The Many Daughters of Afong Moy - Book Review

 

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

Jamie Ford

5 Stars

Pub Date Aug 2, 2022


I'm giving this one 5 stars but I'd give more if I could.
 
I received an early copy for my review of this phenomenal study of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance from Jamie Ford. Ford provides a valuable introduction about the passing down of emotional pain and scars that should not be missed.

In his poetic words, he gets into the minds and hearts of each generation of women (1834-2086),something that could prove challenging as a male writer. But Ford does not disappoint.

“She fantasized about staring up at the sky as she plummeted through the air, fistfuls of poetry drifting from her fingertips.”

Afong Moy is the first Chinese woman in the Western World (fact) in 1834. She is at the starting line of each of the stories of the women who follow, each dealing with a crisis of learning to survive in their own era. In each generation we see the struggle to make it through whether it’s the perceived novelty of bound feet, the black death, or merely the loss of innocence we all face. But we also see each woman moving forward in their growth. Because mothers everywhere want their daughter’s lives to be better than their own, don’t they?

Our main character, Dorothy, is questioning her ability to raise her child Annabel (2042) as she is plagued with the trauma of the survival and search for love that has been passed down through her ancestors. Through the pages we get to know these remarkable women who have stayed with me and made me question parts of my life, even though I finished this book some days ago. I will say that I took a lot of notes and encourage a reader to do that, there are many subtle sidelines that I would otherwise have missed.

“We have many lives, Afong, but this life begins when we realize we only have one.”

A beautifully written book that incorporates history, family, family love, and the mystery of that elusive perfect person that can follow you through many generations.

Thank you to #NetGalley #Simon&Schuster #AtriaBooks, for a chance to read and appreciate this book. 

I don’t do this often but this one is definitely going on my top-5 shelf to re-read and enjoy again.



 

































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