The Fortunes of Jaded Women

A Novel

By: Carolyn Huynh

Narrated by: Vyvy Nguyen

For fans of Jonathan Tropper, Amy Tan, and Kevin Kwan, this “sharp, smart, and gloriously extra” (Nancy Jooyoun Kim, author of The Last Story of Mina Lee) novel 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 women would only give birth to daughters.

Oanh’s current descendant Mai Nguyen knows this curse well. She’s divorced, and after an explosive disagreement a decade ago, 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 pulls off the magic trick of being a heartfelt, multi-generational epic as well as a fast-paced, hilarious romp. It is your good fortune to have this novel in your hands” (Camille Perri, author of When Katie Met Cassidy).

Critic reviews

"Once upon a time in Vietnam, Oanh Duong chose love, causing her descendants—who could only be women—to be perpetually cursed. Of course, “there was nothing wrong with having Vietnamese daughters. It was how the world treated them that turned it into a curse.” Generations later, mostly in southern California, sisters, mothers, daughters, cousins are all estranged, but a powerful psychic predicts “a pregnancy, a death, a wedding,” events which might transform their mutigenerational misfortunes. Huynh’s debut—Good Morning America’s September 2022 Book Club pick—is culturally and linguistically matched with Vietnamese American actor Nguyen, who energetically ciphers a cast so vast that the print title opens with an orange (as in the fruit) family tree. While Nguyen doesn’t quite distinguish the dozen-plus characters, her spirited performance never wavers. Keeping energy up is an absolute must, since the story is full of confrontations involving food and other flying projectiles, slamming doors and dramatic exits, and imploding relationships over houses and K-dramas. The almost-at-the-end showdown, featuring a chorus of savvy half-cousins and a shocked second-date victim reporting the play-by-play (more like scream-for-scream), is a dream scene just waiting for Hollywood commitment." (Terry Hong)

"Narrator Vyvy Nguyen offers up a lively rendition of this multigenerational saga of contemporary Vietnamese American women. Depicting a cast of more than 14 characters, Nguyen delivers a variety of personalities and voices. She engages listeners in the characters’ humorously messy lives and complicated family dynamics as they try to find a way to lift a curse placed on their family long ago."

Very Entertaining

I enjoyed how multiple stories neatly tied together. It was a interesting and entertaining to have a view into someone else’s family through the lens of their traditions and family drama.

Sparkling and fresh

Witty dialogue with fresh lens on an old story of mothers and their daughters- loved

Interesting story poorly told

This novel feels like someone had a really good idea for a book but doesn’t know how to write. Everything is flat and poorly worded. I imagine a director with a talent for a character making it into a great mini series.

Enjoyable Read

I loved the blend of ancient and modern. The struggles of these women felt real and often sad yet I was able to laugh at their family interactions.

Read it rather than listen…

Didn’t care for the narrator, many of the characters sounded the same so it was hard to get who was speaking. A story with a bit too much drama for my taste, liked the way it ended though.