I’m grateful to have read this book because I learned a part of history I otherwise may have remained ignorant to, Afong Moy was a real Chinese woman who was the first known female Chinese immigrant to the United States. One can only imagine the life she endured as there are only a few remaining records of her life. This story spans generations of women who are…’daughters of Afong Moy’. It involves epigenetics a topic I have only really heard of in passing and not in detail. Essentially the story gives the “I am my ancestors dream come true” sort of feeling as the fictional descendants of Afong Moy deal with some form of generational trauma through the decades, landing upon the most recent in line, Dorothy Moy. I liked this book because I learned some new things from it that I may not have had the opportunity to otherwise, I found it eye opening and it left me scouring the chapters of my own life as well as those of the most recent generations of women in my own family and how the impacts of epigenetics may or may not have contributed to who I am today. Great read for causing me to think and challenging my ideas.

4/5 Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely book looking back through many lives of pain and suffering which culminate in understanding and hope.

Dorothy is constantly remembering things from her ancestor’s past and it disturbs her. She doesn’t understand where these memories are coming from; but she is sure that they are memories, not dreams. Ironically, these haunting memories really help in her creativity as a poet. Her young daughter Annabelle begins exhibiting similar symptoms and she’s worried that she is doomed to live a life just like Dorothy’s; full of depression, pain, and feelings of abandonment.

Dorothy’s episodes become worse and she feels that she needs to break the cycle to find peace for herself and her daughter. She seeks help from an experimental treatment using epigenetics; while her husband and mother in law plot against her. They feel that she is an unfit mother and want to take Annabelle away. It is her love for Annabelle that keeps her going back for treatments and eventually to escape with her daughter.

The book tells of different ancestor’s lives in short bits. This very different story, which jumps between different times and different women of Chinese heritage, is well told. Afong is the first Chinese woman in America and is used by various unscrupulous people as a sideshow. Faye is a nurse in China who saves a pilot who inexplicably happens to have a picture of her in his pocket, just to have him die on her watch. Zoe is a student in an open concept school in the UK who has a crush on a female teacher. LaiKing is a girl quarantined with her family in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the bubonic plague outbreak whose parents are able to buy passage for her on an escaping ship. Greta is a tech executive at a women’s dating App headquarters; who is blindsided by a misogynistic “supporter”. In each of these lives, there is a male stranger searching for her; one who loves her. Each woman had some overarching issue that Dorothy is eventually able to straighten out in her memories and give peace to all.

I enjoyed this imaginative book very much. The author explores the concept of inherited memories by following the female descendants of Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to set foot on American soil. Although Afong Moy was a real person, the rest of the characters are fictional. He also writes very compellingly about the mother-daughter relationship. While the book was interesting and the various characters and their stories were well-developed, I did find it a bit drawn out, and I found the ending a bit too contrived and saccharine. Overall, though, I would definitely recommend.

This was a beautiful story about generations and the ties that bind us all.

I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley an ARC has been provided in exchange for an honest review.

The concept of next generations inheriting trauma from previous generations is fascinating. However I didn’t find this novel as compelling as previous novels by Ford.

I'm giving this one 5 stars but I'd give more if I could.

I received an early copy for my review of this phenomenal study of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance from Jamie Ford. Ford provides a valuable introduction at the beginning that should not be missed. Who we are, in essence is largely in part to what was passed on to us (lessons/trauma/learning).

In his poetic words, he gets into the minds and hearts of each generation of women (1834-2086), something that many male writers cannot do.

“She fantasized about staring up at the sky as she plummeted through the air, fistfuls of poetry drifting from her fingertips.”

Afong Moy is the first Chinese woman in the Western World in 1834. She is at the starting line of each of the stories of the women who follow, each dealing with a crisis of learning to survive in their own era. In each generation we see the struggle to make it through whether it’s the perceived novelty of bound feet, the black death, or the loss of innocence. But we also see each woman moving forward in their growth. Because mothers everywhere want their daughters lives to be better than their own, don’t they?

Our main character, Dorothy, is questioning her ability to raise her child Annabel (2042) as she is plagued with the trauma of the survival and search for love that has been passed down through her ancestors. Through the pages we get to know these remarkable women who have stayed with me since finishing this book. I will say that I took a lot of notes and encourage a reader to do that, there are many subtle sidelines that I would otherwise have missed.

