This is not my first book written by Jamie Ford. I like the way he writes as well as his stories. This one was no different for me except for the storyline. Dorothy was the fifth generation of daughters of Afong Moy. She has been suffering most of her life with depression. She is constantly haunted by the past. This depression seems to have been pasted down from previous generations and she fears her daughter is now showing the same signs of odd behavior as Dorothy.

Dorothy seeks experimental treatment for what they label as epigenetic inheritance. This treatment brings her back in the past to the lives of all the previous women in her family with Greta her mother, then Zoe, Faye, Lai King, and finally Alfong Moy. Flashbacks that span over 250 years, show her all of their lives and try to help her connect the pieces of the past. Although I felt it a little confusing as the storyline progressed, the ending seemed to tie it all together.


Thank you Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for giving me the chance to read this pre-release.

As a huge fan of Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, I was thrilled to receive an advance copy of his latest novel -and it did not disappoint. Told from the POV of five generations of women, including Afong Moy and her descendants, this story is a blend of historical fiction, magical realism, and dystopian fiction, taking readers through past centuries and allowing us to envision life two decades from now, where the cruel effects of climate change are palpable on a daily basis. Interwoven is the premise of inherited trauma between generations and the idea that through experimental epigenetic treatments, one can alter their genetic destiny. Afong M0y, Lai King, Zoe, Greta, Dorothy and eventually Annabel Moy all have interconnected trauma - but also follow parallel journeys for love and acceptance - which at its core is the heart of Afong'Moy's life experience and tragedy. This is one of those novels you want to immerse yourself in and read over a few days - both to keep the parallel stories straight and more importantly, to fully embrace the novel's ending. Highly recommend - a great book club read for lovers of multiple novel genres. Ford tackles love, friendship, genetics, and the mother-daughter legacy in a most unique and compelling fashion. Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have never read a book that has gone back-and-forth in so many time periods, I’m talking decades in the past and decades in the future. This book blew me away. So beautifully written with so much history, while the POV were back and forth they did flow.

This is my first book by the author and it definitely will not be my last!

I was excited to receive an advance copy of this book by Jamie Ford, as I've enjoyed his other books greatly. I felt a little confused at the beginning of the book, as it jumps around from character to character, back and forth in time, but once I got used to the format I was totally hooked on both the story and the premise of inherited trauma. A fascinating vehicle for the story of a Chinese woman and her descendants Ford introduces some fascinating historical events and projects a frighteningly realistic future as well. Very nicely done! Readers will enjoy this greatly and it will make for some fascinating discussion and the blossoming of new ideas.

3.5 stars (7/10).

Jamie Ford is a really talented writer. His book “Hotel On The Corner of Bitter and Sweet” is a wonderful, poignant novel. Needless to say, I was excited to read this - his new book.

The writing style, as I’ve said above, doesn’t disappoint.

The story line is similar to a variety of other books out there, jumping back and forth between different characters in different eras but having a similar thread running throughout. Cloud Cuckoo Land is one recent example. Cloud Atlas another earlier one.

The thread in this book is around epigenetics. The concept is that occurrences in life - the good and bad - can be passed down from generation to generation, causing repetitive behaviors that manifest themselves in different ways.

Epigenetics is a real thing, Jamie’s expansion on the concept is (as of now) fictional.

This book spans a line of women from the 19th century through the 21st. Each of them descendants of Afong May and each of them repeating the happiness and tragedy of Afong.

Each of them women’s stories is compelling in itself. And I definitely liked this book better than Cloud Cuckoo Land. The challenge I had with Afong May is about the character similarities. Since each character is a descendant of others, and each character go a through the same type of life challenge, and the book jumps back and forth through generations, it was hard to remember which character was having which tragedy in which era. This occurred mostly after I had put the book down for a couple of days and picked it up again. I wouldn’t say this is all the authors fault but, as a reader, I’d probably have enjoyed it more without breaks.

Aside from that, this book must have been a beast to write. I give Jamie Ford huge props for constructing a masterful novel.

#netgalley #themanydaughtersofafongmay

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is an interwoven tale of generational pain and anguish expertly written by Jamie Ford. Each Moy daughter has her own voice and I was sucked into each woman's world. Then, the world's begin to intertwine and the suspense of what happens next, kept me glued to each page.

Thanks for the advance copy.

