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amberjackonski's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Miscarriage
redvelveting's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.5
The aunties of this book are reminiscent of my own and even my mother lol. Not a read to take seriously, complete with cheesy and sometimes trashy comedy; not everything needs to be sophisticated anyhow :) My biggest issues with this book were with the number of characters (we constantly switch between subplots, making it hard to keep up sometimes) and the frequency of sentences along the lines of “and you’ll never guess what happened next!!!!” It’s fine occasionally but damn sometimes I just want to find out myself without needing it to be announced beforehand.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, and Infidelity
Minor: Emotional abuse, Colonisation, War, Classism, Drug use, Incest, and Child death
thenovelmaura's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this one with my book club over the summer and there was so much to discuss even though it's less than 300 pages. This was a rare instance where I wished that a book was longer! Huynh could have used a few more pages to tie up some loose ends with all of those characters. It was a large cast and I found myself referencing the family tree quite frequently at the beginning, but I did eventually catch on to their distinct personalities and backstories.
I'll leave the detailed reviews to those who have read the book more frequently, but even now I remember that this book was funny and filled with family drama! There was a scene that I was gleefully anticipating and the payoff was huge (I re-read that chapter a few times before moving on). Pure chaos in the best possible way. Despite the inclusion of some darker, emotional themes like intergenerational trauma, I recommend this book to someone who is looking for a modern family saga that's shorter and more lighthearted than some others in the genre.
I'll leave the detailed reviews to those who have read the book more frequently, but even now I remember that this book was funny and filled with family drama! There was a scene that I was gleefully anticipating and the payoff was huge (I re-read that chapter a few times before moving on). Pure chaos in the best possible way. Despite the inclusion of some darker, emotional themes like intergenerational trauma, I recommend this book to someone who is looking for a modern family saga that's shorter and more lighthearted than some others in the genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Infidelity
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Miscarriage
btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What an amazing depiction of generational trauma. I don't think I've seen it so well presented before, but this book nails it. Between well meaning mothers, fractured relationships, and quotes and experiences that haunt them and dictate their actions, these characters had a lot to overcome.
There were a lot of characters to keep track of - one grandmother, four sisters, and eight grown children - and while at time it was a bit disorienting keeping track of them all, the author did a great job reiterating who they were and how they fit out in the family, as well as showing their personality and dreams during their chapters. I loved how each one took away something different from their mothers, their lives influenced by moments or parents quotes that haunt them - it really showed how the past really does affect present mentality. It made it easy to understand why they were the way they were and how they were trying to get themselves out of the cycle and break it. I loved everyone's growth through the novel, and I found it amazing that we got to see them all grow and change in such a short time, but also in such a (mostly, helped by a bit of myth and magic) realistic way.
I also love the dynamics within the community - the gossiping, the meddling, the overlapping yelling, but also the "we protect out own" mentality. I adored the little twists and turns of characters surprising us, as well as the absolute chaos of family as they talk over each other and try to one-up on another. Even when everyone was mad, there was always an undercurrent of love and warmth that really sold them as a family.
There is one relationship I wish we had had more closure with, mostly cause it gave me some magical jeebies. IYKYK. Otherwise, I love how all the threads came together in the end and we get to see the fruits of the characters' love for each other and their family as they forge a new story for themselves.
This is definitely one of my favourite reads of the year. Absolutely amazing.
TW: death of a parent, pregnancy, infidelity, racism, micro-agressions, body shaming, fatphobia (Asian-style), medical content, sexual harassment; mentions miscarriage, HP references
There were a lot of characters to keep track of - one grandmother, four sisters, and eight grown children - and while at time it was a bit disorienting keeping track of them all, the author did a great job reiterating who they were and how they fit out in the family, as well as showing their personality and dreams during their chapters. I loved how each one took away something different from their mothers, their lives influenced by moments or parents quotes that haunt them - it really showed how the past really does affect present mentality. It made it easy to understand why they were the way they were and how they were trying to get themselves out of the cycle and break it. I loved everyone's growth through the novel, and I found it amazing that we got to see them all grow and change in such a short time, but also in such a (mostly, helped by a bit of myth and magic) realistic way.
