Michael Tonello has brilliantly written a captivating memoir/travelogue chronicling his thrilling adventures as a Hermes reseller. After moving to Barcelona, his promised job falls through. To pay the bills, he begins selling his possessions on ebay. He soon realizes the luxury brand Hermes, especially the coveted Birkin handbag, evokes a flurry of extremely wealthy buyers. By feigning a 2 year waiting list, the Birkin has built a renowned mystique. After discovering “the formula”, he is able to easily obtain numerous Birkin bags at Hermes stores all around the world. He makes a nice profit on each bag sold to his rich clients. Mr. Tonello is a gifted storyteller with an engaging and spirited writing style. His sparkling wit made this book very laugh-out-loud funny. As I read, his rich, vivid descriptions allowed me to experience the luxury, food and sights of glamorous places I can only dream about. I’m reminded of the cliché, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. When his expected job fell through, rather than admit defeat, he instead chose to improvise a plan B. That is truly inspirational. His story also encourages me to take chances in life. I truly loved this very entertaining, fascinating book and I highly recommend it!

1. I laughed out-loud. (I don’t normally laugh out-loud when I read.) And when I wasn’t laughing, I was totally enjoying what I was reading. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough; I was eager to find out what would happen next.

2. Photos/illustrations have long been lost in “serious literature.” I think they should make a valiant return, and this book has some. Some totally good ones!

3. I want to move to Barcelona, eat paella, and drink Cava-Sangria. Maybe with the author?

4. Perhaps the most obvious evidence of this book’s greatness? At the end I was left feeling bittersweet. Bitter because the book ended. Sweet because someone new to the writing business told me a great story (and I learned something too).

Bringing Home the Birkin is a great read, let me try to explain what Michael Tonello gets right without giving away too much of the good stuff.

The story begins with Tonello moving to Barcelona after growing weary of the weather and transient nature of his hometown, Provincetown Mass. When his promise of a job falls through, he’s left with a 5-year lease, no Spanish langugage skills, and no work permit. One would think that perhaps the author would just return home, but this man is an optimistic opportunist. After a handful of auctions on eBay, he stumbles upon an Hermes underworld of sorts where thousands of scarf and handbag collectors are constantly on the prowl for rare and/or vintage Hermes items. Okay, this brings you up to about page 50 (of 262).

Next, Tonello starts amassing knowledge about the Hermes brand, navigating the world of ecommerce, discovering the “formula” that secures him Birkins (that are famous for their exclusivity and 2-year waitlist – only he gets them in about 30 minutes), and the chaos that invariably comes with moving upwards of a million dollars of merchandise in a single year.

You don’t need to know much about Hermes or designer labels to appreciate the story (as was pointed out in a great review in the Wall Street Journal- which is how I learned about this book in the first place). The fact that Tonello starts out relatively green on the subject allows the reader to learn along with him. There’s a healthy amount of romance, which is always appreciated, as well as a good dose of drama (which seems par for the course in the world of retail, luxury or otherwise).

But there’s more that made the story great. First, and probably most importantly, his writing is effortless. I felt as if I was sitting at lunch with the author as he told me his story. In his Amazon.com mini-interview, he says that after responding to the dreaded “So, what do you do?” question, people suggested he write a book. So he did. And that’s just how it feels. It’s like I’ve met a quirky, vibrant guy at a sidewalk cafe who has a ridiculously unique occupation, great fashion sense, and he’s giving me “the long story,” only it doesn’t feel long, and it’s shared over a bottle of red (or two).

The story-line is tight. There are no wasted pages. I never once found myself skipping ahead or skimming over a paragraph.

During all of this Tonello travels to dozens of places, most of which are super-glam (places like Capri, Buenos Aires, St Tropez, Monte Carlo, Paris, Tokyo, and a lot of places in-between). You travel along with him and eat with him and stay in luxurious hotels, all the while meeting a cast of characters right out of The Royal Tenenbaums.

