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A review by liamliayaum
The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh
5.0
Content warnings: anxiety, classism, cultural appropriation, curses, drug use, misogyny, miscarriage, pregnancy, racism, sibling rivalry/fighting
The Fortunes of Jaded Women is the multigenerational story of the descendants of Oanh Duong. The Duong family exists under a curse, that no woman shall find love and will only give birth to daughters. Mai Nguyen is a great-granddaughter of Oanh and is estranged from her two sisters, Minh Pham and Khuyen Lam, as well as her half-sister Kim Luong after an incident that happened ten years ago. Mai is worried that her three daughters, Priscilla, Thuy, and Thao, will also not find love and that their relationships will suffer. Calling on her psychic, Auntie Hua, Mai is delivered an unexpected prophecy, that in the next year her family will have a marriage, a funeral, and the birth of a sun. Ecstatic at the new of a son, Mai attempts to salvage relationships before it's too late. Will the prophecies ring true? Will the curse of Oanh Duong be broken?
Told through the four great-granddaughters and eight great-great granddaughters, this is a delightful and fast read. The two generations are connected through their plentiful pride, their unparalleled stubbornness, their universal search for love, but above all, what it means to be a Vietnamese woman in today's society. While the switching between the multiple POVs may be confusing, Huynh is able to navigate the switches by connecting a thread from one chapter to the next, moving the story along even as the POVs change.
The writing is witty and the characters are so flawed and realistic that it seems as if you're physically in the scenes with them, witnessing the complex relationships ebb and flow around you. I laughed at the stubbornness, teared up at the heartbreaks, and sympathized with their fears. I was so immersed in the world of these women that I read this book in just over a day.
There is one line that will stick with me "...wondering if she really was...a bad person for allowing her fears to dictate her life." (pg 179) Fear in many forms is prevalent in this book. We as humans fear many things for both logical and illogical reasons. We should fight against having fear lead the pathways of our lives.
All in all, this was a wonderful book that uplifted the culture and identity of Vietnamese women. While this culture and identity is not my own, there is much to be said about learning about and appreciating cultures and identities different than yours. And this was a brilliant immersion that I am thankful for.
The Fortunes of Jaded Women is the multigenerational story of the descendants of Oanh Duong. The Duong family exists under a curse, that no woman shall find love and will only give birth to daughters. Mai Nguyen is a great-granddaughter of Oanh and is estranged from her two sisters, Minh Pham and Khuyen Lam, as well as her half-sister Kim Luong after an incident that happened ten years ago. Mai is worried that her three daughters, Priscilla, Thuy, and Thao, will also not find love and that their relationships will suffer. Calling on her psychic, Auntie Hua, Mai is delivered an unexpected prophecy, that in the next year her family will have a marriage, a funeral, and the birth of a sun. Ecstatic at the new of a son, Mai attempts to salvage relationships before it's too late. Will the prophecies ring true? Will the curse of Oanh Duong be broken?
Told through the four great-granddaughters and eight great-great granddaughters, this is a delightful and fast read. The two generations are connected through their plentiful pride, their unparalleled stubbornness, their universal search for love, but above all, what it means to be a Vietnamese woman in today's society. While the switching between the multiple POVs may be confusing, Huynh is able to navigate the switches by connecting a thread from one chapter to the next, moving the story along even as the POVs change.
The writing is witty and the characters are so flawed and realistic that it seems as if you're physically in the scenes with them, witnessing the complex relationships ebb and flow around you. I laughed at the stubbornness, teared up at the heartbreaks, and sympathized with their fears. I was so immersed in the world of these women that I read this book in just over a day.
There is one line that will stick with me "...wondering if she really was...a bad person for allowing her fears to dictate her life." (pg 179) Fear in many forms is prevalent in this book. We as humans fear many things for both logical and illogical reasons. We should fight against having fear lead the pathways of our lives.
All in all, this was a wonderful book that uplifted the culture and identity of Vietnamese women. While this culture and identity is not my own, there is much to be said about learning about and appreciating cultures and identities different than yours. And this was a brilliant immersion that I am thankful for.