Counterfeit: A Novel
(Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read)
Description
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
"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
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!
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.
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.
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.
"If you appreciate a good caper, you'll want to pick up Kirstin Chen's novel . . . Fast-paced and fun, with smart commentary on the cultural differences between Asia and America." — TIME
"Propulsive and captivating . . . A provocative story of fashion, friendship, and fakes (in more ways than one)." — VOGUE
Formats
If you are having problem transferring a title to your device, please fill out this support form or visit the library so we can help you to use our eBooks and eAudio Books.
More Copies In LINK+
Subjects
More Details
Reviews from GoodReads
Citations
Kirstin Chen. (2022). Counterfeit: A Novel. HarperCollins.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Kirstin Chen. 2022. Counterfeit: A Novel. HarperCollins.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Kirstin Chen, Counterfeit: A Novel. HarperCollins, 2022.
MLA Citation (style guide)Kirstin Chen. Counterfeit: A Novel. HarperCollins, 2022.
Copy Details
| Library | Owned | Available |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Digital Collection | 5 | 2 |
There are 9 holds on this title.
Staff View
QR Code
API Extraction Dates
OverDrive Product Record
- images
- cover:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/0293-1/{EF81DE22-7808-46BE-A83A-2AFCA1AABB2A}IMG100.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- thumbnail:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/0293-1/{EF81DE22-7808-46BE-A83A-2AFCA1AABB2A}IMG200.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- cover150Wide:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/0293-1/{EF81DE22-7808-46BE-A83A-2AFCA1AABB2A}IMG150.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- cover300Wide:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/0293-1/{EF81DE22-7808-46BE-A83A-2AFCA1AABB2A}IMG400.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- cover:
- formats
- identifiers:
- type: ISBN
- value: 9780063119574
- name: Adobe EPUB eBook
- id: ebook-epub-adobe
- identifiers:
- identifiers:
- type: ASIN
- value: B09HS9L31L
- name: Kindle Book
- id: ebook-kindle
- identifiers:
- identifiers:
- type: ISBN
- value: 9780063119574
- name: OverDrive Read
- id: ebook-overdrive
- identifiers:
- otherFormatIdentifiers
- type: ISBN
- value: 9780063119550
- mediaType
- eBook
- primaryCreator
- role: Author
- name: Kirstin Chen
- isOwnedByCollections
- True
- title
- Counterfeit
- dateAdded
- 2022-06-04T04:36:47.413Z
- contentDetails
- href: https://link.overdrive.com?websiteID=141&titleID=7228703
- type: text/html
- account:
- name: Sacramento Public Library (CA)
- id: 1151
- sortTitle
- Counterfeit A Novel
- crossRefId
- 7228703
- subtitle
- A Novel
- id
- EF81DE22-7808-46BE-A83A-2AFCA1AABB2A
- starRating
- 3.4
OverDrive MetaData
- isPublicDomain
- False
- formats
- fileName: Counterfeit_9780063119574_7228703
- partCount: 0
- fileSize: 839158
- identifiers:
- type: ISBN
- value: 9780063119574
- rights:
- type: Copying
- value: 0
- type: Printing
- value: 0
- type: Lending
- value: 0
- type: ReadAloud
- value: 1
- type: ExpirationRights
- value: 0
- name: Adobe EPUB eBook
- isReadAlong: False
- id: ebook-epub-adobe
- onSaleDate: 6/7/2022
- samples:
- source: From the book
- formatType: ebook-overdrive
- url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=ef81de22-7808-46be-a83a-2afca1aabb2a&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
- fileName: Counterfeit_7228703
- partCount: 0
- fileSize: 0
- identifiers:
- type: ASIN
- value: B09HS9L31L
- name: Kindle Book
- isReadAlong: False
- id: ebook-kindle
- onSaleDate: 6/7/2022
- samples:
- source: From the book
- formatType: ebook-overdrive
- url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=ef81de22-7808-46be-a83a-2afca1aabb2a&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
- fileName: Counterfeit_9780063119574_7228703
- partCount: 0
- fileSize: 0
- identifiers:
- type: ISBN
- value: 9780063119574
- name: OverDrive Read
- isReadAlong: False
- id: ebook-overdrive
- onSaleDate: 6/7/2022
- samples:
- source: From the book
- formatType: ebook-overdrive
- url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=ef81de22-7808-46be-a83a-2afca1aabb2a&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
- creators
- role: Author
- fileAs: Chen, Kirstin
- bioText:
Kirstin Chen is the New York Times bestselling author of Counterfeit, Soy Sauce for Beginners and Bury What We Cannot Take. Born and raised in Singapore, she currently lives in New York City.
