Well written story that spans generations of women with an interwoven narrative involving carry the trauma of our ancestors even subconsciously.

The book starts with the first main character of the book, Dorothy Moy. Dorothy lives in Seattle, Washington in the future,2048, during a time of crazy worldwide weather, and has many psychiatric problems, in her case dissociative episodes and depression. Things change when her five year old daughter is starting to show the same mental issues as her, and start to remember things from her ancestors. Dorothy's therapist learns her about a brand new experimental therapy. With this therapy that treats generational trauma, Dorothy connects as in some kind of flashback with the women in her family that lived before her; : Faye Moy, a nurse in China serving with the Flying Tigers; Zoe Moy, a student in England at a famous school with no rules; Lai King Moy, a girl quarantined in San Francisco during a plague epidemic; Greta Moy, a tech executive with a unique dating app; and Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to set foot in America. In every story of the women in the past, someone is looking for Dorothy. A stranger who’s loved her through all of her genetic memories. Dorothy wants to make peace with the trauma of her ancestors and to find peace of mind for her daughter and herself.

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is an outstanding new book that takes the reader into different time periods with the different characters. The one I found the most moving was Afong Moy and Lai King Moy, as it takes the reader to historic days, and because of what happened to them was, very tragic. She experiences the yellow plague epidemic in San Francisco, houses are burned, family dies, and she is placed on a ship to escape, saying farewell to her mother who stays behind in the burning city. The story is not told in chronological order but instead we weave back and forth between pivotal times in each woman's lives.
It is a true jewell of a book, very different then anything I ever read but thats what makes it so special, recommended!!

I'm not sure if I buy the premise of epigenetics, but having read some Native American authors, I lean towards believing there is the potential of generational trauma being passed on, so I was intrigued by this book, especially given the author's note at the beginning and the acknowledgments at the end.

This book follows seven (yes, 7!) generations, beginning with Afong Moy, a character based on a historical figure with a tragic life as "The Chinese Lady". That's a LOT of POV to get invested in, and it felt jarring almost every time we shift to another, like who is this again...

A mix of science, history, poetry, and sci-fi, it defies genres and requires an open mind, or maybe a suspension of disbelief. It's beautifully written and unique but won't resonate with all readers (of course) but I'm glad I read it. I'll be thinking about this one for a while.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was a novel that followed the lives of several generations of a family of women, both in the past and the future. The characters were all unique and well written. The novel followed the possibility of inheriting family trauma. It was definitely a unique storyline, sad and thought provoking.

4 ½ stars

This book isn’t what I expected, but it’s an excellent read as it is. I do think that it might require more than one reading to understand all that’s going on among the various characters and their connection. There are, I think, seven generations of Afong Moy’s female descendants that are in this book. Each story, on its own is interesting in its own right, but when they begin to come together, they slowly draw a picture of what these women all went through.

The book deals with genetic transmission of trauma. In this book, it appears to affect only the female members of the family. These women, over a period of around two hundred years, suffer more trauma and tragedy that you might think possible. I mean, we all suffer such things, but this family’s experiences were remarkable. The book begins in the 1930s when Afong Moy steps foot on US soil. She’s the first Chinese woman to do so. She’s treated as an oddity and forced to participate in stage shows by less than caring people who treat her as if they own her.

The book includes instances of plague, discrimination, abusive relationships, lost loves, climate change, Buddhism, poetry, and rape. Don’t worry, it ends well. I will say that I was surprised at how young all of the Moy women died. I don’t think a single one made it out of her 60s.

A good book that you’ll likely want to read and reread.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG MOY is a truly lovely, unforgettable book.

This is the first of Jamie Ford's novels for me - I noticed it when it was a Book of the Month selection - and I was so excited to receive this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Ford's writing is captivating - he weaves complex and beautifully developed stories together in unexpected and striking ways. Each narrator - Afong, Greta, Dorothy, Faye, Lai King, and Zoe - has a unique voice, throughout different times in history, and their own important story to tell. This novel is heartwrenching, compelling, and all around stunning.

I strongly and sincerely recommend this novel to everyone - a gorgeous read that will stick with me for a long time.

