A babble on books I've recently read...also provides a sharp reminder of why I should write.
Hoping to find something to inspire me to get back into fictional writing, I picked up Charissa Ong's anthologies while on a family holiday in Malaysia during the summer.
Midnight Monologues and Daylight Dialogues have a mix of poetry and short stories, all incredibly riveting with simple phrases that can go straight to the soul. The short stories are of various genres but have a well-crafted start, middle and end with appropriate characters to bring the stories to life.
Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians was not a novel I wanted to read in a hurry but naturally like many others I decided to attempt to read the book after hearing about the film adaptation coming out this year. I still haven't watched the film - not sure if I will, regardless of whether it'll be in the cinema or wait till it comes out on DVD or the Sky Movies channels. So my thoughts on the novel itself generally fall on the lines of, "I didn't expect too much because I know how this novel will pan out."
Satire isn't something I tend to gravitate to when it comes to reading any novel as my patience with reading books tends to be limited. Crazy Rich Asians indeed only goes with one POV and that is of ethnic Chinese in Singapore. I do agree that the other native Singaporeans of various ethnic groups not limited to Chinese should have been included and not reduced to simple stereotypes such as a Guard or a Maid. I found Rachel and Nick rather bland and wanted much more background on them. They just seem to be there to represent the reader's POV as we follow their travels. Honestly this novel felt like a guide to Singaporean and the odd Malaysian cuisine or other travel spots. At least there was mention of Rachel's father and I know he's got more background in the next novel (I spoiled myself from reading summaries). Astrid and Charlie's history is possibly the one plot I am interested in. The backstabbing, bitchy, snobby privileged friends and families were painful to sit through.
I will admit I can't relate to Crazy Rich Asians 100%, much like how the big name 'mainstream' Asian Americans who are role models to many people may not resonate with me on a personal level, and if this was set in Malaysia and they talked about the privileged bunch from there it would probably make a bit more difference. However Singapore is seen as the more glamorous place to go to. What I did enjoy from reading was the mention of food, the Hokkien slang and the odd Cantonese slang that I actually understood without reading the footnotes. I also appreciate the fact this is a novel by an Asian which is set in a country or a neighbouring country next to where my family originated from. I haven't done a full exploration of Singapore in 20+ years and my recent visits there have been a quick stop over to visit some relatives before going back to Malaysia where more folk I am familiar with reside.
Hoping to find something to inspire me to get back into fictional writing, I picked up Charissa Ong's anthologies while on a family holiday in Malaysia during the summer.
Midnight Monologues and Daylight Dialogues have a mix of poetry and short stories, all incredibly riveting with simple phrases that can go straight to the soul. The short stories are of various genres but have a well-crafted start, middle and end with appropriate characters to bring the stories to life.
Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians was not a novel I wanted to read in a hurry but naturally like many others I decided to attempt to read the book after hearing about the film adaptation coming out this year. I still haven't watched the film - not sure if I will, regardless of whether it'll be in the cinema or wait till it comes out on DVD or the Sky Movies channels. So my thoughts on the novel itself generally fall on the lines of, "I didn't expect too much because I know how this novel will pan out."
Satire isn't something I tend to gravitate to when it comes to reading any novel as my patience with reading books tends to be limited. Crazy Rich Asians indeed only goes with one POV and that is of ethnic Chinese in Singapore. I do agree that the other native Singaporeans of various ethnic groups not limited to Chinese should have been included and not reduced to simple stereotypes such as a Guard or a Maid. I found Rachel and Nick rather bland and wanted much more background on them. They just seem to be there to represent the reader's POV as we follow their travels. Honestly this novel felt like a guide to Singaporean and the odd Malaysian cuisine or other travel spots. At least there was mention of Rachel's father and I know he's got more background in the next novel (I spoiled myself from reading summaries). Astrid and Charlie's history is possibly the one plot I am interested in. The backstabbing, bitchy, snobby privileged friends and families were painful to sit through.
I will admit I can't relate to Crazy Rich Asians 100%, much like how the big name 'mainstream' Asian Americans who are role models to many people may not resonate with me on a personal level, and if this was set in Malaysia and they talked about the privileged bunch from there it would probably make a bit more difference. However Singapore is seen as the more glamorous place to go to. What I did enjoy from reading was the mention of food, the Hokkien slang and the odd Cantonese slang that I actually understood without reading the footnotes. I also appreciate the fact this is a novel by an Asian which is set in a country or a neighbouring country next to where my family originated from. I haven't done a full exploration of Singapore in 20+ years and my recent visits there have been a quick stop over to visit some relatives before going back to Malaysia where more folk I am familiar with reside.