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Sex and Vanity

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Sex and Vanity

By: Kevin Kwan
Narrated by: Lydia Look
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.
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The iconic author of the bestselling phenomenon Crazy Rich Asians returns with the glittering tale of a young woman who finds herself torn between two men.

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 a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, she can’t stand that he knows more about Casa 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.

The daughter of an American-born Chinese mother and a blue-blooded New York father, Lucie has always sublimated the Asian side of herself, 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, she finds herself drawn to him again. Soon, Lucie is spinning a web of deceit that involves her family, her fiancé and ultimately herself, as she tries 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.
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PEOPLE WATCHING HAS NEVER BEEN SO MUCH FUN.

©2020 Kevin Kwan (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Literature & Fiction Romance Romantic Comedy Comedy Witty Wedding Island
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Critic reviews

Sex and Vanity is basically your PERFECT SUMMER READ. Set in Capri, New York & the Hamptons, the location descriptions are so evocative you will feel like you're there. The characters bounce around the globe engaging in pretty much the binary opposite of social distancing so a double win for this delicious, delightful romp. (Sara Lawrence)

What listeners say about Sex and Vanity

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Summer listen, but nothing different

Some of the characters were quite irritating. Plot isn't anything extraordinary, but light listen during the pandemic and had me dreaming of holidays in Capri!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Nothing like the crazy rich Asians trilogy

If you are a fan of everything glamorous then this book is for you.The true storyline in this book did not start to emerge until far into the middle. The constant introduction of new characters with a short biography made it difficult to listen to. I feel like The reader was better at reading the other book by Kevin Kwun As her various accents were not very convincing. There was a subject matter of internalised racism which could have been further explored had the writer delved into it right at the beginning. A good romantic comedy that could have been more cleverly told if the book had been a few hours longer. Everything seemed quite rushed. I very much prefer the crazy rich Asians trilogy to this. It Seemed more authentic..

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Modern Adaptation of A Room with a View

This is literally a modern adaptation of A Room with a View, as soon as it got to the bit about them not having good views in their rooms it clicked. it's a good adaptation, I love how discriptive Kwan is with food and scenery and fashion and it's well adapted to modern times and I love that it touched on casual racism and how as a character of mixed descent it can be difficult to feel a part of either cultures but I did find Lucie to be even more insufferable a character than the original version if that is even possible.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Aspirational but predictable

I enjoyed hearing every detail about the gorgeous locations and glamorous gowns, and imagining what it might be like to experience such an exclusive lifestyle. However, the plot (in particular, the love triangle) didn't grab me as much as I hoped it would. It seemed like a no-brainer who Lucy should end up with so the latter half did feel like a bit of a slog and I had to listen in small doses as my mind kept wandering. I did enjoy how cinematic the book felt though. Planning a visit to Capri asap!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Super fun story

Love all his books, great story, only criticism is that the narrator can’t do accents

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very poor choice of narrator

The story itself is...fine. Not particularly gripping, with much less excitement and rather flat characters. But not bad. The narrator, however, is terrible. Her intonations are often strange, and the accents for George and Cecil are awful and seem to fade in and out. The narration is so poor that it often completely distracts from the story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Classic Kevin!

The book was an easy read and didn't depart from Kevin Kwan's fascination with the lives of high society doyennes. I still liked the CRA series better as it had a deeper story and more well-rounded characters.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

An enjoyable book

I loved Kevin Kwan’s previous novels which I listened to on my long commute to work and anxiously awaited the release of this book. Although I enjoyed it, it was, in my opinion, not as good as Crazy Rich Asians and the subsequent books in the series. I wasn’t as invested in the characters and was waiting for something ‘dramatic’ to happen, which, when it did, wasn’t as dramatic as the lead up suggested. Still a good read.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Expected more

I loved Crazy Rich Asians so I decided to read more from the author and started with this (maybe should have stayed with the Crazy Rich series initially). Whilst it is good I struggled to like the main characters and that aussie accent isn't the best.

But its a decent story if somewhat lacking in depth at times

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

No Spark

I wanted to enjoy this as much as I enjoyed the Crazy Rich Asian's trilogy but there's nothing here but fancy addresses in New York and brand dropping of big designer names. No chemistry between the main characters, just a totally flat story
:(

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