NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GMA BOOK CLUB PICK • The author of the international phenomenon Crazy Rich Asians takes us from Capri to NYC, where a young woman finds herself torn between two men—and two very different cultures.
"Another riveting tale of privilege, culture and romance ... extravagant fashion and deceit, resulting in one truly modern love story." —CNN
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 two cultures.
My Review:
I had a really fantastic time reading this book! I really enjoyed his trilogy, I binge read it. This book sounded really great, and I really enjoyed Lucie and George's story, when they met, and when they are reunited years later. It was so good! And if I'm not mistaken, there's a quick cameo reference to the Crazy Rich Asian series, of Kitty, which was awesome!
This book takes a look at old money, and specifically, stepped off THE boat from Europe kind of old money family. That Lucie has WASP heritage from her dad, and her mom is Chinese, well, she's had to deal with some pretty awful situations.
One thing that I really enjoyed, is that Lucie isn't perfect, she does some really kind of bad things, like a make out session when her fiancé is not that far away. Of her efforts to keep his mom from her apartment building. Which is not cool. But she's human, she makes mistakes. And I really enjoyed reading her story, when she's basically been told to block out a part of herself her entire life.
One thing that I want to know is, who was narrating the footnotes? There was one point where it said "I" meaning that it was in first person, probably the whole time. But was it Kevin Kwan, or a character in the book? And in which case, whom? I'll feel silly if it was obvious, but my best guesses are George, and Lucie.
I had such a fantastic time reading this book and I can't wait to read more by Kevin Kwan!
Author: Kevin Kwan
Read: April 4th, 2024
Source: Own
Reason Why: Love his writing, and it's a SAC 2024 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Anchor
Published: June 30th 2020
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