"The Manicurist's Daughter" is a poignant and deeply personal memoir that delves into the complex emotional journey of Susan Lieu, the youngest daughter of a Vietnamese immigrant family. I was captivated by the raw honesty and vulnerability Lieu brings to her exploration of grief, family dynamics, and the relentless pursuit of answers surrounding her mother's untimely death.

Lieu skillfully weaves together the threads of her family's successful nail salon business, the strong work ethic and survival skills instilled in her and her siblings, and the devastating loss of her mother, Jennifer, who passed away in her 30s from complications of a botched plastic surgery procedure. The author's vivid descriptions of the daily operations of the family's nail salons, and the ways in which young Susan was incorporated into the business, offer a fascinating glimpse into the immigrant experience and the value placed on family, hard work, and self-reliance.

What truly sets this memoir apart is Lieu's unflinching examination of her own grief, her strained relationship with her mother, and her family's reluctance to confront the painful details of Jennifer's death. The author's persistence in uncovering the truth, through acquiring legal depositions, traveling to Vietnam, and ultimately creating a theatrical piece to process her emotions, is both admirable and heartbreaking. Her vivid recollections of the fraught final moments with her mother, and the lasting impact of those unresolved feelings, are deeply poignant.

"The Manicurist's Daughter" is a powerful and important work that grapples with the universal themes of grief, family, and the complex legacies we inherit. Lieu's courage in sharing her story, and her willingness to confront the painful truths about her mother's death and her own role in it, make this memoir a compelling and thought-provoking read. It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of love and connection, even in the face of unimaginable loss.

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

The Manicurist's Daughter is a memoir that I would recommend to any reader interested in Asian American memoirs or nonfiction books about the beauty industry.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for this Digital Advanced Readers Copy! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This was a heartbreaking memoir of a woman and her family. The Manicurist's daughter demonstrate the love and trauma that runs in immigrant families, and how this impacts long-term relationships. Susan's story telling and relating back to the nail salon she grew up in was a wonderful metaphor for her life. Her dark sense of humor made some of the more difficult parts more digestible and demonstrated the humanity in love and loss.

Part I: Ma

A book in six parts, Susan takes the word ma, made different by adding diacritics. This first section, ma, means ghost. It takes place in her youth, growing up in and around her mother's nail salons.

The last time Susan spoke to her mom, she told her she hated her. The next time she saw her, she was in a coma. Days later, she died from a botched plastic surgery. The surgeon was known for preying on Vietnamese women. He did not have malpractice insurance. He continued to practice.

Part II: Mả

The Korean yoga cult scares me. I understand that feeling of disconnect and divide from your family can sometimes feel so strong that you feel pressure to pour out your feelings to literal strangers.

As someone that just took my first trip to Vietnam, hearing about the juxtapositions between Susan's trips as a child and as a working adult make me smile. There is nothing quite like landing in Asia, and Southeast Asia in particular has a set of sounds and smells that, while not inherently familiar to me, were.

Part III: Mà

The blending of Vietnamese and Korean culture at Susan and Marvin's wedding greatly amused me. I enjoy both countries' traditional dress, and am glad they wore both. The juxtaposition between Susan's mostly working class upbringing and Marvin's upper middle class one struck me as something significant. Even the act of eating can bring shame.

Part IV: Má

This section was long. For a section named after Susan's mother, I expected nothing less.

The Paris by Night chapter had me howling. I 100% remember everyone being enamored with Dalena, a white blonde woman that sang in Vietnamese. I don't understand the excitement.

What is disheartening to me is when Susan mentions the plastic surgery ads post-show. They are so ingrained in me as "normal" that I forgot about them. And while I would never police a woman's right to choose what to do with her own body, as long as it's her own choice, the fact that these women paid through the roof to fix their bodies for men makes me sad.

Part V: Mạ

Susan being dramatic on the mountain = ME

I can't believe Marvin wrote a program for Alexa to give Susan compliments instead of just complimenting her himself. Well, I can, but you know what I mean. Men smh.

I'm still iffy on kids for myself, but I think it would be so special to have them call me Mẹ. I used to call my own mom that, until one day it segued into mom. I'm not sure when or why that is. Well, I probably know the why.

