blearywitch's review against another edition
5.0
Adeline's childhood is a painful one. It is amazing and impressive that she turned out great and leads a comfortable life now filled with love and happiness. I hope it is a peaceful one as well but emotions and deep thoughts could keep that at bay. Her emotional survival is an inspiration. I am however, left wondering what Hong Kong will be like after 2047.
alexblackreads's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to love this. I really did. I love books about complex and abusive family relationships. I love books about historical times I know little about. I love memoirs. And yet, this book just fell a little short. It was fine, but it's not one I particularly enjoyed.
For starters, I think it struggled with being too all encompassing. Most memoirs pick a focus and tell the story of the narrators life around that focus, but Mah told her whole life, conception to publication, with what what like equal focus on everything. It felt like too much. Because of that, it felt like an autobiography giving the facts of a person's life rather than a narrative driven story.
The whole thing felt kind of like a summary. The scope was just too wide to delve deeply into experiences. Mah told us a lot about her experiences, but I didn't get the sense that I was there feeling things with her. It felt very distant and separate. I was watching from afar as Mah felt these deep, personal emotions when I wanted to be there with her.
I didn't fully buy that Mah was the perfect person she was making herself out to be. Especially at the end and the deaths of her father and stepmother, everyone was concerned about the wills. Mah repeatedly states it's not about the money for her. It's about the principle of being included in the family. But for someone who doesn't care about the money, she seems very easily placated when some of her siblings offer her some of their money. I just don't understand caring that much about the money of your abusive parents when you already lead a financially comfortable life. It seemed to be a lot more about the money than she claimed.
It was a very sad book. She went through a great deal of trauma with her abusive family, but it never quite pulled at my heart the way I wanted it to. She made me objectively sad, but I was never close to crying and I cry real easy at books. If something is sad, I want to be tearing up and feeling those emotions. In this it was closer to I know it's very sad and I feel bad for her, but I wasn't feeling them myselves.
The most interesting things for me were learning about the history and culture of China. She's born in China and eventually moves to Hong Kong to escape communism with her family and I loved hearing about that part. She talked a great deal about traditions, both her devout Buddhist grandfather and her more modern Catholic parents, and that part I thoroughly enjoyed. It's just unfortunate that I didn't care that much for the main focus of the story. I think perhaps because those things were objectively interesting while the main story was more emotional.
I do think this book was okay, but it's not one I'd recommend. I also don't think it's a waste of time if you wanted to pick it up. Just kind of okay for me.
For starters, I think it struggled with being too all encompassing. Most memoirs pick a focus and tell the story of the narrators life around that focus, but Mah told her whole life, conception to publication, with what what like equal focus on everything. It felt like too much. Because of that, it felt like an autobiography giving the facts of a person's life rather than a narrative driven story.
The whole thing felt kind of like a summary. The scope was just too wide to delve deeply into experiences. Mah told us a lot about her experiences, but I didn't get the sense that I was there feeling things with her. It felt very distant and separate. I was watching from afar as Mah felt these deep, personal emotions when I wanted to be there with her.
I didn't fully buy that Mah was the perfect person she was making herself out to be. Especially at the end and the deaths of her father and stepmother, everyone was concerned about the wills. Mah repeatedly states it's not about the money for her. It's about the principle of being included in the family. But for someone who doesn't care about the money, she seems very easily placated when some of her siblings offer her some of their money. I just don't understand caring that much about the money of your abusive parents when you already lead a financially comfortable life. It seemed to be a lot more about the money than she claimed.
It was a very sad book. She went through a great deal of trauma with her abusive family, but it never quite pulled at my heart the way I wanted it to. She made me objectively sad, but I was never close to crying and I cry real easy at books. If something is sad, I want to be tearing up and feeling those emotions. In this it was closer to I know it's very sad and I feel bad for her, but I wasn't feeling them myselves.
The most interesting things for me were learning about the history and culture of China. She's born in China and eventually moves to Hong Kong to escape communism with her family and I loved hearing about that part. She talked a great deal about traditions, both her devout Buddhist grandfather and her more modern Catholic parents, and that part I thoroughly enjoyed. It's just unfortunate that I didn't care that much for the main focus of the story. I think perhaps because those things were objectively interesting while the main story was more emotional.
