The Life and Death of the Mayor of Casterbridge Book

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Unlike the majority of the reviewers, I liked Casey Han. I found her pursuit of higher education, materialism, desire for religion, lust, need for independence, mass credit card debt, love of fashion, and the way she constantly seemed to disappoint her family quite realistic. Despite the fact that Casey is willing to walk away from her family, her cheating American boyfriend, her Korean boyfriend, and refuses help offered by her long-time family friend all in the name of independence, she never quite manages to make it on her own. She falls back on her new best friend, men, and Sabine all throughout the story. In the end, despite $23,000 in credit card debt and an even larger student loan, she ends up with literally nothing thanks to her gambling, evicted ex-boyfriend. This book also gives an outsider a glimpse inside homes and relationships of Korean-Americans. This is the first Korean-American book I have read and now I would like to read more. I also hope to have the chance to read more from Ms. Lee in the future.