I cried a little when Susan couldn't even croak out the word má, when she and Marvin were deciding what they wanted their son to call them. I'm glad she chose that, and he chose appa. Made me smile.

Part VI: Mã

This section title confused me a bit. I know the word horse as ngựa. Mental note to ask my parents if this is a dialect thing.

We spend most of this book focused on Susan's mother, and this is understandable, but this section focuses on her father. His zodiac animal is the horse, which makes this make so much more sense. There is some growth and healing that happens for the both of them. Some things never change, and some never will, but I was happy with the resolution.

📚 Buddy read with Christina

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books

his memoir is by Susan, the youngest in her family and the only one born in the US after her family escaped from Vietnam. When she was just eleven, her mother died after a botched plastic surgery. This book explores both Susan’s childhood, her relationships with her family, and her attempts as an adult to investigate and come to terms with her mom’s death, culminating in a one woman show and then this book.

This one got a lot of raves, but for me it just never really drew me in and hence I read it extra slowly because I was rarely compelled to pick it up. I know by definition memoirs are self-focused, but this one just seemed especially solipsistic, even though it’s also ostensibly about the author’s mother. I bet the show she performed was great though - she spends too much of the book talking about developing it, but then when she includes part of the script of the end of the show, I found that to be the most emotionally affecting part of the book.

Throughout the memoir Lieu incorporates interesting and nuanced themes related to body image, emotional and physical abuse, and learning how to love yourself and where you come from. It’s absolutely wild and sickening that a white male plastic surgeon was profiting off vulnerable Vietnamese women’s body image insecurities, and Lieu is courageous for writing about her and her mother’s story.

Really not interested in reading or listening to this ( I tried both formats). I found the very beginning pretty annoying. After reading other reviews, others shared concerns about the whole book being annoying and not really focusing on what the synopsis said.

The Manicurist's Daughter is a powerful and inspiring memoir that will resonate with readers who are seeking to connect with their own stories and explore the complexities of the human experience. It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of love.

I was not at all prepared for this memoir to be as deep or as sad as it was. The story was interesting and I was happy that Susan was able to find the closure that she was looking for with both of her parents. I just could have used a bit of a warning of how sad the situation was/is.

When Susan was 11 years old, her mother, a Vietnamese refugee who opened two successful nail salons through sheer will and determination, died during a tummy tuck procedure. In this memoir, The Manicurist's Daughter by Susan Lieu, the author embarks on a journey to find out what made her mother go to such ominous lengths for perfection. She discovers not only about her mom's and family's past but comes to terms with her own feelings of inadequacy and desire to find her purpose in the world.

I didn't know what to expect when I received this book for review. I thought that I would try it even though I wasn't sure if it appealed to me. From the first chapter, though, I was engaged with the story that the author was telling.

Despite the good things about her childhood, the untimely death of her successful, formidable, and beautiful mother colored everything the author did. It wasn't discussed, and it always troubled her. When she becomes a mother herself, it seems clearer than ever that she needed to find out why her mother thought she wasn't good enough and needed a dangerous surgery to feel good about herself.

Throughout the book, you learn about her upbringing, her relationships with her three siblings as the youngest child, the Vietnamese culture that is interwoven with American culture, and how Susan ends up coping with all the different and challenging family situations. Some of these situations and her feelings about them propel her to do things like join a cult and change course after earning degrees from Ivy League colleges toward the art of performance much to her father's disappointment.

I loved that any time she described a traditional dish or a family member or friend used a Vietnamese term, the author immediately gave you the translation or description. Sometimes, it would be in italics. I found that extremely helpful and connected me more with the book. I feel like more books that describe an unfamiliar culture or define terms right there is so much more helpful than a glossary that you may forget to check or a footnote that messes with your reading momentum.

The story starts out with present day when the author is writing the book and then faces some health challenges. I understood why it started out that way, especially with the author's trepidation about doctors and going to the hospital. However, I never felt that that portion of the book was resolved or explained to come full circle at the end of the book. That may have been my only issue with the book.

