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Book Description
A stunning debut - a big, vibrant novel of class, race and cultural clash set against the colourful backdrop of New York society
Product Description
Casey Han's years at Princeton have given her 'a refined diction, an enviable golf handicap, wealthy friends, a popular white boyfriend, and a magna cum laude degree in economics.But no job, and a number of bad habits...'
The elder daughter of working-class Korean immigrants who run a dry cleaning shop in Manhattan, Casey inhabits a New York a world away from that of her parents. Ambitious, spirited and obstinate, she's developed a taste for a lifestyle - and a passion for beautiful hats and expensive tailoring - she hasn't the means to sustain. And between the culture to which her family so fiercely cling and the life she aspires to, Casey must confront her own identity, the meaning of wealth, and what she really wants from her future.
As Casey navigates an uneven course of small triumphs and spectacular failures, a clash of values, ideals and ambitions plays out against the colourful backdrop of New York society, it's many layers, shades and divides...
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I disliked this book intensly. I got to page 350 and left it then because it was beginning irritate me. A friend lent it to me saying ' the end was a bit weak'. I tried to get through it, but the characters were absolutely one dimensional. It is a 'chick-lit' type book and one that you could probably get through while on holidays, because you would not feel that you are wasting your time. I have a number of other books ready to read, and this one was really holding me up. Quite a painful read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Considering its length(around 650 pages),'Free Food For Millionaires' is a remarkable book. There are no sensational events, almost nothing exciting happens at all, yet it remains enthralling reading throughout. The novel's characters are real people, and real things happen to them, making for a wholly convincing read.
'FFFM' follows Casey, a Princeton graduate, as she wrestles with life after completing higher education. A second generation Korean immigrant, Casey is the daughter of two extremely hard-working and god-fearing parents. Having completed her degree, Casey is unsure what she wants to do with her life next. This attitude is a complete anathema to her parents, and precipitates a violent altercation with her father. Thrown out of her childhood home, Casey finds herself homeless, jobless and aimless.
The novel follows Casey as she struggles to find her identity in the melting-pot of Manhattan. Her expectation of how life should be after graduation do not marry up with reality. She attempts to follow a career in high-finance as this is what most of her fellow graduates are doing. Yet, unlike Casey, they come from a privileged background, where the transition from student to multi-million dollar earning city executive is taken as read. Casey finds considerably less doors open to her.
An examination of privilege and acceptance, 'FFFM' is a slow but engaging read. The author deftly shows the problems of being neither a white American, nor a true Korean. Casey has a foot in both camps but is accepted by neither. Min Jin Lee, portrays well the insecurities that accompany being in your early twenties and trying to navigate a world you feel wholly unprepared for. The strong supporting characters and how their lives intersect with Casey's, make this feel like an accurate description of life in the Big Apple. 'Free Food For Millionaires' is not a novel that will set your world on fire, but its thoughtful meditations on love, work and money, will resonate with many readers.
'FFFM' follows Casey, a Princeton graduate, as she wrestles with life after completing higher education. A second generation Korean immigrant, Casey is the daughter of two extremely hard-working and god-fearing parents. Having completed her degree, Casey is unsure what she wants to do with her life next. This attitude is a complete anathema to her parents, and precipitates a violent altercation with her father. Thrown out of her childhood home, Casey finds herself homeless, jobless and aimless.
The novel follows Casey as she struggles to find her identity in the melting-pot of Manhattan. Her expectation of how life should be after graduation do not marry up with reality. She attempts to follow a career in high-finance as this is what most of her fellow graduates are doing. Yet, unlike Casey, they come from a privileged background, where the transition from student to multi-million dollar earning city executive is taken as read. Casey finds considerably less doors open to her.
An examination of privilege and acceptance, 'FFFM' is a slow but engaging read. The author deftly shows the problems of being neither a white American, nor a true Korean. Casey has a foot in both camps but is accepted by neither. Min Jin Lee, portrays well the insecurities that accompany being in your early twenties and trying to navigate a world you feel wholly unprepared for. The strong supporting characters and how their lives intersect with Casey's, make this feel like an accurate description of life in the Big Apple. 'Free Food For Millionaires' is not a novel that will set your world on fire, but its thoughtful meditations on love, work and money, will resonate with many readers.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This debut novel from Min Jin Lee tackles the Korean immigrant experience. Our protagonist is Casey Han, a Princeton graduate who has acheived academically, has moved outside her family's social circle and yet cannot seem to break into the established society that she thinks she craved. On the other hand, we meet her immigrant parents, who have worked hard all their lives in a dry-cleaning shop. Although we realise throughout the book that they are not poor, neither are they wealthy and they cling to their Korean background and ways. The portrait of Casey's mother througout the book is especially charming.
Casey struggles through her life, breaking with her father's controlling ways but remains unable to find stability in her life. The whole story appears to be a tale of non-committal on Casey's part. At the start she finds it within herself to break up with her lover, as she cannot picture them together forever. However, throughout most of the novel, we cannot find the same determination within her. She is prepared to work two jobs to earn a wage, earning enough to keep ticking over, yet she never takes a step towards more.
Towards the end of the story, Casey makes a big decision. Having worked hard to secure an internship and gain an offer of employment, she decides to turn it down. She is on the cusp of a breakthrough and this where the author rus out of steam. As a result, this intriguing and captivating tale runs out of steam and becomes a large volume with no real ending.
Casey's friends and family follow their own lives in this book, with their stories running in parallel to Casey's. The trials and tribulations of love, marriage and affairs are explored with beautiful nuances and add an incredible tone to this book.
Despite enjoying this book immeasurably, and racing through the pages, I was ultimately left discontent at the end. Questions about the immigrant experience and the quest to find one's own path in life are raised and treated in this novel, but there's nothing quite like a good ending.
Casey struggles through her life, breaking with her father's controlling ways but remains unable to find stability in her life. The whole story appears to be a tale of non-committal on Casey's part. At the start she finds it within herself to break up with her lover, as she cannot picture them together forever. However, throughout most of the novel, we cannot find the same determination within her. She is prepared to work two jobs to earn a wage, earning enough to keep ticking over, yet she never takes a step towards more.
Towards the end of the story, Casey makes a big decision. Having worked hard to secure an internship and gain an offer of employment, she decides to turn it down. She is on the cusp of a breakthrough and this where the author rus out of steam. As a result, this intriguing and captivating tale runs out of steam and becomes a large volume with no real ending.
Casey's friends and family follow their own lives in this book, with their stories running in parallel to Casey's. The trials and tribulations of love, marriage and affairs are explored with beautiful nuances and add an incredible tone to this book.
Despite enjoying this book immeasurably, and racing through the pages, I was ultimately left discontent at the end. Questions about the immigrant experience and the quest to find one's own path in life are raised and treated in this novel, but there's nothing quite like a good ending.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An easy read
Not bad for a first book, especially for the completeness of the main charater Casey Han, full of contracditions, proud yet vulnerable, eccentric but sensitive. Read more
Published on 6 July 2008 by RisingSun
Brilliant
This book would make an absolutely fantastic film. No detail is unnecessary. Everything is linked perfectly. You won't be able to put this one down.
Published on 18 May 2008 by Chatterbox
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