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33rd out of 856 books
—
1,222 voters
Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter
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...more
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...more
Paperback, 205 pages
Published
May 6th 2009
by Laurel Leaf (Random House Children's Books )
(first published September 7th 1999)
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Every country and every people that resides have different culture and have different story to tell. From the most depressing experience of their lives from most unforgettable moments they felt in their childhood. But how can they manage to express and treasure those experiences forever? Some people write them on their journals or diaries, some record it through tapes and CDs, some tell their past lives from their grandsons and few write and compile their stories into a book.
Adeline Yen Mah's sh...more
Adeline Yen Mah's sh...more
What is really shocking about this book is to read about the abuse of a child (the author) at the hands of her truly wicked stepmother and sadistic father (well, the stepmother is sadistic, too, so they're a perfect pair), and then to get to the middle of the book and actually see photos of these horrible people. It made my blood boil. Adeline Yen Mah's story, however, is about a child's attempts to navigate an abusive household situated in China during and after World War II. As she matures, we...more
I found this book pretty easy to read and the story was reasonably engaging, but in an age where biographies abound, this one didn't feel particularly special. Sure, the things that happened to her were sad, but in the end not outrageously tragic. She overcame great odds to become the person she is today ... but the story didn't stand out. It's also written a little too simply for my taste - I guess because it's a teen book. It didn't transfer well as an adult reader. But for young teens reading...more
I also read Falling Leaves by the same author. It seems to be a retelling of the same story. The author recounts the cruelty she suffered as an outcast daughter who is blamed for her mother's death. She is treated like a second class citizen by her siblings, her father and her new step mother. I found the details about life during WWII interesting. While not quite as brutal as some other memoirs that come to mind, such as Bastard out of Carolina, it conveys what it feels like to be an unloved ch...more
Kendra Guo 904
12/22/08
Chinese Cinderella
The true story of an unwanted daughter
By Adeline Yen Mah
205pp. New York, New York
Dell Laurel-Leaf. $6.50 US
ISBN 00-440-22865-4
Adeline Yen Mah’s novel, Chinese Cinderella, tells a story about her as a young girl, Adeline struggles for the attention and affection from her father and family. The Chinese Cinderella was a really touching and interesting story. If you could relate you might cry. And this story is said to be a true story. Read this if you like t...more
12/22/08
Chinese Cinderella
The true story of an unwanted daughter
By Adeline Yen Mah
205pp. New York, New York
Dell Laurel-Leaf. $6.50 US
ISBN 00-440-22865-4
Adeline Yen Mah’s novel, Chinese Cinderella, tells a story about her as a young girl, Adeline struggles for the attention and affection from her father and family. The Chinese Cinderella was a really touching and interesting story. If you could relate you might cry. And this story is said to be a true story. Read this if you like t...more
Chinese Cinderella
Adeline Yen Mah
I decided to read this book because it was lying on the shelf for ages and ages and also because i needed a book to read. I particularly liked this book because it was a true story about a young girl and it's very motivational.
This book fulfills the category of an autobiography on the bingo board. I choose this category because i quiet like true stories that have some time inspirational message. Chinese Cinderella shows how Adeline struggles to gain acceptance...more
Adeline Yen Mah
I decided to read this book because it was lying on the shelf for ages and ages and also because i needed a book to read. I particularly liked this book because it was a true story about a young girl and it's very motivational.