I will start by saying I loved this author's previous books, The Songs of Willow Frost and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I loved this new book too! It's not like anything I've ever read before, I found the subject of inherited trauma fascinating but in a less talented author it could have been a disaster. Instead, readers are treated to this gem of a book, a family saga that takes places over multiple generations. We are introduced to Afong, Faye, Zoe, Greta and Dorothy, some of whom are the most unforgettable literary characters I've ever met. This is their story and in some ways the story of all women, the love of mothers and daughters, the ability to overcome our past and how women are almost always stronger than they realize or are given credit for. I really enjoyed this book and I will probably look to purchase the hardcover when it comes out. **thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this free ebook in exchange for an honest review**

I don’t normally read advanced copies this far out but Jamie Ford is a favorite author and I could not wait. I have had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Ford and he is a wise, kind, and talented man. Like his other books, the characters in this book are of Chinese descent, mostly living in Seattle. Also like his other books, Ford’s grasp on the historical narrative is spot on. Unlike his other novels, there is also a near future story here that has a dystopian feel to it and is modeled on the very real probabilities of global warming. Also explored is the science of epigenetic, the theory that trauma memory can be genetic. Great character development, plotting, imagery, and engaging storylines. This would be an amazing book club read.

p.s. the stethoscope scene made me tear up

This story is beautiful, intriguing, thoughtful and unique. Ford has such a way of getting into the soul of things and making you think, but not sacrificing his story telling.

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy brings an interesting premise of generational trauma, thus exploring the subject of epigenetic inheritance.

It is developed through five POVs, and it starts with Dorothy who struggles with mental health. Once, her five-year-old daughter exhibits similar behavior, Dorothy seeks help. Through storylines of previous generations the story reveals how trauma caused in previous generations can resurface in following generations.

The timelines that I connected with were the ones set in the 19th century. The modern timelines, set in present and future times, are challenging for me. In general, I do not connect with those.

What interested me into this story were the premise and the writing of this author as I’ve read all his previous books, which I highly recommend.

In regards to past timelines, they are written very well and are engaging. The one I connected the most was the oldest timeline of Afong Moy which is based on a true character. She is the first Chinese woman to set her tiny, bound foot on American soil and being a successful performer.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.com
This book appealed to me because I've read a little bit about generational trauma being passed down through our genes and I find it fascinating.
This is a fictionalized account of Chinese and Chinese American women of several different generations experiencing generational trauma from prior generations. It introduces the idea of how to psychologically deal with this trauma when it holds these book characters back. I enjoyed reading this account although the subject matter is quite painful at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. This author was new to me, and the forward was so interesting on it's own. What a unique topic and the author was able to delve into it with the storyline of women over multiple generations, both in the past and the future. It started with the first Chinese woman to step foot into the United States. We also see Dorothy, a poet laureate, struggling with mental illness, hoping her daughter never has to go through the same thing. With this, the timelines come together, the woman before her, going through time, and the struggles and love continue through the genetics of the next generations. I am not doing justice to the story, or the premise, but please trust me this book is lyrical, interesting, kind of heartbreaking, and had me thinking long after the last page. I often wonder about those who came before us: how much of them do we carry through our genes- not just medically, but emotionally and in our choices. I worried about keeping track of the characters, but they were well written, and after a couple of chapters I had no trouble. Trust me: read this one.

I received an ARC, provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I have not read any of the author's previous works, but I was interested in this book's description. The several storylines in different times might appeal to readers who liked [book:Cloud Cuckoo Land|56783258]-- characters across time connected by a common thread.

The story idea about inherited trauma is interesting, but imperfectly handled-- the 2040s character recalls and works through trauma experienced by the 1940s character well after that character had her child. So how was it inherited? I wasn't able to fully believe once this became clear. There are also problems with the storyline of a man (in some places, almost like a soulmate) looking for the character/family across generations. Since the men aren't from a shared family line, how is this inherited? Together, it feels like a reincarnation idea that got muddled. (It can't be reincarnation-based, because several of the characters are alive at the same time.)

Readers who don't bog themselves down in details probably won't notice, although these problems made the book progressively less believable for me.

*I read a lot of ARCs and am poor about noting it. The request from the publisher specifies for the review to include this, so thank you, Atria Books, for making me do a better job!

So, this book by one of my favorite authors just blew my mind. Like all of his works, it's well-written, engaging, & unforgettable. However, this story just takes his writing to another level. The ideas behind the story are so creative, and although based on real science, this book reads very much like a wonderful fantastical science fiction/fantasy tale. It reminds me a bit of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab or one of author Matt Haig's novels, yet this one is in a class all its own.

Highly recommended for fans of the author, fans of historical, dystopian, and science fiction/fantasy, or anyone else who wants to read one of the best books to come out in a while. It's truly unique and was a fascinating read.

4 1/2 stars

Thanks to both NetGalley & Edelweiss+ for ARCs.

First of all, this was a complete departure from anything I have ever read. Secondly, once I started reading I did not stop until I finished the book, it just sucked me right into its grasp. I was a bit wary of keeping all the women straight, but I worried for nothing because the book was written so that you didn't get lost in the characters, you got lost in the story. Dorothy is our main character and she struggles with life, mentally. Dorothy is a former poet laureate and married to a man that she really doesn't love (maybe doesn't realize it), and absolutely adores her little girl. Her problems arise when her husband tries to make her feel she is inadequate and she feels haunted by the past (enter all the other characters). The book takes you on. the journey of how Dorothy seeks therapy and an experimental treatment that is supposed to help her connect these bridges to her past (and the other characters).