ADELINE YEN MAH

Considered bad luck by her family, Jung-ling suffers mental and physical cruelty, but strives to be allowed to be studied in England. Ages: 9-11yrs.

Contemporary / British English (Available May 2008) 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.

The author of the international bestsellers Watching the Tree and Falling Leaves has always been fascinated by proverbs and their importance and use in China. Both her book titles are based on such proverbs. The majority of Chinese proverbs are drawn from the 1st century, when the First King of all China established his leadership over the whole country and its warring kingdoms. In ancient China, a scholars conversation would be studded with appropriate sayings, and a mans status in society would be defined by his use and knowledge of proverbs. In modern China, much of this is still true, and proverbs are used daily. Adeline Yen Mah introduces us to the whole rich picture of the first century BC when after the long wars between states, China was finally united and the richness of the literature and art could flourish. She portrays the leaders, the plots and the counter-revolutions with great vividness and liveliness so that even those ignorant of Chinese history become absorbed. And as in all her other books, she relates the historical episodes and the proverbs derived from these to experiences in her own life. One of the major expressions of this age was of course the First Kings tomb with its terracotta soldiers, of horses and carriages and the stones of the building. The re-finding of this monument now open to us all and Adeline Yen Mahs own experiences there, are extraordinary. A Thousand Pieces of Gold, following Watching the Tree and Falling Leaves, is a personal account by a much loved author, but it is also a lively history of the fascinating period of civilisation when Europe was barely out of the stone age.

Chinese Cinderella is an autobiography for children based on the bestselling Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah.'a unique story of triumph over adversity, told against the background of the Nationalist/Communist struggle for control of China.' LoveReading4KidsJung-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 and her 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.

The story of a Chinese woman and how she suffered appalling emotional deprivation and rejection by her family as a child growing up in China and Hong Kong. She tells of the consequences in her adult life, above which she rose to make a happy marriage and become a successful doctor in the USA.

Adeline es la quinta hija de una familia acomodada de la China de los años treinta. Con la muerte de su madre tras nacer ella y el nuevo matrimonio de su padre, comenzarán los abusos de una madrastra que la condenara a un plano relegado y doloroso. Ante la violencia que se le opone, lejos de doblegarse, emprendera el camino de la superacion. Encuadernacion: Rustica.

Adeline Yen Mah's childhood in China during the civil war was a time of fear, isolation and humiliation. The cause of this was not political upheaval but systematic emotional and physical abuse by her step mother and siblings, and rejection by her father. Falling Leaves is the story of a "fifth Younger Daughter" and her determination to survive the pain of a lonely childhood.

A riveting memoir of a girl's painful coming-of-age in a wealthy Chinese family during the 1940s.A Chinese proverb says, "Falling leaves return to their roots." In Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph and courage in the face of despair. Adeline's affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her. Life does not get any easier when her father remarries. She and her siblings are subjected to the disdain of her stepmother, while her stepbrother and stepsister are spoiled. Although Adeline wins prizes at school, they are not enough to compensate for what she really yearns for -- the love and understanding of her family.

New 25th Anniversary Edition__________I am still haunted by Mahs memoir . . . Riveting. A marvel of memory. Poignant proof of the human will to endureAmy Tan, bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club1940s, Shanghai. As the civil war rages on and China falls under communist rule, young Adeline lives in constant fear. Not of the war, but of her family: blamed for the death of her mother, she is rejected by her father and abused by her cruel stepmother.With the help of her aunt, Adeline escapes to the United States where she finds love, happiness and success. But will that be enough to quell a lifelong yearning for acceptance, or will she return to the family that rejected her years agoFalling Leaves Return to their Roots is both the enthralling story of a Chinese family in a time of political upheaval, and a moving account of one girls unrelenting will to survive.__________Falling Leaves is a terrible and riveting family history . . . It is also a story about endurance and the cost it can exact. GrippingDaily TelegraphAn illuminating account of the destructive nature of family relationships set against a backdrop of China in changeMail on SundayAn act, not of vengeance or bitterness, but of catharsisSunday Telegraph

Rediscover the A Puffin Book series and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this 25th anniversary edition of Chinese Cinderella, complete with a special introduction by Julia Eccleshare.Born into the world with her story already written and woven with bad luck, Adeline turns her attention to school, where she discovers that she is a talented writer, much to Fathers disapproval.Writer! You are going to starve!But with a pen in her hand, she cant help but wonder what it would be like to be a writer - no, an author! It wont be easy, but Adeline must have the courage to rewrite her story. . .

Author of bestselling Falling Leaves weaves together for the same audience her own personal experiences with the best of Chinese philosophy. Adeline Yen Mah, whose autobiography Falling Leaves is an international bestseller, here interweaves her own experiences with her views on Chinese thought and wisdom to create an illuminating and highly personal guide for Western readers. Adeline Yen Mah was born in Tianjin, and through the conversations and wisdom of her grandfather and aunt learnt a great deal of traditional Chinese thought, history and religion. Through her fathers second marriage to a Eurasian woman, and their subsequent move to Hong Kong, she learnt more about the Chinese attitudes to business and to family, and the strength of the Chinese in exile. Since living in London and California, Adeline Yen Mah has studied Chinese thought, looking at both the strengths and weaknesses which it gives those who follow it and now, in Watching the Tree, she takes us on a journey through the Chinese language, religions and history, using both Chinese proverbs and her own experiences, to bring to us an understanding of the richness of China and the ways that we can take and use some of the wisdom for ourselves in the West.

Following a fall in the Shanghai market, Chinese Cinderella is whisked away to Grandma Wus house to recover. As she lapses in and out of consciousness, she is haunted by vivid dreams that seem strange - yet somehow familiar - to her. A tale of slavery and friendship, wealth, poverty and an arranged marriage begins, as Chinese Cinderella recalls a life lived centuries before. But is it real, or all in her imagination . . .