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In terms of character development, I feel that Chen did a great job with both Winnie and Ava. Even though I disagree with their actions and the decisions they ultimately made, I was able to relate to the struggles they went through as Chinese women who grew up in traditional Chinese families. Ava especially resonated with me, as I recognized so much of her family dynamic in my own — i.e.: the pressure to choose a “prestigious” career path that ultimately leads to wealth, even if it’s not a career that I would want for myself (this quote sent shivers down my spine because it’s almost verbatim what I experienced: “ …in my family there were only a few acceptable paths—law, medicine, engineering. Law was the one I’d disliked least. From the very beginning, I’d known my lot in life: to be good enough at my job, and to tolerate it until retirement.”); the expectation to be an overachiever in school (anything less than straight A’s was frowned upon) and maintain the image of the “good Chinese daughter” so as not to disappoint my immigrant parents who sacrificed so much for their children to have such opportunities; the cultural significance of “face” and the huge impact it has on how, as a Chinese woman, I’m supposed to live my life (another quote that applies almost verbatim to my own situation: “ …but when you grow up as I did, schooled in the supremacy of “face”—the figurative face, the image, reputation, honor that must be fought for and preserved at all costs—breaking free from constraints to think for oneself becomes a Herculean task.”). One of the things I love about the reading experience is coming across characters whom I am able to relate to in some way (even if our life circumstances are completely different) and that certainly was the case here — this makes the time and effort spent reading this all the more worthwhile. For fans of Hustlers and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, the story of two Asian American women who band together to grow a counterfeit handbag scheme into a global enterprise—an incisive and glittering blend of fashion, crime, and friendship from the author of Bury What We Cannot Take and Soy Sauce for Beginners. It didn't take long for the story to hook me. I was already having an enjoyable time when the author shifted gears somewhat and that just took the book to the next level. Clever writing for sure. My only wish is for the ending to be more fleshed out. Small gripe though as overall it was a good summer read. Ava recounts about up until this point, she’s always been a rule follower. She’s a Chinese American lawyer who is married to a surgeon and they have a toddler son. But beneath the perfect facade, her marriage is full of troubles and she’s having difficulties handling her son’s outbursts. She put her career on hold to take care of her son and now she’s having an identity crisis. Ava Wong hasn’t heard from Winnie Fang for over twenty years, in fact since Winnie hurriedly left Stanford. What does Winnie want? Ava‘s life hasn’t panned out the way she hopes and she’s dazzled by the wealth, beauty and confidence Winnie displays. An added bonus if she is very good with her two year old son Henri who has the most spectacular of tantrums. Oh boy, does Eva ever get lured into a Winnie web, a con involving counterfeit designer handbags which are so good they are the creme de la creme of counterfeits they could be the real thing. It becomes intoxicating as common sense flies out the window until it all crashes to earth.
Counterfeit Kingdom: The Dangers of New Revelation, New Counterfeit Kingdom: The Dangers of New Revelation, New
A con artist story, a pop-feminist caper, a fashionable romp . . . Counterfeit is an entertaining, luxurious read—but beneath its glitz and flash, it is also a shrewd deconstruction of the American dream and the myth of the model minority. . . . Chen is up to something innovative and subversive here." — Camille Perri, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW Binding. It differs from the one of the authentic textbook. The glue can be of a different color and unevenly distributed along the binding, and the book may generally look poorly made. Books with bindings for which cheap glue was used also smell differently than an original quality edition. The curvature of the spine can also be different (e.g., too flat or bent). The book is divided in various parts. The first part is written in Ava’s first person perspective, whereby she is narrating her experiences with Winnie and also her personal issues to the detective handling the case. After a while, it became very clear that Ava was quite self-centred and whiny, and her insecurities had been manipulated by Winnie, thereby making her an unwilling participant in her nefarious business. And then comes Part II, where you are forced to question whatever you read till then. I liked Part I but it is Part II and what came beyond that enhanced the book from a 3 star to a higher rating. Their dynamic is compelling—and we soon learn that maybe they have more in common than expected. Counterfeit PursesIn an interview on the podcast Editors Unedited, Chen said she came up with the idea for the novel while doing research for her second book, Bury What We Cannot Take, a historical novel. Ava Wong has always played it safe. As a strait-laced, rule-abiding Chinese American lawyer with a successful surgeon as a husband, a young son, and a beautiful home—she’s built the perfect life. But beneath this façade, Ava’s world is crumbling: her marriage is falling apart, her expensive law degree hasn’t been used in years, and her toddler’s tantrums are pushing her to the breaking point. Engrossing . . . . There is something particularly joyful and delicious right now about reading a novel centered around a feminist caper. This novel is a lot of fun, but it also asks a lot of questions about what we covet and why.”— Roxane Gay
Book Counterfeit Risk - Fake Check - BooksRun Identify Book Counterfeit Risk - Fake Check - BooksRun
While no one is physically hurt, it’s still a crime. And that’s something that Ava starts to wrestle with. Verdict Anyways, perhaps if this book was written before 2009 the stereotypes would have been more acceptable and considered funny, but nowadays, I don’t think so.
