The Many Daughters of Afong Moy: A Read with Jenna Pick

Great story

The author described this book like a box of crayons, all their own color. Seems appropriate. I wasn't a fan of this book at all. Not a believer in the theory of generational trauma. Interesting theory, but not buying it. This book was all over the place for me. When I read, I want to relax and enjoy the story, but I felt like this was reading a complicated history....bouncing around through several generations, and I found it difficult to stay focused on the story taking place. It was confusing to me. If I weren't reading it for a book club, I would have stopped wasting my time with the reading. But, I'm not a quitter! :-) I had read Ford's book HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET and really loved that book. That's why reading Afong Moy's family story was disappointing to me

As Ford explained the science behind this story, I thought long and hard about reading it. Research has been done on what is called in the world of science transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. That is, to the best of my non scientific background and Ford’s explanation, the passing on of memories, trauma, or behaviors via one’s DNA to one’s descendants. Far fetched, not so much.The story centers around Afong Moy, who was an actual person, and six of her female offspring. The story bounces through the years from 1826 to 2086 and is written in three acts. Each chapter is headed with the character’s name and the year of her story. Even with the names and dates, I stayed confused. As the reader travels through the lives of these women, he or she will see how the experiences, trauma, and behaviors of each mother is passed down.I slugged my way through this book and made myself finish it. Confusion was ever present yet I did get involved emotionally with the lives of each woman and girl. A good book…maybe for some. But for me, I was glad when the intergenerational transference was over. Be sure and read the author’s notes before the book and his acknowledgments after the book. The author’s acknowledgments were enlightening and I appreciated the way he wove quotations and pieces of real life into this story.I loved Ford’s book The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I wish I could say the same for this one. Will I recommend this book? No. Three stars for The Many Daughters of Afong Moy.

Jamie Ford is one of my favorite authors, ever since I read The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. The stories tug at your heart. This one was especially realistic. You do not have to be Chinese to empathize with the characters and their situations. Looking forward to another novel by the author.

Interesting story. I have read about epigenetics not sure of spelling. Not sure I got the outcome but it kept my interest

Interesting premise, a story based on epigenetics. Well developed characters. Some glaring errors in either the writing or the editing - i.e. "the American author Charles Dickens"...

I’m an experienced reader, but the frequent and unconnected switches between narrator, characters, and time period became annoying. The author will introduce a character then leave her hanging for over a hundred pages to tell parts of multiple other stories in various time periods before getting back to it. I would have to go back and reread that character’s previous chapter to catch up. I get that using multiple narrative threads goes along with the theme of epigenetics and inherited trauma, but the unclear connections and long gaps were too much for me. Pass unless you can commit to reading it in a single sitting and enjoy putting the narrative puzzle together.

It's been awhile since I've read a book that I've felt was absolutely beautiful. I just finished this novel and the first chapter grabbed me from the get go. What a mixed bag of emotions the ride was to the end. The last 2 chapters had me in tears. Just beautiful. Highly recommend. A novel that has taken the topic of epigenetics (a topic I geek out on) and has woven a beautiful tale of courage, bravery, heartache and love through 7 generations of women✨🖤

I knew i would like this book but i truly loved this generational tale of strong women who loved and experienced joy, despite generational trauma. Their struggles were my struggles and the struggles of all women who despite trying so hard to succeed, must fight daily just to exist and be seen in this world as “worthy “ of life and experience acceptance.

Totally engrossed in this book. I’m 3/4 ways through the book and find the stories, the descriptions, and the theme fascinating. I don’t want the book to end. I’d read “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet”, which was good but this one knocks it out of the park! I’ll definitely be reading his other books.

This book is not for everyone. You go back and forth in 4 different years. Trying to piece together the relationships and how they came about.

Book club choice. We had read Hotel on the corner of Bitter and Sweet which we all loved. We wanted to love this and it is fiction about a very interesting subject, but we didn’t. We would’ve like more of the wonderful stories of the past ancestors of Dorothy and less about Dorothy in 2045. I think the biggest problem with the book for me besides the lack of a connected flow to the women’s stories was that the author never suspended my disbelief of the rather flat characters in the future world.I think Jamie Ford can write compelling fiction and I would love to see more written about the characters in this book set in past historical times

This was the first book I've read by Jamie Ford and I love his writing style. It's at once easy to read and beautifully written.The writing of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy was a complicated endeavor and I'm not sure how the author decided on the order because it's not chronological. He wrote about seven generations of Chinese women, spanning three centuries and managed to give them all distinct personalities and trauma, while maintaining historical accuracy (I think, but I'm not an expert in that area).The premise if the book is that trauma (and possibly love) can be passed down from generation to generation (epigenetics). Jamie Ford managed to create characters that I cared about and empathized with, without scarring me with their trauma.I was left with questions about each character, wanting to know more about what happened to them after their individual traumatic events. Each character was interesting and defined enough that they could have had their own book, however, and the author did a wonderful job of keeping to the point.I would highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical, speculative, and/or cultural fiction, and also those who like to learn about new medical discoveries and theories like epigenetics. The author called this book, "An epigenetic love story."Note: This book contains some possible triggering events regarding sexism, racism, bigotry, rape, and mental health issues, but does not contain graphic descriptions of violence. As I mentioned above, I found I was able to empathize with the characters' plights and feel outrage on their behalf without being drawn too deeply into their trauma. Quite a testament to Mr. Ford's literary skill if you ask me.

