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Thursday, September 14, 2017

The Wangs vs. the World

I heard debut author Jade Chang speak at our local BookMania! earlier this year about The Wangs vs. the World (#687).  From the description of her book, it sounded like something I wanted to read - a modern immigrant's tale.  I won a copy from GoodReads, and only struggled all the way through to end so I could review it on the site.  I should have known that I wouldn't like it after hearing book group members whose opinions I value broadly pan this book.


First, let me be clear; my opinion has nothing to do with the quality of Ms. Chang's writing.  Some of her prose was so exquisite that I felt it belonged in another, more lyrical novel.  II wasn't the classic road trip plot that I objected to.  It was the Wangs themselves.  Every one of them in their own inimitable way was selfish, stupid, grasping, heedless and dysfunctional.  Taken together, they were overpowering in their collective meanness.  The cover blurb from Entertainment Weekly says "Uproarious."  I found myself appalled, not amused by their antics.  I will take Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians series any day.  At least he has some affection for his characters.


When Jade Chang's next book comes out, I will be guided by the critics' reviews; if they love it, I'll be happy to skip it and find something else worthwhile to read.

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