REVIEW: The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh

The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh: With a frenetic pace that hits crazy crescendos, this family drama/romantic comedy follows the ancient family cruse of the Duong family of women who are destined to have daughters for multiple generations to come. Settled in America, the tale follows two clear generations of women – the 3.5 sisters Mai, Minh, Khyuen and their half sister Kim and their 11 daughters. Competing for Vietnamese pride, the best husband, the best education and the most wealth, the story draws sharp focus on what it means to love and find happiness when the curse of the ages is not stacked in their favour.

Beginning with a annual trip to Hawaii to visit the most notorious psychic, Mai returns knowing that this year, everything in her life will change; there will be a death, a marriage and a baby. It is her mother’s death however, that really sets the ball in motion. Mai comes to terms with her years of regret that further fuel her grief for the lost years with her mother and sisters and vowing to put things right, her small world begins to change. And as she opens up her heart to possibility, the chess pieces begin to fall into place.

With strong themes of family, culture, and superstition, love sits as a beacon amongst the chaotic and often hilarious mess the Duong women create for themselves. Undeniably though, motherhood and the power of hope and desire for a better future was one of the drivers throughout, and despite the often terrible ways the mothers and aunties express their love for their daughters, it was evident that each character was fundamentally selfless in action whilst trying to find their place in the world.

From start to finish, this was a messy ride, full of moments that were either tender and utterly comical, or somehow both simultaneously. And with that, I’m certain it would make for one very entertaining television serious, and one that every family can somehow relate to.

Book Info:

Publication: 6th September 2022 | Atria Books |

Everyone in Orange County’s Little Saigon knew that the Duong sisters were cursed.

It started with their ancestor Oanh who dared to leave her marriage for true love—so a fearsome Vietnamese witch cursed Oanh and her descendants so that they would never find love or happiness, and the Duong women would give birth to daughters, never sons.​

Oanh’s current descendant Mai Nguyen knows this curse well. 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, not Little Saigon’s underground). Though Mai’s three adult daughters, Priscilla, Thuy, and Thao, are successful in their careers (one of them is John Cho’s dermatologist!), the same can’t be said for their love life. Mai is convinced they might drive her to an early grave.

Desperate for guidance, she consults Auntie Hua, her trusted psychic in Hawaii, who delivers an unexpected prediction: this year, her family will witness a marriage, a funeral, and the birth of a son. This prophecy will reunite estranged mothers, daughters, aunts, and cousins—for better or for worse.