This book fulfills the category of an autobiography on the bingo board. I choose this category because i quiet like true stories that have some time inspirational message. Chinese Cinderella shows how Adeline struggles to gain acceptance...more
This book is basically about Adeline, as a young girl, who is disliked by her whole family because they assume her birth was the cause of her mother's death. Adeline lives with her father, Aunt Baba, her grandparents, her older sister and her 3 brothers. When she is one year old, her father marries another woman (whom they call Niang) who is partial towards Adeline and her siblings. As Adeline grows up, she is neglected from the family, but is only accepted by her Aunt Baba and her grandparents....more
This book really touched my heart and to me was kinda depressing and sad. But this book was really good and I liked it. Chinese Cinderella is about this girl named Adeline Yen Mah and her adventures as being a kid. First when she was born, her mother died and her father remarries and that lady becomes her step-mother. She is constantly bullied by her siblings and parents. They say she is bad luck for making their mother die when she was born. She was hated by her step-mother. Even though she was...more
Chinese Cinderella follows the life of Adeline Yen Mah from her earlier years of school and follows her through the end of her years when she fights for a college education. Family is an important element of this novel as is most books about the lives of girls in China. It was interesting to read this novel after I read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan because the same family dynamics followed through. Chinese Cinderella was a more updated version and illustrated the views of having a biracial fam...more
"Chinese Cinderella" happens to be a true story about the author's own childhood experience. During her childhood, which takes time in the 1930s to 1940s, she was viewed as an unwanted and unimportant person to her family. Her aunt and grandpa and third brother were the only ones that wanted to support her, but couldn't help much. She puts herself into her studies and earned lots of honors. Her family, mostly her stepmother, has given her an unbearable childhood in which she could never forget....more
This was a very touching story about a young girl name Wu Mei. After her mother's death her father have remarried to a cruel woman. And this was her stepmother. Her stepmother is very harsh on Wu Mei, Wu Mei is abused by her stepmother and her father does not really know. Her stepmother wiped her for going to a friend's birthday party. Wu Mei is the youngest out of her brother and sisters she has 5 other siblings. She was a very intelligence girl in her school. She has really good grades and pa...more
"Sejak kecil, Adeline Yen atau Yen Jun Ling dianggap sebagai pembawa sial karena ibunya meninggal saat melahirkan dirinya. Tidak ada yang menyayanginya, kecuali kakek-nenek, Kakak Laki-laki Ketiga (walaupun sembunyi2) dan Bibi Baba. Dia mengalami kekerasan emosional dari Ayah, Niang (ibu tiri), Kakak Perempuan Sulung, Kakak Laki-laki Pertama dan Kedua, juga Adik Laki-laki Keempat. Walaupun begitu, Adeline tidak patah semangat dan terus berprestasi agar dia bisa meraih impiannya, yaitu kasih saya...more
I think that this was a good book because the story is very interesting but it is sad in some parts; and i personally do not like sad books. The story is very sad and it is hard to realize that it actually happened but after reading it you realize how lucky you are.
I say if you like sad books, this is a perfect book for you and if you don't like sad books, you should still read it but read a happy, cheesy book at the same time.
I say if you like sad books, this is a perfect book for you and if you don't like sad books, you should still read it but read a happy, cheesy book at the same time.
Very storg book. Chinese Cinderella is a heart-wrenching and sorrowful tale of a young girl growing up in a classic Cinderella setting. Treated harshly by her step-mother and ignored by her father, Adeline's life seems doomed to perpetual sadness. Every time something arrives to lighten up her life, it is taken away from her. She has to deal with loneliness and despair, but throughout the story she never gives up hope, that someday, somehow, things will get better.
Quote: "Please believe that one...more
Quote: "Please believe that one...more
It's been years since I read this, so long in fact that I think it was my mom who read it to me. But even all these years later I still remember stark, sad images that it conjured up in my young mind and that to me is the power of a good book. You may forget the details, as I have but it forms your opinions, your views, your outlook in the most subtle ways. Maybe I'm crediting to much to this book or sidetracking slightly but getting back, it's well worth picking up.( I just wish I could find my...more
Chinese Cinderella is a coming-of-age novel by Adeline Yen Mah. This book follows the story of Adeline herself as a child in 20th century China, being restricted by her mother, who almost literally puts up boundaries of where Adeline shouldn't go and what she shouldn't do. While her father is in charge, he is captured by his wife's beauty and can't really do much. Her aunt, however, is much more supportive of her, and is almost like her adopted mother. As this novel shows, growing up in a big fa...more
April 10, 2013
As I have finished perusing Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan yesterday morning. I am excited to shift. It is my utmost favourite part. Pick a book on my shelf, and that means a new world.
