Sex and Vanity

Is this objectively good? No. Is there a single character who’s remotely likeable? Also no. Do either of the main relationships—Lucie Churchill, a biracial Chinese-American, is torn between the brooding George Zao, a Chinese-Australian surfer, and the nouveau riche Cecil Pike, a white-passing Instagram-obsessed socialite—seem at all convincing? Likewise no. Yet Kevin Kwan somehow manages to write books full of outlandish snobbery and vulgar consumption by the uber rich that are also frothily readable—in part because there’s just enough satire in the mix to leaven the determinedly vacuous confection. While Lucie is a bit less bearable a protagonist than in Kwan’s previous books, this is still a perfect book to read on a beach show more or while travelling: anywhere you’re happy to disengage your brain for a bit while turning on your visual imagination. show less

I had to read this for my bookclub and I had no idea what it was going into it. I got really excited when I realized it was a modernization of A Room With a View, one of my favorites. Other modern re-tellings of classic books that I've read (mostly Jane Austen) are usually pretty bad, but this was pitch perfect. It followed the plot of the original story perfectly but added just the right amount and made just the right changes to make it fit contemporary life realistically. And it was laugh-out-loud funny while it poked fun at the ultra-rich and all the while it exposed nuanced layers of racism against Asians/Asian-Americans. The author clearly loved the original, pulling some lines directly from it, and even made reference to the show more Merchant-Ivory movie. He was also clearly having so much fun--the footnotes I found particularly funny. I also loved how he brought forward the theme of art from the original. In this book Cecil uses art to signal his wealth and his refinement; he sees it as a commodity. Lucy, as an artist, uses art to process her deep-seated grief and as an art dealer to tries to raise the profile of up-and-coming artists, rather than focusing on helping the wealthy patrons. I think the way Kwan worked these details about art into the book was really insightful. show less

Kevin Kwan does his own take on A Room with a View. Lucie is half Chinese and has always felt out of step with her father's affluential New York family who are inordinately proud of being able to trace their ancestors back to the Mayflower. When she goes to Italy for her friend's elaborate wedding week, she takes her older cousin Charlotte as her plus one on her mother's suggestion. While in Capri Lucie meets George Zao who fascinates her in spite of herself. However a single scandalous moment between them is the cause of a multitude of misunderstandings when they bump into each other again five years later.

As with any contemporary retelling of classic novels, there's much joy here for readers who enjoyed the original novel and also show more enjoy Kwan's take on the richest of the rich. There are beautiful descriptions of Italy, New York, and the Hamptons with several scenes of opulence achievable only for the 1%. There's also the fascinating character interplay as we watch Lucie at nineteen and twenty-four grappling with who she is and who she wants to be. Kwan doesn't hesitate to swap out the class issues of Forster's novel for examining microagressions and racism, even among the family with whom one should feel safe. Kwan also makes multiple subtle nods to his obvious literary influences including my favourite, blink and you'll miss it Pride and Prejudice reference. Recommended for fans of Kwan's writing who have at least passing familiarity with A Room with a View. show less

Sex and Vanity bears a lot of similarities to Crazy Rich Asians but it mostly takes place in fabulous Capri and New York. Lucie Tang Churchill, the daughter of an American Born Chinese mother and white father, is invited to the wedding of her friend Isabel Chiu to Dolfi De Vecchi in Capri. It’s a multi-day affair with ultra–rich people from all over the world, not just Asia. Old money is forced to associate with new money, which can lead to some humorous interactions.

Lucie comes to Capri with her older cousin Charlotte as her chaperone. When they arrive they are put in the wrong hotel room – Charlotte had requested one with an ocean view. Rosemary Zao, an extremely wealthy woman from Hong Kong, overhears Charlotte complaining and show more offers to switch rooms with her, saying:

“…we come from Hong Kong, where our flat overlooks the harbor. And we have a house in Sydney, in Watsons Bay, where we can see whales do backflips, and another beach-front house in Hawaii, in Lanikai. We get to see the ocean till we’re sick of it, so this is nothing to us.”

Charlotte and most of the other wedding guests find Rosemary to be extremely gauche and are put off by her. To make matters worse, her son George is on the strange side and hardly speaks to anyone. Because of this, he seems mysterious to Lucie and she finds herself simultaneously repulsed by him and attracted to him. After an embarrassing incident, they part ways and don’t see each other again until several years later.

When George and Lucie meet again, Lucie is engaged to Cecil Pike, a world-class snob and social climber. Somehow Lucie can’t see it. I had trouble believing that Lucie, who is down to earth and not materialistic could love Cecil. And their sex life was weird. It seemed more like an arranged engagement to me. As you can probably guess, Lucie begins to have doubts about Cecil once George shows up in her life again.

