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July 31, 2017
The winning third novel (after 2015’s China Rich Girlfriend) in Kwan’s trilogy about elite Asian families focuses on the impending death of matriarch Shang Su Yi and the fate of the family estate, Tyersall Park in Singapore, amid plenty of gossip, scheming, and cattiness among the book’s status-conscious players. Nick Young is living in New York, estranged from Su Yi—the beloved grandmother who raised him—since she deemed his then-girlfriend, Rachel Chu, unfit for him. Nick’s cousin Astrid Leong, though also favored by Su Yi, is on the outs with her family after Isabel—the unstable ex-wife of Astrid’s beau, Charlie Young—causes a public spectacle that soils the Leong name. When it becomes clear that Su Yi is near death, status-climbing Eddie Cheng, Nick’s cousin, plots to keep Astrid and Nick from her deathbed while hoping to claim Tyersall Park for himself. Kwan’s writing is lively and witty, and he has a gift for peppering his narrative with telling detail. His complicated plot never flags, even in the less-intriguing scenes that showcase Astrid’s gooey illicit romance. The author is at his best when he’s unveiling this rarefied world and pitting the stature-obsessed with their more humble counterparts; this comes to a satisfying crescendo as the fate of Tyersall Park is decided.
September 1, 2017
Kwan's third volume continues to expose--albeit with plenty of schadenfreudian humor--the outrageous excesses and over-the-top machinations that began with his debut, Crazy Rich Asians (currently in highly anticipated celluloid production). Lydia Look, who voiced book two, China Rich Girlfriend, with energetic aplomb, reprises her crisply clipped Singlish with unfailing enthusiasm; her "Aiyah!"s and "Alamak!"s provide emphatic punctuation to the shenanigans of Kwan's uberrich folks. By being Manhattan-based, Nicholas and Rachel Young are temporarily detached from Nicky's extended dysfunctional family in Singapore. When family matriarch Su Yi falls gravely ill, her Tyersall Park home--an unparalleled, legendary estate--swells with fawning well-wishers. Missing is her favorite grandson Nicky, from whom she's been estranged ever since he chose Rachel over his family. The local drama, meanwhile, implodes. Cousin Astrid's marriage has floundered, as she's involved again with her less-than-appropriate first love, Charlie Wu. Kitty Pong is now Kitty Bing, married to China's second wealthiest man, but her new billions still can't buy satisfaction, especially when her new stepdaughter keeps stealing her spotlight. VERDICT Libraries will want to share the wealth of this rollicking, can't-turn-away pick, especially ideal for beaches and road trips.--Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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