Scan barcode
theslowreaderr's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
They were all leaving, and they knew that, in Malaysia, to leave meant to be privileged.
They were all leaving, and they knew that, in Malaysia, to leave meant to be privileged.
djvilleza's review against another edition
3.0
Author Tash Aw lends us a vivid exploration of China's urban jungle, Shanghai. Five Star Billionaire weaves tangential encounters through several key characters, but nothing greater than Shanghai itself - depicted as an unforgiving and relentless character willing to shed its skin of culture and tradition to slither through economic growth. Five Star Billionaire initially proffers an immersive journey, but only ends up a sojourn once the narrative loses its focus in the last act.
theconstantreader's review against another edition
4.0
There was a lot going on in this book and while sometimes it felt a bit clunky, overall I found it to be entertaining. It deals with perception, imitation and deceit. What lengths would you go to to become someone else and how do you ever really know a person? Scary and interesting topics to explore for sure.
There were quite a few questions left unanswered for me though:
- Why was Gary necessary? Did he have any link to Walter? All these synopses I read make out like all the characters were linked to Walter Chao in some away. Besides Gary befriending Phoebe online, I didn't see any connection between him and any of the other characters. While his story was interesting and provided the clear "wealth doesn't equal happiness" lesson, I don't think Gary as a character was truly required.
- So Walter was the 'Five Star Billionaire' but was he really a billionaire? I felt like Aw left too much unsaid here. Walter was such an unreliable character I wasn't sure what to believe and what not to believe. Was all the cheap crockery and cutlery in Walter's house to show he was in fact just a scam artist or that despite his wealth, his life was mostly empty with no-one to share it with?
I need answers!
Otherwise I thought each of the characters was developed pretty well and I enjoyed the intermingling of their stories. Initially I found the first person chapters told by Walter confusing compared to the third person accounts shared about each of the other characters (and also including Walter) but it all ironed out in the end.
There were quite a few questions left unanswered for me though:
- Why was Gary necessary? Did he have any link to Walter? All these synopses I read make out like all the characters were linked to Walter Chao in some away. Besides Gary befriending Phoebe online, I didn't see any connection between him and any of the other characters. While his story was interesting and provided the clear "wealth doesn't equal happiness" lesson, I don't think Gary as a character was truly required.
- So Walter was the 'Five Star Billionaire' but was he really a billionaire? I felt like Aw left too much unsaid here. Walter was such an unreliable character I wasn't sure what to believe and what not to believe. Was all the cheap crockery and cutlery in Walter's house to show he was in fact just a scam artist or that despite his wealth, his life was mostly empty with no-one to share it with?
I need answers!
Otherwise I thought each of the characters was developed pretty well and I enjoyed the intermingling of their stories. Initially I found the first person chapters told by Walter confusing compared to the third person accounts shared about each of the other characters (and also including Walter) but it all ironed out in the end.
kfront's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
hanntastic's review against another edition
3.0
Global Read Challenge 110: Malaysia
This was a fun read, it was engrossing. I liked the details about Shanghai. It definitely did not need to be 400 pages and it was somewhat predictable. But it was a page turner for sure and I'd read another book by the same author.
This was a fun read, it was engrossing. I liked the details about Shanghai. It definitely did not need to be 400 pages and it was somewhat predictable. But it was a page turner for sure and I'd read another book by the same author.
mariomenti's review against another edition
5.0
I first came across Tash Aw when in Malaysia a couple of years ago, just as the excellent "We, The Survivors" was published (I have this thing that I like to read books local to where I'm travelling).
"Five Star Billionaire" was written a few years earlier. I finally got around to reading it, and I loved this just as much - the intersecting stories of five Malaysian expats from very different backgrounds trying to make it in Shanghai.
"Five Star Billionaire" was written a few years earlier. I finally got around to reading it, and I loved this just as much - the intersecting stories of five Malaysian expats from very different backgrounds trying to make it in Shanghai.
sci_mom's review against another edition
3.0
This story is about lost opportunities, the sins of the fathers being visited on the children, and finally coming to terms with your true self...I think. The writing is good and the story is somewhat compelling, but it is nearly all narrative and I have said in previous reviews that I connect to characters more through dialogue. As a result, it took me a while to plow through the nearly 400 pages and I didn't really care about the characters even at the end, which was good because their stories didn't come to satisfying conclusions. If this hadn't been a good reads giveaway, I probably would have stopped reading it about halfway through due to my lack of connection to the characters. It mostly left me wondering why anyone would want to be an illegal immigrant in Shanghai.
katy_anne's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ratthew86's review against another edition
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jennamirchin's review against another edition
3.0
- Enjoyment: ★★★☆☆
- Pacing: ★★☆☆☆
- Setting: ★★☆☆☆
- Writing style: ★★★☆☆
- Characters: ★★★☆☆
- Plot: ★★★☆☆
- Dialogue: ★★★☆☆
- Ending: ★★☆☆☆
- Would read again: no
- Pacing: ★★☆☆☆
- Setting: ★★☆☆☆
- Writing style: ★★★☆☆
- Characters: ★★★☆☆
- Plot: ★★★☆☆
- Dialogue: ★★★☆☆
- Ending: ★★☆☆☆
- Would read again: no