In this knockout debut, Huynh weaves a tangled, multigenerational story between fierce, stubborn Vietnamese mothers and their estranged daughters that is equally wild and heartfelt.

I laughed out loud at the familiar stubbornness, the high- and low-stakes cutthroatedness of these complex and lovable mothers and daughters.' - Nancy Jooyoun Kim, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Story of Mina Lee 'Clever, hilarious, and deliciously dramatic.

I'm eager to read more from her.' - Lisa See, author of The Island of Sea Women 'Sharp, smart, and gloriously extra, The Fortunes of Jaded Women pays homage to the counterfeit-Louis-Vuitton queens of the Vietnamese diaspora and West Coast witches everywhere. Carolyn Huynh's The Fortunes of Jaded Women is a terrific debut. 'You can always count me in for a story about generations of cursed women, but I was surprised - and thoroughly delighted - to discover how much I would laugh out loud at the exploits of these mothers, daughters, and sisters. A funny, sharp, and insightful look at family bonds and the effects of tradition on modern life.' Kirkus Reviews 'Written with crackling humour and a shrewd, intimate understanding of Vietnamese American family life. This prophecy will reunite estranged mothers, daughters, aunts and cousins - for better or for worse.įilled with joy and humour, The Fortunes of Jaded Women is about mourning, meddling, celebrating and healing together as a family. Mai's three adult daughters, Priscilla, Thuy and Thao, are successful in their careers, but the same can't be said for their love life.ĭesperate for guidance, she consults Auntie Hua, her trusted psychic, who delivers an unexpected prediction: this year, her family will witness a marriage, a funeral and the birth of a son. She's divorced, and after an explosive disagreement a decade ago, she's estranged from her younger sisters, Minh Pham (the middle and the mediator) and Khuyen Lam (the youngest who swears she just runs humble coffee shops and nail salons. Oanh's current descendant Mai Nguyen knows this curse well. Their ancestor Oanh dared to leave her marriage for true love - and was cursed for it: her descendants are doomed never to find love or happiness, and to give birth only to daughters, never sons.

For fans of Amy Tan and Kevin Kwan, this sharp and tender debut follows a family of estranged Vietnamese women - cursed to never know love or happiness - as they reunite when a psychic makes a startling prediction.Įveryone in Orange County's Little Saigon knew that the Duong sisters were cursed.

The fortunes of jaded women reviews