Cover Image: The Fortunes of Jaded Women

The Fortunes of Jaded Women

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Member Reviews

Meh. Every character sounded exactly the same. I literally couldn’t differentiate any of them. And the entire story was whining and complaining. Not for me.

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The story woven through generations of this book was so good. The characters were well developed and had personalities that added so much depth to the story.
The emotional journey was full of drama, love, heartbreak, and joy.

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Read if you like: Multiple POVs, family curses, Vietnamese representation

Everyone in Orange County’s Little Saigon knew that the Duong sisters were cursed. Their ancestor Oanh who dared to leave her marriage for true love was cursed by a fearsome Vietnamese witch. She cursed Oanh and her descendants so that they would never find love or happiness, and the Duong women would give birth to daughters, never sons.​

Auntie Hua, a trusted psychic in Hawaii was consulted, who delivers an unexpected prediction: this year, her family will witness a marriage, a funeral, and the birth of a son. This prophecy will reunite estranged mothers, daughters, aunts, and cousins—for better or for worse.

There are a lot of characters in this book, 15+. I enjoyed it but it did get confusing at times because of the amount of POVs and people to keep up with. Because of that it was easy to blend the characters since they didn't all get developed enough. The family and storyline are interesting but there were quite a few slow parts. I enjoyed learning about the Vietnamese culture. This was so heartwarming and funny at times. I recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Atria Books for the gifted e-book! ❤️

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So much fun! I loved spending time in the sharply-drawn world of these wonderful women. Very much looking forward to seeing what Huynh has in store for her next novel.

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Over Thanksgiving, I read a book that was all about family, which was perfect timing with the holiday. The Fortunes of Jaded Women was wonderful!

The Duong sisters have been cursed to only give birth to daughters and so multiple generations of girls are born. Not all of the women are lucky in love and they hope their daughters will be the ones to break the curse. Mai Nguyen consults a psychic in Hawaii that predicts that this year her family will witness a marriage, a funeral and the birth of a son. Who will have something life changing happen to them?

There’s a very large cast of characters in this book and I’m very thankful to @carolynkhuynh for including a family tree. I needed to reference this more than a few times. I loved that not all the women felt they had to bend to society’s judgement, but you can see the difference in generations here. There’s a lot of “what will the neighbors think?” I loved all the descriptions of the food and learning more about their culture. I would recommend a this book to anyone who enjoys family dramas. It’s also very funny at times, so it’s not all super heavy.

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This book had a great premise and I was really excited about it. But I just struggled to get into the book. I Sadly DNF this book, but I am confident that many will love this book. It just wasn't right for me. Thanks #netgalley for the copy of this book.

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If you are of Asian descent, you know how our families are. Culture and tradition comes first. Its a good and proud thing, but also sometimes its not so convenient. Being an API reader, I have had my eyes on The Fortunes of Jaded Women ever since I heard about it! Gladly, I enjoyed it very much. Enjoy is a subtle word here—I sobbed ugly, felt embraced and overall felt good after reading!! I altered between the e-arc and the audiobook I borrowed from my library. I didn’t feel a disconnect anywhere. The story just flows because its written very well!! Highly recommend if you read women’s fiction and appreciate a little magical realism in the story.

Many thanks to Atria via Netgalley for the e-arc!

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Thank you @atriabooks, @netgalley, and @carolynhugh for the gifted e-book of The Fortunes of Jaded Women, and my friend @sdenk6378 for swapping the book with me!
📅: available now!

Thoughts 💭: I began this book when I was returning back from my conference mid-October. Capturing the intergenerational trauma inherited without Vietnamese and Vietnamese American families, we learn that the family has been cursed due to actions of an ancestor who breaks her marriage vows, and ends up pregnant with a boy. Her ex-mother in law places a curse on her that she will never have sons, and only daughters. Thus, begins the saga of two generations of 3 sisters, and their daughters. Through them, Carolyn explores the themes of love, identity, belonging, mother-daughter relationships, and immigrant narratives. The world she creates feels real - almost as if you can feel it in front of you, and the characters feel like they could be people whom you know.

