This novel covers many topics and it was especially interesting reading about the perspectives of the American Dream from these women. I washed and drained them with care and popped one in my mouth: SEE …more The grapes were perfect luscious, pale-green orbs that seemed to glow from within.

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. Riveting and energetic…Chen deftly guides readers through the exploits of old friends Ava and Winnie while also exploring the intricacies of friendship, class, culture and survival. Ava Wong hasn’t heard from Winnie Fang for over twenty years, in fact since Winnie hurriedly left Stanford. She keeps her friend company but is also there to assist with Ava’s son who forms quite an attachment to her. The rest is just rambling about menial, logistic, mundane life stuff that’s just so so boring, like the kind of stuff your older relatives would nag about… I keep waiting for it to “happen” and it never did.Once I’d finished reading I did question who between the characters was genuine and was telling the truth and who like the counterfeit handbags was completely fake. Both are both books which start with well-educated women who leave the workforce to parent and become less than desirable beings as they struggle with the dissonance of having a developed brain and being expected to easily adapt to the brainless work of early stage child-rearing (they try to make it an intellectual pursuit, but its not. In her version of events, related anxiously to a police detective, Ava claims to be a victim of her former college roommate Winnie Fang. But both are good at what they do, no matter their motivation (Ava – get her son into a good preschool; Winnie – get her boss and former lover a liver transplant via Ava’s husband). Published last year by William Morrow, Counterfeit became a Reese’s Book Club Pick chosen by Reese Witherspoon, a Roxane Gay book club pick, a New York Times editors’ choice, as well as being recommended by W ashington Post and Oprah Daily, among many accolades – including being described as ‘propulsive and captivating’ by Vogue!

Chen spins a clever tale offering two sides of a story involving a complicated friendship and knockoff handbags. It has also been recommended by The Washington Post, People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Vogue, Time, Oprah Daily, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Parade, and more.

A part of the stereotypical thinking is what Ava uses to gain sympathy in the eyes of the detective. I can’t say I really liked Ava or Winnie, but my indifference toward them didn’t stop me from quickly reading this light, entertaining story. The story takes an almost satirical look at modern day consumerism, including the use-and-throw culture and brand fetishes. So a section of the novel takes place in Guangzhou, China, which among many things, is known for its fake goods empire. This book was a massive disappointment for me, especially after hearing a lot of good news about it.

The sparkling story line seduces with its compelling twists and turns even as Kirstin Chen deftly interrogates issues of race, identity, wealth and consumerism. Swift, surprising, and sharply comic, Counterfeit is a stylish and feminist caper with a strong point of view and an axe to grind. Those scenes might be a little bit difficult for a new mother, considering they were difficult for me (not at all a mother).

That is, until the reader comes upon the story which is being narrated by Ava while she’s spilling her guts to the detective who has sniffed out the scheme. She has received fellowships from the Steinbeck Fellows Program, Sewanee, Hedgebrook, and Djerassi, among others. In this crime drama, a risk-averse former lawyer joins an elaborate fakebag scheme to finally get some thrills.

She needs someone with Ava’s background and despite her initial reservations, Ava eventually agrees to join in. It has also been recommended by The Washington Post, People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, Vogue, Time, Oprah Daily, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Parade, and more. For all ebook purchases, you will be prompted to create an account or login with your existing HarperCollins username and password.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. I have picked up this book to read only because it was a selection in a book club with some great previous picks that I really loved reading. S. passport to help manage her business–someone who’d never be suspected of wrongdoing, someone like Ava.