- name: Kirstin Chen
- imprint
- William Morrow Cookbooks
- publishDate
- 2022-06-07T00:00:00-04:00
- isOwnedByCollections
- True
- title
- Counterfeit
- fullDescription
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
"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
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!
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.
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.
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.
"If you appreciate a good caper, you'll want to pick up Kirstin Chen's novel . . . Fast-paced and fun, with smart commentary on the cultural differences between Asia and America." — TIME
"Propulsive and captivating . . . A provocative story of fashion, friendship, and fakes (in more ways than one)." — VOGUE
- reviews
- premium: False
- source: Vogue, The Best Books of 2022
- content:
"A con artist story, a pop-feminist caper, a fashionable romp. Fun! Pass the popcorn. Except nothing in this novel is what it seems. Make no mistake, 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. . . . Readers love a twist and I won't spoil this one by revealing too much, but Chen is up to something innovative and subversive here. She uses the device to flip Asian and Asian American stereotypes inside out and upside down." — Camille Perri, New York Times Book Review
"A startling, gleeful look at the American Dream and what counts as real in a world obsessed with image, this caper story follows two very different Chinese American women as they build a fake fashion empire that then threatens to come crashing down. Chen's use of story structure is masterful, as are her complicated, compelling characters." — Grace D. Li, Washington Post
"If you appreciate a good caper, you'll want to pick up Kirstin Chen's novel about two Asian American women who turn a counterfeit handbag scheme into a big business. The book is written as a confession, which helps readers get to know protagonists Ava and Winnie, and how their lives detoured toward crime. Counterfeit is fast-paced and fun, with smart commentary on the cultural differences between Asia and America." — TIME magazine, Best Books of Summer 2022
"Propulsive and captivating . . . A provocative story of fashion, friendship, and fakes (in more ways than one), with characters that both subvert and capitalize on the model-minority myth. No surprise that the sly feminist caper was the subject of a fierce eight-way bidding war for TV rights." — Vogue, The Best Books of 2022
"College roommates Ava Wong and Winnie Fang were never close—but now they are literally partners in crime, with a designer handbag scam as brazen as it is foolproof. Clever, catty fun." — People, Best Books of Summer 2022
"Centered on two women who partner on a global counterfeit luxury handbag business. I always wish there was more fashion in novels . . . My fun read of early summer!" — Kathy Wang, Entertainment Weekly
"This one's as flashy as a designer store window, and just as enticing." — Good Housekeeping
"In this crime drama, a risk-averse former lawyer joins an elaborate fakebag scheme to finally get some thrills." — Cosmopolitan
"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
"In this clever caper (with TV rights already optioned), two Asian American women start a lucrative business selling counterfeit luxury handbags. As the tale is told from each character's point of view, you'll wonder which version is authentic and which is a fake." — AARP, Fun Summer Books
"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)
"Ava Wong is a successful lawyer with a picture-perfect family, but behind the scenes, her marriage—and life—are falling apart. Enter Winnie Fang, Ava's college roommate, with a proposition for Ava: help Winnie manage her wildly successful...
- premium: True
- source:
- content:
April 1, 2022
What a tangled web we weave when first we practice selling fake designer handbags. Chen rejiggers some of the ingredients of her debut, Soy Sauce for Beginners (2014), and comes up with a winner in this clever, sharp, and slyly funny novel about a long con. Ava Wong, a Chinese American Stanford grad, has left her corporate position to be a full-time mom, but little Henri is such a terror she ends up delegating him to a nanny. Meanwhile, her surgeon husband, a Frenchman named Olivier, is working so hard to support the family that he takes an apartment near the hospital in Palo Alto. These disappointments leave her particularly vulnerable to the influence of the evil Winnie Fang. From mainland China, Winnie was Ava's roommate freshman year of college until she had to withdraw from school under the cloud of an SAT cheating scandal. All these years later, she's back, and boy, has she changed. She's had eyelid surgery, lost the accent, attained American citizenship, and is carrying the ultimate status symbol--a Birkin bag. A couple pages in, we learn that this narrative of renewed friendship is being delivered to a detective. It seems Ava was manipulated into working with Winnie in her global handbag scam. Her job was to buy a high-end purse at a luxury shop, then return it a few days later for credit. Meanwhile, the return is actually a meticulously counterfeited duplicate manufactured in China, and the real one is sold on eBay at a discount. As the story glides among San Francisco, Hong Kong, and China, Chen turns the stereotype of the docile Asian woman on its head. She also has great fun with status details, from collegiate Winnie's "pink T-shirt with the words cuty pie plastered across the front in mulitcolored rhinestones" to the "rare crocodile Birkin 25, the color of merlot, of rubies, of blood...worth at least forty thousand dollars" that Ava receives during a classic over-the-top, all-night business deal. A delightfully different caper novel with a Gone Girl-style plot twist.COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
