Sex and Vanity

behind George as they headed along a steep paved trail and then down a long set of steps that wound along the thickly forested part of the island. 

Pablo Neruda would hike this trail every day when he lived on the island, George said.

Lucie said nothing, but she was surprised by this bit of trivia coming from George. He didn t seem like the type to read poetry. At the bottom of the steps, they rounded a corner and she found herself standing at the mouth of a cavern. She realized with an unexpected jolt that they were at the Grotta di Matermania. It was one of the places she had put on her must- see list a natural cavern that was one of the most ancient archaeological treasures of the island. 

You wanted to go somewhere back in time, so here we are, George said.

Lucie wandered into the cavern, where walls and stairways had been carved out of the limestone to create different levels and spaces within. This was once a nymphaeum for the ancient Romans, she thought, placing her hand against the cavern walls, strangely warm to the touch, and wondering what mystical rituals these ruins must have witnessed through the ages. She could feel a strange energy pulsating throughout the cave, the same energy she felt when she had visited other ancient sites like Stonehenge and the Mayan tem-ples at Tulum.

At the back of the cavern rose a natural formation that resembled an altar, no doubt the focal point of ceremonies when the cavern was itself a temple. Lucie climbed up to stand in front of the altar and closed her eyes. She wasn t religious by any means her mother s family was Buddhist and her father s was nominally Episcopalian but something compelled her to say a silent prayer for the

swap and then spins off into its own gold-plated world, with a few unexpectedly serious stops along the way... Kwan's witty Sex and Vanity is a fine beach read.
Chicago Tribune

"A romantic comedy set in New York and the Hamptons, and a nuanced exploration of race and identity."
Avenue

"Another riveting tale of privilege, culture and romance... in a world of extravagant fashion and deceit, resulting in one truly modern love story that you won t be able to put down."
CNN

"A summer romp with a satirical sting."
NPR

"Perfect for when your summer travel plans are on hold and you have wonderlust."
theSkimm

"When the room with a view is Kevin Kwan's, things might get wild... There s no other way you re getting to Capri this summer. Here s a ticket."
The New York Times Book Review

"Part of the novel s fun is that Kwan is in on the joke: He excels at satirizing the uber-rich. He s also an Olympic-level name-dropper. If I had a dollar for every reference to an A-list designer or brand mentioned here, I d be well, still not a fraction as wealthy as these characters... Kwan s trademark snark, which hooked Crazy Rich Asians fans, remains on display in this new offering...  readers who follow suit can revel in the kind of extravagances that sound like a dream after months of isolation and anxiety during the coronarvirus pandemic."
The Washington Post

"The Shakespeare of Status Anxiety... Dishy and delightful, filled with all sorts of bad behavior performed in couture. But as loose and fun and compulsively readable as they are, Kwan s novels are also very clearly the work of someone who spends much of his social time paying extremely close attention."
The Atlantic 

"A razor-sharp rake on the one percent... Like Truman Capote or Dominick Dunne before him, Kwan seems to be writing from inside the rarefied rooms where his stories take place and he doesn t pull any punches."
Town & Country

"Deliciously modern... drama, diamonds, and satire galore.
Vanity Fair

"Kevin Kwan's new book is his most decadent yet."
Entertainment Weekly 

"Kwan s latest novel Sex and Vanity is a retelling of E. M. Forster s A Room With a View. In Kwan s hands, the classically white, British tale s setting gets an update from the early 1900s to the 2010s, trading in a cast of characters from England s stuffy upper crust for one of lavish, jet-setting Asian socialites."
Bustle

"A deliciously fun romp from Capri to Manhattan and East Hampton. Kwan is in fine form, gleefully name-dropping luxury brands and socialites as he spins a heartfelt, satirical tale that observes the price of fame, fortune and following your heart.
BookPage

"True love will find a way, even among the status-obsessed and filthy rich... [With] irresistibly knowing humor and delightful central characters... While he s engineering the timeless love story and continuing our postgraduate education in all the things money can buy, Kwan manages to take a few swipes against snobbery and racism. Nice. This is the only way you re getting to Capri this year. Why resist?"
Kirkus

Kwan follows up his Crazy Rich Asians trilogy with an intoxicating, breezy update of E.M. Forster s A Room with a View... Kwan exploits the Forster frame for clever references including Merchant and Ivory and provides amusing footnotes. Kwan also relishes describing lavish meals and haute couture clothing, as well as Isabel s decadent wedding and Cecil s imaginative, over-the-top proposal. There are moments both catty and witty... [A] delectable comedy of manners the literary equivalent of white truffle and caviar pizza.
Publishers Weekly