In this One Book, One New York 2019 nominee from the author of National Book Award Finalist Pachinko, the Korean-American daughter of first-generation immigrants strives to join Manhattan's inner circle. Meet Casey Han: a strong-willed, Queens-bred daughter of Korean immigrants immersed in a glamorous Manhattan lifestyle she can't afford. Casey is eager to make it on her own, away from the judgements of her parents' tight-knit community, but she soon finds that her Princeton economics degree isn't enough to rid her of ever ...
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In this One Book, One New York 2019 nominee from the author of National Book Award Finalist Pachinko, the Korean-American daughter of first-generation immigrants strives to join Manhattan's inner circle. Meet Casey Han: a strong-willed, Queens-bred daughter of Korean immigrants immersed in a glamorous Manhattan lifestyle she can't afford. Casey is eager to make it on her own, away from the judgements of her parents' tight-knit community, but she soon finds that her Princeton economics degree isn't enough to rid her of ever-growing credit card debt and a toxic boyfriend. When a chance encounter with an old friend lands her a new opportunity, she's determined to carve a space for herself in a glittering world of privilege, power, and wealth-but at what cost? Set in a city where millionaires scramble for the free lunches the poor are too proud to accept, this sharp-eyed epic of love, greed, and ambition is a compelling portrait of intergenerational strife, immigrant struggle, and social and economic mobility. Addictively readable, Min Jin Lee's bestselling debut Free Food for Millionaires exposes the intricate layers of a community clinging to its old ways in a city packed with haves and have-nots.
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A new twist on the young-woman-in-the-big-city theme, Free Food is an enoyable novel about Casey Han and her search for love and fulfillment in 1990s New York. The characters are well-realized, and there is plenty of guilty pleasure in the accounts of clothing, apartments, food and other details of living and striving in NYC. Lee writes from multiple points of view which serves to highlight issues of class and race. The writing itself is good, with the exeption of dialogue, which tends to be stiff. A promising debut, nevertheless.
Shireen
Jul 11, 2007
Friendly Reading?
Casey Han is a Princeton graduate, yet grew up in Queens with her financially-struggling Korean parents. While she feels she belongs in the realm of the rich and famous (or at least rich) she has no job or means of supporting herself, leading to some pretty nasty difficulties once her credit card limit runs out. Although there are some other plot threads including romance between boyfriends (should Casey follow her heart's desire and date a white male, *gasp*, while also spurning her parents' wishes, or should she follow in the footsteps of her best friend, Ella, and stick to wealthy Korean boys?) this book basically consists of the ups and downs of Casey's financial predicaments. If there's a conflict in Free Food for Millionaires, it most probably will be monetary, however family drama within the Han household did make for some unexpected reading. Although this book starts out with Casey as the main character it quickly expands, including perspectives from Leah Han (Casey's mother), Ella (Casey's best friend), Tina (Casey's sister) and other charecters. What begins as a recent Princeton grad moaning about her financial inadequacies quickly segues to real-life difficulties, reminding us that the real world is more than the facade led by monied individuals. If only it weren't 576 pages, and it might make for a more human-friendly read.