I’ve read a couple of reviews here, on this site, where the reviewer is negatively critical. To state that this book is not good because it is “short on Birkin details” or “please don’t read this book thinking that the author has cracked some ‘code’ when it comes to Hermes” is to entirely miss the point. This book is a memoir, not a social science study. I can only assume that those readers have some strange psychological attachment to the Hermes brand and are hurt or emotionally scarred by Tonello having beaten Hermes at their own game (a game that they’ve been milking for nearly 20 years, I might add).

Well, there you have it, I loved this book and I hope I was able to explain why.

While reading reviews for this book, one thing you rarely see is the mention that it’s also a scathing expose of Hermes’ business practices. I also don’t think their customers, and in particular those that pay ridiculous secondary-market prices, come off all that well. I’m sure that wasn’t the primary intent of the author, but it is silly to pursue a status symbol to the point where you’re willing to pay many thousands of Dollars over the regular price just to get a handbag.

What do you get for those thousands? The most well-known symbol for women to say “I’ve arrived” that’s at least marketed by a major luxury firm. It has to be universally recognized, right? It reminds me of teens that say how individual they want to be, but they’re really dressing like all of their friends. If everyone wants the same bag, and some women have dozens, does it really retain it’s “status” or purported rarity? Doesn’t the sheer number of bags that some collectors own prove the fact that they’re not rare but rather marketed efficiently?

Hermes, of course, isn’t alone in marketing this way, but they must be extremely irritated to have their secrets exposed so easily.

I picked up Tonello’s book and absolutely could NOT put it down!!! I loved every page! The author made ME want to pick up, move and start my own adventures!

I loved the book so much, I passed it on to my Aunt and Mother and both could not put it down! In fact, my mom never put it down! She read it and finished it in ONE day!!! My 12 year old cousin is now reading and she loves it as well.

If you love fashion, shopping, travel, great hotels, great restaurants, adventure or if you’ve EVER wanted to pick up, move and start all over, this is for YOU!

Buy it now, buy it for a friend before it gets “wait listed!” LOL…

Honestly, you will LOVE it!

I’ve read it twice and I will read it again and again!!!

I read this book right after reading Trophies: A Novel – coincidentally, both were published by the same company – but unlike with Trophies, I found myself completely charmed by Michael Tonello and his world. If you don’t know what a Birkin is, maybe you accidentally clicked on this link while searching for Birkenstocks. For the rest of you, this brings the mythic bag down to earth and potentially into your very hands!!

However, this isn’t just a step-by-step guide to getting your own Birkin, though Tonello thoughtfully provides that as well as a categorical breakdown of Hermes sales associates. This is also a travelogue through most of Europe and parts of Asia and South America. Basically, wherever Hermes went so did Tonello. I know of groupies who’ve chased rock stars around the world, but this is the first I’ve heard of a bag groupie, though I’m sure the Birkin could put Mick Jagger to shame with the lengths women would go to get their hands around it. Moreover, the Birkin has aged much better.

Tonello describes his travels with the enthusiasm of a Food Network host, the travel knowledge of Rick Steves, and the fashion knowledge of Andre Leon Talley (minus the Jennifer Hudson Oscar disaster). He morphs from apprehensive expat to neophyte scarf seller to Hermes insider, all by happenstance. This story starts because he makes a leap of faith and chooses to follow his heart to Barcelona from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He isn’t following a man, just his own desire to live in the world in a place where he feels an unique connection to the culture and the people. The job he has lined up once he gets to Barcelona doesn’t pan out, which leads him to the world’s biggest pawn shop – eBay. One thing leads to another and he ends up entering the World of Hermes and finding a calling. Along the way, he lives an episode of House Hunters International, falls in love, and loses someone close to him. Tonello takes us along on his ride through the joys, trials, and tribulations of life – charmingly illustrated by Muntsa Vicente – and I didn’t want to get off…I read the book in one night.

Bringing Home the Birkin is a testament to entrepreneurship and the adventures that come from taking chances in life. It’s actually quite inspirational. He slayed the all-powerful dragon, or in this case, orange horse. Oprah would be proud…and taking notes!