While reading this book, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Indian cultures and customs that also prize the birth of a son over a daughter, and realized that this phenomenon is also something shared with the Vietnamese culture. Such books should be adapted into films such that everyone can get access to the powerful, strong women that the author has created, and their flawed characterization. It is also what makes them human. The drama is perhaps what keeps the story going, and it is hard not to be absorbed into the narrative. I began this book towards mid-October and it took a month to fully absorb it and give it justice. I am attached to the mothers and daughters. Just so beautifully done! ☺️

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Okayyyy this was everything I needed and wanted. First off, this book will absolutely hit different if you can understand/connect with the characters. As an API reader, the experiences and culture of the family made my heart both burst with love and ache in empathy. It was really special to read this book and feel seen in some way 🤍

TFOJW has strong family dynamics and history, Vietnamese culture, and of course, moments of levity and absolute chaos. Readers are immersed into the journey of this family; the highs, the lows, the curse, and the secrets. My only wish was that we could get even more of their lives.

The many characters, alternating POV chapters, and exciting plot had me not wanting this to end or put it down. I loved this one 🫶🏼

Thank you to the team of book fairies at @atriabooks for the gifted copies 🤍

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The Fortunes of Jaded Women follows multiple generations of the Duong family as they move from Vietnam to Southern California. While in Vietnam, a curse is put on the family so that they will only have daughters. Estranged family members start to reconnect when a fortune teller says that the curse will be broken in the next year. I thought this book sounded really interesting and I love interpersonal dramas so I was looking forward to reading it! I was a little worried that I would have trouble getting into the story but spoiler alert, that was not at all a problem and I read this book super quickly because I had to know what happened.

I thought this book was amazing! It did a really good job of blending the stories of different characters. It switches the point of view between all of the grandmothers, aunts, cousins, mothers, and sisters in this book. I was excited to read every point of view and there were no characters that I dreaded returning to like in other alternating POV books. I loved the way that relationships between characters were revealed as they reconnected. I thought the ending was great and may have audibly gasped a couple of times at the changes in the story.

Overall, I recommend anyone who wants to read a good story and especially to people who enjoy interpersonal and family dramas. This is one of my favorite books that I have read this year. 5 stars from me! Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book!

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Such a wonderful debut. What a mother will do for her daughters. I loved all of the characters, even though I had to keep looking at the family chart to figure out who was who!

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The Fortunes of Jaded Women
By Carolyn Huynh
Narrator VyVy Nguyen

I love reading about multigenerational family stories for the complex dynamics, the family members (because every family no matter the culture has them - the gossip, the funny one, the peacemaker, the one everyone wants to be like, and then the ones you want to avoid at all cost), and the hilarious antics that happen when families get together. I could not believe that this was a debut, because it was so well written. I loved learning more about the Vietnamese American culture and having the setting in my hometown of Southern California - in Little Saigon, even made this a more interesting read for me. I was so thankful for the family tree in the book, which I referred to multiple times in the beginning because there were just so many characters.

I loved listening to the audio book - I thought VyVy Nguyen did a fantastic job voicing over the characters giving each their personalities. The pronunciation of the Vietnamese words were a lot of help for me as I listened to the book and reading along.

I found myself really enjoying the book and immersing myself into the Duong family. What a fantastic story full of heart, funny moments, and a poignant read.

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A great novel full of intertwining stories. Very character driven. I felt a roller coaster of emotions when I read this book.

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Thanks to Atria Books for this ARC, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I love a multi-generational novel and was not disappointed by The Fortunes of the Jaded Women. This book started a little slow for me because there are so many characters to keep track of, but once I found my groove I finished it quickly. Each of the women felt stubborn, flawed, and real, which made them relatable. I'll happily recommend this one to my friends.

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The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh, is hilarious and oddly touching. It’s the best debut novel of 2022, and it isn’t as if there was no competition. My thanks go to Atria Books and Net Galley for the review copy; this book is for sale now.

Mrs. Mai Nguyen was born in Vietnam, but has lived most of her life as a Californian. When we meet her, however, she has flown to Kauai, the home of a renowned Vietnamese psychic. The psychic tells her that the year ahead will be a pivotal one, the one in which she must repair her relationships with her sisters and her daughters. There will be one wedding; one funeral; and one pregnancy.

Well, now.

Nobody likes to be estranged from a family member, and yet it happens. But all of them? Both sisters, and her daughters, too? (No brothers, and no sons, either.) But surely, it isn’t her fault; after all, there’s the curse.

