Click Here To Purchase Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World’s Most Coveted Handbag= 

Author: Michael Tonello

ISBN: 978-0-06-147333-3

Publisher: William Morrow

Is it possible to write an entire book based on one overpriced purse? Yes, and even better than that, “Bringing Home the Birkin” is an eminently readable, charming book that you will want to pass along to all your fashion loving friends once you’re done. This true story by Michael Tonello involves seeking out your dream life (for him, living in Barcelona, Spain) and making it happen (by selling hard-to-find Hermes items like scarves, jewelry, and the ultimate insider handbag, the Birkin, on Ebay). What’s not to love about a story like that? 

This is the playground of the rich and famous, and the popularity and exclusive cache that comes with an Hermes Birkin has long been celebrated by fashion magazines and couture insiders worldwide. Adding fuel to the fire is the company’s policy of “making less than 100 Birkins a year” …or so they would have you believe. Waiting lists of two years or more (often with orders cancelled) is the modus operandi of Hermes in regard to these elusive purses. No mere mortal can enter an Hermes store, request a Birkin, and walk out the door with purse in hand.

All this makes the coveted status symbol that much more desirable in the fashion world. Tonello capitalizes on this fact and sets about learning how to “break into” the secretive world of Birkin insiders, releasing his finds—via Ebay—to the world. Along the way, we are given a bird’s eye view of exclusive parties, gourmet restaurants, and shopping venues from Asia to Europe to South America, all in the pursuit of the purchase of this mystical handbag. With the beginning price for a “basic” Birkin starting at $8,000 and reaching into the stratosphere of $40,000 (based on my own recent surfing of Birkins on Ebay), this is no game for amateurs. 

Although the story centers on Tonello’s career as a platinum status seller on Ebay, there is so much more to the story. For example, this book examines just who the women are who not just “buy” these Hermes items, but indeed have flourishing collections. The book is also the story of falling in love with a city and trying, in any way possible, to make it your home. In and out of European countries in his pursuit of Hermes, the author has also written a travel book that any diehard shopper will adore. Most of all, the author has infused his story with personality, charm, and an individuality that makes this book a unique read. It’s more like having an engaging chat with a close friend than reading a literary tome.

To those who have little interest in travel, fashion, or the lives of those who can afford $8,000 for a handbag, this book will probably seem trivial, even meaningless. For those who love a good dish a la “Sex and the City,” this book lives up to the mysterious lure of that elusive, ultimate fashion accessory. This book is as good as a Birkin…and then some!

Click Here To Purchase Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World’s Most Coveted Handbag

The above review was contributed by:  Christine Zibas. Christine has spent all of her life in love with books, and most of her life working with words. She has a B.A. in Political Science from Western Illinois University and did advanced studies in politics and publishing at WIU, Oxford University, George Washington University, and Stanford. To read more of Christine's Reviews CLICK HERE 

For many years Christine was an editor in the think tank world, editing books and reports on international relations and military studies. She worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. and the Johns Hopkins Foreign Policy Institute, where she served as director of publications. In London she was the editor at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.