China Rich Girlfriend
 | This article consists almost entirely of a plot summary. (November 2015) |
| Author | Kevin Kwan |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
Publication date | June 2015 |
| Media type | |
| ISBN | 978-0-385-53908-1 |
| Preceded by | Crazy Rich Asians |
| Followed by | Rich People Problems |
China Rich Girlfriend is the 2015 sequel to Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians, a novel about the wealthy Singapore elite. Kwan was urged to write the sequel by his publishers after the initial success of Crazy Rich Asians.[1]
The title refers to a line in the novel in which a character exclaims over the wealth of the "China rich" who are billionaires.[clarification needed]
Plot
In 2013, two years after the events of [Crazy Rich Asians], Nick Young has managed to repair his relationship with Rachel Chu and plans to marry her, to his mother Eleanor Young's dismay. However, Eleanor makes the acquaintance of a Chinese lady named Bao Shaoyen on a trip to the UK, and notices that her only son, Carlton, looks like a male version of Rachel. Intruding upon Rachel and Nick's wedding rehearsal, she tells Rachel that she has located her long-lost father. Eleanor decides that she approves of Nick and Rachel's marriage, as it gives her a connection with the wealthy elite of China. Rachel meets her father, Zhu Gaoling, prior to the wedding, and is afterward invited to spend time with his family in Shanghai. Bao Shaoyen is angered by this, and urges Zhu Gaoling to avoid Rachel.
Carlton decides to meet Rachel, and becomes friends with her and Nick. He introduces her to his on-and-off girlfriend Colette Bing, and the four of them to go Paris for a shopping spree. However, Rachel feels upset that her father has inexplicably withdrawn his kindness. When Carlton is drunk, he accidentally tells Rachel that Bao Shaoyen refuses to let her into the family, in order to prevent her from receiving half of Zhu Gaoling's fortune. Carlton later apologizes, but Rachel decides to take a final trip within China and then to leave. However, she becomes incredibly ill and is hospitalized for kidney failure, and Nick receives a bouquet of flowers with a note, saying that Rachel was poisoned as a warning. Carlton accuses Bao Shaoyen, but she denies involvement in the poisoning and cooperates with the police. Zhu Gaoling decides to invite Rachel into his home, where she and Bao Shaoyen start to become friends. Meanwhile, the police discover that Colette's assistant Roxanne was behind the poisoning, which was done in response to Colette's concerns that her inheritance would be reduced.
Despite that Roxanne acted independently of Colette, Carlton blames Colette and breaks up with her. Rachel agrees to meet with Colette, and accepts her apology, but the latter demands that Rachel help her and Carlton reconcile, and begins screaming in public. Rachel responds by calling Colette selfish. The incident is taped and becomes widely viewed on the internet.
Meanwhile, Astrid Teo, Nick's cousin, finds herself increasingly turning towards her former fiancé, Charlie Wu, after her husband, Michael, becomes increasingly cruel after his tech-company takes off. When Michael begins to believe that his company is the result of Astrid's father's meddling Astrid goes about trying to prove him wrong and eventually realizes that the company was bought at a loss by Charlie so that Michael would feel more confident in the marriage. Realizing that Charlie still loves her Astrid leaves Michael and Charlie leaves his wife.
Kitty Pong, a former soap actress who managed to marry her way into the Singapore elite tries to buy her way into high-society appearing in gossip magazines and buying high-profile art. When she finds herself continually shunned she hires the services of Corinna Ko-Tung, a woman from a well-born family who tries to help Kitty tone down her look and make the right connections. Ultimately Kitty is unable to listen to Corinna's advice. She engages in a high-profile international custody battle with her ex-husband and reveals herself as the lover of Jack Bing, Colette Bing's father.
Characters
- Rachel Young (née Chu): An American economist of Chinese descent who is a professor at NYU. Though she was raised by a single mother and had a humble upbringing, she is revealed to be the titular China rich girlfriend after discovering her biological dad is a Chinese billionaire. She later marries Nick.
