The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
- Downloads：5924
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-16 08:21:48
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Jamie Ford
- ISBN：B099BXZVQ9
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Krisette Spangler
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I've never read anything quite like this novel。 It's told from the point of view of 7 women that span two centuries。 Each woman is haunted by the mistakes made by the previous generations。 Dorothy vows to finally put all of the echoes to rest。 I loved it。This would not be a good audio book。 It would be too confusing， because the narration changes to different women and time periods too often。 It's helpful to have the generation chart at the front of the novel to help you keep the women straight。 I've never read anything quite like this novel。 It's told from the point of view of 7 women that span two centuries。 Each woman is haunted by the mistakes made by the previous generations。 Dorothy vows to finally put all of the echoes to rest。 I loved it。This would not be a good audio book。 It would be too confusing， because the narration changes to different women and time periods too often。 It's helpful to have the generation chart at the front of the novel to help you keep the women straight。 。。。more
Terri
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Thank you NetGalley for the ARC。 I was so excited to get this book and was not disappointed。 Jamie Ford has done it again。 The story of women from multi generations and the trauma of their lives。 It explores epigenetics and how over generations trauma is within your DNA。 The story of these women will stay with me and I find myself thinking of their stories。 It is a different kind of story and I thoroughly enjoyed it。 I will DEFINITELY RECOMMEND！
Dr。 Kathy
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Jamie Ford might have created a new genre with The Many Daughters of Afong May — historical fantasy fiction。 The book is filled with Chinese women from many generations of the same family。 I decided to create a “decades” list to try to keep up， but as soon as I did it all clicked and I no longer felt lost。 Actually I never felt truly lost but was so invested in each storyline that I hated to have one end when the author determined it was time to move on to another one。 There were several methods Jamie Ford might have created a new genre with The Many Daughters of Afong May — historical fantasy fiction。 The book is filled with Chinese women from many generations of the same family。 I decided to create a “decades” list to try to keep up， but as soon as I did it all clicked and I no longer felt lost。 Actually I never felt truly lost but was so invested in each storyline that I hated to have one end when the author determined it was time to move on to another one。 There were several methods used for moving to another storyline， and they all worked。 There was much in these pages to learn and to ponder。 Epigenetics as a possibility of inherited trauma was a big part， but there were also historical lessons regarding the role of Chinese women through the generations， living through a war， living through an epidemic （we all know this one now！）， and creating your own survival。 This is a very good literary work with great character development。 The ending was a little too neat for me with several “awwww” moments， and I wondered if time travel should be added to the genre list， but all-in-all a very good book。 。。。more
Tracey Winkler
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OMGI absolutely loved this book and each woman’s story。 I hated for it to end。 Would definitely recommend。
sha
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now i'm wondering if given the option to undergo the epigenetic treatment myself。。。 would i？ i mean i'm depressed just like dorothy。 it might help now i'm wondering if given the option to undergo the epigenetic treatment myself。。。 would i？ i mean i'm depressed just like dorothy。 it might help 。。。more
sha
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parts of this were soooo heartbreaking :（
Sue
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This genre-bending novel may be one of the oddest books I've read in a long time， while also being one of the most fascinating & intriguing。 Like all of Ford's novels that I've read， they are engrossing stories full of heartache & loss。 I didn't really know what to expect from the description， but it was a wild ride through generations of women who experienced various degrees of trauma & loss that have reverberated through their family。 And now Dorothy， living in a very interesting 2045， is tryi This genre-bending novel may be one of the oddest books I've read in a long time， while also being one of the most fascinating & intriguing。 Like all of Ford's novels that I've read， they are engrossing stories full of heartache & loss。 I didn't really know what to expect from the description， but it was a wild ride through generations of women who experienced various degrees of trauma & loss that have reverberated through their family。 And now Dorothy， living in a very interesting 2045， is trying to come to terms with all of it in order to save herself & her daughter。 It was such an interesting book & one with lots of ideas to think about after reading it。 。。。more
Hannah
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thank you atria books and edelweiss for the DRC。i read this book so quickly; any free time i had i was reading this。 the idea of epigenetics is not something im familiar with （i know everything i know about it from this novel） so im not sure how accurate this portrayal/perspective is but the i was so intrigued by ford’s way of explaining generational trauma as a something that is literally biologically inherited。 i thought it was great how the different timelines blended together and split apart thank you atria books and edelweiss for the DRC。i read this book so quickly; any free time i had i was reading this。 the idea of epigenetics is not something im familiar with （i know everything i know about it from this novel） so im not sure how accurate this portrayal/perspective is but the i was so intrigued by ford’s way of explaining generational trauma as a something that is literally biologically inherited。 i thought it was great how the different timelines blended together and split apart but i wish this book was longer。 i think all of these characters and timelines could be fleshed out even further and that would allow for more depth。 regardless， i thought it was good and it’s definitely interesting and something i would recommend to friends and fans of historical fiction with a tinge ？ of science fiction？ 3。75/5！！ 。。。more
