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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. Includes 6-page photo insert.
Top of the Class
AUTUMN 1941
As soon as I got home from school, Aunt Baba noticed the silver medal dangling from the left breast pocket of my uniform. She was combing her hair in front of the mirror in our room when I rushed in and plopped my schoolbag down onto my bed.
"What's that hanging on your dress?"
"It's something special that Mother Agnes gave me in front of the whole class this afternoon. She called it an award."
My aunt looked thrilled. "So soon? You only started kindergarten a week ago. What is it for?"
"It's for leading my class this week. When Mother Agnes pinned it on my dress, she said I could wear it for seven days. Here, this certificate goes with it." I opened my schoolbag and handed her an envelope as I climbed onto her lap.
She opened the envelope and took out the certificate. "Why, it's all written in French or English or some other foreign language. How do you expect me to read this, my precious little treasure?" I knew she was pleased because she was smiling as she hugged me. "One day soon," she continued, "you'll be able to translate all this into Chinese for me. Until then, we'll just write today's date on the envelope and put it away somewhere safe. Go close the door properly and put on the latch so no one will come in."
I watched her open her closet door and take out her safe-deposit box. She took the key from a gold chain around her neck and placed my certificate underneath her jade bracelet, pearl necklace and diamond watch, as if my award were also some precious jewel impossible to replace.
As she closed the lid, an old photograph fell out. I picked up the faded picture and saw a solemn young man and woman, both dressed in old-fashioned Chinese robes. The man looked rather familiar.
"Is this a picture of my father and dead mama?" I asked.
"No. This is the wedding picture of your grandparents. Your Ye Ye was twenty-six and your Nai Nai was only fifteen." She quickly took the photo from me and locked it into her box.
"Do you have a picture of my dead mama?"
She avoided my eyes. "No. But I have wedding pictures of your father and your stepmother, Niang. You were only one year old when they married. Do you want to see them?"
"No. I've seen those before. I just want to see one of my own mama. Do I look like her?" Aunt Baba did not reply, but busied herself with putting the safe-deposit box back into her closet. After a while I said, "When did my mama die?"
"Your mother came down with a high fever three days after you were born. She died when you were two weeks old. . . ." She hesitated for a moment, then exclaimed suddenly, "How dirty your hands are! Have you been playing in that sandbox at school again? Go wash them at once! Then come back and do your homework!"
I did as I was told. Though I was only four years old, I understood I should not ask Aunt Baba too many questions about my dead mama. Big Sister once told me, "Aunt Baba and Mama used to be best friends. A long time ago, they worked together in a bank in Shanghai owned by our grandaunt, the youngest sister of Grandfather Ye Ye. But then Mama died giving birth to you. If you had not been born, Mama would still be alive. She died because of you. You are bad luck."
A Tianjin Family
At the time of my birth, Big Sister was six and a half years old. My three brothers were five, four and three. They blamed me for causing Mama's death and never forgave me.
A year later, Father remarried. Our stepmother, whom we called Niang, was a seventeen-year-old Eurasian beauty fourteen years his junior. Father always introduced her to his friends as his French wife, though she was actually half French and half Chinese. Besides Chinese, she also spoke French and English. She was almost as tall as Father, stood very straight and dressed only in French clothes, many of which came from Paris. Her thick, wavy black hair never had a curl out of place. Her large, dark brown eyes were fringed with long, thick lashes. She wore heavy makeup, expensive French perfume and many diamonds and pearls. Grandmother Nai Nai told us to call her Niang, Chinese term for mother.
One year after their wedding, they had a son (Fourth Brother), followed by a daughter (Little Sister). There were now seven of us, five children from Father's first wife and two from our stepmother Niang.
Besides Father and Niang, we lived with our Grandfather Ye Ye, Grandmother Nai Nai and Aunt Baba in a big house in the French concession of Tianjin, a port city on the northeast coast of China. Aunt Baba was the older sister of our father. Because she was meek, shy and unmarried and had no money of her own, they ordered her to take care of me. From an early age, I slept in a crib in her room. This suited me well because I grew to know her better and better. Besides a room, we came to share a life apart from the rest of our family. Under the circumstances, perhaps it was inevitable that, in time, we came to care for each other very deeply.