I also love the dynamics within the community - the gossiping, the meddling, the overlapping yelling, but also the "we protect out own" mentality. I adored the little twists and turns of characters surprising us, as well as the absolute chaos of family as they talk over each other and try to one-up on another. Even when everyone was mad, there was always an undercurrent of love and warmth that really sold them as a family.
There is one relationship I wish we had had more closure with, mostly cause it gave me some magical jeebies. IYKYK. Otherwise, I love how all the threads came together in the end and we get to see the fruits of the characters' love for each other and their family as they forge a new story for themselves.
This is definitely one of my favourite reads of the year. Absolutely amazing.
TW: death of a parent, pregnancy, infidelity, racism, micro-agressions, body shaming, fatphobia (Asian-style), medical content, sexual harassment; mentions miscarriage, HP references
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Moderate: Fatphobia, Racism, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, and Medical content
Minor: Miscarriage
ittywitty's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Well-written. Took a while to get into, but I’m really glad I read it! It’s kind of like a modern Joy Luck Club meets Crazy Rich Asians with a little bit of a Crazy, Stupid, Love twist. Think messy Vietnamese women all dealing with generational trauma and trying to survive the pressures of duty to family and society. All of which have been unlucky in love due to a family curse. Enjoyed hearing about these families and the culmination of hilarious drama that ensues! Also the portrayal of Vietnamese culture felt pretty accurate to me, which I always appreciate in AAPI authors, especially those also named Carolyn. ❤️ Would love to see this story made into a movie!!!
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, and Racism
sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
finishing is book took me so much more time than expected but i want to believe it was manily because of uni, since i genuinely enjoyed reading it. i feel like i have a lot to talk about so let me just go little by little.
this story follows an intergenerational group of immigrant vietnamese women and a "curse" that has been creeping up on their family for several generations. one of their ancestors, many decades ago, decided to leave her husband and elope with the man she loved. that's when her mother-in-law decided to curse her and all of her future descendants to never give birth to sons (which is very important in vietnamese culture) and be unhappy in their marriages. however, in present times, duong women have learnt that this year they'll live through the death, the marriage and the pregnancy of someone in their family.
first things first, this book has a lot of characters. if i am not wrong, there are about 15 main characters. obviously not every single one has the same relevance or story telling time in the book because it has less than 300 pages. however, each one of them is mentioned throughout the story so the family tree at the beginning is super helpful to turn to until one gets used to the characters.
i think you'll really love this book too, specially if you're a poc immigrant child. i'm not even asian, i'm north african but, trust me, there will be so many scenes which will feel super relatable. actually, since this story tackles several important storylines and it has so many flawed characters i think you will be able to relate to, at least, one of them. some of these said themes are parental relationships and disapproval, different meanings and expectations for success, duties to familial ties, intergenerational trauma, loneliness, finding happiness and peace for yourself, the model minority role on asian women, their fetishization, identity and mental health issues, grief, the effects of war on people, failed marriages, being a second generation immigrant and wanting to blend with your second culture...
there are just so many different themes which may make you tear up. but, on the other hand, there are also some parts which will make you laugh or, at least, smile. specially the parts with some family drama. then there's also some parts which will make you laugh and feel some softness in your heart, for example the way the mothers brag about their daughters despite their relationship being so broken.
but i would say that maybe one of the main themes is motherhood, how it is never easy to make good choices and how hard a mother wants to avoid her daughter to end up with sad eyes in front of a life she does not deserve. i feel like these scenes are the core of the book. and i don't wanna be too repetitive but, fuck, all of these problems hit just so close. and maybe the second main theme is just trying to understand that, trying to see your family's struggles and meeting with them somewhere in the middle and maybe achieving to break the intergenerational trauma. i obviously teared up a lot while reading this book, btw. but, sometimes, to get to that point you need to find yourself first, work and believe for the good things you deserve in your life.
