The Fortunes of Jaded Women

I loved these zany, passionate, intrusive mothers and their rebellious, troubled daughters. I laughed and laughed.

The Vietnamese mothers of Little Saigon in Orange County, CA knew hardship and survival. Romantic love had little place in their lives. There was the war and starting over in a foreign land, the struggle for financial security. They wanted their American born daughters to have the best, and they were certain they knew what was best for them. Their daughters, although successful in their careers, were unable to find success in love.

It was all because their family had been cursed generations ago. They couldn’t be happy in love and they couldn’t produce a male child.

Matriarch Mai’s three daughters were horrified when show more their half sister appeared from the dead and was given priority. The ensuing battle created a ten-year chasm. Mai visits a psychic who tells her to mend the rifts for there would be a funeral, a wedding, and a birth, she endeavors to bring the family back together again. Meanwhile, the granddaughters are each involved in their own problems and ill-fated love affairs.

The Fortunes of Jaded Women is a perfect light read, with a hilarious and crazy climax and a sweet ending, plus it’s filled with insight into the Vietnamese-American experience.

I received a galley from the publisher. My review is fair and unbiased. show less

Carolyn Huynh’s debut novel The Fortunes of Jaded Women is about a Vietnamese family who has to reckon with an ancient curse that only allows them to have daughters. There's an element of comedy, magic realism, and drama that makes this story very compelling.

It’s always challenging to write from multiple perspectives and make them sound like different characters with their own unique stories and perspectives. In this book, Huynh does a masterful job of writing from the perspective of 14 different women. As a Vietnamese American, it was not too challenging for me to keep up with the characters and names because of their distinctive personality traits and interesting stories that they all have - it feels like they are based on real show more people. In one of the interviews that Huynh did regarding this book, she mentioned that she wanted to show how humorous Vietnamese people can be, and I think she does that nicely.

I also think she did a beautiful job of painting the different settings and cities, and I can especially relate, having also lived in OC, LA, and Seattle and being able to picture all the geographical locations, restaurants, and stores in the book. This was actually a book club read, and everyone in my club loved how relatable and true-to-life it was. I wouldn't have known this was a debut novel if I hadn't read about it, and I can't wait to read anything else Huynh releases in the future.

Overall, this is a novel that I would re-read multiple times, and also what I would recommend to people who want to have a better understanding of the dynamics of Vietnamese/Vietnamese American diaspora, cultural identity, and family dynamics. show less

Very fun novel of a cursed family of Vietnamese women as they navigate familial and romantic relationships.

Dysfunctional family book at it's best! So many sisters, daughters, cousins. There was a family tree in the front of the book but I didn't need it. I got used to all the names pretty quickly. I enjoyed this family and this book.

Might be a cultural Vietnamese thing but it did annoy me at times that the author used Mrs. "so and so" a lot in the book but what do I know.

Vietnamese American women are cursed by a witch after their ancestor left her husband for another man. This witch says that the women of the family will never be happy and never have sons. The story then follows a family through very messy relationships, when the women never seem to find the right partner.They have estranged relationships with their mother and their siblings, all due to this curse by a psychic witch.
This novel is a look into how Vietnamese people feel in the US, and how their traditions and culture may affect the choices they make, and how others view them. There were some funny moments throughout as they try to work on being a family again.

I loved it! At times I got confused by the names and who fit in the family where, but the family tree in the front of the book helped a LOT! Generations of this family have suffered under a curse that only produces female heirs. And what a set of independent and stubborn heirs they are. At times funny, at times you want to shake them because no one is communicating or listening when they should.

Family dramas arean't always my thing but this one was really cute. At first, the drama was almost overwhelming. The judgement and lack of communication was almost painful. But the silly parts, the fruit throwing and path sorting was interesting and I liked how each woman grew both within and through the relationships around her. The ending was a good conclusion and made up for a few slow parts in the middle.