Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Doubleday (2020), 336 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER �?� A Good Morning America Book Club Pick The author of the New York Times bestselling phenomenon Crazy Rich Asians takes you from Capri to NYC, where Lucie Tang Churchill finds herself torn between two men�??and two very different cultures. On her very first morning on the jewel-like island of Capri, Lucie Churchill sets eyes on George Zao and she instantly can't stand him. She can't stand it when he gallantly offers to trade hotel rooms with her so that she can have a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, she can't stand that he knows more about Casa Malaparte than she does, and she really can't stand it when he kisses her in the darkness of the ancient ruins of a Roman villa and they are caught by her snobbish, disapproving cousin Charlotte. The daughter of an American-born Chinese mother and a blue-blooded New York father, Lucie has always sublimated the Asian side of herself in favor of the white side, and she adamantly denies having feelings for George. But several years later, when George unexpectedly appears in East Hampton, where Lucie is weekending with her new fiancé, Lucie finds herself drawn to George again. Soon, Lucie is spinning a web of deceit that involves her family, her fiancé, the co-op board of her Fifth Avenue apartment building, and, ultimately, herself as she tries mightily to deny George entry into her world�??and her heart. Moving between summer playgrounds of privilege, peppered with decadent food and extravagant fashion, Sex and Vanity is a truly modern love story, a daring homage to A Room with a View, and a brilliantly funny comedy of manners set between… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member TheYodamom
My first Kwan read was a hit for me. I was quickly hooked with all the quirky characters and the location. I didn’t even like any of the characters and still I enjoyed this read very much, it was hard to put down. The visuals were amazing, Mr. Kwan writes images so beautifully. We star is one of
Lucie is half Asian and was raise all her life not to let down her family. Avoiding her Asian heritage trying to blend in with her billionaire friends. She’s nasty, racist, a chameleon, who judges all based on her narrow views. I never grew to like her at all.
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the most stunning places, Capri Italy. Lucie and her cousin (chaperon) are there for a wedding. Not a normal wedding, no imagine having an endless budget and a need to wow the world type wedding and you’d still to get close. It was a jaw dropping experience. While there she manages to meet a sexy Chinese man, one her family and friends would not approve of. In this world money and status comes trumps love every time. Too bad they keep getting thrown together and the feelings are real, even if not welcome.Lucie is half Asian and was raise all her life not to let down her family. Avoiding her Asian heritage trying to blend in with her billionaire friends. She’s nasty, racist, a chameleon, who judges all based on her narrow views. I never grew to like her at all.
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LibraryThing member MickyFine
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
As with any contemporary retelling of classic novels, there's much joy here for readers who enjoyed the original novel and also 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].
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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 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].
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LibraryThing member brangwinn
Another glittering story from the author of Crazy Rich Asians. This time a classy woman is caught between her WASPY fiancé who her family wants her to marry and George Zao, who she doesn’t want to fall in love with. You might want to reread or at least watch E.M. Forster’s A Room with a View.
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Forster was way to early to envision this instagramming, techy group more familiar with technology than speaking with one another. And there are drones. And maybe its just the focus on minorities, but there’s an undercurrent of microaggression against Asian, even within the family. The characters are flamboyant and outrageous. It is a good choice to read since most of us will be stuck at home for the foreseeable future. Show Less
LibraryThing member andsoitgoes
Was a nice, light read. Hard for me to really enjoy it since it was a rewrite of A Room With a View by E.M. Forester which is one of my all-time favorite books. Kwan didn't even bother to change the first names of most of the characters. Because of this, there are no surprises if you are familiar
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with Forester's book. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookczuk
Pandemic read. Kevin Kwan takes on New York and a few other places. As always, the footnotes are superb.
LibraryThing member bookfest
I enjoyed the fun movie Crazy Rich Asians, so I thought I'd try another novel by Kevin Kwan. Maybe this would work as a movie, but it fell flat for me. Sure, there were some funny ideas and lines, but there wasn't enough of a plot line to sustain it. Plus, I have no interest in fashion and famous
Boring!
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people so I guess I'm not the audience for this. The outcome of the romance was just too obvious and the "other guy" was so obnoxious I couldn't understand why Lucie would spend a minute with him.Boring!
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LibraryThing member breic
This mostly delivers what you would expect from a Kevin Kwan novel. It's fluffy and brainless. It might be better than Forster's "A Room with a View," on which it is based. I still had a hard time reading it. The problem, for me, is that all the characters are fairly despicable. Flat and stupid I
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expected, but I didn't expect hateful, and that made reading a chore. Show Less
LibraryThing member bblum
Frothy fun novel perfect for a summer read and to forget about Covid. Lots of name dropping, expensive couture clothes and expansive houses. Lucie is half Chines and half Hampton WASP feeling the angst of youth, love and her perceived parental expectations. Life on the island of Capri attending an
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over the top wedding, meeting your true love and the antics of super rich Rosemary Zao makes for an easy read. Show Less
LibraryThing member foggidawn
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
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 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.
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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 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.
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LibraryThing member sunshine608
I was so excited to get my hands on this book because, in the middle of this pandemic summer, I was excited about the idea of some fun, light-hearted reading that's still literary in a sense and Kevin Kwan is a master at this. However, Sex and Vanity just did not do it for me :(. I feel like this
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book would be an art historian or an art fan's dream but for me, I felt most of the references were over my head. I could not quite connect with Lucie as I did with the characters in the CRA series (although I loved the cameos). The footnotes felt more like an encyclopedia entry to me compared to other books and I stopped reading them by Chapter 8. It's still juice and made me laugh but I just wasn't as connected to the story ( especially compared to CRA) and felt myself glazing and skipping over descriptions and pages. Show Less
LibraryThing member shazjhb
It had its moments. Not as much fun as Crazy Rich. Author seemed bored with the book.
