Rich People Problems: Book Review

 

Rich People Problems is a book published as the last sequel of the story – Crazy Rich Asians. It is a novel about the lifestyle and issues of an Elite Singaporean family. The story is focused more on the near ending life of Su Yi, narratives on the history of her clan and Shang-Young’s allocation of inheritance.

“Kwan creates a fictional universe so full, with language, as well adorned as the lives of the glittering characters he paints”

– Town and Country Philippines

Synopsis:

Nicholas Young’s grandmother Su Yi is on her deathbed. While he rushes to be by her side, he’s not the only one. The entire Shang-Young clan has convened from all corners of the globe to stake a claim on their matriarch’s massive fortune. With all parties vying to inherit a trophy estate in the heart of Singapore, Nicholas’s childhood home turns into a hotbed of sabotage and scandal.

Taking us from elegantly appointed mansions in Manila’s secluded private islands in the Sulu Sea, Kevin Kwan’s final installment in this irresistible trilogy reveals the long-buried secrets of Asia’s most privileged families and their rich people problems. 

The Author

image source: rappler

Kevin Kwan is the author of the international bestsellers Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, and Rich People Problems. Born in Singapore, he has called New York’s West Village home since 1995. (www.kevinkwanbooks.com)

How I get to know the book?

I watched the Crazy Rich Asian movie. From there, I knew it was adapted from a best-selling novel. I tried to google the book. I discovered it has 3 sequels.  Sorry for skipping China Rich Girlfriend. Haha. I’ll try to get a copy of it if I have more time to read it. :p

RELATED LINK: HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

Review:

My copy of the Rich People Problems book is convenient to bring anywhere because it is not hardbound. I experienced reading it almost anywhere – home, library, balcony, inside the vehicle, and even at a funeral when we need to stay there for long.

The title caught my attention because I am not born with a silver spoon. I am curious about at what level can these elites be that problematic. I did encounter non-sensical problems introduced in the prologue part. You know, so-called problems that are actually not a problem at all. Examples are complaints about the wrong service in a luxury hotel or misunderstanding with their family physician/doctor appointments.

These rich people find it troubling right away. I was like, “Hey, there are people who can’t even afford that or people who do not have an idea of what being luxurious is.” I continue to read anyway. Each chapter brings me to different places in the world as the clan goes global. Thus, this story sequel will be costly and complicated to produce on film.

Storylines

After watching the film “Crazy Rich Asian”, I am anticipating here the love story progress of Nick and Rachel. Will they have more than a happy ending? However, the last sequel revolves mainly around Nick’s relationship with his dying grandmother and Tyersall Park’s secrets. Obviously, the story highlights more on Cheng and Young’s inheritance revelation which I believe is also interesting to know. There are more conversations within the clan; most likely a family reunion.

In terms of romance, Astrid’s secret love affair is one real big deal. Astrid is perceived as the perfect woman of all – rich, sophisticated, and alluring. However, you can’t have all so she has trouble with her current husband and is romantic again with her comeback love affair. It’s a good thing Charlie (the other man) is persistent to have her in the end. In reality, you just need someone who can value and support you more than anything else. Therefore, I vote for Charlie. Su Yi likes him as well.  The couple’s love scenes are romantically creative. hehe!

The Philippines

The Philippines, my country, is featured in Rich People Problems. In the story, Astrid owns one island in the Philippines and stayed there for soul searching. Wow!

Notable Quotes

_{Note: I encountered Leo Tolstoy again. I remember him during our Literary Theory Class in MA. One of his good literary pieces I read is “God Sees the Truth, But Waits”. You must check it out. It is only a short story. If given a chance to teach literature again, I will use this story in academic lectures.} 

“I often think of how unfairly life’s good fortune is sometimes distributed.”

Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

      “I made my money the old-fashioned way. I was very nice to a wealthy relative right before he died.”

Malcolm Forbes

Back in the review, we got these quotes that mostly resonate in real life. Even for me, I sometimes doubt life itself. Tolstoy mentioned the unfair distribution of good fortune in life. I know good people who work hard and are immensely kind but are not given a good fortune of wealth. They even suffer more. On the other hand, I know rude people who are getting even luckier in life and accumulating more wealth. There is no guarantee of justice in the human world. Therefore, I must believe that real justice is in after-life.

Meanwhile, Forbes mentioned how to make money the old fashion way. You are lucky to have inherited wealth because you don’t need to work hard for it. The quote obviously reflects on the intention of Eddie Cheng in the story. He desperately wants to gain most of the inherited wealth. In reality, more people are becoming extra kind and concerned if they know they can inherit great sums of wealth after the death of their parents/old generation relatives. OLD MONEY is easy. What are your thoughts about this?

Family matters

Having read the lavishness of living from the Young and Cheng Clans made me not desire too much in life. Practically, you just need clothes, shelter, food/water, and other people to survive. If we get this chance of an increased abundance in life, then better extend the blessings to people who are in need than indulging everything on selfish desires.

At the closing end of the novel, Nick received letters and war memories from his grandmother. It only shows that relationships and memories are the real treasure in life.

In this generation, we follow helplessly trends to post on social media such as new phones, clothes, and fashion. It affects our view of reality and how we deal with life. We tend to place more importance on how we are measured by these things. However, there are more things essential so we need to pause and reflect. At the end of the day, what truly matters are real relationships, an action contributing to bettering our society, and peace of mind.

Rich People Problems is one good read. If you are into Elite Asian lifestyle stories, then you will love it more. Problematic Rich People see status and money only. Real Rich People treasure memories, love, and family. I hope you will enjoy turning pages here as well.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

~~~~~~~~

If you have any thoughts to share about this book, feel free to leave a comment below! 🙂

~~~~~~~~~~

NOTE: THE CRITIQUE AND RATING OF THE BOOK IS ONLY BASED FROM THE OPINION OF THE REVIEWER.

Support this blog by leaving comments, sharing this post on social media, or buy me a cup of coffee.