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I found my hard copy in an antique store - excellent condition, too; probably only read a couple of times. Only paid five bucks for it! The movie I ordered from Amazon. One of my favorite movies from the fifties. The story line was similar to my mother's life back than in the Philippines. She raised me using the money she got from the service men she met in the bars outside the military bases. She also used the money to buy my uniforms for the Catholic school I attended. How ironic was that?! Anyway, she married a sailor (my step-father) and now I'm here typing this. What a great story! (Both of them)

If you are a China lover (though Hong Kong is very different than mainland China}, or have a weakness for "hooker with a heart of gold" stories (Yes, I admit I do!) then this book is for you. The writing has a nice atmospheric tone most of the time, and the author is a good observer of human nature, however there are some definite weaknesses, which include a somewhat wandering plot and a character or two that seem entirely superfluous--which is why I say the movie is better --more cut down to specifics, cleaner storyline without all the meandering, and of course, Nancy Kwan, who is charming as always--she gives a perfect face to Suzie. I like the book more for the descriptions of old HK and some of the backstory--but then, I have been a fan of the movies since I was around 12 and saw it for the first time. I would recommend this book as an interesting weekend read--it's not boring, in spite of the meandering, and the character of Suzie, who is FAR from one-dimensional, will stay with you a long time. For those of us old enough to remember how racy this book/film was considered (and what a guilty pleasure it was to experience it) , it is a fond perusing of an old memory--I also recommend the movie, shot in glorious color and containing scenes of a world gone now. There is, by the way, a famous bar in Beijing, called "The "World of Suzie Wong", where besotted Westerners go to find their "Suzie", or at least, try to--I've been highly amused watching them go after those tiny Chinese girls, porcelain lovely and fragile as flowers--big Westerners who have maybe watched the movie and want their dreams fulfilled--good luck, as Chinese hookers are expensive and not always too healthy, but then, the book and movie rather slid right over that tawdry reality! Anyway, get the book and movie used here or Ebay--well worth the bucks!

The plot of this novel can be summarized easily: a painter who is a British subject falls in love with and eventually marries a prostitute, originally from China, who plies her trade in Hong Kong. In the hands of many authors, this would result in a book with two-dimensional characters and a plot that would be little more than the summary that I just gave. The World of Suzie Wong is much more than that. Both Robert Lomax, the narrator, and Suzie are full-blooded characters, with all the contradictions that come with being a human being. The course of love definitely does not run smooth, and the end result is definitely not inevitable. I don't know whether Richard Mason wrote any other books. I'm certainly not aware of any. This one, however, is enough to secure his lasting reputation.

'The World of Suzie Wong' is about a Hong Kong prostitute and an English artist who fall in love. Nothing too original, and certainly over-romanticized and sugar coated. But the 1950s Hong Kong setting and the well-observed east vs west culture clashes make this an interesting read. I also found the characterizations of the quirky minor characters, mostly young Chinese prostitutes, to be memorable. Bottom line: a surprisingly enjoyable read. Recommended.

I remember seeing the William Holden film of this book many years ago, and liking it. So, when I saw this book at the YMCA book store in Kowloon, I picked it up to pass the time between meetings.The book is very different than the movie. It is much more nuanced and descriptive of Hong Kong (and even British) society of the Fifties. Lomax is British in this book, not an architect or middle class, but rather an ex-pat who had worked in Malaya, and now wanted to paint. His romance with Suzie grows organically, and by the end of the novel, more truthful than the movie. That they end up living in Japan after time in racist England is so unexpected, but perfect... strangers in a strange land, to each other and to all around them, yet loving and supporting each other through life.Highly recommended - for the story, the ambience, social commentary and historical detail.