LibraryThing member Auntie-Nanuuq
I really liked Kwan's other 3 books: Rich Asian Series, but this was a huge disappointment.
Isabel, a Über-rich young Chinese (of course) woman is getting married on the Isle of Capri and has invited, Lucie, a younger 1/2 Chinese (also rich) girl she once babysat to the wedding. Lucie brings along
Lucie meets George, whom she detests (he's another rich Chinese)...
So it's all about name dropping, excess, pedigree and who's doing who.
I did not like the characters, not even Lucie, she was flat & colorless. I also did not like the footnotes, which distracted me (and I can't imagine the point) nor did I like that upon introduction of each character Kwan listed everyone's pedigree next to their names in parenthesis; that would have been better suited at the begging of the book as a preface, as in biographies.
So very unimpressed and Über disappointed. I most likely will not read another.
Isabel, a Über-rich young Chinese (of course) woman is getting married on the Isle of Capri and has invited, Lucie, a younger 1/2 Chinese (also rich) girl she once babysat to the wedding. Lucie brings along
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a nasty-rude braggart chaperone, who misses no opportunity to complain, make snide remarks about Lucie's heritage, and is totally into one-upmanship.Lucie meets George, whom she detests (he's another rich Chinese)...
So it's all about name dropping, excess, pedigree and who's doing who.
I did not like the characters, not even Lucie, she was flat & colorless. I also did not like the footnotes, which distracted me (and I can't imagine the point) nor did I like that upon introduction of each character Kwan listed everyone's pedigree next to their names in parenthesis; that would have been better suited at the begging of the book as a preface, as in biographies.
So very unimpressed and Über disappointed. I most likely will not read another.
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LibraryThing member nicole_a_davis
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 retellings of classic books that I've read (mostly Jane Austen) are usually pretty bad, but this was
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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. Show Less
LibraryThing member SallyElizabethMurphy
This really deserves only 2.5 stars. I enjoyed Kevin Kwan’s other books, and this novel had some endearing aspects. However, much of the story was simply too over-the-top ridiculous.
LibraryThing member AngelaLam
Not a false note in this lovely book about love and class and expectations.
LibraryThing member Jynell
Do you prefer the finer things in life, or are you more comfortable in pajamas and cuddled on the couch?
I find myself to be someone who enjoys cuddled on the couch... Once in awhile I like to get dolled up and do something fancy, but usually not.
The characters (and they ARE characters) in Kevin
The story opens on the lavish wedding of a childhood friend and the escapades that happen during that wild week in Capri. Then, moves to a few years later and her engagement with Cecil. Finally, there is a happy ending, but I won't tell you exactly what that is...
I loved listening to this book - the characters kept me laughing and I loved Lucie's realistic views of the world. The narrator was excellent - able to capture the accents and pronounce every bit with perfection!
Thank you to Penguin Random House for allowing me to listen to this and offer my honest opinion!
I find myself to be someone who enjoys cuddled on the couch... Once in awhile I like to get dolled up and do something fancy, but usually not.
The characters (and they ARE characters) in Kevin
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Kwan's Sex and Vanity are mostly among those who prefer a lavish lifestyle. In fact, I'm glad I listened to the audiobook as there were many words I wouldn't have been able to pronounce! However, the main character, Lucie, prefers things a bit more toned down, but is smack dab in the middle of a life of grandeur.The story opens on the lavish wedding of a childhood friend and the escapades that happen during that wild week in Capri. Then, moves to a few years later and her engagement with Cecil. Finally, there is a happy ending, but I won't tell you exactly what that is...
I loved listening to this book - the characters kept me laughing and I loved Lucie's realistic views of the world. The narrator was excellent - able to capture the accents and pronounce every bit with perfection!
Thank you to Penguin Random House for allowing me to listen to this and offer my honest opinion!
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LibraryThing member mcelhra
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
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 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.
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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 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.
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LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Digital audiobook read by Lydia Look
From the book jacket: A glittering tale of love and longing as a young woman finds herself torn between two worlds–the WASP establishment of her father’s family and George Zao, a man she is desperately trying to avoid falling in love with.
My reactions
Boring.
There were a few over-the-top scenes that tickled my funny bone, and I gave it two stars for those. I realize that Kwan means these works to be satires of “crazy rich Asians” but I just find them tedious.
Lydia Look does a good job of narrating the audiobook. Too bad she didn’t have better material to work with.
From the book jacket: A glittering tale of love and longing as a young woman finds herself torn between two worlds–the WASP establishment of her father’s family and George Zao, a man she is desperately trying to avoid falling in love with.
My reactions
Boring.
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Vain, shallow characters more concerned with who is wearing what, or how to upstage someone else with their over-the-top events. Whether it’s their residence, car, jewels, vacations or clothing, they are obsessed with appearances. There were a few over-the-top scenes that tickled my funny bone, and I gave it two stars for those. I realize that Kwan means these works to be satires of “crazy rich Asians” but I just find them tedious.
Lydia Look does a good job of narrating the audiobook. Too bad she didn’t have better material to work with.
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Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2021)
NPR: Books We Love (2020)
Original language
English
Original publication date
2020-06-30
Physical description
9.57 inches
ISBN
0385546270 / 9780385546270