The Fortunes of Jaded Women: A Novel

okay book, dragged at parts and didnt "wow" me but still pretty good

Confusing characters but there is a chart at the front you can keep flipping to. Really enjoyed the plot. Characters could use a bit more work so they are easier to keep straight.

COVER :  It's quite nice and very eye-catching, yet simple enough to describe the kind of content that awaits us inside. I love the color combination of green, blue, and white; the green was pleasing to my eyes. I assume it represents Vietnam's green jungles, mountains, and hills, the homeland of Doung's families, and the small cartoons of Duong's sisters and children add another plus point to another side of these cursed families.  CHAPTER 1 :  My face was literally in shock by the time I read Chapter 1. To open a book with a conversation about revenge and a curse coming down upon an entire generation of family members is wild and bold, I guess. I personally don't support what Onh Duong's ex-mother-in-law did, nor do I support what Onh Duong did; both of them are at fault in this, and let's just say what happened next is not a curse but karma working its way to Duong's family. To me, this chapter is slightly emotional, and the thoughts are engaging; it put my curious self in the position of turning the next page to see what happened.  CHARACTERS :  This time, I tried not to make a review of each character because, believe me, Duong's women are unique in their own way, and I fell in love with each and every one of them. Rather than seeing them as one person, I try to see them and their relationship on a deeper level.  Start with three sisters: Mrs. Nguyen, Mrs. Pham, and Mrs. Lam. Right from the start, when I read Mrs. Nguyen's hesitantness to contact her sister, I knew there was family drama going on, and what's a family if they don't have drama? especially Asian families. And by the time the three of them meet, there's nothing but a chaotic, wild, tense situation surrounding them, and somehow, somehow, though I find it a bit uncomfortable, I also find it very familiar and close to home. Being born into an Asian family and seeing every bit of drama, necessary or unnecessary, going on since I was a child, kind of triggering those memories back and allowing you to connect emotionally due to your personal experience with certain scenes, I think, is a plus point for a book and the author itself.  Doung's sister is typically your Asian mother in every way; they are stubborn, competitive, not really comfortable expressing their affection and love, nagging at its finest, literally a shell hard to break yet deep inside they just do what's best for their daughters. Through their interaction, I could feel the love and adoration they have for each other, especially when their mother passed away; those scenes really broke me as a person and made me long for a sibling I will never have. I also admire their resilience and instinct to survive; seriously, Asian mothers are the toughest human beings.  The daughters, Mrs. Nguyen's daughter, were basically a copy of her mother's relationship with her sisters: estranged and far from each other. But I do love how they unite immediately when it comes to stuff about Mrs. Nguyen; though they have deep trauma regarding their parents, it doesn't stop them from being there for her and trying to fix things. I love, love, love, and love so much Priscilla, Thuy, and Thoung's sisterhood bonds; they support each other, they don't judge each other's choices (with the exception of Thuy and Thoung's love lives xD), and they basically have this far better interaction compared to the older generation. Joyce and Mrs. Pham have this relationship based on Mrs. Pham's insecurities about being the middle child, I think. Being the middle child often comes with confusion and thoughts of not being important because parents only take care of the firstborn or the youngest, so that's why Mrs. Pham always called Joyce "special" to remind her daughter that she is, in fact, special. They don't have much interaction, but when they do later in the book, a feeling of silence, affection, and caring radiates from both of them. Looking at Joyce and her mother, I feel calm, serene, and at peace.  The last one is Mrs. Lam with her daughters, Eliene and Christine. As the youngest, Mrs. Lam deals hard enough with feeling abandoned, especially by her sisters. I think that's why she protects her daughters in a more strict way and keeps them close to avoid becoming like her mother and sisters. I especially love Mrs. Lam's personality; she's competitive, business-minded, secretly anxious, and strong-headed, if I may say so. Being the youngest sometimes isn't the easiest position in the world; often times, you find yourself cast aside by your family just because you're too young to understand etc., and I think that's also happened with Mrs. Lam. Due to her struggling childhood, she doesn't let anyone walk on her. She stands on her two feet, keeps on striving in the cold land of the USA, and she survives.  Her relationship with her daughter isn't really shown much here, though at the end, I'm glad Mrs. Lam overcame her anxiety and fear and finally let her daughter see the world. I'm glad that, despite how stubborn she is, she took the opportunity to become a better mother for Elaine and Chaterine, and that's the kind of character development we're looking for.  Talking about character development, yes, there's some major character development that happened in the book, and it leans towards the positive, especially with Duong's sisters. One of the reasons I fell hard in love with these beautiful and gorgeous mothers is because, despite everything that came their way, they still found ways to fight, not give up, and hold on to each other. And to have characters that make you fall hard and cry a little bit from their stories, I think it's a major plus.  SUMMARY :  The Fortune of a Jaded Woman was written in multiple POVs, something I think is hard to achieve successfully by an author because you have to be really fair with your own characters. And in this book, Carolyn, in my opinion, really hit the jackpot with it.  She successfully created this point of view from everyone in Doung's family fairly and with enough proportion, and that makes my reading experience so enjoyable and fun. To read this family drama from everyone's eyes kind of gives me an insight into the main problem they have (and also side problems); it makes me feel included in their world, and along the way, as they find solutions, I also feel at peace and really happy.  Besides characters and their unique personalities, the main problem that Carolyn raised in this book—family, identities, and a woman's worth and strength—is a topic that is close to our society and our home as well. That's why when you read this, you probably will feel very familiar and like it belongs to Duong's family and what happened between them, and as I said earlier, to be able to connect emotionally towards a book and dive into it, experiencing every emotion they have, whether it's happiness, sadness, anger, remorse, or even pain, is a privilege to have, and I'm beyond glad that Carolyn, as the author, could give me that kind of experience.  This book is super-duper recommended for all of you who want to read how family, despite every shortcoming they have, finds their way back to each other and is reunited, how mothers worry and show love for their daughters, and otherwise, how love could become the answer to melt every iceberg, and how, in the end, your mother, no matter how much you want to deny it, is the only person who knows you deep inside and will always be there for you.

Interesting to learn more about Vietnamese women and family relationships. Style seemed lacking in heart and soul...and somewhat rushed.