I casually picked up a copy after seeing a review in WSJ – and could not put the book down. Michael Tonello’s taut narrative held my attention from the first page to the last. I am not a ‘fashion person’ and would not know a Birkin bag from a sow’s ear. What gripped me was the story of how one man constructed his life – moving acress the ocean, creating a business, and enjoying life in the process. I have been recommending this book to my friends.

B.H.T.B is a fun and easy to read history of Michael Tonello’s Birkin hunting experience. Well worth the $$$, and very inspiring.

…purses do exist and lots of people seem to own lots of them, you’ll enjoy this book. Michael writes a fun story of a time in his life when he “played” Hermes in order to make a living. That the women in the book – I assumed he changed names – spent so much money on purses, scarves, and other “name” items were the ultimate “Fashion Victims”, is maybe what they deserved to be. But, well, it’s their money and if that’s what they chose to spend it on…Michael just helped them in their quests for the ultimate “croc”.

I enjoyed the book.

I read this on a flight earlier in the week and finished the book that evening in our hotel room. On the return flight home my husband read the book and just finished it last night. Both of us (he was skeptical when i handed him the book) laughed out loud throughout the book and enjoyed the travel and food chapters (along the lines of “A Year in Provence”) as well as the author’s social commentary (the salesclerks are hysterically funny). I’m sending the book to my daughter in NYC to read on her subway commute (she loves those Shopaholic books). Easy, breazy, like a giant box of bonbons, you just don’t want to stop reading and it’s great fun all the way through to end. Highly recommended! (and Michael, if you read this, I’d love to have dinner with you in Barcelona)

Some books are candy-like in terms of nutrition. We buy them because they have a decent hook, we read them quickly and five days later barely recall the characters or their exploits. I assure you, Bringing Home The Birkin is not one of those books.

This is a wonderful, wild ride that spans years, continents and exchange rates; and most important, teaches us that absolutely anything is possible. You do not have to be confined to the state or the country in which you were born. You do not have to kowtow to the buying “rules” of a fashion empire, even one that makes over two billion dollars a year. Therein lies the hook. Michael Tonello finds out the Waiting List for the elusive Birkin bag is camouflage. An interesting invention of Hermes, the prestigious, privately held company that handcrafts these goods. When he discovers he can get Birkins, he becomes a sort of Robin Hood, allowing people around the globe to purchase them. But this book is more than the sum of its hook, it’s an enlightening, hilarious read. Everything is described in a manner that literally make you want to pack your bags for Spain, France and Beyond to experience the food, wine and sights he recounts.

Recently my two nieces came to my apartment for a sleepover. As usual, I try to introduce them to new things to even out the fast food, pop music, reality TV, Reality of Teenage Life. We ate sushi (which they now love.) Cognizant of college looming, I talked about finding a job that you love, thinking outside the box, and being open to new places and people. (Okay I don’t see them much so I’m guilty of trying to cram a lot into one visit.) When they were wary of my speech, we talked books and I told them about Bringing Home The Birkin. I explained that it’s a true story about a hair and make-up artist that did a job in Spain, realized he wanted to live there and moved. He didn’t ponder over the negatives to the point of distraction or let people stop him. I told them he didn’t speak Spanish and didn’t know what a Birkin was but he educated himself and suddenly became a seller of all things Hermes. Not only did he make money, travel and find the love of his life but he Wrote A Book About It. I think they listened. It was hard to tell. At that point, we were walking by a clothing store and the music was blaring so whatever I said literally fell on deaf ears (why do stores have speakers that face outward nowadays?)

The next morning I dropped the college future/career goals and dreams talk. I laid out breakfast, put on the TV and there, on the CBS Early Show, was Mr. Tonello being interviewed about his book! My nieces looked from the TV screen to the book on the table and suddenly everything I spoke of was real to them. If he could do it, why couldn’t they do whatever `it’ was they wanted to do?

I thought Bringing Home The Birkin was an absolute inspiration. It made me laugh my face off. It educated me about food, wine and travel. It demystified the mystical Birkin Bag. It is making me seriously consider a move abroad, and it has already opened the minds of my nieces who haven’t even read it yet!

What more could I ask for?