There are probably a hundred of untouched books in my shelf and I can hardly narrow down the genre I desire to read this time. As I approach to selecting, my eyes stopped into this book entitled Chinese Cinderella and I remember a friend of mine had told me that the auth...more
As I have finished perusing Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan yesterday morning. I am excited to shift. It is my utmost favourite part. Pick a book on my shelf, and that means a new world.
There are probably a hundred of untouched books in my shelf and I can hardly narrow down the genre I desire to read this time. As I approach to selecting, my eyes stopped into this book entitled Chinese Cinderella and I remember a friend of mine had told me that the auth...more
Feb 01, 2013
Esther Rose
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
12 and up.
Recommended to Esther by:
A friend recommended me reading fiction, and I found this story when looking through the fiction section of the library.
Chinese Cinderella is a gripping, sad tale of a young Chinese girl named Adeline (who later wrote the book). Her mother died soon after she was born, and her father and siblings considered her to be a curse on the family. Her father remarried, and a life that had been relatively easy before turned into a complete nightmare. Adeline's new stepmother was very controlling and demanding, hated her with an intense hatred, and was cruel to her other siblings--all while pampering and completely spoilin...more
Chinese Cinderella
by Adeline Yen Mah
213 pages
Chinese Cinderella is the story of a girl named Adeline who really did grow up as a "Cinderella" in China. Her mother died three weeks after giving birth to Adeline after birthing four other kids. She had given birth to Adeline's big sister and three younger brothers. There father remarried to Jeanne, who was half French half Chinese. She was only seventeen. Jeanne and the father, her new husband, became parents to Adeline's half brother and sister, w...more
by Adeline Yen Mah
213 pages
Chinese Cinderella is the story of a girl named Adeline who really did grow up as a "Cinderella" in China. Her mother died three weeks after giving birth to Adeline after birthing four other kids. She had given birth to Adeline's big sister and three younger brothers. There father remarried to Jeanne, who was half French half Chinese. She was only seventeen. Jeanne and the father, her new husband, became parents to Adeline's half brother and sister, w...more
Adeline's family considers her as bad luck and they don't pay attention to her throughout her early childhood. She caused birth complications for her mother which led to death. She is taken away to boarding school. Her aunt is the only one who really cares for her and her grandfather too. Her father and stepmother send her away and look at her as a bad person and her siblings don’t like her too. This is a story about how she gets over that felling and how she makes her father proud by becoming a...more
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Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter
By Adeline Yen Mah
This story is about a girl whose father doesn't know her name or birthday, a mother who despises her and has five other sibilings who pick on her. Her mother is actually her stepmother. Her birthmother died two weeks after her birth. The three brothers pick on her and the two other sisters never play with her. She was sent to boarding school just becuase they thought her aunt was being a bad influence. Her grandmother, g...more
By Adeline Yen Mah
This story is about a girl whose father doesn't know her name or birthday, a mother who despises her and has five other sibilings who pick on her. Her mother is actually her stepmother. Her birthmother died two weeks after her birth. The three brothers pick on her and the two other sisters never play with her. She was sent to boarding school just becuase they thought her aunt was being a bad influence. Her grandmother, g...more
This is my favourite and the most memorable story of all time. Its a true story about a girl called Adeline (the author) who tells us the story of her bravery over the abuse she suffers by own father and stepmother. Adeline is born into wealthy and powerful family in China, but her life is a struggle from the moment she is born, as mother dies after her birth due to complications with the delivery. In Chinese culture this marks Adeline as cursed and bad luck, causing her to grow up with the guil...more
Oct 15, 2012
Tarahd
added it
Growing up, one of my best friends was a little girl adopted from China. I remember she used to tell me about how, in China, nobody wanted daughters. Only sons. She was put up for adoption when she was only a year old, but, no matter how hard she tried, she cannot remember anything about her birth parents. The character Adeline from Chinese Cinderella goes through similar feelings of neglect, except, in Adeline’s case, she sometimes wishes that her parents were not there.