Terry Tessar
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3。5I was excited to read Jamie Ford’s latest， but was a bit disappointed。 As always， his talent with the written word is wonderful to read， and that’s what kept me going！ I get the epigenetics premise， but had a hard time liking any of the characters， especially Dorothy。
Marilyn
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I am a huge fan of Jamie Ford。 I love his writing style and this was a very engaging story providing a lot to ponder。 The reason that I did not give this 5 stars was that I couldn’t quite accept the epigenesis/ memory treatment and drug connection。 Full disclosure - I do not read sci-fi and perhaps my lack of appreciation for that genre impacted my feelings about this。 （ or maybe it was just some trans generational influence from my very ‘2 feet on the ground ancestors’。 🤭
Gail Herrmann
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Very different story。 So glad I took the opportunity to read it。 Haunting story of tragedies that happened in past generations and the effect it can have of mind and body。 Probably thought about this book after I read it for as long as it took to read it！ Very thought provoking and a subject I have not heard of before。
Sandra
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Note， I read this as a free eARC from Netgalley。 The premise of this book is the idea of inherited trauma or inherited epigenetics。 Dorothy Moy is a successful poet laureate until her episodes of dissociating from reality begin to happen more frequently to the point she loses her university job and her partner threatens to take her daughter。 Dorothy seeks an experimental treatment that allows her to revisit traumas that happened to her previous generations。 The stories of the previous generation Note， I read this as a free eARC from Netgalley。 The premise of this book is the idea of inherited trauma or inherited epigenetics。 Dorothy Moy is a successful poet laureate until her episodes of dissociating from reality begin to happen more frequently to the point she loses her university job and her partner threatens to take her daughter。 Dorothy seeks an experimental treatment that allows her to revisit traumas that happened to her previous generations。 The stories of the previous generations are told alternating with Dorothy's present。 This can get confusing as it sometimes appears the reader is rereading the same pages twice as Dorothy experiences her past。 However， as Dorothy experiences her past， she's seeing the pattern of trauma and desires to learn as much as possible to prevent it from being passed along to her daughter。 Additionally， along with the trauma， there is someone searching for her through the generations。 This leaves the reader curious if love can will be able to transcend the generations。 。。。more
Margarita
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All over the place。 It didn’t work for me
LynnB
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4 stars。 Different than his other books， but just as engrossing。 Built on a very interesting premise。
Madison Tufte
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Five glimmering， shining stars。 I haven’t been so moved and felt so connected to a book in many many years。 This book is told through multiple perspectives， but the “main” character Dorothy is living in the near distant future of 2045。 She struggles with crippling depression， and as a last-chance effort to find solace， takes part in a revolutionary but unconventional treatment that works with the idea of epigenetics。 Much of the story revolves around this concept， that says that the traumas and Five glimmering， shining stars。 I haven’t been so moved and felt so connected to a book in many many years。 This book is told through multiple perspectives， but the “main” character Dorothy is living in the near distant future of 2045。 She struggles with crippling depression， and as a last-chance effort to find solace， takes part in a revolutionary but unconventional treatment that works with the idea of epigenetics。 Much of the story revolves around this concept， that says that the traumas and experiences of our ancestors is passed down to us and changes how we live and experience the world。 Through her treatments， Dorothy sees the lives of her female ancestors。 Different chapters are from different perspectives of the generation of Moy women， and they are heartbreaking and stunning。This book really resonated with me because it contained multiple specific things I’m interested in like philosophy， poetry， Buddhism， and the idea that the life we’re currently living is not the first we’ve gone through and that we’ll be back here again。 This made the book magic to me， but I could see why it wouldn’t hit with everyone。 Absolutely a top read of the year。 。。。more
Sarah Reardon
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It was enjoyable。 Epigenetics is wild。 I liked it。
Kate Adzima
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This book was a mental puzzle but fabuuuu
Lynnee Argabright
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The first 100 pages was great--the writing style was fine， the historical atmosphere was fun， the female characters were strong。 The second 100 pages were tedious and depressing--terrible things are happening to each of the female characters， and there is no satisfying conclusion for them; they each just stop appearing after two chapters。 The third 100 pages were quacky--explanations of philosophy， Buddhism， and epigenetics reign and drown out the value of the ancestral characters so they're jus The first 100 pages was great--the writing style was fine， the historical atmosphere was fun， the female characters were strong。 The second 100 pages were tedious and depressing--terrible things are happening to each of the female characters， and there is no satisfying conclusion for them; they each just stop appearing after two chapters。 The third 100 pages were quacky--explanations of philosophy， Buddhism， and epigenetics reign and drown out the value of the ancestral characters so they're just a number。 I really wish this book had been written by a woman。 I know the author can't help that。 But I felt like something was missing。 For a story that I expected to be about the many generations of women in one family， there were barely any mother-daughter relationships， let alone meaningful memories of their times together。 Each generation was like an island。 Maybe the focus on individual trauma rather than on generational love is okay for a melodrama， but for a book that takes turns between these different characters in a family， that made it feel sterile。 Finally， I guess I just didn't care about the essential point of what the author was trying to explore: transgenerational epigenetic inheritance。 I could believe the concept。 But he way it dominated the story and pushed out all the characters except Dorothy （easily my last favorite of the characters） made me annoyed。 The clinical therapy Dorothy was getting sounded extremely unapproved。 She was clearly having dangerous side effects of hallucination。 No wonder her loveless husband Louis didn't want her around their daughter。 。。。more