After deciphering where this story was going, I had to ask Google and my neuropsychologist son if epigenesis is a real thing. Both assured me it is! What a concept, and what a story. Thanks, Jenna!

I have really enjoyed other books by Jamie Ford, so I was excited to read this one. However, the topic of epigenetics was a difficult one for me to comprehend. That made the story confusing to me and hard to follow. It almost seemed like science fiction. I liked each character, but had difficulty buying in to them all being the same person. I did not like Louis and his interfering mother, which was intentional I’m sure. They acted as a catalyst for Dorothy’s trauma then just disappeared. I think this book would have made more sense had I been at all familiar with the theories of inherited trauma. I think was just a case of a book - reader mismatch.

Review of The Many Daughter of Afong MoyBoy did I love this one.So relevant.So poignant.What if the lives of our ancestors lived inside of our bodies?What if the pain they felt, we also carry?What could change if we heal these deep wounds and become more aware of them?What a concept.This story follows many different women in this family line and I loved how they interweaved their own small and big happenings into the fabric of their ancestral lineage.The most recent woman follows a new study and therapy that can heal the wounds of her past relatives to help heal her own depression.I really couldn’t put the book down.Disclaimer: it’s SAD.Most of the characters have harsh realities and a lot of loss and hurting.I found the beautiful language and anguish of each story made me feel so vulnerable myself, as I read each vignette.Like rain tapping my insides.The perfect medicine for me in a time where I have felt adrift without my mother.This book isn’t for a time when you are joyful in your life experience, pick it up in a time where your soul feels cloudy, grey, and stormy…Especially if you can’t pinpoint why.This book will come to your aide and give you some water to quench your heartache.I resonated so much with the writing and extra kudos goes to the author for being brave enough to write so many women characters when he, himself, is male.I can appreciate an author who can embody something they don’t live themselves.🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2I couldn’t give it a perfect score because the ending left me unresolved…maybe that was the point…but I was left with a need unmet.I don’t say it often, but the story could have used a few chapters more.It doesn’t in anyway detract from how much I loved the book though. I highly recommend it!

Fascinating characters woven into an intriguing story of genetic memory. I loved the book and the life stories of the women, I would just suggest that you note the familial line in order to keep them straight. The author doesn’t tell the story in a linear way, and it helps to know the connections.Deeply touching with emotional highs and lows. I wanted to know each and every one of these brave, accomplished, and beautiful women

I absolutely loved this book it wasn’t one I had heard about until I was watching the today show and Jenna Bush mentioned it for her monthly read a few months ago. I loved the structure of the characters and how the plot weaves them all together it was so inspirational to have each character have a specific purpose but at different points in the book. It felt very current to todays culture while being a fiction book. Nothing but praise for this story.

A wonderfully strange novel. As a psychotherapist working from the premise that we internalize our family of origin - their habits, their disposition, the repetition of lives relived by progeny - this was an interesting take on the same theory but from an angle of inherited trauma superimposed on both historical and future selves handed down and handed up from each version of the so-called self, mixed in with some Buddhist philosophy that gives the content context. Original, creative and, at times a bit challenging to follow but worth the effort. I cannot remember the last time I read a book that so easily immerses the reader in different periods and generates visceral images on the mind’s inner eye. If you’ve ever felt a sense of deja vu this might interest you.The idea that when we meet people and are immediately drawn to them (or repulsed) is one I return to again and again. The underlying premise is we recreate our own past in the present and choose, albeit unconsciously, the people that will help us promulgate the original blueprint that starts being created by the environment almost the minute we are born. We recreate the trauma of our family of origin — and every family, every person you meet has trauma. From where I sit, our social world, our society, is a giant hall of funhouse mirrors with all its distortions. I help people recognize the patterns, the cognitive distortions if you will, inherited through the environment of their family - and, hopefully jettison their trauma in the process. The theory in this novel is not necessarily in opposition to the theories I work from but provides an an alternate or adjunct explanation - currently in vogue - about trans-generational trauma.There are several spots where the book seems a bit heavy handed and almost contradictory in its post-modern feminism. To paraphrase “She knew pain… she was born a woman.” This feels redundant as the whole book is about the pain of women. As if the author had to spell this out for readers who somehow missed that piece in the not-so subtle subtext. The journey of the protagonist(s) is framed in the search for love and is in some ways - turned on its head or not - is a take on the Cinderella tales that have been told for as long as we’ve had gender roles. Yes, the protagonist rescues herself but not without the help of various incarnations of her knight in shining armor.It is interesting how the persistent tale of the damsel in distress is - from the savior climbing the tower on braids of her hair to rescue said damsel right through to the last forgettable rom-com you watched - remains embedded in our culture and in a brilliant novel otherwise unfettered by convention.Maybe this incorporation of females being rescued but in the end rescuing themselves was the authors intent? Like any work of art the intention is open to interpretation.

Thoroughly fascinating book with a premise that everyone with ancestors can identify with. The inter-generational memories are woven together with with a thread so beautifully, that I felt like I knew each character intimately. The male author captured female thoughts and feelings perfectly. I loved The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet for many of the same reasons. His writing is wonderful! To say much more would ruin the fun.A definite 5 stars!