Many years before, China had lost a war, known as the Opium War, against England and France. As a result, many coastal cities in China, such as Tianjin and Shanghai, came to be occupied by foreign soldiers.
The conquerors parceled out the best areas of these treaty ports for themselves, claiming them as their own "territories" or "concessions." Tianjin's French concession was like a little piece of Paris transplanted into the center of this big Chinese city. Our house was built in the French style and looked as if it had been lifted from a tree-shaded avenue near the Eiffel Tower. Surrounded by a charming garden, it had porches, balconies, bow windows, awnings and a slanting tile roof. Across the street was St. Louis Catholic Boys' School, where the teachers were French missionaries.
In December 1941, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States became involved in the Second World War. Though Tianjin was occupied by the Japanese, the French concession was still being governed by French officials. French policemen strutted about looking important and barking out orders in their own language, which they expected everyone to understand and obey.
At my school, Mother Agnes taught us the alphabet and how to count in French. Many of the streets around our house were named after dead French heroes or Catholic saints. When translated into Chinese, these street names became so complicated that Ye Ye and Nai Nai often had trouble remembering them. Bilingual store signs were common, but the most exclusive shops painted their signs only in French. Nai Nai told us this was the foreigners' way of announcing that no Chinese were allowed there except for maids in charge of white children.
limegreenlvr101
Posted January 29, 2012
The New York Times bestseller Adeline Yen Mah writes her compelling story of heartbreak. Chinese Cinderella: A True Story of an Unwanted Daughter shows how she goes through hard times and tries to stay strong. Adeline Yen Mah is born into a family who neglects and hurts her physically and emotionally. Her aunt and grandparents are the only ones who believe in her and show their love to her. Mah’s stepmother, Niang, hates her and tries to keep Adeline from having a life outside her home. Her rewards and prizes from school won’t help her family love her. In fact, they dislike her more and more every time she comes home with one. Her siblings take her things and hurt her. Killing her duckling, PLT, and insulting her in front of her family is only the surface of the hard things Yen Mah has to go through. Her father and stepmother send Adeline to different schools but she still is tied to her home, hoping for a letter from her family. Through torment and sadness, Adeline tries to find herself and the world around her. Throughout the novel, the author tells her story through her own eyes. She tells the reader to be strong and that we are all special and unique. She stresses how important it is to be truthful, loyal, and to have a talent you share with the world. Her moral is to be the best person you can and to enjoy even the little things in life. Although her life was not easy, she believes that she should show people how she can be strong and determined to pull through. Adeline Yen Mah writes in an interesting way to pull readers in. She tells her story as if she has something to prove. Adeline remembers her life and tries to write about it. The reader can understand what she went through and feel the pain that she had to encounter. Most readers can relate to Yen Mah and her story in some way. This book is a heart-felt memoir that touches anyone. I enjoyed how it makes you react to the novel. It is told in so much detail that you actually feel like you are in the story. The story moves you before you even read all the way through. It's never difficult to understand what the author goes through. Some situations are vague and lack detail but when you read the book you understand why. When Adeline Yen Mah describes her boarding school in Tianjin, it is described in little detail. She improves the book by trying to let the reader understand how alone she feels and help us create our own images in our mind. Mah tells a story of love and acceptance. Readers will connect with the memoir and believe in change for innocent people and their families. Thanks to Adeline Yen Mah, hope and healing is a place in the world for everyone.
