4.5 stars.

I love Jamie Ford's writing style. It has an interesting combination of comforting and unsettling qualities and is brilliantly atmospheric. His character work is wonderful and I just love the way his stories come to life. Though I have only read historical fiction from him in the past, this novel mixes history with the future and science with a bit of magical realism. It's an interesting framework for a story and incredibly creative.

The women created in the story are all very distinct and strong, despite their traumas. Dorothy appeared to be the weakest of the "daughters", which makes sense as you read the story and understand the theory behind the work. However, this did make her a little more unlikable in my eyes, so may be a reader turn off for her character. Regardless, all of the characters (and multiple POVs) are magnificently crafted and very well researched for their individual time periods. This approach does mean that there are jumps between both time and character that could be confusing for some readers, but I really enjoyed reading about the different women.

I found the research behind the primary basis for the story very interesting and am glad that the author decided to introduce the book with an author's note, as I think this sets up readers for a greater understanding of the narrative (even though it is actually explained over the course of the plot). Those who like to go into a book knowing nothing would be wise to skip this introduction as it could be considered by some to be a bit of a spoiler.

This novel is full of generational sadness and historical misogyny, pulling the reader through multiple emotional journeys. The way these are all interwoven and somewhat influence one another is masterfully done and I loved the way everything came together.

This is a beautiful epic story with an interesting magical realism/sci-fi twist that I found both entertaining and contemplative. There is a lot to unpack in this story and a lot to consider once the tale is finished. A great thought piece and a lovely novel.

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: Kindle eBook & Physical Book
Date Published: 8/2/22
Author: Jamie Ford
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 384
GR: 4.00

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: As Washington’s former poet laureate, 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. 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.

My Thoughts: I did not like historical fiction when I started my journey, slowly I am migrating towards it and this was an excellent stepping stone! The story is narrated from the POV of 7 women, from their own perspectives. The story is told in alternating timelines that is not placed in any chronological order. This was a very interesting read, but incredibly sad. This book had a little of everything, philosophical, mystery, some magic, and was extremely heartwarming. The characters were well flushed out in the story, well developed, multiple generations covered, mysterious, and very intriguing. The author’s writing style was multifaceted complex, thought provoking, historical, cultural, and kept me engaged. This was a powerful novel that was Read with Jeanna’s Book in August. Afong Moy was based on a true character, which gave the book an interesting flare. The ending does an amazing job of tying everything together is a feel good ending. I would highly recommend picking up this novel today!!

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Jamie Ford, author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, has a new book out: The Many Daughters of Afong Moy. The novel combines historical/contemporary/futuristic fiction and magical realism in a multi-generational exploration of inherited trauma/epigenetics.

Although there are several women portrayed in the novel, two are the bookends to the storyline. The first is Afong Moy (based on a true historical figure.) She is the first Chinese woman to come to the U.S. – against her will. She was treated as a type of circus freak, with audiences particularly agog because of her tiny bound feet. She was essentially enslaved and forced to perform. Her story ends in tragedy. Her memories become embedded in the psyches of her descendants.

Each of these descendants has an interesting story of her own. Each lives their own particular tragedy. The stories are beautiful and a bit painful to read.

The traumatic memories are not only inherited but are cumulative. By the time we reach Dorothy Moy’s story, it is the year 2045. Dorothy lives in Seattle, a city rattled by climate change. She is a renowned poet, or was, until she was forced to resign because of her dissociative disorder. She’s in a bad relationship, unemployed, and, worst of all, she fears her five-year-old daughter is sliding down the same path. She’s ready for something drastic. Her therapist recommends an experimental treatment, a genetic therapy that will help her ferret out the inherited memories embedded in her brain. (There is actually scientific research being done in this area.)

Dorothy has to get worse before she gets better. She experiences things that are shown happening in the lives of her ancestors in other chapters. The intertwining of the stories is deftly done.

There is also a man, the soul-mate of Afong Moy, who weaves in and out of all the women’s lives, trying to reconnect, but always just missing.

There is a lot going on in the novel and it would probably bear reading twice to fully appreciate all the nuance. But even if you can’t read it twice, it’s well worth reading once!

Dorothy Moy, a poet, struggles with some mental healthy issues. She finds an experimental treatment designed to help her find and understand inherited trauma in her past. She is concerned for her daughter Annabel. In her treatments, she finds her ancestors: Afong Moy (a historical figure who was the first Chinese woman to come to America); Lai King Moy, a young girl quarantined during the 1918 pandemic; Faye Moy, a nurse who served with the Flying Tigers in China; Zoe Moy, a student in London; Greta Moy, a tech executive of Syren (which actually existed for a short time), the dating app to find your perfect mate. This story connects all these women through time travel/ a new (futuristic) treatment to help you "remember" your ancestor's memories that Dororthy goes through. I enjoyed the women's stories and the history. It did get a bit far-fetched for me, so take that into account when starting this book. My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Simon & Schuster for an advanced e-book.

