Plot:
A riveting memoir of a girl’s painful coming-of-age in a wealthy Chinese family during the 1940s.
A Chinese proverb says, “Falling leaves return to their roots.” In Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph and courage in the face of despair. Adeline’s affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her. Life does not get any easier when her father remarries. She and her siblings are subjected to the disdain of her stepmother, while her stepbrother and stepsister are spoiled. Although Adeline wins prizes at school, they are not enough to compensate for what she really yearns for — the love and understanding of her family.
Following the success of the critically acclaimed adult bestseller Falling Leaves, this memoir is a moving telling of the classic Cinderella story, with Adeline Yen Mah providing her own courageous voice.
Review:
This is a novel I have loved and read almost 2 decades ago.
It is a true story about a girl who was looked down upon and isolated from the rest of her family. As a child she was looked after by her aunt. After her mother died giving birth to her she was considered bad luck by the rest of her family and when her dad remarries she is completely ignored. Although she wins many prizes and is excellent at school, her family still doesn’t give her the love and respect she deserves. Adeline Yen Mah goes through many hardships and difficulties in her lifetime in order to be recognised as a member of their family.
As someone who’s heritage is half asian it is good to acquire knowledge about other cultures.
As I read this novel I was shocked by the mistreatment to Adeline. She was looked down upon by not only her step family but her own family as well. She tried very hard to please her father by excelling at school and winning many awards but this could still not earn the respect she was after. In one part of the novel Adeline was whipped because she had some friends over and because she was receiving gifts from each of them. No child should have to be exposed to this kind of unfairness.
My favourite character in this novel was Adeline’s aunt. She was the only family member who looked after her and treated her like any other human being (her grandfather also believed in her too I must add). She looked after Adeline and she showed true kindness and affection to her. Aunt Baba was a courageous woman who stood up for Adeline in times of hardship and unfairness.
My favourite quote in this novel was “Please believe that one single positive dream is more important than a thousand negative realities.” This quote was very inspiring to me and it should be to others as well. If things aren’t going well in life then you shouldn’t give up because having a dream can help you get through life and it can also help you to strive for what you are after.
I learnt many different aspects from this novel but one thing that really stood out for me was to stand up for yourself and believe that although others are putting you down you can still get many good things out of life if you strive for the best and have a great sense of belief in yourself as well.
I would recommend this novel to anyone as it is definitely a heart gripping novel that can teach people many things as well.
5/5 Stars
C’s La Vie 