of course, there are some things i disliked.one of them was joyce. i felt like she was pretty queercoded every time people talked about her. i mean, she works at a museum, everyone clearly could tell she is depressed and they kept saying she was special. to my disappointment she is just a koreaboo, lmao. i mean i can get how she found comfort in kdramas when everything in her life fell apart and how she romanticized korean men because of them. however, i feel like maybe after her first 10 failed dates something should have clicked for her maybe the book could have been a little bit longer in order for the reader to have a better approach to all of the characters. and, ugh, i really disliked the ending. i'm not gonna spoil anything, i'm just gonna say that it shouldn't have finished with a literal ellipsis.
but there are a couple details i really loved. the first one is the title and its game play with jaded/jade (for context: jade is an important gemstone in the duong family.) the second one is the tangerine illustrations in every section of the book. i love how its sections kept growing until we had a whole tangerine, simbolizing how the family grew back together. <3
to sum up, i really enjoyed reading this book. and i would definitely love to re-read it in a future or even watch its adaption as a film. despite the tears it made me shed i feel like it has potential to become one of my new comfort reads.
this story follows an intergenerational group of immigrant vietnamese women and a "curse" that has been creeping up on their family for several generations. one of their ancestors, many decades ago, decided to leave her husband and elope with the man she loved. that's when her mother-in-law decided to curse her and all of her future descendants to never give birth to sons (which is very important in vietnamese culture) and be unhappy in their marriages. however, in present times, duong women have learnt that this year they'll live through the death, the marriage and the pregnancy of someone in their family.
first things first, this book has a lot of characters. if i am not wrong, there are about 15 main characters. obviously not every single one has the same relevance or story telling time in the book because it has less than 300 pages. however, each one of them is mentioned throughout the story so the family tree at the beginning is super helpful to turn to until one gets used to the characters.
i think you'll really love this book too, specially if you're a poc immigrant child. i'm not even asian, i'm north african but, trust me, there will be so many scenes which will feel super relatable. actually, since this story tackles several important storylines and it has so many flawed characters i think you will be able to relate to, at least, one of them. some of these said themes are parental relationships and disapproval, different meanings and expectations for success, duties to familial ties, intergenerational trauma, loneliness, finding happiness and peace for yourself, the model minority role on asian women, their fetishization, identity and mental health issues, grief, the effects of war on people, failed marriages, being a second generation immigrant and wanting to blend with your second culture...
there are just so many different themes which may make you tear up. but, on the other hand, there are also some parts which will make you laugh or, at least, smile. specially the parts with some family drama. then there's also some parts which will make you laugh and feel some softness in your heart, for example the way the mothers brag about their daughters despite their relationship being so broken.
but i would say that maybe one of the main themes is motherhood, how it is never easy to make good choices and how hard a mother wants to avoid her daughter to end up with sad eyes in front of a life she does not deserve. i feel like these scenes are the core of the book. and i don't wanna be too repetitive but, fuck, all of these problems hit just so close. and maybe the second main theme is just trying to understand that, trying to see your family's struggles and meeting with them somewhere in the middle and maybe achieving to break the intergenerational trauma. i obviously teared up a lot while reading this book, btw. but, sometimes, to get to that point you need to find yourself first, work and believe for the good things you deserve in your life.
of course, there are some things i disliked.
but there are a couple details i really loved. the first one is the title and its game play with jaded/jade (for context: jade is an important gemstone in the duong family.) the second one is the tangerine illustrations in every section of the book. i love how its sections kept growing until we had a whole tangerine, simbolizing how the family grew back together. <3
to sum up, i really enjoyed reading this book. and i would definitely love to re-read it in a future or even watch its adaption as a film. despite the tears it made me shed i feel like it has potential to become one of my new comfort reads.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Infidelity
Moderate: Pregnancy, Death, Racism, and Cursing
Minor: Miscarriage, Abandonment, Mental illness, Xenophobia, and War
maregred's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Death of parent, Classism, Grief, and War
spinesinaline's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Love the Practical Magic vibes of this one!
