Jamie Ford's new novel, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, is extraordinary - and unique. I want to make sure the right readers find this genre-busting novel.

Ford's most famous novel, On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, is straight historical fiction. Afong Moy is not. The story perfectly blends a multigenerational family saga, melded with futuristic science and a dash of added dystopia. Readers need to expect and enjoy a bit of speculative and futuristic elements.

Ford uses fiction to paint a vivid example of how inherited trauma may manifest. I've read about epigenetics but found the concept hard to conceptualize (and I'm a scientist), so I appreciated reading the author's take on the phenomenon. I'll be reflecting on Ford's narrative for a long time - and what is a better complement to a book than this?

I recommend reading the acknowledgment section of the book before you begin. In this case, understanding more of the author's motivations and background may help the reader get into the book. There are many characters and alternating timelines, so you may want to keep a note card as a bookmark to remind you of who's who. I read an ebook version and had to search character names a few times.
Finally, this is an excellent book club pick and a book you may find yourself rereading.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced ebook version in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to get this and have heard such great things, but when I got to chapters on climate change weather and pandemic stuff, it was just too much for my nervous heart. I know others will love it but I can’t do this one and still sleep peacefully.

When I read this book I was taken on a journey across continents and generations. Ford wove parallels of common interests or preferences among the Moy women but also shared emotions, reactions, and a trauma that cut deeper into the following generations. The women's stories were so powerful and harrowing. For instance, Afong Moy was wed off to an already deceased man and their family sold her to an American. She moved to America and was the first Chinese woman in the US where she was paraded around on stages around the country like a circus act. Each POV was like a window into a Chinese experience at that snapshot of history. It was super interesting and I learned a lot but what shone through was the characters and their heart-wrenching stories. Sometimes I couldn't tell where things were going or how a character was connected and then it all came together and I was left in tears.

This book is going to get a special place on my shelf. It hit a nerve within me. Sometimes I feel like I feel more than others. I get so many weird deja vu moments that I can't explain. I often reflect on my past and on the fragility of our time on earth.. I know, deep and exhausting. Ford dives into the concept of epigenetic inheritance, the concept that we can inherit trauma and joy from past generations in our DNA. It is not an obscure concept in some other cultures but recent research has supported the theory. Hmmmm... no wonder I loved this book.

Thank you Atria books and Jamie Ford for the opportunity to read an advanced copy for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Dorothy Moy is a poet laureate. Her poetry flows out of her "episodes," which her husband is sure are mental health deficiencies. But when her daughter starts to have the same experiences, Dorothy seeks treatment and begins to meet some of her ancestors--fierce women, all. Their experiences, adventures, joys, traumas, and lives all culminate in Dorothy and her daughter. And all along this journey, someone is looking for Dorothy...but why?

This was a journey full of metaphors, and what-ifs, and could-bes, and longing. Of generational trauma and deja vu. So much of it is so very real, and the rest very well could be. How much are we affected by the legacy and experiences of our ancestors, either through DNA or through generational nurture? What happens when trauma informs our identity, either consciously or unconsciously? And what forms can healing and resolution take? I found myself pondering themes along these lines both during the story and long after I was done reading. I can see how it would be triggering in a good way for some, and in a bad way for others, so approach with caution oh ye sensitive reader. The universality of the themes is a testament to the excellence of the storytelling.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley and the publisher. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is destined to be one of the most talked about books of August 2022. It is a beautifully written, totally unique twist on a time traveling, multigenerational tale.

When Poet Laureate Dorothy Moy starts seeing her daughter exhibiting signs of the dissociative behavior and mental health struggles that have plagued her along with recurring memories of her ancestors, she seeks help from an experimental therapy that will help her deal with the inherited trauma of the women in her family tree.

The very different experiences of the women in various time periods were helpful in keeping track of the multiple storylines, which could have been a frustrating challenge. I did not find it difficult to shift from time periods, although my curiosity about how this book was possibly going to be wrapped up kept me reading impatiently!

The book really makes you think about how our ancestors' experiences might influence our own. I am sure the next time I meet someone and feel that instant of connection/recognition, Jamie Ford's novel will certainly come to mind.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy. The opinions in this review are my own.

My brain kind of hurts after this one, but not in a bad way.

This novel spans 7 generations and centers around the theory of epigenetics (the study of inheriting trauma/memories/etc. through DNA). I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters and Ford's writing style is truly mesmerizing.

