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kshertz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I read Pachinko first but this book is very similar in some ways. I really enjoyed learning these different members of a family tree. We learn every person individually and they make choices that are sometimes hard to understand and also realistic. You are invested, proud, disappointed and hurt in many different ways. It’s an excellent read
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Death, Grief, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, and Addiction
justovereherereading's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book took some time to read, not because of its length but because of the depth of each character and the need to absorb each one.
There was so much prose in this book that could have been left out and the story would still have been told, but it wouldn’t have made the book what is it, a deep dive into the complexities of growing up and living cross culturally.
Overall it was a good read and I’m glad I stuck with it.
There was so much prose in this book that could have been left out and the story would still have been told, but it wouldn’t have made the book what is it, a deep dive into the complexities of growing up and living cross culturally.
Overall it was a good read and I’m glad I stuck with it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Abortion, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction and Suicide attempt
Minor: Blood, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Terminal illness
rebwenhall's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, and Miscarriage
ainereads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Bit hard to get into but beautifully told, showing the struggles of going through your twenties and not knowing your purpose or direction in life, flawed main character who makes frustrating but realistic decisions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Infidelity, Rape, Misogyny, Addiction, and Violence
Moderate: Abortion and Domestic abuse
annikjakober's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I understand why the reviews for this one are polarizing. Personally, I loved the writing style and that the reader got insight in so many different characters. Lee intertwines many plottlines of multiple families throughout New York, and thereby writes so graphic which makes this novel so addictive. The plot is very different from Patchinko, so it's hard to compare them. I disliked the portrayal of women in this book, as most of them were making terrible decisions (all the time) and acting unreasonable. Meanwhile, every male character in this book seems to be focused on sex only. Besides unrealistic portrayals of luxury and university degrees (who has a magna cum laude in economics and cannot handle money and acquires dept as a hobby?!), I really enjoyed the diverse character descriptions and the brilliant writing style. This book reads like a fun and witty soap opera.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, and Infidelity
Moderate: Addiction and Child abuse
Minor: Abortion and Miscarriage
semeyers's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a nearly 600 page book that I found myself not wanting to end! This novel definitely reads like a soap opera. It is dramatic, full of twists, lots of sex, but very dark. Near humorless. It is a slice of life novel for sure, by the end almost nothing is resolved.
I loved the main character, contrasting to most of the reviews that I read! Casey's struggles with her background and family, debt, religion, and relationships were relatable to me. Even her coming to terms with her own selfishness and need to ask others for help, despite wanting to be as independent as possible, spoke to me. Casey spends most of the novel striving to be independent, but constantly ends up falling back on others - receiving money from family, living rent free with friends, bosses, and boyfriends, and calling in favors to get jobs or more commission. It was an interesting juxtaposition and I think an accurate world view for someone so young (we follow Casey from ages 22-26ish).
Lee also does an amazing job with the background characters. Each person has a clear place in the novel and each becomes a fully fleshed out character with a layered personality and development by the end. Several of them (Leah and Ella, mostly) nearly become co-main characters in their own right.
What I did not love about the novel is echoed in many other reviews - the sex becomes tiresome. It seems every relationship hinges on sex. Every marriage that is unhappy is due to the lack of sex. Every relationship ends because someone cheats. A number of relationships *start* because someone cheats. Even in the only happy relationship that makes it through the entirety of the book, one of the spouses cheats and the other accepts it as part of the deal. The only truly happy/healthy relationships either take place off the page (George's) or one spouse has passed before the novel even begins (Joseph's). This had me begging for just one happy relationship by the end. Writing wise, there were also some blips. The perspective would sometimes shift from one paragraph to the next and the structure of some descriptions were confusing, but overall it didn't affect my read much.
Overall, though, I do highly recommend this book! I didn't love it as much as I loved Pachinko, but I still really liked it.
I loved the main character, contrasting to most of the reviews that I read! Casey's struggles with her background and family, debt, religion, and relationships were relatable to me. Even her coming to terms with her own selfishness and need to ask others for help, despite wanting to be as independent as possible, spoke to me. Casey spends most of the novel striving to be independent, but constantly ends up falling back on others - receiving money from family, living rent free with friends, bosses, and boyfriends, and calling in favors to get jobs or more commission. It was an interesting juxtaposition and I think an accurate world view for someone so young (we follow Casey from ages 22-26ish).
Lee also does an amazing job with the background characters. Each person has a clear place in the novel and each becomes a fully fleshed out character with a layered personality and development by the end. Several of them (Leah and Ella, mostly) nearly become co-main characters in their own right.
