The Manicurist's Daughter by Susan Lieu is a memoir that explores the author's journey of navigating her identity as a Vietnamese-American woman, the child of immigrant parents, and the daughter of a mother who worked as a manicurist. Lieu reflects on the complex dynamics of family, culture, and self-worth, grappling with the pressures and sacrifices that come with her mother's work in a largely white, affluent environment. The book also delves into Lieu’s personal challenges with mental health, race, and the desire for acceptance, ultimately finding healing through self-empowerment and storytelling. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

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.

I had no idea what to expect when I began reading The Manicurist’s Daughter, but I loved it!

What a beautiful yet funny memoir by Susan Lieu, the daughter of Vietnamese refugees who is trying to avenge the death of her Mother, after a botched tummy tuck. I loved Susan’s writing style and that she was able to find humor among the trauma.

I paired the book and audio, which was fantastic and really got me out of my reading slump!

*many thanks to Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

The Manicurist's Daughter details the journey author, Susan Lieu, took to reconnect with her roots, her family and herself after experiencing a complicated upbringing, the death of her mother as a child, and strained family relationships. I really loved how Lieu threw herself into her craft and designed a show that detailed the life of her mother. A Vietnamese badass who bent over backwards for her family, taken too soon by a botched plastic surgery and no justice at the end. I also lost a parent, though different circumstances, at about the same age and that trauma is hard to describe to those who haven't lived it. Like Lieu, how I and my siblings processed the loss of our dad differed significantly and talking about even decades later can be hard because we are all in different places. I applaud Lieu's openness and willingness to dig deep, not only into her family, but also into herself. The Manicurist's Daughter is exactly what a memoir should be and hearing the words through her voice, made me feel like she was telling her story in the same room.

Thank you for the gifted Macmillan Audio ALC.

THE MANICURIST'S DAUGHTER by @susanlieu is a memoir of being a first-generation Vietnamese-American. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author herself which is always my favorite!

Susan's mother owned two nail salons before dying of a botched tummy tuck surgery at the age of 38. This memoir is a discussion of the ripple effect this tragedy had on her family, how Susan tried to fight to hold the man responsible accountable, and how finding herself in the shadow of her mother's death was an epic exercise in reverence and defiance alike.

One of the things that really hit home for me was when Susan discussed that she always struggled with her weight and how this was in part why she struggled to feel part of the Vietnamese-American community which, like much of America, is obsessed with being small and skinny. Susan expressed that while she is trying to divest from perfection culture, it is hard to not revert to old habits with all the societal pressures.

All in all, this was an insightful, hopeful and fascinating look into one immigrant family in America and their fight to both assimilate and hold their traditional culture close, but there are clearly a lot of heavy topics in this one as well.

Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher @macmillan.audio for this audio-ARC. This title came out a couple of months ago in March and is in stores today!

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Do you ever get your nails professionally done? I have a little spot near my house where I go every once in a while because my toe painting skills are akin to a preschooler!😂

💚SMASHBOT💚

The Manicurist’s Daughter by Susan Lieu is a memoir exploring the complicated relationship Susan had with her mom. They didn’t have the best relationship when her mom suddenly died from a botched cosmetic surgery. The memoir is emotional and real, especially the audiobook where you can hear every emotion through the author’s voice.

I also love the cultural mentions of food, religious beliefs, and family dynamics in each book. The spirit talking shocked me, but I found it fascinating how this was a normal part of Susan's life. It was also interesting to learn about how the language has different pronouns depending on the family relations. I’ve learned a lot about the Vietnamese culture! This book was the perfect read for Asian American Heritage Month.

It also reminded me a lot of Crying in H Mart was an emotional memoir about how Michelle Zauner dealt with the grief process as her mom was diagnosed and died from cancer. So much of Susan's journey with grief and life mirror Michelle's. I believe this memoir deserves to get just as much attention. It is raw, real, and intriguing!

Thanks to NetGalley and BookishFirst for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

This was a wonderful memoir by Susan Lieu, daughter of immigrants, manicurists, and their quest to secure a place for themselves and their children through grit, determination and sheer force of will. Food plays a big role in this memoir, the family table, coming together and sharing, food as nourishment and food as a link to culture and a country far away but also as the start to many insecurities as Susan Lieu's mother dies during a "tummy tuck". Susan starts out trying to fulfill all her parents' dreams with Ivy League degrees and a high powered job but ends up discovering her talent for stand-up comedy. This talent shines through in this wonderfully written memoir, even when the subject matter is hard or sad, Susan Lieu's unique brand of comedic relief shines and this book is a joy to read while making the reader, or at least me, think on the subject matter. Maybe there are some universals to unattainable beauty standards and the quest to appear naturally beautiful and hide the "shame" of cosmetic surgery or similar "enhancements".
The audio was fantastic - I love memoirs on audio !

I sometimes struggle to review memoirs. While someone’s story may not resonate with me personally, it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be told and won’t impact or inspire someone else.

This one was a courageous and unfiltered narrative that's heart-wrenching and poignant yet infused with clever wit and humor.

It’s a story about family and grief and is certainly powerful. I always enjoy memoirs in audiobook form and I definitely recommend this format for this one!