The science of it all and keeping track of where we were and who we were with in the timeline was a little over my head. The idea is fascinating, but I couldn't follow it completely.

Jamie Ford has just taken me on a marvelous fictional trip covering 250 years. Along the way I met seven fascinating women and the close friends or enemies they encountered in their lifetimes. The author did a lot of research to put together this saga, so be sure to read the author’s notes at the end. Highly recommended!

Afong Moy is a figure of history--the first known female Chinese immigrant to the United States. In 1834, Moy was brought from her hometown of Guangzhou to New York City by traders Nathaniel and Frederick Carne and exhibited as "The Chinese Lady." Everything about her was fascinating to audiences, including her tiny bound feet, her exotic clothes, songs and dances.

In his new book, Jamie Ford imagines some scenarios of her life and that of many of her female descendants. The premise of his story is that trauma they suffered can be passed down genetically through the generations. He cites a field of study called epigenetics. I'm kind of open to that idea myself. It might answer the question of why some families seem to have so much more tragedy and loss in their lives. A quote from mathematician Norbert Wiener in the story illustrates the idea: 'We are not stuff that abides, but patterns that perpetuate themselves.'

Dorothy, one of these many daughters whose own life story is set in the near future, worries that her depression will be passed on to her little daughter so she becomes more proactive to learn how to break the cycle with the hope that 'by no longer identifying as victims of the past, we are empowered to change the future.'

I found the stories about each of these women to be rich and interesting, though very sad at times. I've been digging into my own family's history this past year and often think it's frustrating that we cannot really know much about who they were, other than what can be gleaned through unearthed facts and a few remembered family stories.

I received an arc of this new work of historical fiction from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

The premise of this book is so intriguing! It takes on the idea that we inherit our ancestors trauma. I need to do some more homework on this for sure!

We follow the many daughters of Afong Moy beginning in the early 1800’s through the later 2000’s we learn each of their stories and backgrounds.

The chapters rotate between each daughter and we slowly come to know them and all about their lives, their struggles and dreams.

The last daughter which is alive mid 2000’s tries to resolve the conflict within herself through a series of what I would call sci-fi experiments. It goes weird and I’m still trying to process how it all worked out.

I enjoyed each mini story of them women. I loved the history, some culture, the relationships and ideas this book presented.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the advance ebook.

This story follows the trauma experienced by Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman in America, and the cumulative traumas passed down to generations of her descendants through epigenetic inheritance. I was glad to have the list of characters at the beginning, as I often had to look back to reorient myself. Each chapter is a different POV and skips around in time.
.
I am fascinated by the real world studies in epigenetic inheritance, but especially near the end, this book felt closer to science fiction, which isn’t really my thing. The idea of shouldering all our ancestors’ cumulative traumas inevitably feels quite heavy. Although I wanted something a little different, this story is beautifully written and thought provoking. There is so much to discuss and I could not stop turning pages.

Dorothy Moy is a poet, which is a way she copes with mental health struggles. Her 5-year-old daughter starts to exhibit behavior that is similar to Dorothy's, which includes remembering things from the lives of their ancestors. Dorothy seeks the help of an experimental treatment and connects with the past generations in her family.

In 2009, I read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by this author and to this day, would consider it one of my favorite books. So I went into The Many Daughters of Afong Moy with high expectations. I'm glad to say, I was not disappointed. There are many POVs in this book, all ancestors of Dorothy and her daughter, Annabel. We see each of these women at critical points in their lives and are able to trace how this affects them and the women that come after. But more importantly, they are all well written and beautiful characters.

Please do not miss this amazing and beautiful story. I expect it will take its place next to Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet as a favorite of mine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books eGalley for providing me an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Available August 2, 2022.

The Many Daughters of Afong May is a generational story which explores what issues might be passed down from mothers to daughters. Jamie Ford takes the reader on quite a journey as a Dorothy undergoes experimental treatment for mental health issues during which she connects with generations of women in her family. It Is a new, intriguing and interesting read,

I'll be the outlier. Ford has turned his personal interest in epigenetics and generational trauma into a family saga which will pull you into each woman's story. That said, each woman, beginning with Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman in the US, really deserved more. The novel is framed by Dorothy, a poet with mental health issues and an unsympathetic partner, who explores experimental treatment when she becomes concerned about her own daughter Annabel (you'll see that name elsewhere). As a result, she experiences some of the things her ancestors- Lai King, Faye, Zoe, Greta, and Afong- did. These are vivid, with terrific atmospherics in war torn China, plague ridden San Francisco, the tech business, and I wanted more of each of them. I found myself skipping the science (to be fair there isn't much). There were also small oddities that I didn't understand making it through editing such as when Chinese rice cakes made by a Chinese woman were referred to in a later paragraph as mochi as were the bubbles in Taiwanese bubble tea. Mochi? Astute readers will see threads picked up and carried between the women as it moves between them and back and forth in time, until the climax. I'll leave commentary on that to others. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. An interesting read.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is one of my top ten novels of all time, so I was very excited for the opportunity to read Jamie Ford’s latest. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books.