“We have many lives, Afong, but this life begins when we realize we only have one.”

A beautifully written book that incorporates history, family, family love, and the mystery of that elusive perfect person that can follow you through many generations.

Thank you to #NetGalley #Simon&Schuster #AtriaBooks, for a chance to read and appreciate this book. This is a book I will buy for my shelf.

I wanted to love this book - I really, really did but it just had way too much going on and I confess I got lost in the weeds. Told from multiple POVs across multiple timelines, this book read more like a series of slightly interconnected short stories. Some characters were stronger than others for me. I really liked Greta's story about being a kick-ass tech start-up CEO, finding success (and losing it) and the man her parents try to set her up with. I wanted more of her story. Overall this was a complex book that will definitely make you think hard. I feel like I need to read it again just to try to absorb more of everything that happened across the various stories! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review

I absolutely loved this story - Jamie Ford's writing is so unique and the character development and world-building are amazing!

The story had me so enthralled, that I couldn't put it down! I would recommend this to anyone and can't wait to read more from Jamie!

A solid 3.5 read!

When I read the "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet," I was writing my thesis and preparing for my
defense . . . Over ten years ago. I remember looking forward to reading it, and I remember enjoying it. So when I saw his new release on NetGalley, I knew that I wanted to read his newest novel, "The Many Daughters of Afong Moy". It sounded a bit odd (What is epigenetics?) and ambitious (7 perspectives and timelines) and a bit too sci-fi for me (Yes, there's time travel). So imagine my surprise when I found myself immensely enjoying parts of the story!

I admit that there were storylines that I was more interested in than others (Afong, Lai King, Zoe and Faye were my favourites). But overall, I appreciated Ford weaving fact and fiction to create backdrops to a compelling idea: epigenetic inheritance (inheriting the effects of trauma). The idea is outlined before the book begins so readers have some scientific context before they begin the story, and the idea lends itself nicely to the sci-fi and almost-post-apocalyptic feel of Dorothy's storyline.

Dorothy's life is overshadowed by her mother's trauma. The trauma that Greta, Dorothy's mother, experience is overshadowed by her grandmother's past trauma, and so on. It's a vicious cycle that the female characters are all bound to experience as they have inherited past trauma that they cannot escape. I'm not going to go into my own feelings about epigenetic inheritance because I'm not familiar with the subject matter, nor do I believe in any kind of religion or faith, so my own sentiments aren't useful to that conversation. But I don't think that Ford is using the stories of these women to prove a point. Instead we have seven sad stories. And when Dorothy notices her daughter Annabel displaying the same behaviour that Dorothy sees in herself, she seeks help.

I think that, regardless of what proof there is for epigenetic inheritance, this is a fictional collection of women's stories, and what I loved was that the women's lives were uniquely their own. What I didn't like was that at times I felt that epigenetic inheritance was the reason that these women had no agency, and although I don't know enough about the science to argue for or against that proposition, I don't know that I'm interested in reading about seven women who are treated like victims when, I would argue, they were survivors. That aspect was what I didn't like about Ford's novel.

What I liked and loved about "The Many Daughters of Afong Moy" were the ways in which culture, heritage, and love bonded the generations of the women. I liked reading about the women at different ages, in different places, encountering different obstacles. I loved how the stories were nostalgic for me: I spent a lot of time in Seattle in a past life; I love moon cakes and ate too too many when I lived in Shanghai; I could taste the lychee bubble tea and imagine how refreshing it tasted!

I think that had a few of the storylines not been included and more focus been put on fewer characters that these characters would have had a deeper impact on my reading experience, and while I praise Ford for colouring outside of the lines when it comes to new ideas that he incorporated into this text, I always feel sceptical when men write about women's trauma.

I look forward to reading Ford's backlist and would like to express my thanks to Ford, Simon & Schuster Canada, Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of "The Many Daughters of Afong Moy." It was a pleasure!

A historical fiction book with elements of magical realism, cultural commentary, discrimination, and the role of Chinese women in history.

The concept of this book is very unique with use of an experimental therapy that has the goal of reducing the intergenerational trauma passed on through epigenetics by living through ancestral wounds and hardships. The protagonist in a future timeline in 2045 is Dorothy Moy, who also experiences depression, anxiety, and dissociation. She undergoes this experimental treatment to end the inherited cycle that is showing signs of appearing in her young daughter.

