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serendipitysbooks's review
emotional
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
4.25
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is a multi-generational family saga, but one with a difference. Well several differences actually. I love a good family saga but the concept can sometimes feel a little tired and overdone. Here it feels entirely fresh. Afong Moy was a real person, the first known Chinese immigrant to the United States. The parts of the novel featuring her are based on historical fact, and then plausible speculation once the historical record dries up. The other six generations of women are entirely fictional, although many of their lives intersect with or are inspired by historical fact. However, this novel isn’t solely historical fiction since it’s timeline proceeds into the future, a future where climate change is having a noticeable impact. This is the first family saga that I can recall that has combined present and past, and that has begun with a real person before moving into the purely fictitious. What was most unique about this book was the way it took concepts like generational trauma and the science of epigenetics, extended them and used that as a key thread running through the generations, uniting each woman with her ancestors as well as her descendants.
The book does jump around a little in time, but each of the seven women was drawn so distinctly and each life so different that I could easily tell whose story I was reading, even without the aid of the handy chapter titles which provided both name and date. Each woman was faced with a different sort of heartache or trauma, as well as carrying the legacy of the women who came before her. Struggling with the weight of her problems, which of course includes that which she inherited, Dorothy opts to undergo a new therapy. The most cathartic chapter of the book was when Dorothy got to go back and right or undo the wrongs done to her female ancestors. I won’t pretend to understand how all this worked but it made for very satisfying reading!
A unique family saga that left me with plenty to think about.
The book does jump around a little in time, but each of the seven women was drawn so distinctly and each life so different that I could easily tell whose story I was reading, even without the aid of the handy chapter titles which provided both name and date. Each woman was faced with a different sort of heartache or trauma, as well as carrying the legacy of the women who came before her. Struggling with the weight of her problems, which of course includes that which she inherited, Dorothy opts to undergo a new therapy. The most cathartic chapter of the book was when Dorothy got to go back and right or undo the wrongs done to her female ancestors. I won’t pretend to understand how all this worked but it made for very satisfying reading!
A unique family saga that left me with plenty to think about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, and Death
ottercorg's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
I do not annotate works of fiction; I do not so much as underline a phrase. Until now. I found myself reaching for my pen and underlining or highlighting sentences and whole paragraphs, thinking, “this is so beautiful” or “this is so real.”
This is my third Ford read this year, and I’ve now read each of his published works. I thought this would become my new favorite, and while it didn’t quite take the prize over Love and Other Consolation Prizes, it still has settled comfortably into second.
Ford took a concept that fascinates him - and me as well - and ran with it. And I devoured it. It was a delight to try and track the pieces of each character that were passed on from generations before. Ford writes so beautifully I can hardly stand it. And this book is just as heart-wrenching as the rest, possibly even more so because there are a handful of “main characters” as opposed to just one.
Well done. I don’t often reread books, but I already see myself reading this one again someday and look forward to discovering what I missed this first time around.
This is my third Ford read this year, and I’ve now read each of his published works. I thought this would become my new favorite, and while it didn’t quite take the prize over Love and Other Consolation Prizes, it still has settled comfortably into second.
Ford took a concept that fascinates him - and me as well - and ran with it. And I devoured it. It was a delight to try and track the pieces of each character that were passed on from generations before. Ford writes so beautifully I can hardly stand it. And this book is just as heart-wrenching as the rest, possibly even more so because there are a handful of “main characters” as opposed to just one.
Well done. I don’t often reread books, but I already see myself reading this one again someday and look forward to discovering what I missed this first time around.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Confinement, Rape, Drug use, and Physical abuse
Minor: Pregnancy, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
low_keybookish's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? No
5.0
Wowowow. I was so intrigued by this storyline that I started it when I got it in the mail!
Pub Date: 8/2/22
Do you believe trauma is inherited and intergenerational? Like THE BODY KEEPS SCORE, the premise of this book is that our bodies store experiences but perhaps across a longer time than we think (how our experiences can change our DNA, epigenetics). He also acknowledges Navajo and Indigenous practices that use this concept way before modern day medicine has looked into this idea. This story traces the generational line from the first Chinese woman in the U.S. (based on a real person, Afong Moy) to 6 generations later, with a focus on Dorothy in 2045. [Real-life Afong was used as an "exhibit" to show of exoticized Chinese culture and her bound feet.] I LOVE an intergenerational story, highlighting what are familial vs contextual characteristics.
CW a lot of violence against the characters, rape & sexual assault ; xenophobia, homophobia, racism, sexism. There's a whole theme of karma. What is passed down vs what is taken up in a new generation? What is motherhood when the odds are stacked against you?
The author starts out with "This book is for anyone with a complicated origin story. I feel you." I was instantly drawn in. While historical fiction, the author uses a lot of research on actual people and contexts, such as the plaque in 19th century San Francisco (chilling connections to our current pandemic) and nurses during WWII. Definitely recommend this mysterious read, where you're guessing until the end of how these characters come together and where healing begins.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Violence, and War
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