| Plot Summary of Chinese Cinderella |
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"This is a woman's memoir of her childhood in China in the 1940s and 1950s. Her family was very wealthy and privileged, but the girl and her siblings were abused and neglected by her stepmother and sometimes her father. There was a great deal of favoritism in the family; the stepmother's children were treated much better than the father's children. The girl spent many years in various boarding schools, ignored by her family, but succeeded in life through making good grades in school."
Meaghan, Resident Scholar
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"This book is the moving autobiography of a young Chinese girl, Adeline Yen Mah. Born the fifth child to an affluent Chinese family her life begins tragically. Adeline's mother died shortly after her birth due to complications bought on by the delivery. This situation is compounded by her father's new marriage to a lady who has little affection for her husband's five children. She displayed overt antagonism and distrust towards all of the children, particularly Adeline, whilst favoring her own younger son and daughter born soon after the marriage. The book outlines Adeline's struggle to find a place where she feels she belongs. Denied love from her parents, she finds some solace in relationships with her grandfather Ye Ye, and her Aunt Baba, but they are taken from her. Adeline immerses herself in striving for academic achievement in the hope of winning favour, but also for its own rewards as she finds great pleasure in words and scholarly success."
Sunny Meadows, Resident Scholar
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"From the very day Adeline Yen Mah was born, her family considered her total bad luck and she was unwanted all her life because her mother died giving birth to her. Adeline struggles for acceptance and overcomes all the odds to prove her worth. She does well at school, even achieving various medallions, strives to attend a university in London and yet her family, especially her father, do not encourage, congratulate or help her in any way, but rather are extremely upset and ashamed of her.
As a young child, Adeline considered herself independent and was unable to achieve as much as she wished to due to the fact that she was not receiving enough support, reflecting on her complete and utter loneliness.
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Nicholas Rokkas, Resident Scholar
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"From the very day Adeline Yen Mah was born, her family considered her total bad luck and she was unwanted all her life because her mother died giving birth to her. Adeline struggles for acceptance and overcomes all the odds to prove her worth. She does well at school, even achieving various medallions, strives to attend a university in London and yet her family, especially her father, do not encourage, congratulate or help her in any way, but rather are extremely upset and ashamed of her.
As a young child, Adeline considered herself independent and was unable to achieve as much as she wished to due to the fact that she was not receiving enough support, reflecting on her complete and utter loneliness. "
Rick Trinh, Resident Scholar
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"Young Yen Jun-Ling's biological mother dies giving birth to her, and she is being blamed for her mother's death. She is considered bad luck and she's being treated differently from her four older siblings.
When her father and his new wife have two children of their own, Yen Jun-Ling and her four natural siblings are all being mistreated, while their stepbrother and stepsister are being spoilt rotten.
She wants her family to love her, so she works really hard at school. Her hard work pays off and she wins a lot of different prizes and awards at school, but she still doesn't feel appreciated by her family, which has never been there to congratulate her when she has recieved an award. Her Aunt and grandfather have always been very proud of her, but what she really yearns for is her fathers attention and appreciation.
As Adeline keeps winning prizes, her siblings get envious. She early learns that she can't trust anyone and because of her family she has no friends. She belives that if she fights hard for her achievements, she will get far and she has a really strong will. But in the end, her life takes a turn, and because of her talent of writing, she gets to live the life she's always deserved.
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Julia Elhag, Resident Scholar
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"Chinese cinderella is a very sad book about a little girl who is unwanted in the family. Her Aunt Baba loves her very much but her step mother, father and siblings don't like her. her eldest brother loves her very much. her step mother treats her very badly and her father never speaks to her.
Adeline Yen Mah speaks about the war between Japan, USA and China and how hard it was for her. She was only about 4 years old and her family memebers started to be really mean to her.
She spends two weeks in kindergarten and receives a certificate. her Aunt is pleased and so is her father. She thinks to get her father's attention, she must do really well in school. her big sister and second eldest brother both bully her alot, like taking her food away, pinching her, punching her etc.
The themes in this book are family, love and death. The characters are Aunt Baba, Father, Ye Ye(Grandpa), Nai Nai(Grandma), Niang(Step-Mother), Big Sister(Lydia), Big Brother(Gregory), Second Brother (Edgar)and third brother (James).
Adeline moves to England to complete her studies and stay away from her parents.
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rasita, Resident Scholar
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"Chinese Cinderella is a heartbreaking, story of a young Chinese girl who is disgraced and unwanted all her life by her own family. It is a sad memoir of Adeline Yen Mah's own childhood, growing up in the 1940s and 1950s and entering her struggle for acceptance from the time she was born to the age of fourteen.
This is a story about how Adeline is ignored and considered bad luck by her family when her mother dies giving birth to her. When her rich dad remarries, Adeline feels even more left out, there is an addition of 2 children to already 4 siblings. It is soon very clear that her new step mother is in charge and spoils her children rotten, while she neglects Adeline and her siblings. Adeline feels that she needs to do well in school to get her father's attention and receives many certificates and even becomes class president, but all this does is bring misery to her by her jealous siblings.
Adeline is the fifth child of her mother and father, she her sister is the eldest, followed by three brothers and her half brother and sister are both younger than her. Along with her siblings, she lives with her father, step-mother, aunt, grandfather, grandmother and a range of butlers, maids and cooks. She is a hard-worker and always receives good grades, just trying to please her father. Her childhood is of her growing up in World War II and how different parts of China were governed by the French, the Japanese and the American.
With the war going on, her family is forced to move to a different city as it is too dangerous to stay. After disobeying her step mother's orders one day, she is sent to boarding school in the dangerous city they had left. She is abandoned by her step mother and is the only one left at the boarding school, while troops invade the city.
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Emily, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Chinese Cinderella |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Kids:
- parental abuse
Ethnic/Relig. of subject (inside)
- Chinese
Ethnic/regional/gender
Yes
ethnic of society (outside)
- Chinese
Period of greatest activity?
- 1950+
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a kid
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity
- Chinese
Nationality
- Chinese
How sensitive is this person?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other people
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 5 (an average amount)
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- China
City?
Yes
City:
- wealthy
Misc setting
- Fancy Mansion
Century:
- 1930's-1950's
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Book makes you feel?
- concerned
Commentary on society?
Yes
Writer's slant towards subject:
- very unfavorable
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of set of events during life
If this is a kid's book:
- Age 11-14
Autobiography?
Yes
Pictures/Illustrations?
- A few 1-5 B&W
How much dialogue in bio?
- significantly more descript than dialog
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life?
- 0-25% of book
How much is philosophy rather than life story?
- 0-25% of book
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