There are several POVs that we follow, all women descendants of Afong Moy, the first known Chinese woman who entered America back in the 1800s. The different time periods were easy to become immersed in and learn of each character's life stories. I enjoyed reading of the fleshing out of Afong Moy's story since I personally do not know much about this historical figure. There is a hope for a happy ending that is what we do receive albeit with use of a drug overdose (TW).

I struggled to care about each character's POV since it seemed there was a long string of reoccurring traumas, which made for a sad reading experience, but a realistic take on what women can and do experience. The commentary on discrimination against Chinese women within societies was well-done. However, in a book such as this one, it undertook a lot of different themes and concepts, which was well executed but, at times, can be overwhelming to the reader. Despite these, I definitely enjoyed this read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This book is heartbreaking in the most beautiful way. A wonderful cast of characters with depth and life. I specifically love the explorations of intergenerational trauma and epigenetics.

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is a thoughtful exploration of a family's connection across generations by discussing generational trauma and epigenetic inheritance topics.

We follow multiple POVs of women, all related, as they navigate the hardships of life and love. Switching perspectives every chapter is jarring at first, making the book difficult to be invested in. However, once it is clear that Dorothy is the primary perspective from which we find how they are all connected, the story comes together slowly but surely.

It was an engaging read, but I felt it lacked cohesiveness as I feel like it would have been much improved with a more solid sense of purpose in the end. It was difficult to fully picture the effect of her ancestors' traumas on Dorothy despite being constantly told as she undergoes treatment.

Overall, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is a powerful book spanning decades (even centuries). I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Celeste Ng's work.

Breathtaking. Transformative. Heartbreaking. Beautiful.

💫The Many Daughters or Afong Moy💫
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A fascinating look at generational trauma, the things women carry on our shoulders, regardless of time and place, and epigenetic inheritance.

While this is the story of the Chinese women descended from Afong Moy —the first Chinese woman brought (forcibly) to the United States— as a 2nd generation descendant of Holocaust survivors (and further distant descendant of endless generations of Jewish survivors of pogroms, hatred, violence lost to history), and as a woman, this book resonated so deeply for me.

This novel is clearly a work of love, respect, and reverence by Jamie Ford. I am in awe.

Thank you to Sinon Schuster Canada / Atria for providing me with the opportunity to read an eARC of this title in exchange for my fair and honest review.

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
by Jamie Ford

Genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 384
Read again: Absolutely
Published: Today! August 2, 2022

@readwithjenna pick for August.

This was one of my favourite reads in July.

We inherit our body shape and hair colour, and some say, even our taste in music. But do we also inherit the pain that we experience in our lives? Do we inherit the trauma?

This is the question the book tackles by telling the fictional (and fascinating) story of the real life Afong Moy —the first Chinese woman to step on American soil in the 1800s— and the stories of her female descendants at various points of time in the future.

In addition to Afong Moy, we meet Dorothy, the poet, in 2045 who will is hallucinating memories from past Moys but will do anything for her daughter Annabel who has inherited her same creativity and talents ; Lai King - a child running with her parents from the Black Plague in 1892; Zoe, a young student at an unconventional boarding school in 1927; and Faye, the war-time nurse who tries to save a wounded pilot in 1942.

They are all connected and share a common bond and a common love.

Throughout the story, we learn about epigenetics —the study of how our behaviours and our environment affects/changes our DNA, and see what happens when trauma leaves a mark on a person's genes and is passed down through generations.

There are also themes of mental health, love, healing and taking control of one's life.

🌿 My thoughts:
I finished this book a few days ago and the characters and their determination have lingered with me.

I enjoyed reading and learning about epigenetics. I didn't realize this was a thing!

Overall, I really liked the premise and recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and multi-generational stories.

TW: There are some heavy themes throughout, including sexual assault and abuse.

4.5 stars for me

Thank you so much to @netgalley @simonschusterca and @atriabooks for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Many Daughters of Afron Moy is available today!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by Simon & Schuster Canada and Atria Books.

