Falling Leaves

by Sue Harmes (Adapter), Adeline Yen Mah

This book is the life story and family history of Adeline Yen Mah. Adeline was born in China at a time of great change and trouble. At the same time, she suffered terrible unkindness from the members of her own family. Falling Leaves is a story of pain and fear, but also of hope as Adeline fights for her independence.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Asia

88 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Bookshop · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was published in the height of the Chinese-mania in America. It was the time when the likes of Joy Luck Club and Wild Swan were bestsellers. I thought it was another 'me-too' and never got to read it until now. This is the summary of what I think:

The good:
- her style of peppering the story with chinese proverbs (characters, pronunciation, translation);
- interesting peek of Shanghai in its glory straight from the person who lived that kind of life; and
- engaging story-telling.

The bad:
- a tad too whiny and self-pitying. She presents the typical David vs. Goliath battle.
- a tad too shallow and tedious. Miseries are repeated over and over again with little lesson learned.
- a tad too simplistic and biased. She and everyone else on her side are angelic. The rest are evil.

To me, there was only ONE entertaining moment in this book. Her eldest brother and apparent heir, Gregory, wrote a 6-pages letter to their father asking his permission to become a bridge player. He promptly send a telegram containing this very simple advice: "why don't you become a pimp instead?".

I don't agree with the practice of mapping out a child's life and, to certain cultures, this may even provoke anger but, knowing the Chinese background, this is hilarious. It is so typical of Chinese parents to disapprove such flamboyant career and the way the father put a stop to it is also so typical of the Chinese. I just have to laugh.

Despite her repeated denial (not only here but also in her other book, A Thousand Pieces of Gold), I can't help but feeling that this particular book is her little revenge. I also doubt that she sincerely not sore for not getting the huge inheritance. I mean, she mentions it so many times in her book on the excuse that inheritance is her only way of knowing for sure that her parents approve of her but we don't see her youngest sister Susan, who was disowned for bravely walking out the door in rebellion against her (birth) mother's abuse, whining about exclusion from the inheritance. No wonder her brother James doesn't speak to her anymore. By writing this book, she, again, defies her father who said: 家醜不可外揚 (Family ugliness should never be aired in public).

Instead of thinking how brave she was, I get a feeling that she was a spoiled little girl. She described how she refused to eat fatty meat at all cost (when fatty meat was considered as a source of nourishment for children at that time) and to learn the value of money by asking for the tram fare.

Conclusion: fun read but her other books, A Thousand Pieces of God is a better and more original memoir and book. However, if you can't stand another whine from another Cinderella, skip it.

[Girl Of Disney · Rating 2 out of 5]

2'5 🌟

[Zi Xuan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is simply fabulous and very intriguing. The plot is set at a pace that I was comfortable with, and able to understand well.Even though I didn't go through the painful experience that Adeline went through, I was able to feel her emotions deep from within the words that she used.
With every page I turn, I get more curious and curious on how the plot will progress.
A simple book with a mind-blowing plot and smooth language usages.
This story have taught me the values the importance of being loyal and faithful, and to stay strong with every wave of difficulty that flows our way. The power of friendship is also portrayed very clearly.
Thus, this is a must-read book and one of my all-time favorite book!

[Yui · Rating 5 out of 5]

-PENGUIN READERS. Level 4.
-TIME: total=162min. 11/3=45min. 11/4=61min. 11/5=56min.
-7 word summary: China, least-loved, family, loneliness, difficulties, love, life
-Disucussion question:
1. Have you ever feel that love from parents to each children is unfair?......Yes, I have an older brother who was in poor health and a younger sister who was selfishness. Therefore, my mother often took care of them more than me. I felt that I was a less-loved child when I was in elementary school.
2. Do you get along well with your family?......Yes. Recently I do not quarrel with my family and try to help them.


I really like this book because it had a good ending. Most parts of this story were so sad, but there were also great kindness in this book. Even if I have cruel treatment from someone, I do not lose gentility like a main character.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adeline's mother died giving birth to her and she was then considered unlucky. Her father's new wife tortures her mentally and sometimes physically, her siblings bully her and she is kept apart from the few older family members who care about her. Even as she becomes an adult, she cannot break out of her family's control and sever the ties with her past.
Oh man, Adeline, get yourself a life girl! I sympathized with her bullying as a child but when you are married and living on a different continent, why are you still letting your family tell you what to do? I found it so frustrating that she didn't just break ties with her hated stepmother and stop running to her when she was called. Grrr, show some backbone! A decent if frustrating read!

[Sharon Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so hard to understand why someone keeps returning so often to seek the approval of their family members, knowing that each time it could end in rejection again. What an amazing individual.
What strength there is in the need to 'belong'. Well written and facinating to read. Just the right mix of historical fact and storyline.