Dorothy Moy is in desperate need in helping her daughter overcome the pain and trauma that is passed down through generations of the Moy daughters. Especially when it has affected every single Moy daughter from finding peace with themselves. Riddled with pain and trauma, we are brought through each Moy daughter, starting with Afong Moy.

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy takes us through generations of Moy daughters, from Afong Moy, Lai King, Faye, Zoe, Greta, and then we have Dorothy and her five year old daughter Annabel. Each generation we are shown how each woman is faced with racism, abuse, and the lingering trauma that the previous generation felt. Because of this trauma, Dorothy doesn’t want Annabel to go through this, so she goes in search for treatment to help her.

I gave The Many Daughters of Afong Moy three stars, enjoying the concept as well as the writing but I found myself wanting more. I really enjoyed the concept of epigenetics that Jamie Ford introduces to us and how we see, through the Moy daughters, generations of pain and trauma that these women go through but I found their point of views too short. If this book was longer and we were able to see more of each daughters’ lives, I feel like I would have perhaps connected with the Moy daughters better. While we are able to connect with Dorothy more as she searches for the treatment that can help Annabel, I just found myself wanting more of the history.

We only get a few chapters of each daughter but, they were only about two to three chapters of each point of view. I found myself wanting to learn more about Lai King and more about Zoe, Greta, Faye, and Afong Moy. I feel like this was really rushed and because of it, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have hoped. We see the basic trauma of racism and abuse through Afong Moy and each of the daughters but I feel like their point of views were simply cut short.

While I feel The Many Daughters of Afong Moy could have been longer, I did enjoy the concept of pain and trauma being passed down through generations. It was really interesting how we could see some connections between Afong Moy to Faye, for example, or even through Greta and Dorothy. It shows a lot of how Jamie Ford wrote this and plotted this really well and the effort he put into writing a well written book.

Although I gave The Many Daughters of Afong Moy three stars, I still enjoyed reading this and highly recommend you read this as well. It’s different and unique and well written.

Thank you again to Atria Books for inviting me to the blog tour for The Many Daughters of Afong Moy and for NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The idea of generational trauma is fascinating to me. The writing is beautiful and the story is so unique. I loved the multiple points of view, how the story jumped back and forth from different time periods, and how you begin to see the connections.

The book is a little complicated, the reader has to follow along closely. I personally enjoy books that challenge me as a reader and force me to work a little harder than average. The payoff is great here.

This was my second book by Jamie Ford and I mostly enjoyed it. I did have a hard time keeping track of all of the characters. Thanks for letting me check it out!

This is a beautifully woven tale unlike any other book I’ve ever read. The characters are well-drawn, authentic and relatable. The only downside was that it was difficult to keep track of everything going on at times. Because of this, I feel like this works better as print read than audiobook. This will be incredibly popular with book clubs.

Spanning 7 generations of Moy women from 1836-2085 The Daughters of Afong Amoy explores the notion of generational trauma and that we carry the trauma from our ancestors before us. In 2045 Dorothy Moy undergoes a controversial medical treatment to try and cure herself and the generations after of the trauma she is experiencing.

I found the book hard to follow at times with the large amount of characters and at times I was wanting for more from characters and felt their stories were not established enough.

Overall I enjoyed the book and it was a very interesting concept to explore.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

I really enjoyed this engaging novel and it is one that I continue to think about even after reading the last page. It is one that I have recommended to friends and the topic of generational trauma was very intriguing. My only struggle was with the number of characters and keeping all of the storylines straight. The family tree at the beginning of the book was a nice reference, but including a brief descriptor of each character would have also been helpful.

At times a book asks you to suspend your beliefs and embrace another way of looking at life. It employed the new "science" of epigenetically, which explores the concept of one being able to bring back the memories of generations that proceeded one. It's a bit of a stretch, unless perhaps you are a believer in reincarnation within families.

The generations and daughters of Afong Moy are the characters and over the years of their lives we are presented the turmoil that pervaded their lives. In the present we have Dorothy, who struggles with episodes that leave her stunned and not understanding what happened. She becomes even more concerned when her daughter, only five, shows the same behavior which plagues Dorothy. Panics ensues and she seeks the help of a revolutionary treatment which endeavors to connect her with female ancestors.

