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Adeline Yen Mah

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Chinese Cinderella : The Secret Story of an Unwanted Daughter Paperback – January 1, 2007

by Adeline Yen Mah (Author)

4.5 2,457 ratings

Part of: Chinese Cinderella (4 books)

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Jung-ling's family considers her bad luck because her mother died giving birth to her. They discriminate against her and make her feel unwanted yet she yearns and continuously strives for her parents' love. Her stepmother is vindictive and cruel and her father dismissive. Jung-ling grows up to be an academic child, with a natural ability for writing. Only her aunt and grandfather offer her any love and kindness. The story is of survival in the light of the mental and physical cruelty of her stepmother and the disloyalty of her siblings. Jung-ling blossoms in spite of everything and the story ends as her father agrees to let her study in England.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Puffin Books; Abridged edition (January 1, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0141304871
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0141304878
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 - 13 years, from customers
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 0.63 x 7.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #7,810,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #283,564 in Teen & Young Adult Books

Customer Reviews:
4.5 2,457 ratings

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4.5 out of 5

2,457 global ratings

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Grisel S

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2024

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I can’t stop ,finished in one weekend

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2024

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The story is an engaging story of the author's early life. She lived in virtual poverty but received vital encouragement from a favorite aunt and grandfather. She grew up during the Communist take over. Her family escaped to Hong Kong. She eventually got to study in England for medicine. She moved to California and is also the mother of two children.

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Аmazon Customer

A decent read with an immersive narrative.

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2017

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The book seemed to be very realistic and convey the feelings of the main character. Her struggle was a relatable one and I enjoyed that. The only problem was that the pacing near the end of the book was a bit slow, but the bittersweet ending more than enough made up for that. A good read.

One person found this helpful

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Heather thompkins

Like the fairytale Cinderella

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2018

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Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of Unwanted Daughter
Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah, tells her childhood story of being a young, Chinese girl living in an unvenial household. Her family was so abusive and unfair, you can hardly believe her story was a true story. Like the fairytale Cinderella, Adeline has an abusive stepmother, who she calls Niang, who is favored among many for her Chinese and French heritage and has a passionate hatred towards Adeline. Her own father, “treats her like garbage” and even forgets Adeline’s name. Adeline watches the rest of her siblings get treated generously, while she is left in the shadows. However, she hides her true heart and never speaks of the abusive home life to her fellow peers. Instead she rises from the ashes and is the top of her class in school. Knowing that one day, she will be able to make someone out of the beaten and bruised girl she is.
Personally, what I enjoyed about the book was how the author was able to produce strong emotions towards characters from the readers. Whilst reading her story, I felt a burning hatred towards the people who would treated Adeline wrong. Or in other situations, I’d find myself beaming when Adeline triumphs. Her story was inspiring to read, and she is a strong young woman, who wanted to make a life out of herself, even though she is living in the 1940s. I would also recommend the book if you are wanting to learn more about the Chinese culture. Throughout the story, she uses Chinese dialects, talks about the ceremonies they go to, and the Communist government that surrounds her.

13 people found this helpful

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gottaread

Inspiring Teen Read

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2018

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A well written and beautifully written book. My son's school recommended it for a summer reading project. He likes the book a lot and I love it, too. We discussed how Adeline's "hidden" character and fortitude are inspirational. Her strength gave her the ability to continually hope. It is hard to read at times and I remember physically wincing. Parts of the author's memoir reminded me of a book I read, Under The Same Sky by Joseph Kim. Hope and desire for a life with love are strong, common threads. This book helped my early teen son understand the human need for love outside of his need, as well as how powerful the need for love is. I did not want to put this book down, so I read it rather quickly. My son also did not want to put it down. We both are inspired by Adeline's wisdom and survival skills. Her acceptance of her "position" pushed her hard toward high academic achievement, as a way to be loved and accepted by her dad. She is a hero for not quitting, for not accepting defeat no matter how bleak things were. Thankfully she had "everyday heroes" in her life. She chose their support and help--for that she was brave. It is honorable that she used her intelligence, talents, and painful childhood to motivate herself for a better life that led her into an occupation that serves others. Her writing talent is wonderful to experience. My son and I learned about the difference between the written Chinese language and the spoken ones. Her explanations and examples of how the written language is expressed in pictures made it much less intimidating to learn for me. She presented it in such a way that I easily learned words and phrases from her book. This memoir is also full of historical facts. The author takes readers on a journey to places and situations as though we were actually there.
The book made me think and for that I am grateful.

24 people found this helpful

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Yua

Lo compré para mi hija

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2024

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Le gustó mucho a mi hija,creo q los libros son el mejor regalo q se le puede hacer a un niño y a cualquier persona sin importar su edad

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Relates to my wife

Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2023

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My wife: “I read this my senior year in high school, and I was going through so much stuff from mental health and being homeless. When I read this, I felt understood. And we aren’t even from the same race, but our experiences are so similar that it was unbelievable. I finally have a way to explain in words. Now, with this book and ‘Bait’ are my words that I hand people to read when I’m ready for them to get to know me. And without me having to constantly retell myself and remember the trauma.”

One person found this helpful

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Haley Hanson Fridley

It’s a heartfelt book

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2018

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I am using this book for a summer project for school, for my English class and it’s a very good book. Makes you think a lot on how you treat other people and your family. It makes you feel deeply for the author and it’s become a book I’ve come to love.

3 people found this helpful

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Martockgirl

This was a great read!

Reviewed in Canada on October 21, 2021

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I ordered this book after reading 'Falling Leaves' by the same author (which was her first book). Chinese Cinderella covered the first 14 years of the young Chinese girl. Having had a difficult step mother whose behaviour often bordered on cruelty, I found the similarities of our lives rather striking. I will reread these 2 books again.

Matsoukis

Excellent

Reviewed in Germany on March 12, 2023

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Very, very good book. It will make you sad, angry, upset and very proud of this girl.

Natalie

My son absolutely loves this book. Well written

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2023

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Nothing it was a great read

Beatriz

Libro de segunda mano demasiado usado

Reviewed in Spain on August 21, 2018

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Llegó un mes mas tarde a mi compra y es viejísimo. Las páginas son amarillentas y polvorientas. Tiene manchas de aceite, manchas negras, etiquetas blancas en la portada... En definitiva, un libro demasiado viejo y usado, me esperaba algo mejor cuidado, la verdad.

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