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 23, 2012
So a friend recommended this book because i didnt know what to reas for the summer . So i said what do i have to lose so i got it and it pleasently surprised me that i loved the book ALOT . The one thing that surprised me was i dont really cry for books , but this OMG did i cry during this book . Over all two big thunbs up !!!!!! :)))
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 7, 2012
I read the full book and am excited that I can buy it! I love this book, and for that person who rated three stars and said "Really.", This is great read. I also want to tell you guys to "read/play before you post" because some people just leave reviews when they haven't even read it yet
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 19, 2008
I Also Recommend:
This book is such a safe one, but written in a phenomenal way. Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah is a autobiography written from her early childhood through the age of fourteen. Adeline - a gifted young girl who is shunned and hated by her family - is seen as bad luck because her mother dies shortly after giving birth to her. Her father re-marries and her step-mother(Niang) is a stylish yet cruel woman who seems to hate Adeline more than her siblings do. Not to mention that her siblings do some really cruel things to her. Adeline's father has no power in the house and he's no resort to Adeline because he doesn't even remember her name or birthday.<BR/><BR/>Adeline's only resort is her Aunt Baba, her Ye Ye(Grandfather), and her Nai Nai(Grandmother). Adeline is left out from family activity and works hard to be accepted by her father. Adeline's entire life has been a challenge and this book shows just the beginning of it. If you've ever felt unwanted, think again.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 6, 2013
Read in two days c: It was surely in my top 5 of my most delicate favorite books c: would toatally lend/share this book to my friends. I actually throughout the book... at each moment would be able to connect/relate to the author c: And I liked that... Best book ever (:
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 22, 2012
Dis book is frickin good no lies
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 7, 2012
This is my favorite book!!!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 10, 2012
Chinese cinderella is the true story about a young girl who grew up tormented and hated. Always thinking that her mother died because of her, when it was really just the birth.
It's a really good book, that'll make you think!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 29, 2011
I really like this book because it tells how she was raised and treated but its really sad. Has anyone read the second book?
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 21, 2011
I have read the sample, and i will definetly get the full book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 20, 2011
This book is about a chinese girl who is unloved! If you do not like sad books then i do not recomend it
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 16, 2010
Adeline Yen Mah lived her childhood as an unwanted daughter. Her father ignored her, forgetting her name and birthday. Her step-mother was cruel and abusive, and her siblings blamed her for her mother's death.
In her memoir, Adeline describes her childhood in China. This beautifully crafted memoir describes the pain she suffered from her family and shows the political changes of China at the same time.
This was an excellent novel and a quick read.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 2, 2009
My eleven-year-old daughter read Chinese Cinderella first, then passed it on to some friends, and because I sometimes read literature for children, told me I had to read it next.
The following review is from my blog about books, Suko's Notebook.
When I write book reviews, although they contain my opinions, I try to keep from going overboard emotionally. I'm not a journalist, just reporting the facts--but neither am I an overly emotional writer, or person. However, reading Chinese Cinderella: The Secret Story of an Unwanted Daughter was quite an emotional experience for me. I often felt on the verge of tears, and was completely outraged by the way this poor child was treated, as a nonentity in a rich family. It was unbearable to me, that this innocent, gifted child was ignored, mistreated, and made to feel bad about just about everything.
Published in 1999, Chinese Cinderella is a beautifully written memoir by Adeline Yen Mah. The book describes her early experiences growing up in China during World War II, and is a revised version of part of her autobiography, Falling Leaves.
Poor Adeline! Her mother died soon after giving birth to her, and the family shuns her and regards her as bad luck. After her father remarries, she receives constant abuse from her stepmother "Niang" (the Chinese word for mother) and siblings. Although she's an outstanding student at school, at home she's made to feel as if she doesn't exist, at the complete mercy of a cold, despicable stepmother. She's forced to become independent at a very young age, walking to school and back by herself in the worst weather. Her father's guilty of neglecting her, and allowing his second wife to be cruel and unjustly punitive towards her.
