Rating: 
Summary: Not Impressed
Review: This woman portrayed herself as a saint! I found myself rolling my eyes all through this book. Because of her complaining, whining and overall illusion of grandeur, I had no empathy for her at all. I felt I wasted my money buying this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Personal memoir, no more, no less
Review: I enjoyed this book, even if I didnt always like the narrator. I'd like to comment on a number of the negative reviews. A lot of people seem to forget that a personal memoir is one individual's experience, seen from his or her perspective. This book was not meant to tell the history of China, give an in-depth analysis of the political situation over the last 50 years, or be a definitive work explaining Chinese culture. The author came from a well-to-do merchant family in Shanghai. The book would have been completely different had she been from a working-class family in Beijing or a farm family in one of the inner provinces. All she was doing was relating what she experienced. Since she was a small child at the time of the Second World War, obviously she would not have the same memories and reactions had she been an adult. Her family left for Hong Kong at the beginning of Communist rule and she was educated in Western countries. What experience would she have had of the Mao era and the Cultural Revolution? These readers have unrealistic expectations here as to the scope of the writing. It's like expecting The Diary of Anne Frank to give the same comprehensive coverage of the Holocaust and the war in Europe as maybe Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. It's also important to remember that one person's experiences don't define an entire country or culture. The writer doesn't have to be a wonderful person or even a likeable person. The best thing that can come of reading another person's memoir is making the reader curious to learn more, particularly from other points of view. In that, at least with me, the author succeeded.
Rating:
Summary: One of the worst books I've ever read
Review: This was a poorly written sob story by a wealthy American doctor. She desperately desired her cruel parent's approval even with years of evidence that 1) they would never give it and 2) it would be worthless, since they themselves were worthless. They treated her and her siblings as donkeys, proffering and yanking away the carrots of affection and money. She blames all of this on the "evil stepmother," but all complicit share the guilt. Her victim saga is sad, but she had ample examples of strength and independence to follow, which she mainly ignored. Her younger sister Susan and her Aunt Baba were the heros of the story, but the author sadly didn't follow their example. Basically, I should have been paid to read this, as it seems like a whinge to a therapist.
Rating: 
Summary: A very touching memoir with many questions unanswered
Review: A must read book for anyone who is interested in China and family relations/human psychology. Mah's story does NOT present a typical Chinese family but her vivid discriptions certainly offer you lots of insights. It's the book that many people can relate to: the cruelty of physical/emotional abuse that she endured as a child, the COURAGE that carried her to personal triumph. It's not all about whining, rather a basic human instinct to survive, to prevail. I actually cried(1st time since 15 when I first left home years ago) when I read that her rich parents refused to buy her a plane ticket to the states. What makes it more horrifying is that her family was so affluent but treated her like a dirt and the same makes her success so special. What puzzeled me in the end was the fact that she kept coming back to the family that most people would want to forget once for all. Her childhood trama certainly caused her longing for love and acceptance. One of the question is why she looks for love and acceptance from a devious stepmon and other not too nice siblings? What's her personal relations with her own family and friends? Was she actually a little admiring her stepmon deep in her mind? Was she also interested in a share in the family fortune? Despite of all the unanswered questions I give this book a rating of five. Mah is a remarkable woman! The Memoir is equally incredible!!
Rating:
Summary: Compelled, Frustrated, Disappointed.
