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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Read, but not quite Great, August 10, 2007
Free Food for Millionaires is an excellent novel about a young, bright daughter of immigrant parents, Casey, a young woman full of potential, just graduated from Princeton in the mid-1990s. She has everything, or seems to, but can't quite realize the value in what she has. Min Jin Lee does an excellent job of conveying the New York City of the oversmart and overprivileged of that time. The title, "Free Food for Millionaires", is a reference to the free lunch provided periodically at an investment bank during that time. It's a perfect summary of the worlds Casey lives in--the striving world of her parents and the overprivileged one of her Princeton classmates, where peoples needs and wants are seemingly either denied and oversupplied. Happiness is never full--something is always missing. That lack of perfection makes this a strong novel. Lee does some interesting things with her characters--they and their stories take some unexpected turns. The novel ultimately lacks that special something to make it great--nothing compels the reader to keep reading. Casey herself, while her story is intersting, is a bit of a cold fish. The novel is intelligently written but Han jumps from one character's perspective to another, sometimes within the same paragraph, which makes the narrative a bit jumpy at times. Overall, though, this is an enjoyable read, full of flawed and human characters. This one would probably be a perfect book club read--it will give readers much to discuss.
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Powerful Masterpiece of a First Novel Full of Rich, Realistic Family Drama, May 14, 2007
Min Jin Lee's first novel is a wonder to sink intoæand be warned, once you start, it'll be hard to stop until you're done with this dense, richly told story of interweaving characters trying to find themselves in the supposed melting pot that is New York. Starting with fresh-out-of-college Casey Han, we meet the first of many who are struggling to figure out their place in the world. In Casey's case, this starts with her place in her family, and for talking back to her Korean father, she gets a slap across the face that catapults her out of the warmth of her family and into the world, learning the hard way about love, betrayal, jobs, Wall Street, and fidelity. The slapping scene seems to tilt around the room as Lee shows us each person's wishes as they unfold, making what could seem a horrific act one much more understandable. In Lee's hands, each character, no matter how small, gets to have their say, their slice of life, their point of view explained.
It's to Lee's credit that she, as the storyteller, doesn't judge, but lets the reader draw their own conclusions about the values and choices each character makes. From Casey's traditional parents (even though we find out what lurks beneath their quiet mannerisms) to her gambler boyfriend and horny but likable boss, Lee paints a world where right and wrong blend and blur, stripping down these characters' lives until it's clear just how complex their inner turmoil and joy really are. While certain plotlines had me racing to get to their next installment (specifically, herpes-afflicted good girl Ella Shim as she emerges from her shell, becomes a mom, gets divorced, falls in love, and learns to stand up for herself), every strand here is woven so succinctly, everyone's actions dissected from varying viewpoints, that together they made the 500+ pages go by so quickly and made me want to know what happens next.
Lee's descriptions are rich and vivid, from fancy gold courses to the interiors of a dry cleaner and Korean church, and by "interiors," I mean both the places, and the minds of the people who inhabit them. This is the kind of novel that sucks you in and doesn't let you out until you turn the last page, and even then, you'll want to know what decisions Casey and her friends and family will make (I for one would love to read a sequel, though the book is complete on its own). Lee isn't here to give us a moral lesson, but to point to the flaws we all have and share a gripping story with very human drama that needs no fanciful embellishment to be very, very real.
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53 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A somewhat sensationalized, and exaggerated, slice of Korean American life, September 1, 2007
As a Korean American male in my early 30's and also in the Investment Banking industry I picked up this book with much curiosity and anticipation. I have to say at the end of it, my thoughts were mixed. In my life, I've lived in the environment that both the author and the main character have gone through- Korean American church life, demanding academics, traditional parents and the rush to find a reputable profession after college. In my time I've known my share of archetypes in the mold of Casey Han, Ted Kim, Joseph Han, Unu Shim and yes even the ultra innocent, tragically beautiful, but ultimately naiveté and played like a fiddle Ella Shim. These caricatures not only exist in our community, but are also recognizable and realistic.
The first half of the book I thought Lee was building up to something quite interesting, perhaps accomplishing something groundbreaking like Chang Rae Lee did in his book "Native Speaker." However, the second half of the book devolved into something that didn't say anything really and was just fodder for gossip talk. Although, there were plenty of flawed characters in this book, it seems as if the Korean Americans, both men and women, were the most dysfunctional people. The only two Korean Americans that had the best values and most consistent personalities, Ellas's father and Casey's sister, were the most underdeveloped characters. The more drama you had in your life, the more words Ms. Lee devoted to developing your character. Maybe that was Lee's point? To take the standard immigrant literary fare of the hard working and noble immigrant family and turn it on its head and write about immigrants who are just as messed up as everyone else around them. For good measure, make them a little more messed up then their non-Korean peers. This is not an accurate representation of what most Korean Americans are. There are certainly characters in real life that are like the characters in the book, but the frequency is certainly skewed.
Also, the date rape that happened in the last third of the book bothered me greatly and I didn't think it was at all necessary. If Ms. Lee wanted to demonstrate tragic flaws in some characters I honestly do believe she could of used another vehicle to achieve her purpose. If I wasn't Korean American, I'd probably give this book another star. It is very well written and engaging if you are not emotionally tied to the culture that the characters navigate through. However, it is far from a classic and it is more along the lines of a light summer read. What saddens me is that, with a little more intelligence, foresight and responsible writing, it could have been so much more.
Those that have their DVR presets to the Oxygen and AZN channels will appreciate this book the most.
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