Crazy Rich Asians

Every once in a while, there's nothing more satisfying than indulging yourself in a really dishy novel.  My sister-in-law's recommendation of Crazy Rich Asians (#488) by Kevin Kwan fit the bill perfectly.

When Rachel Chu's boyfriend Nick Young invites her to spend their summer break from their professorial duties at NYU on a visit to Singapore where he's the best man at his friend's wedding, it takes some persuasion on his part to get Rachel to agree.  But after two years, things are pretty serious between them, so maybe it's time to meet his family and see where he grew up.  She's been raised in the US, but her mother, a successful California real estate broker, has talked about China and taught her Mandarin since she was little .

Nick's friends and cousins tried to warn him to prepare Rachel for what was coming, but Nick can't honestly see why he might need to fill her in for the world of the super-rich she's about to encounter during the festivities of the wedding of the year in Singapore.  Rachel finds herself in the middle of a world of wealth she couldn't even have imagined with a huge target painted on her back.  No ABC* girlfriend is going to snatch Nick from under the very noses of every single, unattached heiress in the Far East!  Besides, she's not good enough.  Although his family is polite to her, who is her family, anyway?

While Nick is doing his best man duties steering Colin Khoo away from the assorted vices his connection Bernard Tai has planned for his bachelor party weekend, he assumes Rachel is having a wonderful time at the bride's bachelorette party on a private South Sea island.  Nothing could be further from the truth! 

With his mother busily trying to scotch his romance with Rachel, Nick's cousin Astrid, a famous society beauty, is living through a crisis in her own marriage.  With more than forty million dollars spent on the wedding extravaganza for Colin Khoo and his supermodel bride Araminta Lee, will anyone come out of this novel happy?  Or will the money be enough to compensate for everything else? 

How could this not be a fun, juicy read with marvelous descriptions of food every few pages?  I've added Singapore to my list of "must visit" places!

*American Born Chinese.  Author Kevin Kwan, an insider from this world, provides plenty of footnotes on the people, places, food and slang in his book.