[Mohamed · Rating 5 out of 5]

falling leavesfalling leavesfalling leaves

[Adam Guerra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the book turned out to be a way better book then i thought it was going to be because of the fact that the first chapter is really boring but sets up a foreshadow for the ending.

[Sumaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book to read

[Elvynaa Crow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolument merveilleux, un livre formidable, à mettre entre toutes les mains même si vous ne connaissez ou n'appréciez pas spécialement la Chine !

Ce récit relate la vie d'Adeline au sein de sa famille, les Yen, recomposée suite au décès de sa mère, alors qu'elle était toute petite.

Nous suivons donc le calvaire de sa vie suite au remariage de son père avec une chinoise (Niang) qui ne s'intéresse qu'à son argent et souhaite vivre "à la française".

La famille Yen, fui le régime communiste en s'exilant à Hong-Kong mais laisse Adeline derrière eux... dans un orphelinat pour jeune fille.

Nous suivrons l'ascension difficile au bonheur d'Adeline, le tout saupoudré de culture traditionnelle chinoise, avec juste une touche de contexte géo-politique.

Absolument formidable, aucune objectivité sûrement tant j'ai été conquise par la simplicité du récit sans fioriture ni apitoiement. Beaucoup de pudeur propre à la culture asiatique qui rend le récit touchant mais non larmoyant.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Adeline describes the cruel twists and turns of a dysfucntional family with abusive step mother and an enabling father. Set against a backdrop of an ever changing China, through the communist take over and the cultural revolution - these changes intertwine with the movements of their family. It also shows how this toxic and cruel environment affected the siblings. Betrayal is paramount.
The end is very touching and hopeful for those who carry a 'primal wound'.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Women in China have always had a tougher time than males in family dynamics. The best slot in life is when you're the first wife of a rich man AND you have a healthy son and a decent mother-in-law! Most other positions suck after that.
Adeline didn't get anywhere close to the golden ticket and this book is jam packed with her remembrances of just how much her life sucked big time. It really, really did.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It took me a while to get into it, I think the writing style is not one that I favour, however, the story sucked me in. It did not have as much cultural/historical background as I would have liked. There were references made to events that would make no sense to the reader unless they are familiar with Chinese history.

[Ada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I was reading the young reader venison, I am going to get a complete detail version in the bookshop. The book really describe the way how important a BOY in a Chinese family. Even in the 20 century, I must admit it is still the same way as it is before. Having a BOY is a very important things.

[Ellen Maag · Rating 3 out of 5]

Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah: This was a hard book to read. Very sad and disturbing. Can't believe Adeline Yen Mah lived through her childhood with such a cruel step-mother and uncaring father.

[Amy Jamison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember my friend reading this in class when we were in yr 4 and she recommended it. I saw a copy at a car boot a few years later when I was 11 or 12 and picked it up. It is a story that has stayed with me 12 yrs later.

[Nazmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 out of 5

[Anum Farooq · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant tale of childhood survival.

[Yvette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A difficult read - truly dysfunctional family behaviour, but also fascinating to read about the history of China.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a few books that have covered growing up in China, A world so different from my own. It is a country where the past will always run deep in the blood of those who have born, lived and died there. But this also goes for those who have moved away to live in other countries. There is a pull that cannot be described well in words something more primal. For anyone who has spent time away from there homeland it is a well felt known thing. But for me, it seems to ring especially true for the Chinese at least from what I have read and experienced. So why may you ask do I talk about this in the context of this book? Well For this author she left her homeland and her family but still felt the pull to go back despite the toxic environment she grew up in and came to expect from family life.







This is a woman who grew up when China its self was in the middle of a massive upheaval. For the greatest time, their world was twisting at the fate of so many others from political movement in its governing to foreign powers deciding to carve it up piece by piece. As we have come to see far too often people do not like upheaval it causes stress and anger. This is the setting for a family drama that can cause you to wonder your self if you would not walk away forever. It all starts for Adeline when her mother dies not long after her birth. Her father comes across as a very controlling man who does not cope with this death well. In part, it feels like he blames himself for these events and to some extent that would be true. But it is how he deals with this pain that surfaces to cause much sorrow for the author as she passes through life.



This is a hard look at a dysfunctional family, how our actions directly affect our children's world view. When a child tries there best to impress the adults in there lives it can lead to a twisting in how they think. All the more so when no matter how much they try nothing ever seems to be good enough. It can push people ever forward to greater things or it can break them down creating a cycle that will without check be passed on down to there own children. At times this book becomes a hard read as you are drawn into the emotional pain felt by this women. The struggles of nothing ever being good enough. It draws heavily on what is expected of young chines especially gowning up through the time period. And for all this, the book makes for an interesting read it is however not completely without fault. Much like a few other reviews I have read the are parts that feel very black and white, a sense of those who were on her side where always in the right and the rest of the family feel a little on the Disney evil stepfamily side. But therein lies the trouble with most autobiography's they can never be truly objective to the events that shape them. None of us can, we can only experience our lives from the inside of our minds. I was not there and rely on author to give me her story in the best way she can.



