True story of a girl unwanted in China who becomes an American doctor and returns to her homeland.

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

This Memoir is about the early life of a young Chinese girl set in the 1940's to early 1950's. Although Adeline was born into a wealthy family, she was not treated fairly by her Stepmother and Father. She tells how her Mother died right after her birth making her a family outcast. Told with vivid details, raw emotions, including Chinese culture and History.

I was able to feel what she went through and relate to her personal struggles. Chinese Cinderella tells of one young girls yearning to be accepted and her (eventual) accomplishments despite her lack of parental love. I highly recommend to Y/A as well as Adult readers. ( )

rabck from book_drunkard; Sad story about an unwanted daughter and life after father remarries to a stepmother that treats the first family horribly, particularly the author. She's quite bright and knows enough to get by with going to school. She has allies in her grandfather Yen Yen and her maiden Aunt Baba. But the stepmother (who is mixed French and Chinese) knows that and despises the old ways and gets the father to go along with letting her be in charge. ( )

biographical nonfiction. A girl growing up in 40s-50s China eventually escapes from a family (evil stepmother) that purposefully neglects her. ( )

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah was an odd read. The story was very depressing and extremely one sided and very focused on the narrator (the author). The story follows Adeline’s life from 4 years old to 14, throughout the story she is emotionally abused and suffers because she is the least favored out of 7 children.

and yet

she’s smart, respected by her classmates and teachers, and in the end she gets sent to school in England, which at the time was a very rare privilege. (not to mention the fact that her father sends her there).

Throughout the entire book we only see her point of view, her side of the story and almost no context whatsoever. During a time of war and hardship for China and the rest of the world, she is only focused on herself and how horrible life seems for her, and just glosses over major events as if they were unimportant. Throughout the whole book she never looks on the brightside of things…in fact even victories are defeats! It gets very depressing and I would not recommend this book.

Happy (please!) Readings!


The Book Worm ( )