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esthersedition's review against another edition
4.0
Reading ‘Free Food for Millionaires’ by Min Jin Lee, the renowned author of the well received book 'Pachinko', made me fall in love with her writing all over again. The book mainly follows the Korean American experience of a first born daughter to immigrant parents, Casey Han. With the plot also delving into the lives of those around her, creating a rich backdrop of backstories and origins as to how people become the way they are and where they see themselves going. Whilst also showing that the true nature of the American Dream and Wall-Street culture is not at all as it seems. By the end of the book it leaves you to reflect on your own life. What is worth more, money or love? and what would you be willing to sacrifice to achieve those goals if you didn't have to think about cultural or societal pressures?
I've noticed with Min Jin Lee, that she doesn't seem to care for a proper round up in the endings of her books, and often leaves stories left untold for us to wonder. After getting glimpses into her character's lives, I thought of Ted Kim as an asshole that I felt sorry for, Hugh was weird, Unu was so broken, Joseph was confusing but I guess they were all doing the best they could with the destiny they were given.
I also love how Min Jin Lee includes aspects of God, faith, and theology in such an interesting way into her books. Avoiding Christian cliche's and delving into why people cling to their faith, what brought them there, and how people apply God in their lives differently. From both her books, I learned something new, whether it be about culture, history, religion, philosophy - I always leave with something, which is what I love about Min Jin Lee's writings.
Ultimately, I enjoyed reading this book, admittedly because it was so entertaining to read about the lives of so many chaotic people and being surprised by the secrets that unfolded with each turn of the page. Though, it does pale in comparison to the greatness that is 'Pachinko' but nonetheless still a good read.
I've noticed with Min Jin Lee, that she doesn't seem to care for a proper round up in the endings of her books, and often leaves stories left untold for us to wonder. After getting glimpses into her character's lives, I thought of Ted Kim as an asshole that I felt sorry for, Hugh was weird, Unu was so broken, Joseph was confusing but I guess they were all doing the best they could with the destiny they were given.
I also love how Min Jin Lee includes aspects of God, faith, and theology in such an interesting way into her books. Avoiding Christian cliche's and delving into why people cling to their faith, what brought them there, and how people apply God in their lives differently. From both her books, I learned something new, whether it be about culture, history, religion, philosophy - I always leave with something, which is what I love about Min Jin Lee's writings.
Ultimately, I enjoyed reading this book, admittedly because it was so entertaining to read about the lives of so many chaotic people and being surprised by the secrets that unfolded with each turn of the page. Though, it does pale in comparison to the greatness that is 'Pachinko' but nonetheless still a good read.
sarahside_up's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-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
4.5
fflur_jones's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
Min Jin Lee does a fabulous job at exploring the themes of immigration and being a second generation immigrant in the United States (US) with this novel. It's an epic storyline that follows a myriad cast of characters all from various backgrounds and each with their own flaws and merits. I particularly enjoyed her style that flowed from one character's point of view to another giving an unexpected twist to the narration at times. I felt like I got a glimpse into the Korean immigrant experience through Casey's family's eyes even though I am not a Korean immigrant nor do I live in the US.
However, the book felt too long. I really struggled to read the middle part of the novel, which felt redundant and repetitive at times. Some storylines felt unnecessary or way too long with regards to their overall importance in the plot.
Overall, a good book but could have been better if it had been trimmed down a little.
Min Jin Lee does a fabulous job at exploring the themes of immigration and being a second generation immigrant in the United States (US) with this novel. It's an epic storyline that follows a myriad cast of characters all from various backgrounds and each with their own flaws and merits. I particularly enjoyed her style that flowed from one character's point of view to another giving an unexpected twist to the narration at times. I felt like I got a glimpse into the Korean immigrant experience through Casey's family's eyes even though I am not a Korean immigrant nor do I live in the US.
However, the book felt too long. I really struggled to read the middle part of the novel, which felt redundant and repetitive at times. Some storylines felt unnecessary or way too long with regards to their overall importance in the plot.
Overall, a good book but could have been better if it had been trimmed down a little.
brolonizer's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
vickiezw's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.5
anatolian_doner's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.0
the theme the book deals with (religion, class, race, identity, generational differences, love) are interesting to me, and I like that it feels like a slice of life. I wondered what happened to Casey afterwards.
madi828's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
emisbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i could not put this book down. with central themes of ethnicity and culture clashes, religion, family, and love, free food for millionaries is an impeccable read.
having written my favourite book of all time, pachinko, i can always trust min jin lee to write a cracking story. it shares some of the same central themes as pachinko, but ultimately i don't find the two books comparable.
this book taught me lots about modern korean culture, which was very insightful as an outsider looking in. as this is a min jin lee book, there is a whole cast of characters whose lives deeply intertwine. i found all of these characters to be very authentic to the point i could picture them in my head as though they were real and each character was fleshed out and developed despite how many there are. casey is a fantastic protagonist who is incredibly fascinating to read about because she isn't perfect.
this book handles it's subject matters of very well and the ending brings justice to a central plot point of book 3 that will break your heart.
tldr: read if you love big books with lots of interesting characters, gossip, the themes mentioned above, and books centering protagonists who dont have it figured out yet. dont read if you dont like books with lots of characters.
i have no complaints about this book. min jin lee you've done it again.
if you want to know how many recurring characters there are, i counted 22 on the character sheet i kept in the book.
having written my favourite book of all time, pachinko, i can always trust min jin lee to write a cracking story. it shares some of the same central themes as pachinko, but ultimately i don't find the two books comparable.
this book taught me lots about modern korean culture, which was very insightful as an outsider looking in. as this is a min jin lee book, there is a whole cast of characters whose lives deeply intertwine. i found all of these characters to be very authentic to the point i could picture them in my head as though they were real and each character was fleshed out and developed despite how many there are. casey is a fantastic protagonist who is incredibly fascinating to read about because she isn't perfect.
this book handles it's subject matters of very well and the ending brings justice to a central plot point of book 3 that will break your heart.
tldr: read if you love big books with lots of interesting characters, gossip, the themes mentioned above, and books centering protagonists who dont have it figured out yet. dont read if you dont like books with lots of characters.
i have no complaints about this book. min jin lee you've done it again.