Youngs, there are always interesting things happening. Eddie and his comical attempts to become Su Yi’s #1 end in disaster as always. Astrid is fighting a divorce that is becoming very bitter to the point of scandal, to the shock of her parents. Rachel is being wise and quiet on the sidelines as always. Kitty Pong is back and ready to take on Singapore against her bitter rival, step daughter Colette. Is Colette one step ahead of Kitty or out of the game? I enjoyed Kitty’s lavishness and determination that money can buy absolutely everything. She was refreshing and unintentionally funny as always.

In a way, Rich People Problems was about visiting the characters one more time. As a reader, I hoped everyone would find their closure. The majority did, but one of the main character’s endings was a bit dubious to me (I’m not saying who). I just didn’t think a spiritual rebirth and rejection of their previous life was quite in their nature. I felt that it was kind of an easy way out of the hardships they had faced. But hey, everyone can be surprising and who knows, they may change their mind and be the subject of another book!

If you’re a lover of footnotes (and let’s face it, you probably are if you’ve read the first two books in the series), Rich People Problems won’t disappoint. The footnotes are full of gossip, explanations for the brands too exclusive to be on your Instagram and translations of the best insults to English. The narrative and style packs so much in, you can’t help but be greedy for more details!

I’ll miss my favourite characters (Su Yi and Astrid) but I’m looking forward to seeing them on the screen soon in Crazy Rich Asians.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less

When Nicholas Young's grandmother, Su Yi, takes ill, the entire clan descends on Tyersall Park. However, concern for their matriarch is at the bottom of most of her relatives' priority lists. Instead all of them are fixated on getting into her good graces in the hopes of inspiring a last minute will change and inheriting the estate of Tyersall Park.

Kwan crafts yet another sprawling tale with the characters readers of this trilogy have come to know (and love or hate). While the central plot is well done and Kwan writes evocatively of the details of the lives of the insanely rich, I felt like character development was lacking a bit in this one. I also was dismayed that Rachel, who has always been the sort of sane, everyday access point to show more this world gets so very little page time. While she and Nick aren't the dramatic centre of these novels, they are its most sane heart (followed by Astrid). Highly enjoyable and definitely recommended for fans of the previous books but I felt it didn't quite match the standards of its predecessors. show less

The final installment of this bestselling saga of life among the billionaires of Singapore puts the family matriarch at death’s door—which means somebody’s going to inherit her exquisite estate.

The fairy tale/soap opera/lux-a-thon that began with Crazy Rich Asians (2013) and China Rich Girlfriend (2015) comes to a fittingly majestic and hilarious end in Kwan’s third novel. When Su Yi’s health precipitously fails, Shang-Young family members from all over the globe assemble at Tyersall Park—some out of genuine concern, others to callously go after their piece of the pie (this contingent is led by the always hilariously awful and overdressed Eddie Cheng). The only two family members missing are those Su Yi is most attached show more to—her grandchildren Nicky Young and Astrid Leong. Nicky hasn’t spoken to his grandmother since he married beneath his station five years ago, and though he tries to rush to her side, the guards at Tyersall Park have been instructed not to let him in. How can that be? Meanwhile, Astrid is in the midst of getting engaged to her beloved Charlie Wu at a palace in India complete with elephants when paparazzi hell breaks loose, unleashing a chain of events that includes a leaked sex tape and a suicide attempt involving a Lindsay Adelman chandelier. As the sharks circle at Tyersall Park, related dramas play out around the globe, including an all-out, multicontinental war between Kitty Pong and Colette Bing. Also unfolding is the amazing back story of Su Yi’s secret involvement in World War II, which turns out to have significant bearing on her legacy. Readers who thought they didn’t like to read about rich people will quickly lose all high-minded pretensions as they revel in the food, fashions, real estate, and art so lusciously strewn through this irresistible, knowing, and even sometimes moving story. Things that are this much fun are usually illegal.

Alamak! as they say in Singapore. Please say it isn’t over! Of course everything’s wrapped up perfectly and tied with a (priceless, hand-painted, 15th century) bow—but not since we were kicked out of Hogwarts and Downton Abbey have we felt so adrift.

I was actually a little sorry to see the series end. Great beach reading show less