I do think this book was okay, but it's not one I'd recommend. I also don't think it's a waste of time if you wanted to pick it up. Just kind of okay for me.
kairosdreaming's review against another edition
4.0
To preface, let me say that I have read "Chinese Cinderella" by the same author which is essentially the same book, just written for a younger audience. Another difference in the two is that "Chinese Cinderella" ends when Adeline (the author) goes off to college. "Falling Leaves" however, ends in the late 1990's when she has grown up and is a middle aged woman.
This is an autobiographical book and details teh life of Adeline Yen Mah, an unwanted Chinese daughter. The early part of the book describes her birth and subsequent death of her mother. The youngest of five when her father remarries, their family is soon joined by a bitter cruel stepmother they call Niang and eventually two more siblings.
Her early years are detailed as being more emotionally abused than ever physically abused although there are a couple instances where she is slapped or whipped. For the most part, while her basic needs are cared for, her emotional ones are not. Even those that try to provide for her emotional needs, her grandfather Ye-ye and her Aunt Baba, are prevented from doing so by Niang. While she excels in school to impress her father and subsequently attract his love, she is often ignored and left behind. They even went so far as to, during the course of her young life, enroll her in two different boarding schools/orphanages just to get rid of her. One of these was in a war-torn area that was unsafe at the time.
Her way out came as a winning of a writing contest which finally made her father see her potential. However, instead of supporting her dreams of becoming a writer, he sends her to medical school where eventually she specializes in anesthesia.
The second part of the book shows her progressing through medical school and then her relationships. It also shows her struggle to still gain approval from her father and Niang. It also shows the grown up rivalries of all the siblings. While she does find happiness, it is tarnished by these familial relationships.
I thought it was an excellent book. While many might not feel sadness at her plight as she was well cared for and supplied an education, I think it really delves into what it means to be human. Most people want acceptance and want to be loved. As it is said "Money can't buy happiness." Why then should we feel less for Adeline as she was unwanted even in her own family, regardless of how well they helped her survive?
She is able to express her emotions readily and in a way I think all would be able to understand. I enjoyed her writing style and found unique the difference Chinese characters and phrases she incorporated to express her meaning.
The book is also a good study on the culture and political movements at the time in China and the surrounding areas. All of the events had an impact on her family's life and probably contributed to the turmoil.
Overall I think this book is a very informative read and would recommend it to anyone.
Falling Leaves
Copyright 1997
274 pages
This is an autobiographical book and details teh life of Adeline Yen Mah, an unwanted Chinese daughter. The early part of the book describes her birth and subsequent death of her mother. The youngest of five when her father remarries, their family is soon joined by a bitter cruel stepmother they call Niang and eventually two more siblings.
Her early years are detailed as being more emotionally abused than ever physically abused although there are a couple instances where she is slapped or whipped. For the most part, while her basic needs are cared for, her emotional ones are not. Even those that try to provide for her emotional needs, her grandfather Ye-ye and her Aunt Baba, are prevented from doing so by Niang. While she excels in school to impress her father and subsequently attract his love, she is often ignored and left behind. They even went so far as to, during the course of her young life, enroll her in two different boarding schools/orphanages just to get rid of her. One of these was in a war-torn area that was unsafe at the time.
Her way out came as a winning of a writing contest which finally made her father see her potential. However, instead of supporting her dreams of becoming a writer, he sends her to medical school where eventually she specializes in anesthesia.
The second part of the book shows her progressing through medical school and then her relationships. It also shows her struggle to still gain approval from her father and Niang. It also shows the grown up rivalries of all the siblings. While she does find happiness, it is tarnished by these familial relationships.
I thought it was an excellent book. While many might not feel sadness at her plight as she was well cared for and supplied an education, I think it really delves into what it means to be human. Most people want acceptance and want to be loved. As it is said "Money can't buy happiness." Why then should we feel less for Adeline as she was unwanted even in her own family, regardless of how well they helped her survive?