Sydney
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Some historical， some futuristic…。。unusual story。
Jenna hall
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For all the reviewers saying this is a weird and far-fetched scientific theory—y’all。 Epigenetics isn’t even that new。 And it certainly isn’t far fetched。 If you have trouble buying that it’s real， you need to take a science class。 Maybe one with discoveries from post 2003。 I think this is 3。5， rounded up。 There are so many generations of women （yes， I get it， it’s the title and the concept） that sometimes they get a little lost for me or I want to know more about some of them than they get scre For all the reviewers saying this is a weird and far-fetched scientific theory—y’all。 Epigenetics isn’t even that new。 And it certainly isn’t far fetched。 If you have trouble buying that it’s real， you need to take a science class。 Maybe one with discoveries from post 2003。 I think this is 3。5， rounded up。 There are so many generations of women （yes， I get it， it’s the title and the concept） that sometimes they get a little lost for me or I want to know more about some of them than they get screen time。 But I also think that the tributes here， to actual science and history， are on point。 Some of the men were a little one dimensional， but I guess… that’s often been a characteristic of men writing women。 So， in that case， a little balance？ And it’s not their stories。 It’s literally the stories of the daughters of Afong Moy。 I particularly liked following Dorothy’s narrative， in 2045 Seattle with the disastrous weather that probably isn’t far off and makes me anxious。Also， soft spot in my heart for Jamie Ford cause when I was in college I discovered Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and sent him an email with a more or less inane question and this is apparently back in the day when his publicist or whomever didn’t answer all his emails and he answered my inane question and didn’t even call it out for its dumbity。 。。。more
Yulia
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Loved the idea of us being perennials and the brief dives into epigenetics。 The idea that trauma is passed on generationally is an intriguing concept。 One I think I might be sold on。 Pleasantly surprised by the quality of Jenna Hager Bush's picks lately。 Loved the idea of us being perennials and the brief dives into epigenetics。 The idea that trauma is passed on generationally is an intriguing concept。 One I think I might be sold on。 Pleasantly surprised by the quality of Jenna Hager Bush's picks lately。 。。。more
Pam
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This is such an interesting concept for a book - the idea of inherited trauma。 Traumatic events that are passed down to us through our ancestors。 It’s called intergenerational trauma and it’s based on the idea that trauma can epigenetically alter our genes。 The author explains the whole concept before the story actually begins， so you are not going into it blindly。The women in the story: Afong Moy， Dorothy Moy， Faye Moy， Zoe Moy， Lai King Moy and Greta Moy cover many generations （from 1836 to 20 This is such an interesting concept for a book - the idea of inherited trauma。 Traumatic events that are passed down to us through our ancestors。 It’s called intergenerational trauma and it’s based on the idea that trauma can epigenetically alter our genes。 The author explains the whole concept before the story actually begins， so you are not going into it blindly。The women in the story: Afong Moy， Dorothy Moy， Faye Moy， Zoe Moy， Lai King Moy and Greta Moy cover many generations （from 1836 to 2085） and many settings and locations from China， to England to San Francisco。 That’s a lot of women and a lot of settings and honestly I was confused most of the time。 The two stories that resonated the strongest were Afong Moy - the first Chinese woman to set foot in America and Dorothy Moy the final woman in the long line， the rest were all a blur。 I enjoyed the storyline， but would have probably enjoyed it more if maybe there were only 3 or 4 women that we were learning about。 I received an ARC of the book。 。。。more
Rosemary
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3。5 Mixed feelings about this one。 Loved the historical chapters but got stuck in the more contemporary ones。 Enjoyed the ending， maybe because it seemed to morph （unintentionally？） into a time travel novel。 But there was almost too much packed into this novel to the point where I missed references to characters in other chapters because I couldn’t remember who was whom， and I read this all in a weekend。 Just kinda missed the mark for me。
Oceantide74
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I like this author but this is not one of my favorites of his book。 I wanted to like it more （interesting concept）but I found that the multiple POVs were not all well developed。 I rather of read more of Afong Moy’s story。 I didn’t find Zoey， Greta or Dorothy that likable or as interesting。 If Dorothy altered her ancestors’ stories then wouldn’t that have changed the trajectory of her life？
Brianna
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What an interesting story of epigenetics。 Generational trauma is a beast and it's crazy to think how our stories can be passed down through the body。 What an interesting story of epigenetics。 Generational trauma is a beast and it's crazy to think how our stories can be passed down through the body。 。。。more
Wsailor7
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*3。5
Laura
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Very difficult book， all of the content warnings， but I loved it and will be in my top 10 for the year。
Elizabeth
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Might go back and round this up to a 4🎉
Susan Reeves deMasi
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Well-written and entertaining。。。 Even if I'm not totally clear about what happened in those last few pages。 Well-written and entertaining。。。 Even if I'm not totally clear about what happened in those last few pages。 。。。more
Wren
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