Lies and Weddings

A Novel

By: Kevin Kwan

Narrated by: Jing Lusi

Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK: The New York Times, The Washington Post, TIME, Entertainment Weekly, Cosmopolitan, CNN, Lit Hub, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Reader's Digest, BookRiot, SheReads, PureWow, Publishers Weekly • From the iconic internationally bestselling author of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy: A forbidden affair erupts volcanically amid a decadent tropical wedding in this outrageous comedy of manners.

"Imagine Crazy Rich Asians mated with Saltburn and you've got Lies and Weddings—a heavenly summertime read!"—Plum Sykes, New York Times best-selling author of Bergdorf Blondes

Rufus Leung Gresham, future Earl of Greshambury and son of a former Hong Kong supermodel has a problem: the legendary Gresham Trust has been depleted by decades of profligate spending, and behind all the magazine covers and Instagram stories manors and yachts lies nothing more than a gargantuan mountain of debt. The only solution, put forth by Rufus’s scheming mother, is for Rufus to attend his sister’s wedding at a luxury eco-resort, a veritable who’s-who of sultans, barons, and oligarchs, and seduce a woman with money.

Should he marry Solène de Courcy, a French hotel heiress with honey blond tresses and a royal bloodline? Should he pursue Martha Dung, the tattooed venture capital genius who passes out billions like lollipops? Or should he follow his heart, betray his family, squander his legacy, and finally confess his love to the literal girl next door, the humble daughter of a doctor, Eden Tong? When a volcanic eruption burns through the nuptials and a hot mic exposes a secret tryst, the Gresham family plans—and their reputation—go up in flames.

Can the once-great dukedom rise from the ashes? Or will a secret tragedy, hidden for two decades, reveal a shocking twist?

In a globetrotting tale that takes us from the black sand beaches of Hawaii to the skies of Marrakech, from the glitzy bachelor pads of Los Angeles to the inner sanctums of England’s oldest family estates, Kevin Kwan unfurls a juicy, hilarious, sophisticated and thrillingly plotted story of love, money, murder, sex, and the lies we tell about them all.

©2024 Kevin Kwan (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Lies and Weddings is another chapter in Kwan’s fantasy of conspicuous transnational consumption and love against the odds....Alliances are made and unmade. Fortunes are won and lost. Rich people, trying to get richer, outwit themselves....And the laugh lines arrive punctually....Kwan has a gimlet eye for how fat cats strut: the Earl of Greshamsbury, for instance, in his ‘perfectly pressed ruby-red corduroy trousers and a pale blue Ede & Ravenscroft Sea Island cotton shirt rolled up to the elbows’ […] If you loved Crazy Rich Asians, Kevin Kwan’s latest won’t disappoint.”—Louis Bayard, The Washington Post

“An irresistible tale of eye-popping glamour and shocking deception...This romantic romp circles the globe, hitting luxury locations and high comic notes in classic Kwan style.”—People

"A hilarious, richly detailed family affair that takes place around the world, from Hawaii to Venice to Los Angeles to the English countryside."—Megan McCluskey and Olivia B. Waxman, Time

Entertainingish

I expected a bit more. This novel is a bit too over the top. Narrator is uneven.

Entertaining book, terrible narration

A wonderful escape, totally immersive. The narrator is terrible. First book I’ve ever had to listen to at 1.5 speed. The voices she uses for different characters are abysmal

I never want his stories to end

I loved this story. Kinda figured out the twist mid-story but loved the end. I always want an epilogue to know what happened to the main couple after the story wraps up. Highly recommend any of these novels

Wonderful read!

Fun and adventurous read, it could be annoying by the rich mom…. One with so much money, what would you do? Introduction to the Big Island was nice… my favorite island.

Rollicking Story, Performance Distracting

Done in Kwan’s signature storytelling style, the novel is a jet setting rollicking fun adventure with some social criticism thrown in. Towards the latter part, the plot seems a bit forced or contrived. But all-in-all a good light read.

My biggest complaint is for the performance. Personally, I do not like when the reader acts out the parts. I went the book read to me and not acted out. When this performer just read the text with of course the proper inflections, she was great.

However, her acting out parts took away from the story because the focus for the listener then became the bad acting and not the story. The acting was overdone for several of the characters and inconsistent. Some characters were acted out and others weren’t, or maybe it seemed inconsistent because the acting of the loud, angry, emotional characters was so over the top.

I was particularly annoyed with her acting out the character, Arabella. Every time, Arabella comes on the scene, the listener gets an earful of very loud screeching as well as a similar yell fest for one of the male characters.

It was so distracting that a few times I almost returned the book. Also, some of the male voices were cringe worthy.

I do not prefer books to be performed, and if they are it should be noted as such. It is unnecessary to act out to convey emotions, etc. The author’s words are enough to do that.

For example: If a character in a book I am reading silently to myself, starts screaming or becomes over wrought with emotions, I don’t then start screaming the words, etc in my head. So, why do some performers feel it’s necessary for them to do it while reading a book out loud?

I often listen to books before going to bed or if I wake up in the middle of the night. There is nothing more jarring and irritating than to be startled by a reader acting out a loud, emotional, angry, etc character. And if you have ear buds in, ouch.

Authors when choosing readers for their books need to be aware that while a reader has a good voice, articulation, and inflections, it doesn’t mean the reader is a good actor.

Likewise, actors don’t always make good readers of books. There are some Audible books read by famous actors that are poorly done. Just like authors may or may not make good readers of their books.

Best yet

This may be the best Kevin Kwan book yet. Enjoyed the character development, plot twists and overall story.

Lots of fun

Great story and characters. The narrator was distracting and a real detriment to the experience.

Awesome in audible

A wonderful romp and the voices the reader did on audible made it very engaging - it feels like a movie!

Hilariously full of juicy gossiping, but the reader’s cadence is frustrating

Just starting the book and the story is gripping and should be hilarious, if not for the distracting constantly pausing cadence of the reader.

Good story , annoying narration

The narrator was “acting” too much and it got really annoying at times . The story was based on Dr Thorne and it was interesting and fun !