Free Food for Millionaires

‟

This accomplished first novel, the coming-of-age story of a Princeton-educated Korean-American woman making her way in New York City in the 1990s, recalls the Victorian novels its heroine devours. Our reviewer, Liesl Schillinger, described it as ‘packed with tales of flouted parental expectations, fluctuating female friendships and rivalries,…romantic hopes and losses, and high-stakes career gambles.’”

‟

The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes (Crown) by Tess Uriza Holthe; Free Food for Millionaires (Warner) by Min Jin Lee; The Gathering (Black Cat/Grove) by Anne…”

‟

In her first novel, Free Food for Millionaires, Min Jin Lee largely succeeds in unraveling the story of postcollege, Korean immigrant Casey Han, who is still challenged by her family traditions while striving for acceptance and personal fulfillment in the largely assimilated world of New York high finance. As the main character’s life unfolds, Lee masterfully reveals the fallible interpersonal relationships that define Han’s struggle. She also manages to tell the story from multiple perspectives, allowing the characters richness and authenticity that is often missing in the single point of view.”

‟

Free Food for Millionaires is different from any book I’ve ever read — a big, juicy, commercial Korean-American coming-of-age novel, one that could spawn a satisfying miniseries, and one that definitely belongs in this summer’s beach bag.”

‟

Weighing in at a mammoth 560 pages, Min Jin Lee’s Free Food for Millionaires is…”

‟

Min Jin Lee, in her first novel, paints a vast New York landscape that brings to mind…”

‟

As the face of America becomes stunningly diverse, the need for competent cultural translators grows apace…Now, in her first novel, Korean-American writer Min Jin Lee helps us understand Koreans as they grapple to grab the first rung of the economic ladder.”

‟

Min Jin Lee gets into the heads of a dry cleaner operator and a Julliard alumnus, an aging bookstore owner and a stockbroker on Wall Street. …”

‟

Casey, the fictional character at the heart of Min Jin Lee’s Free Food for Millionaires, can’t quite figure out how to fit her upper-class tastes into the world of her parents, Korean immigrants who work for a dry cleaning chain.”

‟

The life and times of a Korean American girl from Queens who goes to Princeton…”

‟

Min Jin Lee, author of Free Food for Millionaires, one of my favorite books this year, will be appearing at US-Korea Institute of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) next week, and Olsson’s will be…”

‟

Then comes Min Jin Lee and her acclaimed new novel Free Food for Millionaires, which takes a Jane Austen-type look at love, education…”

‟

But Min Jin Lee is unrelentingly fair to her characters, letting us into their heads….”

‟

Leave your world behind and explore this story set against an interesting cultural backdrop. This is a book I thought about often at work, and could not wait to get home and dive into the story …”

‟

On the fiction front, I just read Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee, in one fell swoop. It’s (a huge book) about Ivy League-educated Korean Americans in New York City. I stayed up until 4 am because it is a subtle page-turner…”

‟

Free Food for Millionaires is different from any book I’ve ever read—a big, juicy, commercial Korean American coming-of-age novel, one that could spawn a satisfying miniseries, and one that definitely belongs in this summer’s beach bag.”

‟

Summer Picks from The Boston Herald”

‟

Five years ago we published a story called “Motherland” by an emerging author named Min Jin Lee. We were unanimous in our admiration of what was later selected as the best fiction of that volume year. It’s the story of a Japanese woman…”

‟

This new title, published 1 July, by Korean American writer Min Jin Lee is causing a stir…”

‟

Novelist Min Jin Lee offers us the chance to see this entire culture, up close, personal and far more sympathetically. The book focuses on the emotional and…”

‟

Free Food for Millionaires is the best novel I’ve read in a long time. I’m sad to be finished and I desperately miss Casey Han - a perfectly imperfect character whose loyalty, chutzpah and great hats make her someone I wish I knew in real life.”

‟

Critic’s pick: Free Food for Millionaires, by Min Jin Lee (Grand Central, $13.99). USA TODAY’s Carol Memmott says this “vastly ambitious” and “stirring””

‟

This accomplished first novel, the coming-of-age story of a Princeton-educated Korean-American woman making her way in New York City in the 1990s, recalls the Victorian novels its heroine devours. Our reviewer, Liesl Schillinger, described it as ‘packed with tales of flouted parental expectations, fluctuating female friendships and rivalries, … romantic hopes and losses, and high-stakes career gambles.”