Sex and Vanity
Available at Bookshop.org
3/5
For fans of: coming of age, its complicated, insta-love, Crazy Rich Asians, Frasier, New York City, Capri
The Big Questions:
What genre is this in? Romance, chicklit, fiction
Are there any swoon-worthy characters? George, philosophical surfer silent type
Is it spicy? Soft spicy, described but not graphic
Is it violent or gory? No violence or gore
Should I buy, borrow, or pass on this book? If you are looking for a fun, light read, borrow it!
“Can you imagine what our children will look like? Quarter Asians are the most beautiful species in the world”
Synopsis: 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 the view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, she can’t stand that he knows more about Curzio 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. “Your mother is Chinese so it’s no surprise you’d be attracted to someone like him,” Charlotte teases.
Daughter of an American-born-Chinese mother and 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, Lucy is spinning a web of deceit that involves her family, her fiancé, the co-op board of her Fifth Avenue apartment, 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.
“The thing about the superrich is that they always need more space with no people in it.”
Review: This is my first foray into straight up chicklit and I have to say, I don’t know if it is for me. Let’s start with what I connected with and loved. I love Lucie. As an Asian-American raised in America, I get her and I love her. She is a woman trying to find her way in a society that will always see her as “other” no matter how American she is. She will always be Asian first no matter how hard she tries. Her immediate family, I love them too. They have her back. They understand her struggle. Unlike the other side of her family with their mountains of micro-aggressions; oh man did they rile me up. I also loved Lucie’s cousin Charlotte despite hating her from the beginning. Their relationship is so bizarre but understandable when it comes to family. We all have our blinders, but the growth these two had throughout the book have my heart. Lastly, the lavish locations of Capri (dear lord, adding to the bucket list), high society Manhattan (I might have to venture a tour of these places someday in the spring), and hoity-toity Hamptons (I’m good, no need to visit) were so much fun. They were characters in their own right and I love when authors do this. I could see, feel, smell, hear, and taste the literal richness of each location. Oh and the footnotes! These were such a delight and I wish more authors would do this in their world-building.
Now on to what I didn’t care for. Do rich people really talk like this? I swear I felt like I was in a book version of Frasier with all the name dropping of brands I have never heard of but just sounded like they were located behind secret doors in laundromats. The cadence and word choice of all the characters was just bizarre. I can understand the high society speech of fantastical/historical/sci-fi lords and ladies. I felt like I needed a translator for the language of the super-rich. I don’t know much about WASP culture but it sounds just absolutely insufferable and exhausting. Just why. And the micro-aggressions as well as outright racism was jarring as it should be, but characters dismissing it to avoid conflict had my hackles raised. I am also not a fan of insta-love, which is how I would describe Lucie and George’s relationship. Sure, the summer fling was reasonable, but the final third of the book just didn’t convince me. Lucie also seemed to go right off the deep in in the third act, countering so much of her growth. It was definitely a choice, just not one I would have gone with. I feel like the book could have gone deeper in the heavier topics of racism, micro-aggressions, third culture generations, and critique of the 1%. There was definitely room for it and I think that would have enriched the reading experience just as much as everything else. This is definitely a missed opportunity.