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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
ktv's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.5
It was so depressing in the first half but also very relatable bc I also grew up in an immigrant Vietnamese household. I just hated how uncomfortable the read was but eventually it got better. Ppl changed their circumstances and got happier. Some of the writing was very on the nose but other than that I liked it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Cursing, Death of parent, and Racism
Moderate: Pregnancy, War, and Misogyny
Minor: Miscarriage, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Incest
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
starrysteph's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The Fortunes of Jaded Women was a quick but powerful read.
We follow a large, complicated family of Vietnamese women who have been cursed for generations by a witch. Their ancestor Oanh left her marriage for true love – and so her descendants were cursed to never find love or happiness, and to only give birth to daughters.
Now skip ahead to present day, when current descendant Mai feels like her life is falling apart. She’s estranged from her two sisters and deeply worried about her three adult daughters. So she heads to her trusted psychic in Hawaii, who offers her an unusual prediction: this year, her family will witness a marriage, a funeral, and the birth of a son (!).
The story takes off at lightning speed from there. We alternate between a HUGE cast of characters from chapter to chapter, often hearing one side of the story and then the next. It was a little confusing to keep track at times, but the family tree at the front of the book was helpful. And as I got to know each character a little better, the threads became much clearer.
The storytelling is emotional and chaotic and raw – but also quite funny at times. These women are strong and STUBBORN.
The first half of the book focuses on the generation of mothers. All they want is to do better than their parents and to give their children happiness … but they don’t always know how. In the second portion of the book, we hear more from the daughters. They’re all desperately trying to distance themselves from their mothers in very different ways – but often unknowingly continue the cycles they hope to break.
Slowly but surely, the family is reunited. And all of this chaos culminates in one of the most jaw-droppingly awesome climaxes I’ve ever read. Everything comes together all at once, and I was cracking up at the delightful ridiculousness of it all.
This book covers SO much: navigating love in all of its stages, connecting with your roots and heritage in different ways, dealing with racism and harmful stereotypes, the complexity of mother-daughter relationships, generational trauma, the burden of being an eldest daughter, and so much more. It will make you laugh out loud and then punch you in the gut. It’s a celebration of Vietnamese women and of complicated families who may get into public food fights but ultimately will do anything for each other.
CW: death, grief, racism, toxic relationship, infidelity, body shaming, drug use, mental illness, misogyny, medical content, miscarriage, pregnancy, cultural appropriation, abandonment, colonization, classism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Pregnancy, Death, Grief, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Cultural appropriation, Infidelity, Colonisation, Medical content, Miscarriage, Abandonment, and Classism
torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, Racism, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Pregnancy
Minor: Colonisation, Classism, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Body shaming, Abandonment, and War
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