***SPOILERS***SPOILERS***SPOILERS***This book could have been trimmed by about 100 pages, but nonetheless I enjoyed it in the way I enjoy Guiding Light. Will they kiss? Oh my the unaccepted boyfriend is going to make a scene with her parents! Oh my! This soap opera of a novel takes us through the life of a young Korean-American Princeton graduate who's surrounded by other upwardly mobile Ivy graduates while she herself perpetually can't get out of debt on account of her shopping addiction.The first chapter itself initializes with too much of a bang in my opinion, and peters out throughout with not enough 'bangs'. I think the best parts of the novel concern the older generation, the mother and father, their fellow church-goers, parents of their friends. Their episodes are written with a subtlety, delicacy, and poignancy that are lacking sometimes when she writes about the main character Casey or her business i-banking cohorts.I am probably more tussled by the New York Times review of this book. The reviewer Schillinger notes that Lee's strength lies in her ability to garner the reader's "appreciation of the usual." That much I admit. But how is the "drama intensifi[ed]" by being set in an "unfamiliar backdrop" of the "tightly knit social world of Korean immigrants"? Logically that would mean that Korean-American New Yorkers would find the plot less dramatic? Odd.Despite my misgivings I do recommend the book. The reading is fast, the characters portrayed sometimes in such caricature that I find myself chortling at them and their portrayal, and all in all somewhat fun and entertaining, and written well if somewhat wordy (carry a pencil with you and practice your copy editing skills).And remember, with energy prices at record highs, it's cheaper than turning to ABC's Days of Our Lives.
Free Food for Millionaires follows Korean-American Casey Han, a recent Princeton graduate, through her life post-graduation. Unlike many of her class mates, she does not get a job in investment banking. Instead, she flounders and finds herself deeply in debt and unsure of what she wants out of life. She has a falling out with her family and must rely on the good graces of friends to help her. Casey seemed to me to be cynical, mean and stuck. I never really got why the friends who helped her wanted to. Throughout the book, we know that Casey knows she is floundering and it is interesting (if somewhat distracting) to read her thought process.The side characters are interesting ... Ella, the gracious woman from a wealthy family who seems to have it all, but doesn't even know herself that she doesn't want it ... Sabine, the fashion store owner who takes Casey under her wing ... Joseph, the emotionally closed father who just cannot express his love ... Leah, the subservient mother who just follows the rules ... Tina, the "good" sister who won't rock the boat ... Ted, the pompous and cheating investment banker ... David, the sweet man who can't articulate his desires ...and there are many more minor characters who help this story along.I disliked the omniscient voice of the book for some reason. However, after reading the author's notes on writing the book, it made more sense to me and I appreciated it a bit more. It's just that I found it tiring to switch from one character's thoughts to another's from paragraph to paragraph.This book was only slightly satisfying. I did want to find out what happened to the characters, but it just wasn't a GREAT read. The ending bugged me a bit ... the symbolism in the last couple paragraphs was just too obvious.
Do You like book Free Food For Millionaires (2007)?
if i'd actually paid attention when i was applying to college, this might be an accurate reflection of my life. and if i was korean. and if i was religious. and if i liked making hats."free food" follows the post-college years of casey han, a queens-born ivy league grad who's undergoing one of those infamous "quarter-life" crises. the author, lee, keeps you interested by letting you peek into the minds of her employers, boyfriends, family, and friends.she also gets the "1st generation asian" story spot on and i felt she was reading my mind with a lot of her character insights. i thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be rereading it. you may need to be asian to fully appreciate how carefully and accurately she depicts the class/culture clashes, but her male/female relationships are relevant to anyone who's ever been in love/lust.
—Cathy
At a whopping 600-plus pages, the "poverty" theme felt like constant hammerblows, which was just tiresome (for a contrast as to how "poverty" can be rendered thematically in narrative that will touch you to the bone, check out Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out of Carolina). Casey the protagonist, as complex as she is, seems to veer between two extremes: being unhappy and whiny about not having any money and being unhappy and whiny when she's being offered help with money. She's unhappy and whiny eve
—Elaine
Free Food for Millionaires, by Min Jin Lee, 4+Casey Han had a scholarship to Princeton; otherwise, she'd have been unable to attend. Her time at Princeton gave her "No job and many bad habits," and a hunger for a lifestyle far above that which she could afford or had been used to with her immigrant Korean parents who ran a laundry service in Manhattan. Through Casey's eye's we see New York as experienced by the poor and the rich. Casey is offered several divergent opportunities and has to choose between independence or indebtedness in different ways. She loves hats, clothes and shoes, and these get her into trouble. This richly textured narrative covers not only Casey's life, but the lives of her parents, friends and lovers, and all the complex interweaving of love, friendship, betrayal, heartbreak, and rekindling. This book that made me laugh and cry. It's touted as being about the "immigrant" experience, but I say it is about the HUMAN experience.. An excellent book. Close to a 5 in my mind. I really enjoyed it. finished 10-13-09
—Mary Taitt
