Well written very interesting story about Korean Americans. Interesting issues related to family, abuse, love, money, and finding a purpose in life. I hope there is a sequel because I want to know what happens to Casey and the other people in the book.

Free Food for Miliionaires tells the story of a second generation Korean-American woman. As she tries to find her way in her own life, she also begins to understand her own mother and how different the adjustment to American society has been for her. ( )

I picked this up because it got a glowing review in the NYT, and because the blurb made it sound like the exact kind of thing I would be interested in: the daughter of poor Korean immigrants, who made it to Princeton and now hopes for a career as an investment banker; the immigrant experience, the intersection of social classes and ethnic groups. Those elements were there, but where I was expecting an in-depth exploration of them, what I got was a melodramatic soap opera—and a poorly written one...more I picked this up because it got a glowing review in the NYT, and because the blurb made it sound like the exact kind of thing I would be interested in: the daughter of poor Korean immigrants, who made it to Princeton and now hopes for a career as an investment banker; the immigrant experience, the intersection of social classes and ethnic groups. Those elements were there, but where I was expecting an in-depth exploration of them, what I got was a melodramatic soap opera—and a poorly written one at that.

Warning bells were going off from the very first chapter of the book, where Casey confronts her father and leaves her family's home: it's wildly melodramatic, especially without the set-up to support the drama of the scene; the dialogue is weak; POV switches wildly between very short paragraphs; exposition of the entire lives of all four characters is dumped on us within the opening pages; it's emotionally shallow; and it doesn't live up to its promise, because what I thought would be a major thread in the book (tension between father and daughter) fades quite rapidly. The problems of that first chapter are the failings of the whole book in microcosm.

Lee tries to do interesting things: to show Korean American urban life, the struggles of an agnostic with atheism, what it's like to work on Wall Street, the difficulties of keeping a relationship alive—but her attempts to examine all these things are so half-hearted and lacklustre that they are often dropped within a couple of lines. The book likewise falters to a strange and unsatisfying halt after about seven hundred pages; I blinked at the conclusion and was left with only a bewildered question as to who exactly had edited this mess. ( )

This book is definitely not the kind of book I usually enjoy, but I have to admit that I liked it a lot. One of Lee's stated goals is to portray Asian American characters in a realistic way, and I think she does just that. The characters are flawed, conflicted, and undeniably human, in a way that will appeal to all different kinds of readers. She explores the struggle of Asian Americans in their relationships with family, friends, boyfriends and husbands, and how their cultural and immigrant identity factors into their lives and decisions. A portrayal of Asian Americans as human beings instead of stereotypical characters was long overdue, and this book was extremely well written and well worth reading. ( )

When Casey Han arrives home from Princeton only to be thrown out of her father's house, she enters a New York City about which she is totally ambivalent. She doesn't know what she wants to do or who she wants to do it with, but she does know that nothing on the horizon feels right. A totally enthralling story about a cast of characters that are all flawed in their own ways - just like in real life. Highly recommended. ( )