false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1203673689m/2391653.jpg 2391653 2 An insider's hilarious, whirlwind account of his years spent globetrotting the Hermes system to buy and resell hundreds of impossible-to-get handbags on the internet. After more than twenty years, the iconic Birkin bag by Hermes remains the ultimate status symbol. It is so exclusive that even the rich, famous, and desperate must put their names on a two-year waiting list to get their hands on one. Enter Michael Tonello, an American expatriate living in Barcelona. Strapped for cash, he stumbles on the almost magical secret to buying Birkins off the waiting list, and virtually overnight becomes on of eBay's most successful entrepreneurs - a Robin Hood to the rich, delivering genuine bags on demand to eager customers. For five years, he traveled around the world, stepping inside Hermes stores on six continents and walking out with millions of dollars' worth of Birkins. In Bringing Home the Birkin, Tonello recalls the events that led to his accidental career and shares the forays that took him around the globe, into the lives of celebrities and poseurs, and sometimes into danger, from enduring a "hostage handbag" situation to eluding Hermes's watchful eyes. A story of serendipity, fraud, fashion, blackmail, bribery, insatiable greed, heartbreak, and romance, Bringing Home the Birkin is a must read for fans of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series, Sex and the City, and Page Six. 2398665 1 5 2008 Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag total:411|5:95|4:172|3:115|2:21|1:8| 411 1558 773 154 4 5 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon May 05 11:51:53 -0700 2008 Mon May 05 12:16:34 -0700 2008
So are you familiar already with what's known as the Birkin bag? It's the product of HermÃ...more...]]> 4 3 false false Thu Jul 17 18:07:14 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 19 18:36:52 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 4 false false Sun Jan 27 02:39:41 -0800 2008 Mon Apr 07 05:21:38 -0700 2008
Starred Review
In a funny, whip-smart memoir sure to be a sensation among Vogue and W devotees, erstwhile hair and makeup artist Tonello (now a columnist for HuffingtonPost.com) chronicles a surprising (even to him!) trans-Atlantic move from Provincetown, R.I. to a ...more...]]> 4 3 false false Wed Apr 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 29 19:53:01 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 17 18:48:37 -0700 2008
It's light, funny, and the story draws you along. The characterisations are fantastic - it's easy to view people and scenes in you...more...]]> 4 3 false false Mon Apr 28 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri May 02 06:33:26 -0700 2008 Fri May 02 06:48:15 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sun Aug 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 10 08:25:36 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 14 13:22:43 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 2 false false Tue Apr 08 16:14:18 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 20 13:06:47 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 2 false false Wed Jul 09 14:52:20 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 09 15:02:23 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 1 false false Mon Aug 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 07 11:11:58 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 16 13:09:03 -0700 2008
This is coming from someone with a strong handbag fetish...I cannot believe...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 26 18:27:56 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 29 18:11:39 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 28 11:52:15 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 28 11:52:15 -0800 2008
This story was quite anecdotal in parts. It...more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Jun 25 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 26 19:55:16 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 26 19:59:42 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Oct 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 03 16:14:08 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 11 14:46:52 -0700 2008
A great quick read filled with humor and enviable (and sometimes not so enviable) tales of great handbag pursuit.

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I love the authors writing style and storytelling talent. This book is fun and funny, interesting and international.

This is a book that only comes around once in a lifetime!
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