Reviews with content warning for Rape - The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

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The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford

47 reviews

thereallouisamayalcott's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

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kaelynbyers's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If I could give this book 100/5 stars I would.

“That's the point, isn't it? To keep learning. To grow. To do more good than harm. To create compassion. To understand that every person you encounter is not there by coincidence. All of us play a role in another person's life. What goes around comes around.”

This is a beautiful story following the lives of 7 Chinese women throughout history.
It is both heartbreaking and heartwarming.
Both angering and calming.
Both painful and healing.
It is a story about both grieving and joy.
About loneliness and community.
About weakness and strength.

I have never come across that is so many different things at the same time.
This is a beautifully complex story that walks through the sufferings of women in one family line while highlighting all the ways their trauma and joys are shared across generations. The struggles that make them feel the most isolated and alone are the very things that tie them together.

This book is beautiful, but it does have some difficult topics that could be triggers for readers. This book talks in great detail about depression, suicide, physical abuse, racism, SA, and loss of friends and family.
Please consider the topics covered before reading this book.

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ari613's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Incredible! I was enthralled from page one, and would have read this in a day if I didn't have to work. The characters were all compelling and complex, despite how none of them have the space for development that a character who was the sole focus of the whole book would.

The premise of the epigenetic memory/trauma treatment was fantastical, but not just "magic" or "religion," which I thought worked really well. I found it more fun to imagine a cool scientific discovery from the future than just wand waving or magic from the heavens. (Don't get me wrong, I love fantasy, but this poked a different part of my thoughts lol).

I loved the variety of the womens' stories and lives, and the alternating chapters for different characters was extremely well done. The author also did a good job of showing little parallel details (e.g. rainstorms at the end of one character's chapter into one's at the beginning of another character's) that highlighted the connection without feeling like it was assuming the reader was dumb and needed to be told explicitly.

As I was reading, I was amazed at the depth of cultural knowledge, and was curious about the author's background, because either they had done a TON of research or they had chinese heritage/connections. It turns out the author does have some Chinese heritage, and I think that his insights and those little details really added depth and heart to the book that so many simply couldn't.

Enjoyed the resolution. It all kind of sped up at the end, but I think that was intentional to show a character's desperation, and I was overall pleased with the ending. I was left with little questions about some of the characters, but not in a bad way, and not in a way that affected plot at all. I just wanted to get their whole stories because I loved them!

I agree with other reviewers that I wish we'd gotten more of Greta's story. I feel like hers was a little rushed, and definitelythe most heartbreaking.

I feel like the Sam literally moving away in a day was unrealistic, and while i know the point was for every character to be traumatized, that one felt forced just a tad.

Side note....

Was Yao Han really there as Afong died, or was that not real? Also, was Dorothy actually affecting her ancestors' realities? Like, John did have the picture in Faye's original timeline so??? But also, it didn't change outcomes. I'm thinking maybe she was resolving those core aches but not changing their overall life path?

Maybe I'm dumb lol.

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laguerrelewis's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.25

This was a moving novel about what we inherit, good and bad, from our ancestors—particularly mothers to daughters. Using a procedure based in real world science but amped up just a bit, we get to explore the hopes, dreams, and cycles of trauma along an ancestral line, and the way this story ends is a truly beautiful response to our ever-growing awareness of generational trauma. This book would be perfect for a book club, as it invites deep introspection and personal engagement.

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scorttarius's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring 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

5.0

Oh man what a book! This reminds me of Everything Everywhere All at Once. Makes me want to call my mom and grandma and every other maternal figure and give them a big ole hug for everything they’ve had to endure 😣 🫂

I’ve never read a book that was a simultaneous sci-fi historical fiction book. The book is centered around a main character Dorothy undergoing epigenetics therapy sessions and is flashed back to POVs of the women before her. Each one has seemed to go through some tragic moments with themes of love (or lack of) and loss.

A true tearjerker book with great follow-up resources about epigenetics and the historical moments used in the book.

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