A funny and beautiful story about family. We follow many, many different women in this book, switching perspectives quite often, and while I was a bit lost at the beginning as I tried to remember who was whose daughter or sister, it became quite easy to distinguish their different personalities and lives as we get to know them better.
There are some really unfortunate fatphobic remarks directed at one character and her relationship with food, so a heads up for some severe body shaming. I was also uncomfortable with the way one of the character’s storylines was wrapped up as it felt like it veered towards coercion and abuse so a few moments that left a sour taste in my mouth.
A funny and beautiful story about family. We follow many, many different women in this book, switching perspectives quite often, and while I was a bit lost at the beginning as I tried to remember who was whose daughter or sister, it became quite easy to distinguish their different personalities and lives as we get to know them better.
There are some really unfortunate fatphobic remarks directed at one character and her relationship with food, so a heads up for some severe body shaming. I was also uncomfortable with the way one of the character’s storylines was wrapped up as it felt like it veered towards coercion and abuse so a few moments that left a sour taste in my mouth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Infidelity, and Grief
Moderate: Fatphobia, Mental illness, Body shaming, Racism, Cursing, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abandonment and Miscarriage
_thelitlibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
TW: Grief, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Bullying, Miscarriage, Racism, Xenophobia
4.0 stars
-
The Fortunes of Jaded Women isn't the sort of book I'd normally pick up, but I'm really glad that I did. It certainly was eye opening to the Vietnamese American culture and the complications of a dysfunctional family dynamic. I love how the author focused on making Vietnamese American woman the main characters and focus of the plot as they're often used as secondary characters, or fillers to add in comedy.
This is a multi-generational tale, with a dash of magic. That being said, there was a lot of characters as we are introduced to a quite large family, and listening to the audiobook often had me lost. I had to really pay attention to the names and where they fell on the family tree, I really enjoyed the predictions given by the psychic on what the future held for the family. The family has been cursed for generations that all children will be born female, this is a huge ordeal in their culture as it means the family name won't be passed down.
This book is filled with so much family drama, the family brings so much conflict and the fights between siblings had me laughing out loud as they were intense (and often in public). This year is predicted to be different for the family, after a psychic prediction they know that there will be: a death, a marriage, and a birth of a boy. I love how each section was broken down, and it was clear what we were supposed to be looking for. Having the 3 different sections really allowed the reader to follow along and aided in clarity.
4.0 stars
-
The Fortunes of Jaded Women isn't the sort of book I'd normally pick up, but I'm really glad that I did. It certainly was eye opening to the Vietnamese American culture and the complications of a dysfunctional family dynamic. I love how the author focused on making Vietnamese American woman the main characters and focus of the plot as they're often used as secondary characters, or fillers to add in comedy.
This is a multi-generational tale, with a dash of magic. That being said, there was a lot of characters as we are introduced to a quite large family, and listening to the audiobook often had me lost. I had to really pay attention to the names and where they fell on the family tree, I really enjoyed the predictions given by the psychic on what the future held for the family. The family has been cursed for generations that all children will be born female, this is a huge ordeal in their culture as it means the family name won't be passed down.
This book is filled with so much family drama, the family brings so much conflict and the fights between siblings had me laughing out loud as they were intense (and often in public). This year is predicted to be different for the family, after a psychic prediction they know that there will be: a death, a marriage, and a birth of a boy. I love how each section was broken down, and it was clear what we were supposed to be looking for. Having the 3 different sections really allowed the reader to follow along and aided in clarity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Grief, Bullying, Miscarriage, and Racism
victoriaharris001's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Death, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia