Eleanor Young

**Eleanor Young (née Sung)** is one of the main antagonists of the Crazy Rich Asians book series.

She is the main antagonist of *Crazy Rich Asians*, and a on and off ant-hero of both *China Rich Girlfriend*, and *Rich People Problems*.

She is the mother of Nick Young and eventual mother-in-law of Rachel Chu.

## Background

Eleanor is the wife of Phillip Young and the mother of Nick Young. She is a domineering mother, having spent most of her adult life trying ensure the inheritance of Nick, her only child, and preserve his place as her mother-in-law Shang Su Yi's favorite grandson.
Eleanor was born into a wealthy, but middle-class family. After marrying Phillip Young, she struggled to gain acceptance into his prominent family due to her status, and was under extreme pressure to give birth to a child.

Eleanor's closest friends are Carol Tai, Daisy Foo, Lorena Lim, and Nadine Shaw, all members of a Bible Study group ran by Carol. Eleanor is revered by her friends due to her marriage to Phillip Young, who hails from one of the wealthiest and more elite families in Singapore.

## Books

### Crazy Rich Asians (Novel)

In the prologue, Eleanor and Felicity Leong, her sister-in-law, along with young Nick and Astrid, their children, show up at the Lancaster Hotel in London, tired and wet from walking through the rain. The staff initially reject them and throw them out due to their disheveled appearance, and likely also due to their Asian ethnicity, prompting her to call her husband. The wet, soggy family then returns back into the hotel escorted by the owner, who informs the astonished receptionist that he has just sold the hotel to the Young family. Eleanor then promptly fires the receptionist.
Years later, Eleanor was one of the last to hear about Rachel Chu her son Nick's new girlfriend, whom he had hid from her, despite her being his own mother. Her friends and sisters-in-law believe that it must be very serious, as he is bringing Rachel with him to visit Singapore, but Eleanor brushes it off as a fling.

Upon uncovering Rachel's background as an American-born Chinese commoner, Eleanor initially rejects her, spending most of the first book trying to derail Nick and Rachel's relationship, plotting with Jacqueline Ling and Nick's former girlfriend Francesca Shaw to break them apart.

When all of her efforts appear to have backfired, and Nick reveals that he plans to propose to Rachel, Eleanor desperately resorts to meeting with her mother-in-law, Shang Su Yi, the matriarch of the family and Nick's grandmother, who then confronts Nick and forbids him from marrying Rachel against their wishes. Nick refuses, but Eleanor also discovers who she believes to be Rachel's father, a prison convict in China, and reveals this previously unknown information to Rachel, who becomes furious, temporarily breaks up with Nick, and confronts her own mother, Kerry, who finally reveals to Rachel her true backstory.

### Crazy Rich Asians (Film)

Eleanor, as in the book, is the wife of Phillip Young and the mother of Nicholas Young. There are a few differences between the novel and film.

In the film, the first time Eleanor sees Nick and Rachel is at Ah Ma's party at Tyersall Park. Nick introduces her to Rachel while she is overseeing the dinner preparation in the kitchen, and she calmly interrogates Rachel while continuing to speak with the kitchen staff. After, Rachel rightfully regards this as disrespectful and tells Nick that Eleanor hates her. She speaks with Nick later in his old room and assures him that she thinks Rachel is nice while reminding him of his familial obligations. When Rachel meets Ah Ma later that evening, Eleanor looks on in concern as Ah Ma seems to approve of her.

Eleanor sees Rachel again at Ah Ma's house when the family gathers to make dumplings for Colin and Araminta‘s rehearsal dinner. Rachel comments that she likes Eleanor's ring, which seems to hit a nerve. Eleanor chews her out in front of everyone about how, as an American, she doesn’t understand the sacrifices and dedication it takes to build and maintain a strong family and something that lasts. Soon after Ah Ma arrives and tells Eleanor she’s lost her touch for making dumplings, Rachel excuses herself to go to the bathroom and is stopped by Eleanor. Eleanor apologizes to her, saying that she thinks she's been rude and offers to tell her the story about her ring. She tells her how Nick's father, Phillip, had to have it made when he proposed to her because Ah Ma wouldn't give him the family ring. Ah Ma did not think she was good enough for Phillip or the family. Rachel thinks that Ah Ma eventually turned around, but Eleanor says, it took many years and hard work for her to get to where she is and prove that she is enough. She takes a step forward, forcing Rachel down the stairs by one step which puts Eleanor in a dominating stance looking down at Rachel, and tells her that she knows Rachel will never be enough.

At Colin Khoo's wedding reception, Eleanor and Ah Ma call Nick and Rachel over. Ah Ma tells Rachel she will not let her ambition ruin their family. Eleanor explains that she hired a private investigator, and it turns out that Rachel's mother (Kerry Chu) cheated on her husband and became pregnant by another man before fleeing to America before he could find out. They tell Nick that Rachel’s “lies” would reflect poorly on their family and that he needs to stop seeing her. Nick chooses Rachel and runs after her leaving Ah Ma to blame Eleanor for failing as a mother.

Several days later, Eleanor agrees to meet Rachel for a game of Mahjong. Nick has by now told her the truth about Rachel’s mother. While they play, Rachel informs her that Nick has proposed, promising to leave his family behind, but that she said no, not wanting him to resent either her or his mother in the future. She tells Eleanor to remember that someday when Nick marries a woman that’s good enough in Eleanor’s eyes and gives her grandchildren, that it will be because of Rachel and her sacrifice. Rachel lets Eleanor win the game and walks away with her mother who gives Eleanor a long, disapproving look.

Offscreen, Eleanor gives Nick the ring his father gave her as a symbol of her acceptance of Rachel and he uses it to propose. At their engagement party, Rachel gratefully looks at her from across the rooftop and Eleanor looks back, wary but no longer standing in their way.

### China Rich Girlfriend

Eleanor appears to have mostly accepted her son's relationship with Rachel Chu, and even chances upon the identity of Rachel's true father, Chinese politician Bao Gaoliang, whom she discovers through his son Carlton Bao's uncanny resemblance to Rachel.
Eleanor then crashes Nick and Rachel's wedding in California by helicopter to enthusiastically reveal to Rachel this information, and inform Nick of her consent to their marriage.

### Rich People Problems

Eleanor and Rachel clash over Eleanor's eagerness for a grandchild and frustration over Rachel not getting pregnant. Eleanor even arranges for Jacqueline Ling to perform a fertility check on Rachel, which Rachel furiously rejects.