Her saving grace is her scholastic ability and intelligence, and having one person in her life who believes in her, Aunt Baba. In spite of a very difficult upbringing, Adeline is able to triumph over her past and eventually attends medical school. Chinese Cinderella lives up to it's name, and although it's shockingly sad, it's also a book about hope and the resiliency of the human spirit, about reaching dreams in spite of the worst possible circumstances. I'd like to read Adeline Yen Mah's full autobiography, Falling Leaves, an international bestseller published in 1997.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 21, 2009
Chinese Cinderella is a book about this girl named Adeline. Her mother died as she was born. So now most of her family thinks she is the cause of her mother¿s death. Adeline goes throughout her life being mistreated and partly ignored. There are only a few people in her family who know that she is not the cause of her mother¿s death. They are her aunt Baba, grandpa Yeye, and Third Brother. Now she has to live with all her brothers, sisters, and a mean step mother. <BR/><BR/>*I liked how her aunt Baba kept all her report cards and kept them locked in this box where she keeps all her valuables. Then every time Adeline feels down and discouraged Baba shows her the grades and tells her how proud of her she is and how good she is at school. One thing that I liked was when Adeline had a pet duck, she named it and took care of it as if it was her own child. She named it Precious Little Treasure but its nick name was PLT. PLT was the only other person that Adeline cared about, she fed her everyday, slept with her, kept her well but then a sad day came. One day Big Brother took PLT and let their dog Jackie plays with it but then PLT got hurt and ended up dying. Adeline was really sad. Then another thing I disliked was when every time Adeline got a award or something special from school her dad would be proud of her but her siblings would get mad n hate her. Like¿..
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 3, 2008
This book is mostly about a young girl who has a huge family but none of them liked her. Since she has a ton of sivlings, and her father got remarried,and she is not treated very well at all. Everyone in her family treats her like it's her fault their real mother died. Her stepmom favors her children over everyone else, so dose her father. I think the author does a pretty good job of engaging the reader, but sometimes I felt like the book was getting boring. Like when all her brothers and sisters got a duckling was fun to read about, but then something happens to it and the author goes back to telling about how she's neglected. I liked reading about her friend, who is very athletic and is the top athlete in her school. This kind of sounded like me. I don't really get why she went away when she got kicked out because she should've stayed at her friend's house. I think homeless people would enjoy this book because then they know that there are other people out in the world that can have it worse than them.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 7, 2013
I have to day it has been by far ny favorite book! No doubt that anyone who reads this book will love it. Growing up cinderella had always been my favorite and if it woulnt of been on my summer reading list i wouldve missed out on a great book. It is an easy read heart warming and beautiful book. I will honestly say i actually cryed reading this story. Like someone would watching a chick flick. Read this book you wont regret it!! (:
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Posted May 28, 2013
Left alone in a school completely unloved and unwanted by her family, Adeline Yen finds happiness from within
and clings onto the hope that she might be worth something someday. The autobiography, Chinese Cinderella,
is written by Adeline Yen Mah about her experiences growing up in boarder schools without love or appreciation
from neither her father nor her step-mother. It takes place in World War II meaning there are dangers for Adeline
where she currently lives, Tianjin. Moreover, she remains the only girl left at the catholic school, left to fend for
herself in the middle of a war. I was shocked at the ignorance and unkindness of the parents in this book, and I
enjoyed the surprising ending.Teenage girls would fall in love at the tragic lifestyle Adeline is forced to endure.
Anonymous
Posted May 28, 2013
Unwanted Child
If you enjoy reading books on mistreatment because you like to see the books have happy endings, Chinese Cinderella is the book to read! The book Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah is about a little girl who is mistreated and blamed for her mother’s death. Yen Mah never did anything wrong to deserve what she got, but she received it anyways. She would bring home awards to please her father and stepmom Niang, but all they did was take her award away and beat her because she was a “show off.” She wasn’t allowed to go anywhere except school and she had to walk in any weather. She had two sisters and three brothers and they were only nice ever so often. They would always pull tricks on her and then apologize, but it didn’t change a thing for her because she was unloved. I enjoyed this book because it showed me that not everyone has it as good as I do, with two loving parents, step parents, and brothers and sisters who love me and would never treat me badly. Teenage girls would like this book the most because at times it will make you want to cry, but yet there are the moments that will make you feel better for her.
Anonymous
Posted May 22, 2013
Vhj
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 20, 2013
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Overview
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....