Chapter four is when everything kicks up a gear, and I have seldom laughed so hard. Mrs. Minh Pham is the first to arrive, and she has my attention from the get-go when she slips the waitstaff some money and explains there could potentially be a “small, tiny, little shouting match, with a propensity for small, tiny, little objects to be thrown through the air.” Mrs. Pham is the middle daughter, and is accustomed to being the mediator in any dispute. She takes all the precautions she feels are wise; she parks near the door for a fast getaway if necessary. She removes the sharp utensils as well as the chopsticks from the table, and requests paper plates and plastic cutlery. “Mai had a reputation for throwing things.”

As the women arrive at the dim sum restaurant, they flash their fake Louis Vuitton handbags and immediately set about trying to one-up one another with regard to social status and affluence, and especially—oh yes, especially—that of their respective daughters. Within three minutes, a donnybrook ensues, and the other diners, who are also Vietnamese and well acquainted with the curse of the Duong sisters, begin placing wagers on the winner. The sixty-something sisters commence throwing things at each other and are gently escorted out of the restaurant. They head for a bakery, and they get kicked out of there, too. Finally, the three of them end up on a park bench, their hair and clothing in dishabille, and yet none of them makes any move to leap up and go home.

These are not spoilers; this all takes place within the first 17 percent.

The chapters change points of view, moving between the sisters, their elderly mother, and their daughters, all in the third person omniscient. The fascinating thing is, these crazy behaviors, and the ways that they mold and shape their daughters and their relationships, all fit perfectly.

Although the setting changes, from Orange County, California to Hawaii to Vietnam to Seattle and beyond, this story is character based, and that’s my favorite type of novel. The skeezy men they date—mostly white boyfriends with Asian fetishes—make it even funnier.

The ending is perfect.

This is one of those rare galleys that I may actually read a second time for pleasure. One thing I know for sure is that Huynh is on my radar now. I can’t wait to see what her next book looks like!

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

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I just couldn't get into this book. I thought the concept was interesting, but I didn't care for the main characters. I like books that aren't corny or sappy. This book was all that and more. I really wanted to like this more. The cover is gorgeous so that's a plus.

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The Fortunes of Jaded Women follows the Doung sisters and their daughters and extended family. The women of the family have been cursed to only have daughters. From reading the book I learned that this means that none of the women will find their resting place after death since only sons can perform that task. There are many characters to keep track of, but there is a handy chart in the front for reference. It did get confusing remembering how they were all related.
While this story revolves around a Vietnamese family, you do not need to understand the culture to relate to the characters. If you are from a family, you can relate to at least one character in this novel. In each chapter you learn a little more about each woman, and you realize that they are each doing everything they can to avoid the mistakes of the previous generations and each other. In the end though, none of them can get out of their own way, and the mistakes keep happening over and over again.
Each character is acting out of love and duty, but they can not seem to see eye to eye or understand each other no matter how they try. The book is heartwarming, and funny, and the characters are real people struggling to find happiness while honoring their family. Carolyn Huynh has a strong voice and I enjoyed reading a new Asian American author.

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The Duong sisters were part of a long line of Vietnamese women. They were women who gave birth to baby girls, because they were cursed to never have a son.

These women are the very definition of character. While the family tree may take a little while to untangle, the daughters, sisters, and cousins are soon recognizable. The mothers are determined not to make the same mistakes their mothers made, but trying to follow tradition and blaze a new path at the same time obviously proves challenging.

This story was a fun read, with all the characters having their positive personality traits and shortcomings. No one was really evil or unkind to anyone else, but they were believable women with their own strengths and weaknesses. Surely most readers can find aspects of these women familiar to themselves or people they know in real life.

The events foretold by Mai’s psychic were fun to read about and watch unfold. This book was an enjoyable read and 3 out of 5 stars. It could easily be recommended to those who enjoy family dramas, especially with the influence of Vietnamese family culture.

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This book is filled with female characters, in particular, a family of Vietnamese women. After a curse was put on their ancestor, each generation would give birth only to girls. Three sisters are estranged from their mother and their daughters. Whenever they get together, there is fighting, yelling and general chaos. After Mai, the older sister, visits a psychic who predicts a wedding, a death and a birth which will set everything straight, Mai proceeds to attempt a reunion with her sisters. Each sister then tries to reconcile with their daughters, six cousins who will find themselves intertwined in various ways. There is humor, sadness, a bit of meanness, but I enjoyed getting to know this messy, complicated family. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

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