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I loved the main character development (though you need to have a lot of patience to discover the development.) Neither Ava nor Winnie function on a WYSIWYG model – they are complex, sometimes irritating and sometimes vulnerable. Henri the toddler is l’enfant terrible. While I don’t enjoy children being portrayed in such a way, Henri’s behaviour adds a further layer of complexity to Ava’s arc as her parenting skills depict her attitude towards life.
Counterfeit Kingdom: The Dangers of New Revelation, New Counterfeit Kingdom: The Dangers of New Revelation, New
ISBN. If the book differs too much from other original editions but the ISBN is the same and there are no other markings indicating it's an international or instructor's version, it's definitely a counterfeit copy.
It was also fun reading a story about a crime that didn’t give me nightmares. I think disturbing true crime stories are having a pause in popularity and people are more engaged with scam artist tales told from an entertaining point of view. Counterfeit is already optioned for TV and I can see this story doing really well on that platform. What’s the Story About
The Counterfeit Candidate (The Reich Trilogy Book 1) eBook The Counterfeit Candidate (The Reich Trilogy Book 1) eBook
It is sad to see the author of this book promoting racial stereotyping by creating various characters precisely according to the stereotypes. Racial stereotyping is considered politically incorrect as it is distorted, devaluing, limiting, and hurtful to others. This stereotyping in literary creations can foster hate and aggression, leading to a false sense of entitlement. 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. Chen has written a fast-paced, character-forward story of two very different Asian American women seemingly inadvertently falling into a collaboration to build a global counterfeit handbag empire . . . Ingeniously constructed, this cinematic novel of friendship, ambition, and wanting more out of life will leave you guessing until the end.” — Oprah Daily, 10 Must-Read Books for AAPI Heritage Month 2022 My thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the DRC of “Counterfeit”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. This is the story of Ava Wong and her college friend Winnie Fang, who go into "business together" selling luxury designer counterfeit handbags. Winnie knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. Her personality is such that she could convince anyone to do anything and she does just that by convincing Ava to join her counterfeiting scheme. Ava started off as a weak character and became stronger throughout, with Winnie's "help."
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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. Italians - People who are very greedy for money. They cheat the customers by selling luxury items, always overpricing them. They will just manufacture the handle of the luxury bags in Italy, make the rest in China, and put made in Italy over their products. 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.
Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen | Waterstones
Americans - People who are foolish enough to develop a fetish for these overpriced luxury products.The story of this novel can be easily described in a single line. It is the story of two ladies of Chinese ethnicity who try to fool Americans with fake luxury goods. Chen’s third novel is sly and subversive, an examination of motherhood and an incisive look at culture and class . . . A readalike for Amelia Morris’s Wildcat, with a touch of crime.” — Booklist (starred review) The characterisation is really good with Ava and Winnie being chalk and cheese. Ava‘s portrayal is especially strong, she is not happy in her current life and plays it safe until she doesn’t. Winnie is smart, clever and duplicitously successful. Maybe 4.5 (I know, unpopular opinion apparently because so many people have rated this book within the 2 to 4 star range lmfao) As Ava is roped into Winnie's world of counterfeiting, the focus isn't on heists and scams as much as it is on a marriage going sour, the tedium of parenting, and the joy of a secret. There is a lot about what it is to move in the world as a wealthy woman, a white woman, an Asian woman and all the big and small differences between them.
Counterfeit: A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and New York Counterfeit: A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and New York
Recommended by The New York Times Book Review • The Washington Post • People • Entertainment Weekly • Time • Cosmopolitan • Today show • Harper’s Bazaar • Vogue • Good Housekeeping • Buzzfeed • Oprah Daily • Parade • Popsugar • Goodreads • theSkimm • Katie Couric Media • The Millions • and more! All in all, I thought this was an engaging novel. The tone is great—kind of comedic and I can see that really playing out on TV well. There are surprising moments so it does keep you on your toes a bit. It’s funny because going into the novel, I thought about how I’m not caught up in expensive purses anymore. I used to be all about getting a new Coach or a Kate Spade purse (at the outlets) but ever since the start of the pandemic, I’ve been fine carrying the same purse. But that said, I found myself looking at a Lululemon belt bag so maybe I do still care about name brands, haha.Hmm... What can I say about Counterfeit? There was just something about this book that I didn't quite like. 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. While many books boast beach read status, are tauted by reviewers and publications, this is actually a book I can see someone lounging around the house or pool side or an actual beach and devouring. The prose was compulsively readable and Chen never tried to outsmart the reader. The developments that left me gagged were all logical, so close that I was simply blind to them. Ava an Winnie each compelling. Though they are also archetypes in a type of story that I routinely seek out, and so Chen didn't really have to do a lot of heavy lifting to get me on board.
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