The youngest daughter i...more
The youngest daughter i...more
A moving autobiography by Adeline Yen Mah, bestselling author of Falling Leaves. Adeline writes about her childhood, set in Japanese occupied China during World War II. The story highlights many old Chinese customs such as foot binding and relentless superstitions which strongly impact Adeline’s young life. I enjoyed the way the author told her story: simple, to the point, painfully honest and extraordinarily memorable. Her surprising account of abuse and malice has stayed with me. It is both in...more
Chinese Cinderella is an auto biography written by Adeline Yen Mah. The story shows Adelines struggle for acceptance from her family, who balames her for the death of her mother. Her struggle for acceptance faces her with challenges, new friends and enemies. The main characters are Adeline,her stepmother Niang,her father and Aunt Baba(her best friend). Adelines' stepmother hates the children from her fathers side and treas her chidren like gods. My favourite character is Adeline because she went...more
I first read this book in year 5. It was probably my first long read. I was taken aback by how engrossed I became in little Adeline’s life. What struck me even more was the fact that the author was the little girl in the story!
The story is about Adeline’s place within her family in rural China during the 1940’s. She was often subjected to torture by her siblings and stepmother. Her father was rather displaced and rarely noticed her. Adeline had never experienced love and understanding. Her mothe...more
The story is about Adeline’s place within her family in rural China during the 1940’s. She was often subjected to torture by her siblings and stepmother. Her father was rather displaced and rarely noticed her. Adeline had never experienced love and understanding. Her mothe...more
Wu Mei, fifth daughter, is not loved. After her birth her mother died of a fever, and from that day forward her family blamed her for her mother’s death. Her father remarried and this woman has a set goal to make Adeline's life miserable. She sends her to boarding houses without even a penny. She refuses to buy the most basic feminine needs for her and treats her life scum. Her father cannot even remember her name, and choses to go along with his second wife’s desires. But among the ashes rises...more
I always make it to a point to read a nonfiction book. After a long time, I decided to read this one. I'm definitely happy that I read this.
I won't argue with the story. It seems pretty stupid for me to put up a fight with that. This is a memoir so against my better judgment, I will never argue with a nonfiction's story. Why? Because it happened. It's true. So I can't compete with those events/experiences right? After all, I pretty much enjoyed reading Adeline's experiences even if most of them...more
I won't argue with the story. It seems pretty stupid for me to put up a fight with that. This is a memoir so against my better judgment, I will never argue with a nonfiction's story. Why? Because it happened. It's true. So I can't compete with those events/experiences right? After all, I pretty much enjoyed reading Adeline's experiences even if most of them...more
May 04, 2012
Rosna
added it
Adeline Yen Mah, the author of this book wrote a autobiography on her life as an unwanted daughter and the obstacles she went through to get to a place of freedom and love. How her family treats affects the way she is and how she feels because all she yearns for is for her family's affection due to her siblings tormenting her about killing her mother at birth.Her step mother restricts her from doing things that give the tiniest bit of hope. She has to survive being independent and exceeding in s...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What did you think about this? | 12 | 41 | Apr 24, 2013 04:18am | |
| Adeline Was So Cute! | 8 | 35 | Aug 02, 2012 01:49pm | |
| Chapters 1-4 | 4 | 30 | Feb 03, 2012 06:33pm | |
| Chapters 1-4 | 1 | 4 | Jul 21, 2011 03:10am | |
| Chapters 1-4 | 3 | 30 | Jul 21, 2011 02:56am |
Adeline Yen Mah (Chinese: Yen Jun-ling; Pinyin: Mǎ Yán Jūnlíng; Yale (Cantonese): ma5 yim4 gwan1 ling4) (official birthday 30th November 1937, however real birthday not known, this is in fact her father's birthday) is a Chinese-American author and physician. She grew up in Tianjin, Shanghai and Hong Kong with an older sister, Lydia; three older brothers, Gregory, Edgar and James and a younger half...more
More about Adeline Yen Mah...
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“Please believe that one single positive dream is more important than a thousand negative realities.”
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71 people liked it
“I read because I have to. It drives everything else from my mind. It lets me escape to find other world.”
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