Chinese Cinderalla - Adeline Yen Mah (1 Viewer)

[funniboi]

It's a must buy then, after I finish reading Magician.

 

[moffat]

i've read 'chinese cinderella and the secret dragon society' it's a kinda interesting book and all..with learning about the conditions and context...but i'm pretty sure its aimed at younger reader's, or maybe thats just because it seemed so clear and easy to understand as compared to the other books i've recently read. it was a quick read.

 

[mayhemily]

yeah i read chinese cinderella and falling leaves a few years back - they were so absorbing and sad, I loved them. But I lent my copy of cinderella to a friend and never got it back.

 

[leetom]

Was doing maths in the library and looked up to see the book staring me in the face. Would have borrowed but I try to avoid the librarian as much as possible because he freaks me out. Will borrow when friendly, attractive teacher is acting as librarian.

 

[mic]

i loved falling leaves and chinese cinderella. so sad and i was close to tears

 

[steph@nie]

falling leaves is simply the adult version of chinese cinderella. I have a 3rd book by her.. Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society. I haven't read it, but I assume it will be like the other two.

 

[ujuphleg]

I'm gonna turn the tables here and say that Chinese Cinderella, while it touched me, didn't make me cry and i think its poorly written and the author is a whinger.

Why?

Well, many many more in her position have simply been thrown away or abandoned. If she was so unwanted, why was she still taken care of? Her grandfather and her Aunt Baba loved her. If she is so unwanted why was she sent to take medicine in the United Kingdom? That doesn't come cheap and i highly doubt that if parents really didn't want a daughter they would send her all the way to have an English education?

I agree that the way that they treated her was poor, appalling and out of line. However, i think that shes making a mountain out of a molehill....

 

[Sarah168]

I'm gonna turn the tables here and say that Chinese Cinderella, while it touched me, didn't make me cry and i think its poorly written and the author is a whinger.

Why?

Well, many many more in her position have simply been thrown away or abandoned. If she was so unwanted, why was she still taken care of? Her grandfather and her Aunt Baba loved her. If she is so unwanted why was she sent to take medicine in the United Kingdom? That doesn't come cheap and i highly doubt that if parents really didn't want a daughter they would send her all the way to have an English education?

I agree that the way that they treated her was poor, appalling and out of line. However, i think that shes making a mountain out of a molehill....

Agreed. I dont mean to sound harsh because she did have an emotionally rough childhood but the tone of whinging really got to me. Call me insensitive if you like As I said before :

It was a little sad but my cynicism kicked in when the details became a little melodramatic...

 

[jellybeenz]

I absolutely loved 'Falling Leaves'- but I can agree with those criticisms. I thought 'Wild Swans' was a lot more emotionally taxing.

 

[daiana]

i just wanna clear one thing up... Chinese Cinderella is about her childhood. Falling Leaves has Chinese Cinderella in it as well as her life as an adult. Saying that this story is simply 'sad' isn't doing justice to Adeline really. Emotional suffering has to hurt, anytime and pain during anyone's childhood can scar anyone. Think about your own. They may be little things when you tell it to someone else, but in actual fact the experience could be more like a jagger twisting up your body into some pretzel. Ouch.
Although her story isn't particularly rare, it pulls on your strings a bit and gets the tears going (at times) as you absorb some of the pain she felt. Inevitably, her true experience would've done more to her than just made her cry. This book was once my favourite book, but if i read it again, i think it'll be slightly bland and the tears wont come around so easily. This book would certainly make a reader of 15 yrs old or younger cry easily.... but an adult probably won't feel it as intensely.

This book was good, but i felt that her English was a bit clunky. It didn't flow eloquently. It was like too direct... no room for imagination left for the reader. twas once my fav book, but now i'm moving on to Bryce Courtnay's "The Power of One". The similarity between the 2 is that they both capture the reader's heart by telling the time of when their only friend-an animal- dies with much injustice. Then again, how could one ever compare Courtney's wit and eloquence with Mah?