I’ll start by saying this book is quite a departure from the author’s previous works. While the premise is intriguing, I think perhaps it was a bit over my head and certainly not what I was expecting.

I did enjoy the author’s beautiful storytelling, but the jumps through time ranging from 1836 to 2085 and concerning seven generations of Moy women felt disjointed and confusing to this reader.

I really wanted to love it, but sadly, I just didn’t. I will still look forward with eager anticipation to the author’s next book.

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is a beautifully written epic story of the lives of seven women set over a wide time span. Different points of history are backdrops and I appreciated the author’s notes at the end that talked about that aspect. Each character/storyline is completely immersive and told in fairly long chunks – so the slight downside is that when it switched, I sometimes didn’t remember the previous storyline details and had trouble keeping the characters straight. Reading this book takes a bit of work and would be best to consume over a short time and not something you pick up for an hour or so every few days. By the second half it was getting clearer who was who and how they were related. The science behind the premise of the book is in epigenetics, or the study of how non-physical traits can be handed down through generations (my definition). He takes current basic research and expands on it to create a realistic sci-fi vibe with a character undergoing treatment in 2045 – this becomes a device to see into the past and to see how the stories all fit together. I’m still wondering about what happened in the last 10% of the book -- the ending ties things up but leaves room for interpretation. The complex structure and quality of writing remind me a lot of Cloud Cuckoo Land. This book is creative and brilliant and earns five stars from me though I wouldn’t put it in my absolute personal favorite list for the year.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the early copy to read and review. This book will release August 2, 2022.

Jamie Ford is an outstanding writer and this new novel is a masterpiece. He made each of the women in Dorothy’s past come to life and you feel like you are there, whether it’s New York in the 1800’s all the way to Seattle in the future. He makes you care about each of these women and examine how their trauma may be affecting future generations. The Daughters of Afong Moy will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

This novel was excellent. Beautiful and lyrical, about intergenerational trauma. The story traced seven women, all related (mothers to daughters) in a lovely story about love and loss and overcoming trauma. Yes, it also touches on epignetics (the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work), which added an interesting dimension to the book. I don't want to say much more, because this is a novel best experienced without knowing too much.

"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, 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.

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."

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

What an imagination! Jamie Ford has written a new novel that spans generations, both from the past to the future. In the beginning, it read like several short stories and I had my favorites early on. But as I kept reading, the stories merged into one.

Generations of daughters and the grief and struggles that they passed down were at the forefront of the story. But finally, futuristic technology enables one daughter to re-imagine the past stories in search of a better outcome for the daughters.

Overall this was a mournful story with characters that deserved better situations. I loved the thought-provoking topics and the magical realism that was woven throughout the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for allowing me to read an advanced copy. I am happy to offer my honest review of the book.

Dorothy struggles with mental health problems. She’s determined to figure out what to do so her daughter doesn’t inherit them. So, she searches for answers in her ancestor’s past traumas.

This book is hard to describe. Part sci-fi, part literary fiction, it explores the idea of trauma being handed down generationally. It’s thought-provoking fiction at its best.

I absolutely adored Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet so it was a no-brainer for me to accept the invite to read an advanced copy of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy thanks to Atria Books.

I found it to be a very intricately woven book about mental health and things that have happened in the past and how that affects us now. With that being said, it’s a book you need to set time to be fully immersed in - a chapter here and there won’t do it justice.

The story is told from multiple POVs. It took me almost halfway through the book to really understand who was who. As with many multiple POV books, I found myself more interested/invested in some stories more than others.

This book has a lot of trauma and grief. I found myself with my mouth wide open and a hand over it at the end.

If you’re looking for an emotional historical fiction across the generations to fully immerse yourself in, be sure to preorder and add to your TBR!

Thank you Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book. The review expresses my own personal opinions.