Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Fortunes of Jaded Women

I read this one with my book club over the summer and there was so much to discuss even though it's less than 300 pages. This was a rare instance where I wished that a book was longer! Huynh could have used a few more pages to tie up some loose ends with all of those characters. It was a large cast and I found myself referencing the family tree quite frequently at the beginning, but I did eventually catch on to their distinct personalities and backstories.

I'll leave the detailed reviews to those who have read the book more frequently, but even now I remember that this book was funny and filled with family drama! There was a scene that I was gleefully anticipating and the payoff was huge (I re-read that chapter a few times before moving on). Pure chaos in the best possible way. Despite the inclusion of some darker, emotional themes like intergenerational trauma, I recommend this book to someone who is looking for a modern family saga that's shorter and more lighthearted than some others in the genre.

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btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

What an amazing depiction of generational trauma. I don't think I've seen it so well presented before, but this book nails it. Between well meaning mothers, fractured relationships, and quotes and experiences that haunt them and dictate their actions, these characters had a lot to overcome.

There were a lot of characters to keep track of - one grandmother, four sisters, and eight grown children - and while at time it was a bit disorienting keeping track of them all, the author did a great job reiterating who they were and how they fit out in the family, as well as showing their personality and dreams during their chapters. I loved how each one took away something different from their mothers, their lives influenced by moments or parents quotes that haunt them - it really showed how the past really does affect present mentality. It made it easy to understand why they were the way they were and how they were trying to get themselves out of the cycle and break it. I loved everyone's growth through the novel, and I found it amazing that we got to see them all grow and change in such a short time, but also in such a (mostly, helped by a bit of myth and magic) realistic way.

I also love the dynamics within the community - the gossiping, the meddling, the overlapping yelling, but also the "we protect out own" mentality. I adored the little twists and turns of characters surprising us, as well as the absolute chaos of family as they talk over each other and try to one-up on another. Even when everyone was mad, there was always an undercurrent of love and warmth that really sold them as a family.

There is one relationship I wish we had had more closure with, mostly cause it gave me some magical jeebies. IYKYK. Otherwise, I love how all the threads came together in the end and we get to see the fruits of the characters' love for each other and their family as they forge a new story for themselves.

This is definitely one of my favourite reads of the year. Absolutely amazing.

TW: death of a parent, pregnancy, infidelity, racism, micro-agressions, body shaming, fatphobia (Asian-style), medical content, sexual harassment; mentions miscarriage, HP references

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sisforsony's review against another edition

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DNF—As a Cambodian American I could not overlook the overt racism in this book. I am acutely aware of the old racism between the Vietnamese and Cambodian communities. Even still, this book could’ve been done without the hate and have a good storyline. Too bad I won’t ever find out because I have no intention on finishing it.

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brynpemery's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A few too many characters and subplots for me, and not enough of the backstory. I don’t know that this will stick with me long term but it was fun and entertaining and heartwarming.

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ittywitty's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Well-written. Took a while to get into, but I’m really glad I read it! It’s kind of like a modern Joy Luck Club meets Crazy Rich Asians with a little bit of a Crazy, Stupid, Love twist. Think messy Vietnamese women all dealing with generational trauma and trying to survive the pressures of duty to family and society. All of which have been unlucky in love due to a family curse. Enjoyed hearing about these families and the culmination of hilarious drama that ensues! Also the portrayal of Vietnamese culture felt pretty accurate to me, which I always appreciate in AAPI authors, especially those also named Carolyn. ❤️ Would love to see this story made into a movie!!!

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ktv's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It was so depressing in the first half but also very relatable bc I also grew up in an immigrant Vietnamese household. I just hated how uncomfortable the read was but eventually it got better. Ppl changed their circumstances and got happier. Some of the writing was very on the nose but other than that I liked it.

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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Shoutout to Libro.fm for the ALC of this book. I've been waiting for when I needed a light and fun read to pick it up, since everyone I've seen review it has mentioned that it's a little over the top. I've really been in the mood for escapist reads lately, so lots of fantasy and romance, but then I remembered this contemporary book waiting on my TBR and decided to mix up the escapism a bit.

Generations ago, Oanh left her marriage for true love, and in the ensuing backlash, was cursed by a witch so that her descendants would give birth to only daughters...and would never find true love or happiness. In the present day, three mostly estranged sisters, descendents of Oanh, live in Little Saigon in Orange County, CA: Mai (the oldest and most know-it-all/in charge), Minh (the middle and the mediator of the siblings), and Khuyen (the youngest, who may or may not run Little Saigon's "underground"). Mai is not only estranged from her sisters (and mother), but also on rocky relationship footing with her three daughters as well, whose love lives she cannot seem to stay out of. There is also Minh's daughter and Khuyen's two daughters, all of whom have strained relationships with each other. Plus, there is a half-sister, whose reappearance with her own two daughters a decade ago was the catalyst for the family's current estrangement. When Mai consults a psychic about concerns for her daughters, she is told that this year may be her last chance to repair broken relationships, and thus begins the dramatic tale in these pages, a story of births and deaths and marriages and romances and maybe, just maybe, curse-breaking.