- premium: True
- source:
- content:
April 4, 2022
Chen (Bury What We Cannot Take) spins a clever tale offering two sides of a story involving a complicated friendship and knockoff handbags. When Ava Wong’s former Stanford roommate Winnie Fang reenters her hectic San Francisco life, 20 years after graduation, Ava is the frazzled mother of a tantrum-prone two-year-old, married to a prominent surgeon, and on hiatus from a tax law career she can’t stand. Winnie, on the other hand, has gone from nerd to gorgeous—and she’s clearly rich. Ava, whose marriage is on the rocks, is dazzled by her friend’s physical and financial makeover, then finds out it’s all courtesy of a luxury handbag counterfeit scheme. While Ava is on an impulsive trip visiting family in Hong Kong, her husband cancels her credit and debit cards—leading Ava to reluctantly work with Winnie, whose goods come from China. The novel’s second half picks up with Winnie’s point of view, in which Ava is characterized as scheming and manipulative, making canny moves such as leaving a cellphone at a friend’s house to secure an alibi while trafficking contraband. Readers face a choice: whose perception is real—and whose is counterfeit? The story is further deepened by the author’s sharp, convincing details of the fashion industry and its shadow market, which lends this tale of fakes the tang of authenticity. Readers will be left guessing at the truth until the last page.
- premium: True
- source:
- content:
Starred review from April 15, 2022
When Ava Wong reconnects with her college roommate, she doesn't expect to get caught up in an international crime ring. Winnie Fang--who left Stanford in disgrace after a cheating scandal--is back in San Francisco and making money hand over fist. Winnie purchases high-end bags: Prada, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton. She sells them on eBay and then returns her purchases, swapping them with quality replicas from China. Ava gets involved while on a trip to China with her young son. Winnie wants her to run an errand, and Ava's credit cards are frozen after a fight with her husband. Eventually, Ava uses her newfound fortune on medical treatments and preschool for her son. Now, Ava can't get out of Winnie's clutches--or can she? Ava tells this story to a detective through her first-person perspective, explaining the whirlwind of events that led her into the mess. Chen's third novel is sly and subversive, an examination of motherhood and an incisive look at culture and class. When Ava carries her replica bag, people assume she's rich. The handbags are status symbols, but no one truly knows what's going on behind the persona. A read-alike for Amelia Morris' Wildcat (2022), with a touch of crime.COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
- popularity
- 5451
- links
- self:
- href: https://api.overdrive.com/v1/collections/v1L1BWwAAAA2I/products/ef81de22-7808-46be-a83a-2afca1aabb2a/metadata
- type: application/vnd.overdrive.api+json
- shareInLibby:
- href: https://link.overdrive.com/share?q=H01uAMShdiw
- type: text/HTML
- self:
- id
- ef81de22-7808-46be-a83a-2afca1aabb2a
- starRating
- 3.5
- images
- cover:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/0293-1/{EF81DE22-7808-46BE-A83A-2AFCA1AABB2A}IMG100.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- thumbnail:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/0293-1/{EF81DE22-7808-46BE-A83A-2AFCA1AABB2A}IMG200.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- cover150Wide:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/0293-1/{EF81DE22-7808-46BE-A83A-2AFCA1AABB2A}IMG150.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- cover300Wide:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/0293-1/{EF81DE22-7808-46BE-A83A-2AFCA1AABB2A}IMG400.JPG
- type: image/jpeg
- cover:
- isPublicPerformanceAllowed
- False
- languages
- code: en
- name: English
- subjects
- value: Fiction
- value: Literature
- value: Mystery
- publishDateText
- 06/07/2022
- otherFormatIdentifiers
- type: ISBN
- value: 9780063119550
- mediaType
- eBook
- shortDescription
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
"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
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...
- sortTitle
- Counterfeit A Novel
- crossRefId
- 7228703
- subtitle
- A Novel
- publisher
- HarperCollins
- bisacCodes
- code: FIC044000
- description: Fiction / Contemporary Women
- code: FIC054000
- description: FICTION / Asian American & Pacific Islander
- code: FIC071000
- description: Fiction / Friendship