all the light we cannot see book Archives

“I have no idea who these people are. But I can tell you one thing— these people are richer than God” – Peik Lin, character from Crazy Rich Asians.

Here’s a bold satirical book that will surely crack you up. This book is purely entertaining and fun to read. It’s a romantic comedy that will not only make you chuckle but it will also touch your heart, especially towards the end of the book. It’s an interesting fast read with a no-nonsense type of writing. Each character is very well developed, so much so that even if you’re not rich, filthy rich or crazy rich, you will still find this book to be a great summer read.

I found out about this book when I read an article that talked about an upcoming romantic comedy film with an all-Asian cast. I thought, now that’s gonna be interesting, and of course, the upcoming film is entitled and based on this Crazy Rich Asians book by Kevin Kwan.

In the first few pages of the novel, you’ll find a family tree of The Young Family, The T’sien and The Shang Clan. It’s a great reference as to who the characters are, where they came from, and in which family they belong. You will find yourself constantly coming back to this for reference while reading the book. This means to show that there’s a lot of characters involved. But there’s a few main ones that are the main focus of the story. Don’t worry, I won’t be spoiling the entire story here, but I’ll give you a glimpse of what the story is all about.

Rachel Chu is a Chinese-born American and an NYU Economics Professor living in NYC with her boyfriend Nick Young who hails from Singapore and is also a History Professor at NYU. Nick’s best friend Collin, is getting married in Singapore and Nick is invited, so is Rachel. She’s never been there and she has no idea about Nick’s family history nor his complete background. Meanwhile, Astrid, Nick’s cousin living in Singapore is a jet-setting lady with troubles of her own. She warns Nick to tell Rachel about who and what their family really is. Also, Eleanor is Nick’s mom who loves him dearly and only wants the best for him. She’s eager to meet her son when he arrives in Singapore but changed her mind when she found out that he’s coming with his Chinese-American girlfriend, whom she’s never met before. Su Yi is Nick’s grandma who also loves him dearly but she has her own mind and sets of standards. Peik Lin is Rachel Chu’s former classmate and best friend from Singapore. Read how their lives will come together in one big funny mess, especially when Rachel finds out who Nick really is, his entire family and relatives’ history and background.

This novel depicts the lifestyle of the crazy rich Asians in a larger than life way, It’ll shock you to the bones and you’ll find yourself being transported to their world while laughing at the same time. It’s a lighthearted take on the lives of the people who have too much for their own good and also a tearjerker towards the last few chapters. There’s moral lessons to learn and several insights to ponder.

The Crazy Rich Asians Book is a trilogy by the author Kevin Kwan. It is available in amazon.com

The Book 2 (China Rich Girlfriend) is also available at amazon.com as well as the Book 3 (Rich People Problems)

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Let me tell about a book I’ve read last year that still pains me whenever I remember it. It’s not exactly the saddest book I’ve read, but for me, it’s quite a tearjerker. It’s hard for me to forget about this book because the story focuses during one of the hard times of our history. The story is about a blind French girl and a German boy with the plot set in occupied France during the World War II. The book’s title is “All The Light We Cannot See” by the American author, Anthony Doerr.

The book has won numerous awards, the biggest being the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and has spent several weeks in the New York Times Best Seller.

The book is written in the third person, classic style that really describes the hardship of the people living during the World War II. It’s sad to read about it, and it’s even more sad when a blind French girl named Marie-Laure LeBlanc had to flee Paris to seek refuge in a coastal town where her great-uncle lives. What would happen to her? Meanwhile, in Germany, an 8 year old orphan Werner Pfennig dreams of a much better life. But at what price he has to pay? Two kids from two different countries, from two different standpoints, they don’t know each other, but soon, their paths will cross.

I really like the story, it’s heartwarming yet sad, it’s melodramatic but somehow all’s well that ends well, but not so much because the characters have been through a lot and they’re never going be the same again. It’s quite a tough book to read, not only for its sad story, but also the first half of the book can be quite detailed that you might lose interest. I suggest that you stick with it because the book is an experience in itself. Also, if you listen to its audiobook via Amazon’s Audible, the experience is like complete immersion.

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr indeed deserves all the awards it can get. Have read this? Did you like it?

You can buy the book HERE, or listen to its audiobook HERE.

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Reviews and Other Stuff

all the light we cannot see book

Kevin Kwan’s “Crazy Rich Asians” Book Review

All The Light We Cannot See, Book Review

reviewsandotherstuff