Well alright. This was some phenomenally entertaining full-force family drama storytelling. Like, this is an intergenerational family story of fifteen Vietnamese women, that could easily have been told in a serious and intense way, but instead Huynh gives readers a more lighthearted experience. She makes precision observations about the emotional manipulation and guilt and expectations stereotypical to Asian/immigrant parent child (mother daughter) relationships, but with a sharp and humorous eye. So, while these observations are genuine, the delivery is a darkly humorous tone that fantastically delivers. That tone felt, to me, reminiscent of Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians series, though this book has less of the "rich" and more of the "everyday" style of success and livelihood. There is also a distinct air of soap opera to the overall plot, as it were. With the reality of estrangement and small communities comes the coincidences of overlapping relationships that, when all the family comes together for the "finale" scenes, explodes with spectacle that, yes, is a bit absurd, but also, if you picked up this book with accurate expectations, exactly right in its hilarity.

These characters are all endearing in their dysfunction - there are parts of each of their stories that any reader can see themselves in. That universal, "I'm trying to be better but in reality not *really* learning from my mistakes" is something that everyone has experience with, if they're being honest. Similarly, the way people (in this case, mothers) fight to make things different (better) for future generations, but that overcorrecting can cause its own issues, is so relatable. And seeing all that addressed with such humor makes it easier, legitimately fun, to read about such recognizably human foibles. Plus, setting it within the context for learning about Vietnamese culture, in general and for immigrants to the US, gives lovely added depth and context.

I struggled just a bit with the pacing of the story - not within itself, as it was page-turning from start to finish, but as part of a greater context - as it felt unmoored from anything happening outside the family. There is a chance that was purposefully done, to keep the focus on these women and their lives separately and together, fighting for individuality and cohesion both. And I do understand that bringing in more outside context could have necessitated a more serious tone, versus the "keeping it lighter" vibe that the author was going for. So I tried to just kinda let myself get pulled along and not worry too much about that aspect. So, in the end, I finished listening to this having been fully entertained by these gorgeously messy women, and totally recommend this to anyone looking to simply have a great time reading a book.

“These two souls before them had never dreamt that romantic love could happen at their age, in their lifetime, within this cosmos. The type of love blossoming right now was the very thing that they'd been taught was unattainable. It wasn't pragmatic for people like them because they needed to worry about men with guns, picking a side in the war, putting food on the table, finding work, providing for children, and figuring out how to survive in a foreign country. These things came first.”

“Not like a woman of color, a quiet Asian woman, a dutiful daughter or a model minority. But a desired woman who just wanted a man to look at her the way he did.”

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sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

finishing is book took me so much more time than expected but i want to believe it was manily because of uni, since i genuinely enjoyed reading it. i feel like i have a lot to talk about so let me just go little by little.

this story follows an intergenerational group of immigrant vietnamese women and a "curse" that has been creeping up on their family for several generations. one of their ancestors, many decades ago, decided to leave her husband and elope with the man she loved. that's when her mother-in-law decided to curse her and all of her future descendants to never give birth to sons (which is very important in vietnamese culture) and be unhappy in their marriages. however, in present times, duong women have learnt that this year they'll live through the death, the marriage and the pregnancy of someone in their family.

first things first, this book has a lot of characters. if i am not wrong, there are about 15 main characters. obviously not every single one has the same relevance or story telling time in the book because it has less than 300 pages. however, each one of them is mentioned throughout the story so the family tree at the beginning is super helpful to turn to until one gets used to the characters.

i think you'll really love this book too, specially if you're a poc immigrant child. i'm not even asian, i'm north african but, trust me, there will be so many scenes which will feel super relatable. actually, since this story tackles several important storylines and it has so many flawed characters i think you will be able to relate to, at least, one of them. some of these said themes are parental relationships and disapproval, different meanings and expectations for success, duties to familial ties, intergenerational trauma, loneliness, finding happiness and peace for yourself, the model minority role on asian women, their fetishization, identity and mental health issues, grief, the effects of war on people, failed marriages, being a second generation immigrant and wanting to blend with your second culture...

there are just so many different themes which may make you tear up. but, on the other hand, there are also some parts which will make you laugh or, at least, smile. specially the parts with some family drama. then there's also some parts which will make you laugh and feel some softness in your heart, for example the way the mothers brag about their daughters despite their relationship being so broken.

but i would say that maybe one of the main themes is motherhood, how it is never easy to make good choices and how hard a mother wants to avoid her daughter to end up with sad eyes in front of a life she does not deserve. i feel like these scenes are the core of the book. and i don't wanna be too repetitive but, fuck, all of these problems hit just so close. and maybe the second main theme is just trying to understand that, trying to see your family's struggles and meeting with them somewhere in the middle and maybe achieving to break the intergenerational trauma. i obviously teared up a lot while reading this book, btw. but, sometimes, to get to that point you need to find yourself first, work and believe for the good things you deserve in your life.

of course, there are some things i disliked.

one of them was joyce. i felt like she was pretty queercoded every time people talked about her. i mean, she works at a museum, everyone clearly could tell she is depressed and they kept saying she was special. to my disappointment she is just a koreaboo, lmao. i mean i can get how she found comfort in kdramas when everything in her life fell apart and how she romanticized korean men because of them. however, i feel like maybe after her first 10 failed dates something should have clicked for her

maybe the book could have been a little bit longer in order for the reader to have a better approach to all of the characters. and, ugh, i really disliked the ending. i'm not gonna spoil anything, i'm just gonna say that it shouldn't have finished with a literal ellipsis.

but there are a couple details i really loved. the first one is the title and its game play with jaded/jade (for context: jade is an important gemstone in the duong family.) the second one is the tangerine illustrations in every section of the book. i love how its sections kept growing until we had a whole tangerine, simbolizing how the family grew back together. <3

to sum up, i really enjoyed reading this book. and i would definitely love to re-read it in a future or even watch its adaption as a film. despite the tears it made me shed i feel like it has potential to become one of my new comfort reads.

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