Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan has a knack for turning out books that are impossible to put down and that keep you laughing. He's done it again with Sex and Vanity, which travels from Capri to New York in a modern take on A Room With A View. (Not surprisingly, it's already had the film rights optioned.) He's not alone in this talent of incorporating themes of love, betrayal, social class, satire and prejudices. If you liked Sex and Vanity, check out these books with amusing and quirky characters that will keep you entertained from cover to cover.
Alexandra Borowitz's Family & Other Catastrophes follows Emily Glass and her handsome fiancé, David, through a week of dysfunction, prejudices and secrets within two very different families. Weddings are already stressful without adding Emily's own neurosis. Can Emily and David still make it to the altar after spending a week with their families? Or will secrets and a betrayal keep them from wedded bliss? Indulge in this laugh-out-loud look into the lives of these very well-to-do families.
A loose retelling of the Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice, Ayesha at Last is the modern Muslim-Pakistani version, full of romance, heartbreak, juicy rumors and gossip. Ayesha and Khalid are a perfect example of opposites attract despite their resistance to an arranged marriage. Can an outspoken Ayesha and conservative Khalid find a happily-ever-after ending? Find out in this refreshing look at romance from Uzma Jalaluddin.
If you were missing Kwan's usual Asian locale in Sex and Vanity, join Jazzy and her girlfriends in Sarong Party Girls, a delightful romp set in Singapore. Jazzy is determined for them all to be married by the end of the year in spectacular form. Only well-to-do Caucasian males need apply. New money, old-world attitudes, class tensions and gender politics take Jazzy and her friends on a wild ride in their pursuit with Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan's version of Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Imagine The Bachelor and Pride and Prejudice thrown in together and you have Curtis Sittenfeld's Eligible. This very all-American novel starts on a Fourth of July weekend in Cincinnati. This modern approach to the classic story includes themes of class, love, gender and family with a very Hollywood ending.
Maggie Shipstead's Seating Arrangements conjures up a very modern and upscale Father of the Bride. You may remember the Father of the Bride movies, which were based on Edward Streeter's novel. Told from the viewpoint of the father of the bride, Winn Van Meter, Seating Arrangements follows the lavish wedding festivities that take place over three days at the family summer home in New England. This social satire has it all—love, lust, misbehaving and prejudice.
Add a comment to: If You Liked Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan