Chinese Cinderella: The Secret Story of an Unwanted Daughter
When Adeline Yen Mah's mother died giving birth to her, the family considered Adeline bad luck and she was made to feel unwanted all her life. Jung-ling's family considers her bad luck because her mother died giving birth to her. They discriminate against her and make her feel unwanted yet she yearns and continuously strives for her parents' love. Her stepmother is vindictive and cruel andher father dismissive. Jung-ling grows up to be an academic child, with a natural ability for writing. Only her aunt and grandfather offer her any love and kindness. The story is of survival in the light of the mental and physical cruelty of her stepmother and the disloyalty of her siblings. Jung-ling blossoms in spite of everything and the story ends as her father agrees to let her study in England.
Adeline Yen Mah was born in Tianjin, China but subsequently lived in both Shanghai and Hong Kong before leaving - at age fourteen - to study in England. She attended London Hospital Medical School and graduated as a physician, before moving to California where she first established a thriving medical practice before eventually becoming chief of anesthesia at West Anaheim Community Hospital. Adeline has written several other books, some of them specifically for children. She is the founder and president of the Falling Leaves Foundation which aims to promote understanding between East and West. She and her family currently divide their time between California and London.
Author: Adeline Yen Mah
Format: Paperback, 256 pages, 129mm x 198mm, 181 g
Published: 1999, Penguin Random House Children's UK, United Kingdom
Genre: Reference & Home Learning
Interest Age: From 9 to 11 years
When Adeline Yen Mah's mother died giving birth to her, the family considered Adeline bad luck and she was made to feel unwanted all her life. Jung-ling's family considers her bad luck because her mother died giving birth to her. They discriminate against her and make her feel unwanted yet she yearns and continuously strives for her parents' love. Her stepmother is vindictive and cruel andher father dismissive. Jung-ling grows up to be an academic child, with a natural ability for writing. Only her aunt and grandfather offer her any love and kindness. The story is of survival in the light of the mental and physical cruelty of her stepmother and the disloyalty of her siblings. Jung-ling blossoms in spite of everything and the story ends as her father agrees to let her study in England.
Adeline Yen Mah was born in Tianjin, China but subsequently lived in both Shanghai and Hong Kong before leaving - at age fourteen - to study in England. She attended London Hospital Medical School and graduated as a physician, before moving to California where she first established a thriving medical practice before eventually becoming chief of anesthesia at West Anaheim Community Hospital. Adeline has written several other books, some of them specifically for children. She is the founder and president of the Falling Leaves Foundation which aims to promote understanding between East and West. She and her family currently divide their time between California and London.