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Money can’t buy happiness… but it can buy a decent fake. 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. 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 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: 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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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 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 There’s too much of talk and too little action, especially in the first half. The second half is much better. There are many other problems associated with this book, like the problems with the narration and the way the character's arc was created. There are problems with even the basics, like the author’s usage of quotation marks in this novel.
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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. A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism. 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.
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The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother. The reality is much different and her life is coming apart at the seams. Her son has constant tantrums, Ava hates being a lawyer and has taken an extended break, her husband works non-stop and doesn’t even live in the same residence, and she feels a little bitter she did everything she was supposed to and ended up here. If she is living the Asian-American dream, she is waiting for someone to wake her up from it. Yes, another scam story — Ava Wong reconnects with her college roommate, Winnie Fang, and unexpectedly joins Winnie in her counterfeit handbag scheme, going as far as traveling to China to visit business partners and the factories where their fakes are made. This is very out of character for Ava who has always played it safe but with things falling apart at home, it’s a risk she is willing to take. When their scheme is threatened and Winnie bolts, Ava is forced to face the consequences and must decide how to best play her hand. This entertaining novel about two former roommates who run a counterfeit luxury handbag scam has it all!” — BuzzfeedThe point is, they’re status symbols. A Harvard Degree is not so different from a designer handbag. They both signal that you’re part of the “CLUB;” they open doors.”
Counterfeit – HarperCollins
Witherspoon responded with the comment, “Twinning!! I love this book so much! Perfect summer read.”Width. Counterfeit textbooks often don't have the same width as the authentic ones, as illegal producers The most interesting aspect of this novel was learning about counterfeit luxury handbag operations. I had no idea about it, although we've all seen the ubiquitous fake brown Louis Vuitton handbags. Not all fakes are the same. Some counterfeits might have been originals, they were so close to the genuine ones, that not even the people selling the genuine items could tell the difference. I confess, my moral compass needle barely moved, the "crime" was bloodless, and those cheated didn't know their luxury item wasn't genuine. They're all made in China, by very skilled people. 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. With all that said though, this wasn’t just a superficial story about a counterfeit handbag business gone awry. It actually went much deeper than that, as it also explored recent social, political, and economic issues such as anti-Asian sentiment, immigration and the American Dream, racism, the strained U.S.-China trade relationship, etc. It also dealt with Chinese cultural elements (as well as stereotypes) in ways that were insightful and respectful, yet not heavy-handed. Despite some of the serious themes, there was a lightheartedness to the story that made this a well-balanced read. 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.
The Counterfeit Candidate (The Reich Trilogy Book 1) eBook The Counterfeit Candidate (The Reich Trilogy Book 1) eBook
Their dynamic is compelling—and we soon learn that maybe they have more in common than expected. Counterfeit Purses 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.Swift, surprising, and sharply comic, Counterfeit is a stylish and feminist caper with a strong point of view and an axe to grind. Peering behind the curtain of the upscale designer storefronts and the Chinese factories where luxury goods are produced, Kirstin Chen interrogates the myth of the model minority through two unforgettable women determined to demand more from life. 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)
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