Dorothy Moy breaks her own heart for a living. As Washington’s former poet laureate, that’s how she describes channeling her dissociative episodes and mental health struggles into her art. But when her five-year-old daughter exhibits similar behavior and begins remembering things from the lives of their ancestors, Dorothy believes the past has truly come to haunt her. Fearing that her child is predestined to endure the same debilitating depression that has marked her own life, Dorothy seeks radical help.

Through an experimental treatment designed to mitigate inherited trauma, Dorothy intimately connects with past generations of women in her family: Faye Moy, Zoe Moy, Lai King Moy, Greta Moy; and Afong Moy. As painful recollections affect her present life, Dorothy discovers that trauma isn’t the only thing she’s inherited. A stranger is searching for her in each time period. A stranger who’s loved her through all of her genetic memories. Dorothy endeavors to break the cycle of pain and abandonment, to finally find peace for her daughter, and gain the love that has long been waiting, knowing she may pay the ultimate price.

The idea that trauma can be passed down through generations actually works, but it was confusing in the manner of different POVs telling the story. There are also problems with the storyline of a man looking for the character/family across generations. Since the men aren't from a shared family line, how is this inherited? I found that there was also a great deal of jumping back and forth with the seven generations and at times it was quite confusing. This is a fictional story but I did find some parts of the novel a bit far fetched. If the reader can tolerate the multiple changes in sequence and become immersed in the lives of the individual characters, this will most assuredly become an enjoyable novel. Unfortunately this book was not for me, and I really struggled with finishing it.

“How much pain you can endure shows what kind of wife you will become,” her ah-ma once said, pointing to her own lotus shoes. “It shows that you will be able to work hard, to cook, to give birth to many children, and take care of them. To a future husband, your ability to suffer only makes you more attractive.”
- From The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

Reading this book is like reading 7 novellas that are interconnected to one another. Afong Moy and her 6 descendants each had their own POVs. Despite having unique experiences in their respective timelines, all the Moy women ended up in some sort of demise or tragedy. I was deeply affected while reading this novel, especially about Afong Moy. Imagine being treated like an animal in a circus — strangers petting your hair and gawking at your bound feet just because you’re the first Chinese woman in America?!?! Ughhhh!!!! There were so many heartbreaking incidents and injustices that these women went through, no wonder they all suffered mental health issues. An interesting concept that the author used in this novel to explain the unfortunate lives of the Moy women is through epigenetics. The idea behind epigenetics is that any trauma can “leave a chemical mark on a person’s genes, which then is passed down to subsequent generations”, in short, shared intergenerational trauma. It’s an interesting theory and fit very nicely with the story. I learned a lot from the Moys and they made me feel grateful for the life I am living now.💕💖💕 Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me an eARC in exchange for my honest review. This novel will be out on August 2, 2022.

I really enjoyed this book and thought the narrative style was quite refreshing in how it had a dystopic twist. I thought the relationships were complex and compelling.

Ultimately I enjoyed this book, but I was hoping to be captured the same way I was by Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I found the cast of characters too broad and when one reappeared I struggled to remember who they were. I'm still trying to process the "fixing" of the generational trauma, but maybe that would be easier if I'd been able to keep track of the characters.

This is a book that I thought about while I read it, been thinking about since I’ve finished it, and have brought it up in several conversations. So… it’s one of THOSE…

Have you heard of epigenetic inheritance? It’s basically the idea that trauma can be passed down through generations (intergenerational trauma/inherited trauma). The book begins with an illuminating author’s note explaining this a bit more, and then we move through stories of several generations of Chinese women. The story from main character, Dorothy, is set in 2045, when epigenetics is a wider known phenomenon.
“Through an experimental treatment designed to mitigate inherited trauma, Dorothy intimately connects with past generations of women in her family: 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.”

I found this book so interesting! In a way, books with interconnected stories are tricky because you always have to start from scratch each chapter, and with this one there were some that were more engaging than others. But the concept of inherited trauma and how this plays out for Dorothy (and her daughter Anabelle) was just so very fascinating. It was definitely a genre bender of a book, with some dystopia, historical fiction, and literary fiction all meshed into one.

This book publishes August 2. I’m very curious if it will be selected for Reese, Jenna, or GMA. I can see it! But then again, I’m not the best at predicting these things. But I will predict it’s one that you’ll soon see more of.