What I did not love about the novel is echoed in many other reviews - the sex becomes tiresome. It seems every relationship hinges on sex. Every marriage that is unhappy is due to the lack of sex. Every relationship ends because someone cheats. A number of relationships *start* because someone cheats. Even in the only happy relationship that makes it through the entirety of the book, one of the spouses cheats and the other accepts it as part of the deal. The only truly happy/healthy relationships either take place off the page (George's) or one spouse has passed before the novel even begins (Joseph's). This had me begging for just one happy relationship by the end. Writing wise, there were also some blips. The perspective would sometimes shift from one paragraph to the next and the structure of some descriptions were confusing, but overall it didn't affect my read much.
Overall, though, I do highly recommend this book! I didn't love it as much as I loved Pachinko, but I still really liked it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Infidelity
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Infertility, Abortion, Fatphobia, and Death
aliciamcclintic's review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Abortion, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
leannecs's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Physical abuse
Minor: Miscarriage and Abortion
blessing_aj's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My first 5 star read of 2022 that is not a re-read.
Where do I even begin? It’s Min Jin Lee’s range for me. I mean, I knew she was good because I read Pachinko before reading this, but because this was her debut, I didn’t want to set my expectations too high. Apparently, the joke was on me because I am currently unsure which of the two books I enjoyed more.
There’s a special place in my heart for readers who know their craft and execute it to the T. In reading Free Food for Millionaires, you can literally tell that so much intentionality went into the creative process from the creation of the characters to their uniqueness of their stories. Everything was tailored to break the monolith stereotyping of Koreans in the diaspora, irrespective of gender. Truly contemporary lit at its best.
I know that the characters in this book will live rent free in my head for a long time especially Casey, who was a very stressful character, but also very dear. I wasn’t surprised by the ending because it’s very much on brand for Casey as someone who loves to experiment and live on her own terms.
Where do I even begin? It’s Min Jin Lee’s range for me. I mean, I knew she was good because I read Pachinko before reading this, but because this was her debut, I didn’t want to set my expectations too high. Apparently, the joke was on me because I am currently unsure which of the two books I enjoyed more.
There’s a special place in my heart for readers who know their craft and execute it to the T. In reading Free Food for Millionaires, you can literally tell that so much intentionality went into the creative process from the creation of the characters to their uniqueness of their stories. Everything was tailored to break the monolith stereotyping of Koreans in the diaspora, irrespective of gender. Truly contemporary lit at its best.
I know that the characters in this book will live rent free in my head for a long time especially Casey, who was a very stressful character, but also very dear. I wasn’t surprised by the ending because it’s very much on brand for Casey as someone who loves to experiment and live on her own terms.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Rape
stephaniereads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Apologies to this exquisite novel for letting it languish on my shelf for an embarrassing number of months! It was only when the library was like, "yeah you've renewed this book 10 times, give it back you're clearly not reading it" that I said "no no of course I'm reading it!"
First print book of the year and it's an easy five stars. I loved it. Min Jin Lee writes about a Korean family in 1990s New York City. The central character is Casey, the youngest daughter in the family and a fresh graduate of Princeton, who is suddenly cast out of the family at the beginning of the story.
What really struck me about this book was how it felt like a classic novel. It's roomy length (600+ pages) leaves plenty of space for characters to make lots of questionable decisions. Just the pacing, the themes of success and failure and love and betrayal, the omniscient narrator reminded me of reading something like Middlemarch or Edith Wharton (later learned Min Jin Lee is a student of the classics so this makes sense!). The characters' lives form a web that also reminds me of classic storytelling - it's firmly set in time but also felt very timeless in it's emotion.
I found all these character so compelling. Casey and her hunger for expensive things despite her debts; her white boyfriend Jay, who is baffled by her Korean family and circumstances; Ella, a childhood friend whose naivety serves as a foil for the other characters; Ted, Ella's husband whose desire brings him to the top of society and then leaves him questioning what comes next. It's a long book but I was so sad to leave these characters behind! I woud have read another 500 pages. It's a journey that wraps up beautifully.
First print book of the year and it's an easy five stars. I loved it. Min Jin Lee writes about a Korean family in 1990s New York City. The central character is Casey, the youngest daughter in the family and a fresh graduate of Princeton, who is suddenly cast out of the family at the beginning of the story.
What really struck me about this book was how it felt like a classic novel. It's roomy length (600+ pages) leaves plenty of space for characters to make lots of questionable decisions. Just the pacing, the themes of success and failure and love and betrayal, the omniscient narrator reminded me of reading something like Middlemarch or Edith Wharton (later learned Min Jin Lee is a student of the classics so this makes sense!). The characters' lives form a web that also reminds me of classic storytelling - it's firmly set in time but also felt very timeless in it's emotion.
I found all these character so compelling. Casey and her hunger for expensive things despite her debts; her white boyfriend Jay, who is baffled by her Korean family and circumstances; Ella, a childhood friend whose naivety serves as a foil for the other characters; Ted, Ella's husband whose desire brings him to the top of society and then leaves him questioning what comes next. It's a long book but I was so sad to leave these characters behind! I woud have read another 500 pages. It's a journey that wraps up beautifully.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Domestic abuse, and Miscarriage