- Kerry Chu: Rachel's mother who once had a romantic relationship with Bao Gaoliang.
- Eleanor Young: Nick's mother who finally approves of Rachel after finding out that her father is a Chinese billionaire.
- Eddie Cheng: Nick's cousin who works in private banking, thanks to this he discovers Eleanor's secret account.
- Goh Peik Lin: Rachel's rich Singaporean best friend whose family owns a property development and construction company, Near West Organization.
- Nick Young: Rachel's husband and a member of the Singapore elite.
- Bao Gaoliang/Kao Wei: Carlton and Rachel's biological father who is a top Chinese politician and also a billionaire who owns a pharmaceutical company. Under his boyhood name, Kao Wei, he used to help Kerry whenever her awful wealthy husband got very angry in their apartment building and they eventually fell for each other. Kerry never told him they had a child together.
- Bao Shaoyen: Carlton's mother who has a hard time accepting Rachel. She has a gift room that consists many of Hermès bags.
- Carlton Bao: The 23-year-old English educated fuerdai son of Bao Shaoyen and Bao Gaoliang who lives a very wild lifestyle. He is Rachel's paternal half-brother who looks exactly like her.
- Colette Bing: A famous fashion blogger and the spoiled fuerdai daughter of either the third or fifth (depending on who is doing the ranking) richest men in China. Carlton's on-again, off-again girlfriend, who is a control freak.
- Mrs. Bing: Colette's germaphobic mother.
- Richie Yang: Son of a multi-billionaire father who's also one of the top richest men in China. He's one of Colette's suitors and also the one Colette's father wants her to marry.
- Jack Bing: Colette's multi-billionaire father who insists her on marrying Richie, due to their equal multi-billionaire status. He is later revealed to have an affair with Kitty.
- Roxanne Ma: Colette's personal assistant who's very loyal to her. She was Colette's 18th birthday present from her father.
- Michael Teo: Astrid's newly minted billionaire husband whose start-up company brings a huge success, due to unknowingly bought by Charlie. His success makes him mean and terrible.
- Charlie Wu: Astrid's billionaire former fiancé who still loves her, despite being married to someone else.
- Astrid Teo (née Leong): Nick's fashionable cousin who is referred to as "the goddess" and is known for her impeccable fashion sense. She secretly still loves Charlie and the feeling deepens even more when Michael gets crueler due to his new found success.
- Bernard Tai: Kitty's estranged billionaire husband who's been hiding in California due to a depression after a mix-up on his plastic surgery.
- Kitty Tai (née Pong): Bernard's wife who is a former soap-star turned social climber.
- Corinna Ko-Tung: A woman coming from a well-bred family who helps Kitty in her social-climbing agenda.
Reception
The novel received positive reviews[2][3] and was noted in the Washington Post as "the year's best beach reading," as well as excerpted in Vanity Fair.[4][5][6][7][8] Anne Kingston of Maclean's wrote of the novel, "Kevin Kwan’s sequel to the bestselling Crazy Rich Asians is perhaps even more delicious than the first." [9]
References
- ^ Baker, Jeanne. "'When they want something, they want the best': Kevin Kwan on his latest book, China Rich Girlfriend". Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ Busis, Hillary. "China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan: EW review". Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ Maslin, Janet. "Review: Kevin Kwan's 'China Rich Girlfriend' Skewers Vulgar Wealth in Asia". Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ^ "Best Sellers". Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ "San Francisco Chronicle best-sellers, July 5". Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ "The Maclean's Bestsellers list: week of July 14". Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ Rosenberg, Alyssa. "In this year's best beach reading, Jane Austen meets Singapore". Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ Kwan, Kevin. "Read an Excerpt from the Summer's Funniest Beach Read". Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ Kingston, Anne. "Jane Austen meets Hong Kong's nouveau riche". Retrieved 10 April 2016.