A very interesting story of the lives of six generations of women and their DNA connections. Seven daughters all related and affected by transgenerational trauma, trauma passed down from one generation to the next. Each woman can feel something, emotions from a past that she has never experienced. This is exceptional reading at its best and highly recommended.

This was a fascinating novel dealing with generational trauma throughout the family history of Afong Moy and many of her female descendants, ending with Dorothy and her daughter Annabel in the 21st century, in Seattle.

It's an intricately crafted tale, that at times is a bit confusing, but is mesmerizing none the less. I really got drawn into the stories of each woman's life (and trauma) and could have read a whole novel on just Greta alone. There's a bit of a suspension of disbelief required, but I read a lot of sci-fi and magical realism, so it was easy to just go where the story took me. Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC. This was a wonderful and challenging read.

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, by Jamie Ford, is a wonderful and challenging novel to read. The theme of inherited trauma and memory is explored through the fictionalized experiences of the very real Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to come to the United States, and the six generations of fictional women that followed her. Ford weaves in some research to substantiate the theory. While I am intrigued, I am not yet persuaded. Each of the seven women is meticulously and lovingly created, but we see them as a montage in the crucial formulative experiences of their lives. Each could have been the subject of a separate novel. The story weaves forward and back in time and space, increasing the difficulty of keeping the descendants and their traumas connected. I suspect that if I was more perceptive or reread the book, the chapter order would have something to do with the connections between descendants. Finally, I am not sure how this book ended. Was the past rewritten? Was it a manifestation of medication? Was the cycle of inherited trauma ended? I don’t know.

This book left me with a lot to ponder. I think it might provoke a great discussion for a book club. I’m settling on 3.5 stars but rounding up to encourage more people to give it a try. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Publishing for the opportunity to read a digital ARC.

Overall, I liked this story and the epigenetics linking the characters through generations. SPOILER: The ending initially is quite hopeless as though we cannot change because of our ancestral past - then after the dream/visions/the going-back, it became hopeful because of her knowing, her seeing, her changing the unchangeable...not sure what the moral/message really is in the end. Can we find hope without being able to take a pill to change our deep past? While this is tightly plotted, still some continuity questions arose for me. How is the girl who came over to the US on a ship the descendant of Afong Moy who was pregnant on an American street?

Historical and futuristic, Jamie Ford has created a unique story based on epigenitics, the study of how genes are modified by behaviors and environment without affecting DNA.. He takes the reader through the lives of seven generations of women, their traumas and how their lives have been affected over a span of 150 years. Beginning with Afong, the first Chinese woman to arrive in the USA in 1836 and concluding with Annabel in 2086. While somewhat difficult to follow as it is not written in a chronological order, it is a fascinating story likely to generate multiple viewpoints in a book club discussion.

This story is amazing but also easy to get lost in. Dorthy Moy has the gift and curse of being able to experience the trauma of generations of her family. This causes Dorthy’s mental health to be challenged as she is often caught between present and past. She worries that her daughter Annabel may follow in her footsteps.
As a reader we get to walk through time periods dating back to 1892 and the stories of the Moy women. Each of the stories are captivating. They ranged from Faye Moy who was a nurse for the Flying Tigers to Greta Moy who invented a dating app. Most interesting was the story of AFONG Moy who was the 1st Chinese women in America. That could have been a book of it’s own! The topic alone is fascinating as I believe in and have witnessed the effects of generational trauma.
With the different stories, timelines and characters, it was challenging to follow at times. Overall a very thought provoking and interesting read.

Epigenetics is completely new to me though I’ve wondered if the unhappiness that can run through generations of a family might somehow be inherited. It seemed that Ford was writing a Shirley MacLaine-like story, but the Buddhist monk set me straight on that score. He said, “My Buddhist teaching encourages me not to dwell on those conceptions. Because this thing we might call a past life insinuates that we had a primary one to begin with. It implies the existence of a soul that transmigrates from body to body.”

So I set back to enjoy this a collection of short stories that linked the daughters to each other, though in moving back and forth through time and place, I found it necessary to make a chart to keep them sorted out. My favorite thread was “I will find you” and “Find me.” It’s an easy book to read, and I think this will appeal to readers of mystical fiction.

This was my favorite book of August and up there for one of my favorites of the year. Seven generations of stories had the potential to be overly complicated, but Ford handled it brilliantly. Each character was given the depth and time they needed, and I loved every one of them. This was emotional, heartbreaking, and beautiful.

I have been a fan of Jamie Ford and his books since Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet but the complexity of this one knocks all his others off the shelf. I can’t imagine the research that went into understanding the historical parts, writing the future and epigenetics.

The story of the Moy women is one of survival, loss, love and hope. It is how we carry the pain of the past into the present but hope for better in the future.