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for Goodreads

A harrowing and heartbreaking immigrant/mother-daughter story that is also enlightening and entertaining. Lieu successfully broaches breaking intergenerational trauma while preserving legacy and, above all else, love. The authors audiobook performance is masterful. The beginning of the book was serendipitous in hearing about her health struggle, as I had recently dealt with the exact same issue and felt I needed to hear the rest of her story just from that sign and I’m so glad I did.

The Manicurist's Daughter was a really interesting read. I appreciated the memoir quality and the writing read like fiction at times.

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the complimentary copy.

Imagine losing your parent at 11 years old and no one being willing to talk to you about it. My heart broke for Susan as time after time through the years she tried to discuss her feelings and was consistently and abruptly shut down. Regardless, as an adult she made the decision to investigate her mother’s death, and to learn about who her mother was as a person before she passed, to help her heal and forgive. Highly recommend listening to this one on audio, Susan narrates herself and was incredible. There is quite a bit Vietnamese throughout, and while Susan does give you the translations immediately after, I always like to hear the language as it should be, and not the way I would butcher it in my mind.

I learned so much about Vietnamese culture in this book—the food, the family, the work ethic—and the backdrop of Susan Lieu's story makes it so much more poignant.

This book broke my heart and put it back together with such beautiful writing and the perfect mix of humor. I could feel Susan healing through reading this. It was such a good read. Thanks NetGallery!

This memoir about grief, intergenerational trauma, Vietnamese American culture, and body shame issues is beautifully written in a style that's vulnerable and witty. Lieu is a born storyteller and performer, and that really shines through in the way she narrated the audiobook. Highly recommended for fans of Crying in H Mart.

THE MANICURIST DAUGHTER
Susan Lieu

I recently read a memorable and insightful memoir. Susan Lieu writes it and it’s about the death of her mother and how she recovered and is still recovering in the aftermath.

Susan’s mom died when Susan was at the tender age of eleven from a plastic surgery operation. The way her mother died is wrapped up in her death and her memory. Susan is honest both with us and most importantly herself. She discusses how her mother’s death impacted her, how her family responded to that death, and what she has learned from all of it.

I enjoyed the honesty, frankness, and compassion I found within the pages of THE MANICURIST DAUGHTER. I think it will help a lot of people and I highly recommend it!

She had been looking for parts of her mother her entire life only one day to find her in the deep recesses of herself. In the folds of her body, in the chasms of her self-doubt, in the ways she loved herself and all the ways she did not.

When Susan speaks of her mother you can feel the loss, the absence, the lifetime of never going to happen. It’s a loss she may never recover from, only move on from. It’s a beautiful tribute to Susan’s mother and every other mother living or dead.

THE MANICURIST DAUGHTER is available where books are sold and is one of my favorite nonfiction pieces of this year so far.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Celadon Books, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies and the opportunity to provide feedback!

THE MANICURIST DAUGHTER…⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is without a doubt one of the best memoirs I have ever read. Full of raw emotion and brilliant storytelling that had me hooked from the first page. 10/10 recommend!

Method read: 🎧

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio for the advancd copy.

This books feels like an essential read. It's an essential read for those wanting to know more about the flaws of our healthcare system, the struggles for people who immigrate to the united states, the experiences of being first generation, being Asian American, and Vietnamese American. This story was eye=opening, thoughtful, and beautiful.

Susan Lieu’s mother was a force of nature. She, her husband, and two young sons survived five failed attempts to flee war-torn Vietnam before escaping to California in the 1980s. She eventually owned two successful nail salons, employing several family members who also lived in her home. She was definitely the matriarch of her clan. So when she died during elective surgery when Susan was 10, the family was lost, adrift for years. This book chronicles two decades of Susan’s search for answers, meaning, and vocation.

I appreciate how candid and vulnerable Ms. Lieu is in sharing her journey, both highs and lows. This was definitely a “window” story into the life of a fellow American that’s completely different from my own. The cover is so eye-catching and pays tribute to the meaningful title.

I highly recommend this be read via audiobook. It’s skillfully narrated by the author who shares many phrases and sentences in lyrical Vietnamese. I can’t imagine it being nearly as meaningful read in print

Thank you to Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for access to the review copies of this memoir.

Overall, I loved learning more about Lieu's family history, especially near the end when she detailed her parents' struggle to escape Vietnam. There are so many sentiments that hit close to home for me about traditionally Asian families and their viewpoints/love languages.

I think it's difficult to rate memoirs as obviously this story is incredibly important and deserves to be shared - props to Susan for not only writing this but for developing an entire one woman show to honor her mother and her family. She did a fantastic job narrating the audiobook, unsurprisingly, as authors who read their own audiobooks always bring it that much more to life. I think people who aren't familiar with Vietnamese would have a more enjoyable time with the audiobook since there is some of the language dispersed throughout the book.

I think the book was just a bit long for me - the cult experience during college personally felt really grueling to listen to? And I think that's just preference. I'm glad I read this book and I appreciate Celadon Books and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

There can never be enough immigration stories for me. They help you see other's lives and all the ways they are similar and different than our own. I look forward to more writing from LIeu.