Free Food for Millionaires

I am not quite finished with this book but wanted to write a review! I love reading this book because it reminds me of how I read when I was younger...always coming away from the experience having learned something of value. Whether increasing my vocabulary or a life lesson that brought change, it was time well spent. This book does all of that. It brings you along the journey of relationships and how others cope with their decisions in life and how others view them from the outside...and does that matter, if so, what is the effect.? As well as questioning what love looks like. The thick volume may look daunting, but this is such a wonderful read that I can't turn the pages fast enough to know what is going to happen next. Thank You Min Jin Lee for writing this book and bringing such a heartfelt story that is definitely worth the time spent! Now back to my reading Free Food for Millionaires! I felt I needed to come back after finishing the book. While all I previously said held true...I was greatly disappointed in the ending. If it were a movie, I would have wanted to throw something at the TV when it ended! Such a limp ending for such a passionate story.

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.

What a phenomenal book with insight into the minds and confusion of first generation american kids born to asian immigrants. The parents find it hard to giv up on their cultural values and expectations and want them fulfilled thru the kids,and the kids keep trying to do their best but also remain confused because they r also a product of the current american culture. If they blend completely here they disappoint their parents,if they dont blend they disappoint themselves. Unless they r compliant like Tina(and about 30% are). V well written. And v readable!!!! I liked it better then Pachinko

The book is entertaining, and well written. It felt like an elevated version of Gossip Girl. The characters were interesting, albeit a little annoying. As somebody who went to business school, I found a lot of the book relatable. There's a point though where it felt like the book went off the deep end. I remember thinking, with about 200 pages to go, "The book feels complete here", and yet the author shortly after introduced a brand new character, and, for lack of a better word, decided to defile all of her characters. People cheat, get raped, leave relationships, start relationships, all in the span of 200 pages. More happens in these 200 pages than in the previous 400. The book felt somewhat organic up until that point in terms of the things that happen, but in the last 200 pages, it just fell unrealistic. There's also a couple of decisions regarding business school that are completely incomprehensible (I can tell the author did not go to b-school herself but rather heard about it from her friends and colleagues). The last 20 pages I barely read, I skipped through words. I was sick and done with the characters and with the nonsensical events that were occurring towards the end. I also didn't love the author's tendency to change perspective for characters mid sentence. Lastly, the constant obsession with people's money, backgrounds, education (seems like everyone went to Harvard, Julliard, MIT -- understandable given the author herself went to Yale), pedigree, etc, became too much towards the end.

I grew up reading all the time. Growing up with the Boxcar children, the Little House on the Prarie, the Indian in the Cupboard, Beloved, To Kill a Mockingbird, I felt the dearth of Asian American voices. Amy Tan was the only Asian-American author whose books were available at the library. As a younger adult, I found Don Lee, Chang-rae Lee, and today there are thankfully more, and Min Jin Lee's FFfM could not have come into my life at a better time. Lee talks about writing for a target audience, even if one hopes that more folks beyond the target audience is reading. I feel that I AM that target audience. And thank goodness for the novel. Casey Han could have been me. In many ways, I feel that this novel should be taught alongside other stories of the US, and suspect that it will be. As to the commentors complaining about the length, and choppiness, I did not find that to detract from the story at all. In some ways, I welcomed the additional glimpse into the various other characters' lives. It was a bit unexpected, but a fun break from all that Casey was going through. I loved the NYC moments, the korean moments, the ivy educated elitist moments. Simply loved it all.

The narrative keeps you on your toes. Very interesting perspectives from the different characthers. I have to say it was pleasant surprise.

I enjoyed a lot this book even though it is not as good as Pachinko, the other book from the same author. In this book we discover Casey, the daughter of Korean immigrants, that struggles to find her way in the New York society. I didn’t enjoy the end. While the whole book was captivating the end came to fast and was not well elaborated in my opinion.

Min Jin Lee's debut novel revolves around Casey, a girl of Korean ancestry, growing up in America, and her search for identity. It's also about her parents, family and friends, who are struggling to maintain their identity in a very different world. Her second novel, Pachinko (2017) absolutely blew me away, probably one of the best books I've read, and made me want to go back and read Free Food (2007). While I loved Pachinko a little more, both books are 5 star reads, and I can't wait to read the next book Min Jin Lee writes.

Mon deuxième livre de cette auteure. Vraiment bien écrit et l’histoire fascinante. Ce n’ai pas un livre pour des enfants

This is an excellent book, well written and easy to read. The characters are three dimensional, and I was able to empathize with most all of them. Many themes are covered, all relevant to life as we know it today. There is the story of immigrant parents and their two "Americanized" daughters. Although both are graduates of Princeton they take very different paths in their lives. Casey, the older sister is the protagonist of the story. We follow her young adult life as she deals with choosing her professional goals, trying to make ends meet, and being a female worker in a man's world of finance. Casey comes from a Korean family and must have the strength to resist the pull of very old-world ways. There are many interesting side stories, as well as varied interesting characters. I recommend this book highly.