I struggled to follow the thread of this book as it moved back and forward through many generations of women. Parts of the story captivated me; for example, the life of Afong Moy. But other sections lost me and I was continually flipping back to see where my mind had drifted. But when I read other reviews, I see that many readers thoroughly enjoyed this book.
So my advice is to give it a try. Don’t let my 3 stars give you pause. The writing style is beautiful, the emotions of the characters are raw and exposed, and the theory is one that should be considered probable.
Thanks so much to Atria for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an epid read that spans the lives of many women. All descendants of Afong Moy, the first Chinese women to come to America. It never occurred to me that pain and trauma could be passed down through generations, but if causing abuse and other vices can, it does make sense.

At times I was confused by the story, but was always mesmerized by the writing. I liked some of the character’s stories more than others and there are a lot of them, there is a divergence at the end that explains it all.

I enjoyed this journey.

3.5

This was a tough read, which given the content makes sense; however, I don't think I was fully prepared for it. In fact, I attempted to read this book last month and got ~15% in before deciding I was not in the right headspace and restarted it this month.

The concept of this book is very interesting. Jamie Ford takes some of the research being done about epigenetic trauma and applies it to this line of Chinese and Chinese American women. Our main character is Dorothy Moy, who has been struggling with dissociative episodes and her mental health her whole life as did her mother and when she starts to notice similar behavior in her five year old daughter she seeks an experimental treatment that allows her to connect with previous generations. These generations start with Afong Moy, the first Chinese women to set foot in America (1836) and ends with her many times great granddaughter in 2086. Along the way, the book covers a lot of major events/issues such as Victorian Orientalism, the burning of San Francisco's Chinatown, the Flying Tigers of WWII, sexism in the workplace, climate change causing environmental disaster, and more.

That being said, the book jumps back and forth across timelines seemingly without reason and we don't really see the whole picture until the last ~15% of the book. In hindsight, the structure made sense and I liked the way Ford used the incoming typhoon in Dorothy's timeline (Seattle 2045) and that it ended in such a hopeful way. Though while the ending was hopeful, the first ~60% of the book was sort of exhausting because all we saw of these women's lives were the trauma they experienced. I get that that is essentially the premise of the story, but given that so much of their trauma was sexual violence related and that this author is male, it made me a little uncomfortable.

Overall, I think this was a really ambitious project and it's a concept and a set of stories that should be told; however, I wasn't fully on board with the execution.

This is a tough book to review. A mix of historical fiction, science fiction, and pure imagination, it was confusing at times as it moved back and forth in time, but once I decided to suspend disbelief and just go with the flow, it proved to be a fascinating thought experiment. There were many sad examples of oppression and abuse suffered by each of the female characters, but also redemption in the final events of the story. The novel’s central concept of inherited trauma is an interesting one to explore.

This book was so fascinating and introduced me to a whole new set of ideas and beliefs! About several generations of Chinese women, Jamie Ford explores epigenetics- how are trauma and love and memories passed through generations? How do they change the way we see the world and interact with people? Ford considers science, spirituality, culture, and religion to understand this. This book was devastating, as were the characters, but that's what made it, and them, so beautiful. Through stories of immigration and womanhood, Ford writes an original novel that will take your breath away and challenge you to see the world differently.

I received a reviewer copy of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford from the publisher Atria Books from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Dorothy Moy has dissociative episodes and mental health crises. She visits with the women of her past, and when she notices her daughter is also showing similar behavior, she fears that this depression is an epigenetic inheritance and she wants to break the cycle and seeks untraditional treatment.

What I Loved: This book is an ambitious family saga with an incredible premise. This book was crafted with care and I love, and the writing shows. I found the premise of inherited trauma super intriguing. This book is a high concept novel and impossible to go into depth through as we are following five women with unique lives.

What I didn’t like so much: I don't want to say this but the concept might have been too high for me. I couldn't keep track of what was really happening. I think part of the style is that the dissociative episodes are confusing and that we have a somewhat unreliable narrator, but this book was very hard to place myself in and recognize where I was in time and that confused me and left me enjoying this novel a bit less. than if I could orient myself better.

Who Should Read It: People who love family generational saga epics.

Summary: A hugely ambition novel that asks what do we inherit from our family?

THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG MOY is a brilliantly crafted story that examines how intergenerational trauma impacts families. Ford’s inspiration for this novel stems from the real-life Afong Moy, the first known Chinese woman to immigrate to America and spent many years traveling as a performer. Ford takes us through several generations of her descendants and expands on how each of them is haunted by inherited trauma and foreign memories. In the future, we witness the lengths they will go to put an end to this painful cycle. This is a fascinating blend of historical, dystopian and contemporary fiction that explores the immigrant experience, trauma, identity, the climate crisis and the love that binds a family across generations. A remarkable, illuminating read.