The Fortunes of Jaded Women - Carolyn Huynh Kartoniert (TB)

For fans of Jonathan Tropper KJ Dell'Antonia and Kevin Kwan this sharp smart and gloriously extra (Nancy Jooyoun Kim The Last Story of Mina Lee) 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. 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 wom en 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 lives. 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. A multi-narrative novel brimming with levity and candor The Fortunes of Jaded Women is about mourning meddling celebrating and healing together as a family. It shows how Vietnamese women emerge victorious even if the world is against them.