She is able to express her emotions readily and in a way I think all would be able to understand. I enjoyed her writing style and found unique the difference Chinese characters and phrases she incorporated to express her meaning.
The book is also a good study on the culture and political movements at the time in China and the surrounding areas. All of the events had an impact on her family's life and probably contributed to the turmoil.
Overall I think this book is a very informative read and would recommend it to anyone.
Falling Leaves
Copyright 1997
274 pages
kylie0506's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
allthingscozy's review against another edition
2.0
A more appropriate title for this book may be, Dysfunctional Wealthy Families: How Money Keeps you Going Back for More. At times I felt like I was reading a manual for how to put up with a lot of abuse and it was just a tough read. I'm not one to shy away from dark story lines so it wasn't that it wasn't a happy story. But there just wasn't enough depth in any relationship for me to care. In fact, I forgot that the author even had a son of her own as there seemed to be a preference to live in the past and give all of the time and attention to the people who least deserve while failing to stay grounded in the moment and build a better future with those that probably deserve it the most.
lisahelene's review against another edition
4.0
If anyone thinks their childhood was not the greatest they should read this book. I am so grateful for my family. It is amazing how people can treat another human being. I thought it was interesting at the beginning of the book she makes a point of telling the reader she used the real names of her parents and herself. It seems like one of the biggest things to a Chinese person is "face" or "saving face". She was purposefully not giving them "face".
As far as formatting goes there were a lot of unnecessary commas but I think it was due to the fact that English is not her first language.
As far as formatting goes there were a lot of unnecessary commas but I think it was due to the fact that English is not her first language.
trilobite's review against another edition
2.0
This memoir of an unwanted Chinese daughter failed to fully gain my sympathy for its author. Adeline Yen Mah was born in 1937 to a wealthy family in Tianjin. Her mother died shortly thereafter and her father married a woman who would become Adeline's wicked stepmother.
When the family moved to Shanghai, Adeline was forced to endure the hideousness of her straight Chinese hair when she longed for a "perm" like the stylish westerns had. She and her brothers were forced to walk nearly three miles to school. And they were deprived of pocket change with which to buy little candies. And sometimes, her siblings were mean to her!
Adeline Yen Mah paints herself as a saint while bitterly recalling every injustice she endured throughout her childhood. Yes, her stepmother was a cruel bitch from hell but Adeline never shares with her readers anything she ever did to a another human being that she regrets. And for this reason it's difficult for this reader to completely trust or sympathize with her account.
What I did appreciate from this book was the author's constant referral to the economic and political changes that were taking place in China from 1937 to 1994. For this reason I might read some of her other books. I feel she has a lot to offer the world through her writing if she could stop obsessing about gaining the love and approval of her flaccid father and her icy stepmother, especially when she measures "love" and "approval" in terms of how much money is given to her in their respective wills.
When the family moved to Shanghai, Adeline was forced to endure the hideousness of her straight Chinese hair when she longed for a "perm" like the stylish westerns had. She and her brothers were forced to walk nearly three miles to school. And they were deprived of pocket change with which to buy little candies. And sometimes, her siblings were mean to her!
Adeline Yen Mah paints herself as a saint while bitterly recalling every injustice she endured throughout her childhood. Yes, her stepmother was a cruel bitch from hell but Adeline never shares with her readers anything she ever did to a another human being that she regrets. And for this reason it's difficult for this reader to completely trust or sympathize with her account.
What I did appreciate from this book was the author's constant referral to the economic and political changes that were taking place in China from 1937 to 1994. For this reason I might read some of her other books. I feel she has a lot to offer the world through her writing if she could stop obsessing about gaining the love and approval of her flaccid father and her icy stepmother, especially when she measures "love" and "approval" in terms of how much money is given to her in their respective wills.
hillarya's review against another edition
1.0
This book was so frustrating. I feel bad for Adeline Yen Mah, but I could not get into the writing style. I've read quite a few great memoirs and this was not one. I was so confused by the skipping around of time periods. There was no flow. Chinese culture is also very frustrating and I really don't enjoy reading about it. I don't recommend this one. Several times I contemplated closing the book and never looking back, but I have only done that one other time in my life, so I trudged on.