Sex and Vanity has Kwan’s trademark snarky footnotes throughout, which I loved. It also has some serious things to say about race, which surprised me. Since Lucie is mixed race, she feels like she never quite fits in anywhere – she’s either too Chinese for white society or too white for Asian society. She experiences hurtful microaggressions because of that too.

I didn’t realize until after I read Sex and Vanity that it’s a tribute to A Room with a View by E.M. Forster. I’ve never read that book but now I want to. Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed the escapism in to the lives of crazy rich people that Kwan offers. Highly recommended. show less

If you’ve been missing the unabashed decadence that the Crazy Rich Asians series was, look no further than Sex and Vanity. The first in the new Cities Trilogy, this novel takes the reader to glamourous locations, expensive restaurants and extreme forms of decadence. It’s a little bittersweet reading about locations that you physically can’t visit during the current pandemic, but it’s a good place to start a wish list.

Readers of Kevin Kwan’s previous novels will know what to expect with Sex and Vanity – top notch locations from sandal makers to indoor gondolas, absolutely dripping with wealth. This time round, the focus is on Lucie Churchill, a Eurasian woman who is part of the famous New York Churchill family. Their wealth show more is about understatement. When Lucie meets George Zao and his mother Rosemary in Capri, she’s introduced to the brash, loud wealth of their family. Lucie actively dislikes George, until he comes to her rescue and she finds that his kisses are rather nice actually. After a fiasco at the wedding of her friend, the pair are separated. Lucie goes back to her life in New York and years later, she’s happily engaged to the king of new money, Cecil. Cecil is the worst ‘don’t you know who I am’ type of snob, with outlandish designs and ideas for further social climbing. But then George and his mother reappear in her life and Lucie must decide whether she should open her heart to George.

Fans of Kwan’s outlandish style will not be disappointed by Sex and Vanity. All the things that made Crazy Rich Asians so fun – the wealth, clothes, cars and drama are there. The story is described as a homage to A Room with a View, and fans of that book will be smiling wryly once Lucie and her cousin Charlotte open their hotel curtains in Capri. There are some fun updates, such as how Lucie and George’s secret tryst is discovered and immortalised. Those who loved the footnotes will be delighted to hear that they are back, explaining all the things that you aren’t quite cool enough to ‘get’. Put simply, Sex and Vanity is more of what made Crazy Rich Asians fun. If you expect that, you’re in for a rollicking ride. If you were expecting something entirely new and refreshing, you may be disappointed. And why change a good thing?

Lucie is a sweet heroine, but without a hard backbone that makes her stand out from the pack. She’s good – even a little too good – and it’s only towards the end that she stops pleasing everyone else before herself. The other characters range from raucous fun (Lucie’s mother, her brother Freddie and Mrs Zao) to downright unlikeable. Cecil and his mother Renee epitomise that with their new wealth and greed for even more. Cecil turns the dislike up to 10 with an odd bedroom scene with Lucie. The racism by the WASP characters is jaw dropping at times, but doesn’t really go too deep beyond their treatment of Lucie through snide remarks. George is somewhat of an enigma. He’s pleasant with hidden depths that are continually revealed through the novel – he surfs, he’s committed to minimising waste and he’s an excellent architect. He’s desirable, but it’s not really clear why.

Overall, this is a wonderfully light and gossip filled novel that continues the life of the rich and those around them (puppy yoga anyone?). Ground-breaking? Not really, but a chocolate cake is still good whether it’s your first one or thousandth.

Thank you to Penguin for the copy of the book, my review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less

When 19-year-old Lucie goes to a friend's wedding on Capri, she gets caught up in the romance and glamor of the location and event, and gives in to a seemingly inexplicable attraction to a man who's not at all her "type." After a scandal is narrowly averted, she returns to her normal life. Fast forward five years, Lucie is engaged to a society darling, a billionaire who promises to make a beautiful life for her -- but then, the man from her past reappears, and it's clear that the attraction is still there, for both of them.

I didn't like this nearly as much as Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians series. It has many things in common, including a focus on the ultra-wealthy and their quirks, a dearth of likable characters, and humor bound up in wacky show more scenarios caused by people having more money than good sense. I found the dialogue stilted in places, and the epilogue created a relationship between two secondary characters that wasn't foreshadowed at all in the rest of the book, as far as I could tell. Because I didn't really like any of the characters, I had a hard time caring about what happened to them. It was amusing, and I got through it quickly (partly because I know there's a holds list for it), so it's not that I don't recommend it. Just... modify your expectations. show less

Not as great as Crazy Rich Asians but still crazy rich with Asians. I loved the descriptions of Capri to which I couldn’t relate at all, and the wealthy parts of New York to which I also couldn’t relate but could at least picture in my head. I wanted to know more about George, but Lucie’s journey was the focal point and understandably so. The side characters were rich in detail and I’d love to watch them all (although I’d be too scared to meet any of them in my Target wardrobe).