Fading Leaves: A Memoir of Life as an Unwanted Chinese Daughter

Amazon Customer: Good book

United Kingdom on Nov 09, 2023

Helen Glassford: True story hard to believe that it still goes on in China a great autobiographyoover the years. Sad but true. enjoyed the read.

Australia on Jun 07, 2023

アントニオ ライアン: This book is written so beautifully that my mind went back to a time when I wasn't even born. The author's writing technique immersed me in her thoughts and feelings. One of the books that I will never forget.

Japan on Mar 15, 2020

Hafiz Ahmed: Mainly set in 1940-50’s China, Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter is a personal account a women’s lifelong hardships stemming from an unloving family and traditional Chinese thinking. It’s an emotional read that provokes empathy over the sadness of Mah’s story but also inspires confidence because of her determination to succeed in life.

Despite growing up in a very powerful and wealthy family due to her Father’s export business, Mah didn’t have as enjoyable of a childhood as one would think. Right from birth, She was looked at negatively in the household as her mother died giving birth to her. Mah explains her position in the family blatantly when saying, “I knew that I was the least-loved child because I was a girl and because my mother had died giving birth to me.” Her family's perception of her characterizes the beliefs of 20th century China well: women were subordinate to men because they could not be able to provide for a family financially due to limited social mobility, and killing your mother in childbirth meant you were bad luck. These conditions already gave her bad relations with most of her family. Her father ignored her...

United States on Feb 01, 2018

Neerja N: A companion book to The Chinese Cinderella ,this is book is amazing for its emotional effects;this memoir is a shocking and disturbing childhood account of a Chinese lady.
Worth reading!!!

India on Nov 22, 2016

Book Star: My late paternal great-aunt, 1/4 unknown European and 3/4 Chinese was the only grand-family that my father counted on financially since the sudden death of his father at age of 8 in 1945. She was mean and tended to verbally abuse her own family and even step-family who later supported her at old age. She expected everyone to look up to her and to always say good morning, great-aunt every day from us. I grew up fearing her in my home when she came to visit us from San Francisco to Hong Kong almost every summer. Luckily she never abused physically anyone in my knowledge. One day when I was 8, I was trying to get to know her and decided to amuse with her, but she got mad and shouted at me saying that I disrespected her. I cried and felt mad silently and finally got brave for the very first time by showing a little angry attitude towards her!

When I read Falling Leaves book, I was really surprised that Niang went ahead and abused her own toddler daughter physically so badly. She's like expecting every family member to be robotic to her. She's been creating violence in the innocent, sweet home. That's how her own son Franklin grew up to be monstrous as the adult Susan described....

United States on Mar 12, 2010

E. Grunenwald: A very moving account of an unwanted Chinese daughter, an excellent book which gives an incredible insight into the Chinese family hierarchy. It's well written, never over-sentimental, the writer managing to remain objective even when narrating her painful experiences.

France on Dec 24, 2009

M. Galindo: Although this book was difficult at times to read, the author did keep me fascinated with her story. She has an ease of writing that very much feels as if she is having a conversation with the reader, and the book just flows.

The story is one that is ageless: a man marries a woman and they have several children (in this case 5). When the youngest is born, the woman dies from complications, and the man in his loneliness quickly finds another woman to marry. He concerns himself more with outward appearances than with character, and ends up with wife #2 who is controlling, domineering, and wishes she had been wife #1 instead of wife #2. She really doesn't care for the fact that her husband has 5 children from wife #1, but no matter. Since her husband is weak and does as she wishes, she can treat them as she likes. Which isn't pleasant.

Adeline is the youngest of the 5 siblings and therefore the recipient of not only her stepmother's wrath, but most often her 4 siblings as well. Unlike some children, Adeline never seems to truly stand up for herself, and that might be her personality or it might be cultural. Whatever it is, it defines her.

Some reviewers here...

United States on Oct 11, 2007