There is a lot to take in as your pass time with this book, As a look into the social climate of everyday lives of Chinese people it serves as a reminder of just how bound in tradition and social hierarchy lives can be. While times have moved on something still hold steadfast. As a look into the life of the author it bends and weaves some good and some not so. but overall it gave me a glimpse into a life, I would otherwise have no understanding of.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to like stories about imigrant chinese who migrate to countries outside mainland, how they struggle, work hard and finally live a prosperous life there. This one is the first of many books about chinese immigrants that I bought and it's a good book although some parts are told as if it was not a true story but HK drama series. That's what I felt while reading it.
The story is touching, especially the part when she wrote a letter asking to move to the states. Born as the 5th daughter, her family treated her as a bad luck but she struggled to prove that although she didn't get the love from her family, she still could live her life and became a succesful doctor. It's really good. And to know that it's an autobiograhpy makes it more interesting.
So far, this is the best one I've ever read.What I don't understand is that in her life, her siblings hate her and that's a bit hard for me to accept. But it's a true story anyway, and everyone leads a different life. It's good to know that she's happy with her life now after so much suffering she had in the past.
After this book, I am not interested in reading any books about chinese immigrant again, somehow they end up the same. It's a good moral story, it teaches you not to give up easily, but one story about them is enough for me.

[Ike · Rating 4 out of 5]

buku ini bahan skripsi g yang terbengkalai..but anyway this is a really good book to read..kental dengan asian culture nya..sarat dgn kesedihan..yup..kesedihan..the story about an abandoned daughter..bokap nya merit lg sama org bule..yg tentu aja beda kultur dgn org cina..mirip2 dongeng upik abu lah..tp ini kisah nyata bener2 dialamin sama author nya..ato kalo di ind kayak cerita-nya arie hanggara cuma perbedaan di penyiksaannya aja..masih inget gak?wekekek..jadul amat yak..panjang bgt jalan yg harus dilalui adeline utk mendapat pengakuan kalo dia adalah anak yg berhak utk mendapat kasih sayang dari keluarganya..sampe bokap nya meninggal aja namanya tdk terdapat dalam daftar penyandang warisan..tp inti nya dia gak harap ttg warisan cuma dia menginginkan kalo dia adalah bagian dari keluarganya..bukan anak yg terbuang..hmm..sounds like a part of my life..huhuhuhu..so sad..baca aja deh..bagus kok..

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a very profound book and it really made me think of how lucky I have been with my life. Adeline has lived a terrible life and just reading about it makes me feel so sorry for her. I almost cried sometimes, when I read some of those heartbkreaking stories about little children getting beaten. I would really like to read the original book that Adeline herself has written, cause I felt that this book went very quickly over some things. But still, if you don't wont to read the long version, this book is also well. It really gives food for thoughts.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this is the most depressing book ever, although a good read.

Adeline was constantly abused throughout the book. Her family was wealthy, her father seduced by a European-mixed-Asian. Husband abused her, sister abused her, brother abused her but not her latest husband.

Everything works out but probably in the last 20 pages and I dont know how worked out it is because her family screws her over.

It's just a testament to the nature vs. nurture argument. Most of the children turn out horribly because of their unloved callous upbringing. I don't know. She sadly makes it.

[Bat713 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read Chinese Cinderella. I was interested to read the original adult version of Adelaide's memoir. It is astounding and infuriating. A true story of child abuse syndrome. One is alternately admiring and disgusted with Adelaide's behavior to her family. Why does she continue to play the victim? One cannot deny that this woman is a truly talented writer.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting story about an "unwanted" daughter in a traditional Chinese family. I say "unwanted" because it seemed more like a Cinderella story with an evil step-mother than the usual female daughter stories that we think of. The memoir is also full of Chinese history, which I was very unfamiliar with.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in her writing style, she had such an interesting life and saw such changes in our health care system in the US but that was lost to me in her dwelling on her mistreatment by her family. But, she kept going back for more so it was hard to be sympathetic. Read "Call the Midwife" instead of this book.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible true story... a book that I couldn't put down until I had finished. So glad that I found this on the shelf at the local charity shop. It was hard to imagine how Adeline could be so cruelly treated by her stepmother, but glad that she found the strength to survive and went on to lead a good life with her husband and two children. This is a book that I shall read again one day.

[Angela Wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was indeed heartbreaking to see how women were underestimated in China, but Adeline Yen's constant strength can be seen as extremely inspiring to all those who read this book. Through this novel, I gained insight on China's modern social issues today, which pertains to my country I am currently researching.

[Wendy Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this book. Not a fault of the author by any means, I just wasn’t used to the style and wording .
After almost every chapter, I had to keep asking myself - did this really happen? Could anyone really be so cruel to a child just because she was female?
It really is a worthy read, even just to remind ourselves how lucky we are now.