Enter Winnie Fang, Ava's enigmatic college roommate from Mainland China, who abruptly dropped out under mysterious circumstances. Now, twenty years later, Winnie is looking to reconnect with her old friend. But the shy, awkward girl Ava once knew has been replaced with a confident woman of the world, dripping in luxury goods, including a coveted Birkin in classic orange. The secret to her success? Winnie has developed an ingenious counterfeit scheme that involves importing near-exact replicas of luxury handbags and now she needs someone with a U.S. passport to help manage her business--someone who'd never be suspected of wrongdoing, someone like Ava. But when their spectacular success is threatened and Winnie vanishes once again, Ava is left to face the consequences.
Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen - Book Club Chat Review: Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen - Book Club Chat
Oh I liked this a LOT. This starts as the confession to police of Ada, an ex-lawyer / SAHM / second generation Chinese American who has been drawn into a web of crime by an old friend involving a scheme to sell counterfeit designer handbags. Then it goes places. A con artist story, a pop-feminist caper, a fashionable romp . . . Counterfeit is an entertaining, luxurious read—but beneath its glitz and flash, it is also a shrewd deconstruction of the American dream and the myth of the model minority. . . . Chen is up to something innovative and subversive here.” — Camille Perri, The New York Times Ava Wong has always played it safe. As a strait-laced, rule-abiding Chinese American lawyer with a successful surgeon as a husband, a young son, and a beautiful home--she's built the perfect life. But beneath this façade, Ava's world is crumbling: her marriage is falling apart, her expensive law degree hasn't been used in years, and her toddler's tantrums are pushing her to the breaking point.
To help our customers (and everyone interested) spot counterfeit textbooks and not fall into the trap, we're posting the list of differences between genuine and illegal editions that need to be paid attention to: Recommended by New York Times Book Review• Washington Post • People• Entertainment Weekly• USA Today• Time• Cosmopolitan• Today show • Harper’s Bazaar• Vogue• Good Housekeeping• Parade• New York Post • Town & Country• GMA.com • Buzzfeed • Goodreads • Oprah Daily • Popsugar • Bustle • theSkimm • The Millions • and more! Editorial note: I received a copy of Counterfeit in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own. Ava Wong has always played it safe. As a straight laced, rule-abiding Chinese American Lawyer with a successful surgeon as a husband, a young son, and a beautiful home - she's built the perfect life. But beneath this perfect facade, Ava's world is crumbling: her marriage is falling apart, her expensive law degree hasn't been used in years, and her toddler's tantrums are pushing her to breaking point. Winnie Fang, who abruptly dropped out of college under mysterious circumstances, is now looking to reconnect with her friend twenty years later.
Counterfeit: A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and New York Counterfeit: A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and New York
This is what I call a summer read. Pure fun that had me channeling my inner Carrie Bradshaw . . . . It seems much easier to make a novel a global success if the authors cater to the needs of readers from other countries according to their misconceptions. These authors are not ready to put in the extra effort to break these stereotypes by removing the misconceptions. It is not quite what the marketing copy claims, not glitter and diamonds, it is much more rooted in realism and the everyday, even if Ava has a charmed (but miserable) life. Ava has money, a career, a husband, a child, but Ava has hit a wall after spending her whole life doing everything she is supposed to. She's unhappy but can't admit it. It is no surprise that she can't avoid getting involved with her one-time college roommate Winnie when she suddenly reappears. Winnie left school in scandal and though Ava doesn't admit it, this is part of the attraction.Example #1: Side-by-side comparison of an original and a counterfeit. The item on the right has a different color tone: And so here we are. With two untrustworthy characters as flat as a year-old opened forgotten LaCroix can. To put it bluntly, the story began to deteriorate after the author's dedication. Counterfeit is told in such a unique way—Ava Wong is recalling to a detective on how she got caught up in this illegal counterfeit purse scheme. As such, there aren’t any quotation marks as Ava is telling this story. So it’s a little something to get used to but once you do, the story really flows.
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