We are presented with Fay Moy, Zoe Moy, Lai King Moy, Greta Moy, and Alfong Moy (purported to be the first Chinese woman to land in the United States). Seven women are presented all of them having a relationship to one another and all of them experiencing trauma. Did all of this upset travel down generations, and is that the reason the women are suffering almost like they were predestined to do so. Do or did they all suffer from transgenerational trauma, which might be carried in their DNA, in all of our DNA that our ancestors experienced is now presenting itself in us.

I liked the concept, but it did seem a bit farfetched but I am sure people feel this might actually occur and accounts somewhat for the fears and unhappiness in our lives. It was a sad story where the women were abused and left feeling abandoned. I did listen to the story and as it alternates with each woman, I found I had a bit of a time determining who was being written about. I will confess, I don't do well with multiple characters so this was a distraction to the story.

Whether you believe in epigenetically or not, the story does give you a fine telling of the way Chinese women were treated and how their former treatment effected the direction of the generations that came after.

Thank you to Jamie Ford, NetGalley and Atria Books, and Jennifer Lin, Mirai, Cindy Kay, Natalie Naudus, Suri Siu, Emily Woo Zeller, and Nancy Wu. (narrators)

I had to DNF this title. It was just too slow of a mover for me. Maybe it will be something I can come back to eventually, but for now I just can't do it. I'm disappointed, because I really liked Ford's last book.

3/5 stars. I loved the idea of this book, but it was hard for me to follow the 7 women in the book and the timelines. Still a good read just make sure really following storyline. Lots of emotions. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC!

When Dorothy Moy discovers a clinic that purports to help patients with intergenerational trauma, she decides to see if it will help her with her mental healthy challenges, especially as she sees history beginning to repeat itself with her daughter. Seven generations from Afong Moy the first woman who was brought to the U.S. from China through Dorothy's mother Greta struggled in ways that seem to echo through time.

This is a bleak, but ultimately hopeful, book about intergenerational trauma. It combines the concept of lasting epigenetic changes due to trauma with the concept of history continuing to repeat itself as echos through generations. In this case, it is longing and loss that continues to leave daughters in the lineage of Afong Moy listless. The science in the book seems to be more fantastical than in real life, but if you ignore that, its an interesting way to try to bring light to how generational trauma can manifest.

The structure is a bit odd. Dorothy's challenge in attempting to lift off the weight of the lineage of trauma is the crux of the story, but chapters weave back and forth through many women in the family, to the point I didn't realize that Dorothy was the main character.

I really enjoyed it overall, especially all the historical elements. It seems to be well researched. And it really strummed my cheesy heartstrings with the story continuing to come back to a lost love, but I can imagine how some readers would hate that. But overall, recommended from me!

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of the e-book!!

1.5
feel weird reviewing this because I feel like this one is on me. I don't really like historical fiction typically and I was bored like twenty pages in. unfortunately, I am too stubborn to put down books I don't like.
I felt like there were way too many perspectives. I had to flip back to remind myself of the family tree and who was talking every. single. chapter. While I really enjoyed some of the perspectives, the chapters were so long that we only got to see each character like two times. I did not understand the ending at all. I thought the concept was interesting but the author completely laid out the concept in the introduction and I felt like I could've just read that instead of the book.
This overwhelmingly has positive reviews so I truly think it's a me problem but.... yeah.

TITLE: THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG MOY
AUTHOR: Jamie Ford
PUB DATE: 08.02.2022 Now Available

I love it when authors put in an Author’s Note, which really helped not just set the tone of the story as complex as TMDOAM can be, but also helps the reader understand the building blocks of this outstanding story. Ford tells the story that begins with a nurse, who saves a pilot she has never met yet has her photo and the words Find Me! Then the story rolls back to Afong Moy, as the first Chinese in America, with bound feet nonetheless that was made into a spectacle and used as part of a traveling curiosity, only to be thrown aside. This begins the cycle of trauma and Ford takes us through the many reiterations until it reaches Dorothy in the year 2045.

I loved every single one of these characters, each with a very special story and characteristic that is a joy to read that I never want to end. But it does, and it’s a great story that weaved together beautifully.

Highly recommend!