Otherwise, I really felt that you get to know the author so clearly and can empathize with her. She's a woman like anyone else who has family issues, issues stemming from wanting to be perfect, and demands from her parents to forge a particular path that may not be for her. I think many women face that. It was triumphant to see her go through a lot of trials and find her way even if it wasn't where she started. I'm glad that I took the chance to read this book.

This book tells the story of Susan Lieu's search to get to know her mother, many years after her death. It speaks of her parents harrowing escape from Vietnam and the start of their nail salons in America. The reader follows Susan's life from childhood to motherhood as she tries to process the death of her mother, the man who was responsible, and the family who has seemingly gone on like nothing happened.

I loved being able to read about a life experience that was vastly different than my own. I learned a lot about Vietnamese culture through the lens of Susan. This book was very easy to read and seamlessly moved back and forth between her childhood and her adulthood. Anyone who has had issues with their own family would enjoy hearing how Susan overcame the generational trauma, grief, and body shaming she endured.

Thank you to Celadon Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was an eye-opening memoir, and I really appreciate the author sharing her story with us readers. I liked the discussion of beauty standards throughout and how the author wove her childhood and mother’s death with her adulthood stories.

I listened to the audiobook, but thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted book!

What a great memoir! The narrative made me think deeply, cry, laugh, and crave Vietnamese cuisine! I highly recommend this book. My personal favorite parts from the book are: the clam digging, the vivid memory of the poignant meal at Sizzler, all the wonderful cuisine described in the book, the mountain adventure the author took with her husband and her inner dialogue during the trip was so funny (😆), and the vulnerability explored by the author throughout the story. I’m including a quote from the author from an interview that sums up the takeaway from reading this novel describing it perfectly: “I believe healing from intergenerational trauma happens first on an individual level, and reading is an intimate experience to help unpack complicated feelings on family and the immigrant experience.” This book will help others have more compassion for their elders as well as themselves. I can’t wait to read more from @susanlieu !

This is a beautiful story about grief, about intergenerational trauma, about family relations. I really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. I would love to see one of Lieu's shows one day!

Memoirs are hard for me to review. They are so personal to the author, and the reader can only hope to learn and/or empathize. I struggled to finish Lieu's debut. It was repetitive and I had a hard time relating to the author. I found the whiny, self-absorbed tone grating.

That said, there were some very interesting, and at times, harrowing refugee and immigration stories. How her parents escaped with her and her siblings was nothing less than amazing. Learning some of their cultural ways was eye-opening, especially in regards to the love of food alongside continual body shaming. There were also some glaring cultural differences as to how people process grief and healing.

I want to thank Celadon Books and NetGalley for advancing an eCopy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this memoir! It provided rich descriptions of the author's Vietnamese heritage; from food, to traditions, and even the language, which really helped the reader feel immersed in the culture and experiences. The grief was palpable but Lieu channeled thise emotions into what was ultimately an uplifting story about strength + finding one's own way. Overall, a string debut. Looking forward to more from this author.

Thank you to both the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really didn’t think a book could impact me like this one did. Susan tells her story about losing her mother abruptly and the life she lead after that loss. Her grief and anguish through the years were very clear and there were times I was tearing up while reading along. When she made peace with her father, I had such a big smile that my face hurt. I feel like any of us who have unsolved issues with our fathers could completely understand the peace that would provide.

Reading this one promoted me to read more about Susan. I watched a TedTALK by her that I really needed to hear (How to Make Peace with Your Belly Fat) and I have her solo performance saved to my bookmarks. Her being a fellow Seattlite is also an added plus 😉

Highly recommend this book. I can’t say enough good things about it!

I read The Manicurist’s Daughter: A Memoir by Susan Lieu and I loved this one! This book is based on the author’s 2019 one-woman show — 140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother — as she delves into her Vietnamese American family’s refugee experience and her mother’s untimely death at the hands of an uninsured plastic surgeon. ⁣This book is compelling and captivating and I am now Susan Lieu’s biggest fan!! Plus, her audiobook narration work is fantastic!!

I enjoyed Susan Lieu’s story. Her story was interesting and I’m glad she wrote The Manicurist’s Daughter. There will be a lot of people with similar stories and this will let them know they aren’t alone.