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| Monday, September 01, 2008 |
| Free Food for Millionaires |
I recently finished reading the novel Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee. The book revolves around the life of Casey Han, a Korean American from New York City who is renounced by her Father after she graduates from Princeton, is accepted at Columbia Law, but decides she no longer wants to be a lawyer and is instead working in a dead end retail job while living with her parents.
The book focuses a lot on all of the many characters personal finances. Casey has a compulsive spending problem and spends much of the book working in underpaid jobs for which she is overqualified for (that Princeton degree really helps sell those hats at the sales counter) and crashing at friends and boyfriends apartments since she can't afford rent and her minimum credit card payments. One of her boyfriends is a compulsive gambler who ends up getting evicted. Another character with wealthy parents lives in a large townhouse purchased for him by his wealthy parents, but it is largely empty since he can't afford to furnish it on his choir director salary. On and on the book goes giving peaks into all of these people's financial foibles.
For a personal finance junkie like me this was a very fun read for about two-thirds of the book. But the ending really let me down. Mostly it was the lack of progress by the main character, Casey, that really bothered me. For such a bright woman, she repeatedly makes such short-sighted and disastrous financial moves. Okay, there was a LOT about Casey that really bugged me, but the lack of forward progress really rankled.
I realize this is just a work of fiction, but it would have been nice to see some financial closure. How about you? Anyone out there read the book? Your thoughts? |
| posted by Boston Gal @ 11:04 PM *
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| 6 Comments: |
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I haven't read the book but definitely will check it out. I think as a woman, I would want Casey to pull her life together, get a job she is really qualified for, pay off her debt, get rid of the dysfunctional boyfriend of hers, save some money and be independent from her parents. But unfortunately not all the time that is the case in real life. Ahh I am such a happy ending and strong independent woman supporter :)
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I thought it was good as I felt immersed in the motivations and characters of the book. I agree Casey seemed to choose a path of non-achievement. As an NYU Stern grad, I'm also feeling like telling her to GO BACK for the second year!
While some of the characters are extreme, I felt it was well written and a good immersion into NY life.
I guess I wasn't that happy with the ending though.
From memory, it got a pretty good review in the NY Times.
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Sounds like a good read! I will check it out :).
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hmm sounds interesting. It's fiction though? Would be an even better read I think if it was real life.
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The retail gig was more of a way to stay connected with her rich boss while getting the discount. She worked as an assistant for a group of investment bankers. I read this book a while back, but didn't she start to pursue opportunities at the firm?? She wasn't just working at a retail job, she was trying to find herself. I work at a law firm and you can tell the attorneys who should have skipped law school...they're miserable. Sometimes knowing when to quit is the best possible answer.
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It was a very weird book. A lot about cheating and not being attracted to korean men then dating a compulsive gambler. There were all sorts of problems. Then cheating to get out of a relationship. Wild book.
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I haven't read the book but definitely will check it out. I think as a woman, I would want Casey to pull her life together, get a job she is really qualified for, pay off her debt, get rid of the dysfunctional boyfriend of hers, save some money and be independent from her parents. But unfortunately not all the time that is the case in real life. Ahh I am such a happy ending and strong independent woman supporter :)