Jamie Ford
Author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
About the Author
Jamie Ford graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle in 1988 and worked as an art director and as a creative director in advertising. He is also an alumnus of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers and the Orson Scott Card's Literary Boot Camp. His books include Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and show more Sweet and Songs of Willow Frost. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by Jamie Ford
Associated Works
A People's Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers (2019) — Contributor — 396 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Ford, James Mark
- Birthdate
- 1968-07-09
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Eureka, California, USA
- Places of residence
- Montana, USA
Seattle, Washington, USA - Education
- The Art Institute of Seattle
School of Visual Concepts
Olympic College - Occupations
- writer
novelist
creative director - Agent
- Kristin Nelson (Literary)
Members
Reviews
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A Novel by Jamie Ford
This fell a bit flat. It may not be fair because romance is one of my least liked genres. It was actually okay as far as the romance part went. The characters felt stagnant, the story felt like it was told by a tired narrator, there seemed a few too many inconsistencies, and the kids seemed a bit young for the bond depicted. The ending was a bit too "perfect", though that seems to be how romances generally go. I didn't totally hate the book, but it wasn't a favorite and I'd not recommend it.
Dorothy Moy lives in Seattle in 2045 with her partner Louis and daughter Annabel. She's a poet and has dealt with depression and trauma, not all of which is her own. Interspersed with her story is that of Afong Moy, Lai King, Faye, and Zoe, four women ancestors that went back to the first Chinese woman to come to the United States. Utilizing a technique to tap into memories, Dorothy starts seeing these women and understanding how their experience made her into who she is.
I started out enjoying the complex storyline and multiple characters, but in the end the book fell a little flat for me. Taking the idea of epigenetics, as well as the history of Afong Moy (a real person) and philosophies of Buddhism, Jamie Ford writes a story he likens to using a crayon box. And I think that is a little how I felt in the end, that he played with a lot of ideas and I didn't always follow everything he was doing. Were the stories of the women in the past their real histories, or some sort of reliving that Dorothy does? Implanted memories? Something else? I did not understand why Dorothy stayed with Louis, who treats her with contempt and questions her every move. And finally, I think I wanted a little more about each of the women, with a clearer end to each of their stories.… (more)
I started out enjoying the complex storyline and multiple characters, but in the end the book fell a little flat for me. Taking the idea of epigenetics, as well as the history of Afong Moy (a real person) and philosophies of Buddhism, Jamie Ford writes a story he likens to using a crayon box. And I think that is a little how I felt in the end, that he played with a lot of ideas and I didn't always follow everything he was doing. Were the stories of the women in the past their real histories, or some sort of reliving that Dorothy does? Implanted memories? Something else? I did not understand why Dorothy stayed with Louis, who treats her with contempt and questions her every move. And finally, I think I wanted a little more about each of the women, with a clearer end to each of their stories.… (more)
It takes a while to settle into The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford and its different timelines. It takes a longer while to settle into the fact that this book is more the presentation of an idea than a plot line beginning to end. It is about trauma compounded through generations. It is about efforts to counter that trauma. It is about hope for the future in science. The book leaves me thinking, and I will remember it.
Read my complete review at rel="nofollow" target="_top">http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2023/10/the-many-daughters-of-afong-moy.html
Reviewed for NetGalley.… (more)
Read my complete review at rel="nofollow" target="_top">http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2023/10/the-many-daughters-of-afong-moy.html
Reviewed for NetGalley.… (more)
3.5* The concept of epigenetics ("the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work") is explored through the experience of Dorothy Moy, who experiences memories of events in the lives of her female ancestors, including Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman in the United States. Each woman's story is scattered throughout the book, and each is very interesting and extremely well written. However because I listened to the audio version I was not able to fully appreciate the relationships.… (more)
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- Also by
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- Rating
- 3.9
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- ISBNs
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