Review: Adelene Mah made a fine start in this compelling personal story. The subject appeared interesting and that intrigued me sufficiently to purchase and read the book. Mah does have a very clean narrative style and that makes the reading easy to make.But soon into the narrative, I found the book becoming more and more frustrating. The story is of Adelene Mah's childhood and struggles. In this autobiography, she described her every hardship growing up. Abused by her own family (and only her own family) she faces challenges every which way. But she always come away triumphant -- or maybe not. I find her story increasingly unbelievable and frustrating. My impression is of a person who is self-centered and self-absorbed. She's always the victim and never the villain. Never in the entire book did she descibe anything she might have done wrong. She's always the smartest, the most compassionate, the most generous and most accomplished. But if so, why did she have so many failing relationships. The only redeeming relationship was one with her grandaunt who protected her as a child. According to her story, her grandaunt was also the only one who gave her unconditional love. I question why this kind of unconditional love would be a continuing requirement for Mah to fully realize her own development. At some point, one must grow up -- despite the distractions. Beyond that, an individual has to take responsibility for her own destiny. Mah didn't. She continued to blame everyone else around her for every one of her failings. But she credits few for her many fortunate outcomes. Grow up, Ms. Mah. This story is one long whine. I was eager to read the whole book hoping, just hoping, to find some kind of redemption. I was really looking for a resolution of her life story somehow. But I found none. I was frustrated and disappointed. I was also disappointed because this story could have been redemptive in some other ways. In describing her childhood in the 1930's and 1940's, in a time of great turmoil in China, Mah could have described more of the hardship of the people around her. She did not discuss any of the War horrors -- the bombing, the fighting, the killings, fleeing refugees, etc. Instead, she described a life (lives) of luxury, traveling in leisure between cities thousand of miles apart, oblivious of the fightings around her (first against the Japanese, then the Civil war between the Communist and Nationalist). She was getting bored at boarding schools and getting tired of eating sumptuous banquets. How frustrating and amazing! Can this person be more self-absorbed? Give me a break. This is a poor little-rich-girl story. Any pity I might have felt for her is completely gone by the middle of the book. In the end, I was secretly cheering for her antagonists. I am thoroughly disappointed. In fact, I became angry. She took a very feminist, and in fact "sexist," stance in telling her story. She attributed much too much of her bad ways to the fact she was a female. She failed to recognize that many, many more people (male or female) did not have a fraction of the opportunties she had. She did not credit her fortunes to any of the men in her life, only her grandaunt. Finally, her story is also very racist. Not very many Chinese feel the way she does regarding the relationship of Chinese to foreigners -- most Chinese do NOT see themselves as second class citizens to foreigners -- then or now. She, and perhaps a few others, thinks that way. She constantly refer to her Eurasian mother as "French" but in fact her mother was only "half-French." From the story, she appeared and acted more Chinese than French. Mah attributed too much of her stepmother's bad ways to her foreign blood. I am disppointed again at Mah's one sided view. I am sad to see such a distorted view of Chinese life of her generation. I write this review not to attack the author. But I do want to make potential readers understand that this is a personal story, and if read that way this book is perfectly fine. But due to the paucity of ethnic Chinese popular book, I hope this story does not become a standard to measure Chinese culture in general.
Rating:
Summary: Wah Wah Wah Wah Wah
Review: I agree with the other person that gave this book a bad review. How can someone feel so sorry for themselves and then think that other people want to hear them whine and complain about it. I also thought that this book would be more insightful on Chinese culture, but instead it was someone telling a story about how bad they had it growing up, and they didn't even have it that bad. Read Red Azalea if you want to learn more about the cultural revolution in China from someone's perspective who was there.
Rating:
Summary: an amazing book
Review: This was one of the most powerful books I have ever read. It completely encapsulated me. I read the book in a weekend, and could not put it down. The combination of insight into Chinese history and amazing character development makes this a MUST READ!
Rating:
Summary: A Good Memior
Review: I found Mah's memoir to be absolutely fascinating. I am slow reader and burned through this book in a day. I was deeply impressed how she overcame her dysfunctional manipulative family. The ending left me wondering how she feels about her family now. In addition, she did not speak about her relationship with her children to any great degree. I would have liked to have known more. At any rate, I found this to be an excellent testiment. Perfect for a long rainy day.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful. Impossible to put down.
Review: Falling Leaves is one of the best books that I have ever read. The author is able to make the reader feel her emotions. This story was inspiring and made me wonder how many people could have remained as dignified in the face of such treatment. I readily recommend this book to all my friends.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and Heartwarming
Review: This book was by no means the best book I have ever read, but it is pretty close up to the top. I was searching through the "new books" section of my library at school and I saw "Chinese Cinderella" and decided to read it. I couldn't put it down I read for 3 hours straight and was memorized by it. I questioned my friend the librarian about it and said I should read "Falling Leaves", she let me borrow her copy and I started reading right away. This book I could not out down either. This story follows the life of Adeline Yen Mah a Chinese girl born into a very wealthy Chinese family (which is why her life wasn't AS BAD as she makes it to be). Her mother dies a little while after giving birth to her. Adeline's father remarried about a year later to a Eurasion woman about half of his age named Jeanne Prosperi. Jeanne came from a very poor family and wanted to be wealthy. Anyway, Jeanne (called Niang meaning "mother" from the children) treated her step children like dirt but treated the two kids she had with Adelines father like royalty (until later when she disconnects realtionships with here daughter Susan) Anyway I suggest you read Chinese Cinderella first because It focuses more on Adelines child hood and Falling leaves focuses on her later years. This was over-all and enjoyable story and I recommend it a lot!!
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