Rating: 
Summary: Heartbreaking
Review: As the title suggests, this book is about Adeline Yen Mah's childhood and what she went through as the unwanted child of the family. Regarded as bad luck because her own mother died while giving birth to her, Adeline is constantly blamed by her brothers and sisters for their mother's death. Later her father remarries and her stepmother, a beautiful Eurasian woman takes an instant and intense dislike to Adeline for a comment she made. She deliberately makes Adeline's home life a miserable hell and even once sent her to an boarding school cum orphanage.
This book depicts Adeline constantly trying to win the love and approval of her father and stepmother even into her adult years.
A good book thats well written by Adeline Yen Mah, it gives hope to all the unwanted and abused children out there, that you can find peace withing yourself with or without the approval of your parents.
Rating: 
Summary: Pity Party
Review: This book is a regurgitation of Mah's first novel, "Chinese Cinderella." I'm having problems finishing the book, but I'm finding that the events mentioned in the first novel are appearing in this "memoir", as well. On the front cover of the book, there is a quote by Amy Tan, "A marvel of memory." This is exactly what I was thinking. How does someone remember every small thing in life that happened to her? Some stories are so far-fetched that this so-called "memoir" loses a lot of credibility. Mah does not take into account that all throughout China during that time, and throughout the world even now, that there are children suffering worse fates than she did. She grieves over every small thing in life that has gone "wrong", from the rather accidental death of her duck to her controlling stepmother's refusal to allow her friends to play with her. She was not unwanted; rather, suffered from living with a stepmother that did not acknowledge either her OR her siblings. She was not the only one that was ignored; none of her other four siblings gained recognition, either. Reading this memoir was like reading a child's diary about all the so-called wrongs in her life, a child who could not look past her own little "horrible" world and open her eyes to see the lives of other people. Mah is almost seventy- you would think at such a ripe old age, she would realize that so many other children suffered in China in the aftermath of the war. You wonder if she has ever paid a visit to Beijing, China. Children as young as three or four roam the roads in ripped clothing, clutching to the legs of tourists and natives alike, begging for just a dollar or a couple cents, anything. Mah should just be GLAD that she grew up priveleged, with a private education, a meal every day, and a roof over her head. Even today, China's view towards women is backwards compared to that of the rest of the world. During her time, the 40's and 50's, you could imagine that women were of even lower class than they are today. The fact that she had a life better than that of other daughters (girls that were sold to other families, and made into almost slaves just because they were female) is something to rejoice in; at least her family kept her. They may not have acknowledged her, but her siblings were only children. THey could not have known the hurt that they were inflicting on her or the other brothers and sisters that she had, because they were CHILDREN. Mah doesn't realize just what she had. If you want to read a story of a truly unwanted child, I would recommend A CHILD CALLED "IT" by David Pelzner. A truly inspirational and heart-wrenching novel of a little boy growing up in more recent times than Mah in the United States, who was brutally abused by his mother and scorned by his siblings and father alike. It succeeds in everything that Mah tried to accomplish with both her novels and failed miserably in.
Rating:
Summary: More than a memoir
Review: Adeline Mah's story is unlike any other I've encountered; elegantly
written and honest, her memoir may not be for everyone. It is most assuredly not a whiner's account: her spirit was constantly tested by her unloving and spiteful father, siblings, and particularly "Niang"(who gives new meaning to the phrase "wicked stepmother"). If you are expecting a family saga where the principals squabble over money, that's here -- but Mah's only real wish was for love and respect, and the denial of that love shapes her life. Mah gives
fascinating insight into China's cultural evolution as she tells her family's story. It is subtle, modest and unforgettable.
Rating: 
Summary: whining
Review: I know for a fact that there are hundreds, if not thousands of children who have suffered more than Adeline Yen Mah. Niang is a saint compared to so many dysfunctional mothers and stepmothers in this world. Grappling over shares after the father's death is typical in any Hong kong millionaire family. It's inevitable. It's common and it's life.
Rating: 
Summary: Sad and Moving
Review: This autobiography is difficult to put down. Although it is sad, the author's story is also very entertaining and moving. I heard criticism over the book and the author's negative portrayal of her stepmother, but in writing one's life, honesty should prevail. I found her approach fair and not poorly balanced or vindictive. The stages of her life from living with a horrible stepmother to having an abusive husband will make your heart feel heavy. Ultimately, you will be able to celebrate with her strong nature, accomplishments, and courage despite all the obstacles. Not only does Falling Leaves provide a most fascinating tale of this woman's life, it also reads like an historical work. Readers interested in China's history over the last century will likely enjoy the autobiography as well.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: Reminds me of stories my various Chinese friends have told me. She has also written the best book on Chinese culture that I've ever read, 'Watching the Tree'.... Both are good to read if you're planning a trip to the Far East and want to get a good idea of the culture.
Rating:
Summary: Falling Leaves--Excellent
Review: This Autobiography was wonderful!! It has a great background about China and it's rocky history. About life growing up in China. It was wonderful. I couldn't stop reading.
Rating:
Summary: sad but well protected childhood remembered
Review: It is an absorbing memoir of growing up in China as part of a best described as dysfunctional family with a rather cruel stepmother. After reading it i was struck by the idea of relative poverty. This is the concept that it is not absolute dollar income that makes people feel poor, but rather how they compare themselves to their immediate neighbors. This is important because the author is the daughter of at-one-time one of the richest men in HongKong, yet she describes her childhood in terms of impoverishment that rivals street beggars. We feel her pain and the anguish of a sensitive soul, but the problem is that she lived in the midst of one of the poorest, most deprived populations on earth while going through some of the most horrific changes a society has ever seen. Yet she poignantly tells the story of not having eggs at the boarding school in HongKong, while millions died only a few hundred kilometers to the north.... Poor little rich girl complaining... but the quality of the writing and the heartfelt attachments to her grandfather and aunt certainly override these ideas while reading the book. It is only on reflection afterwards that these issues begin to creep up. Overall a good book and a contribution to the genre of women growing up in china, although i believe the best is still _wild swans_.
Rating:
Summary: A must read...
Review: I read this book twice, and I really have to tell you that I cried every time I remember the part on which Adeline's pet (which was a duck) was made a victim by the family dog. Her story somewhat reminds me of my father's, who is also an orphan; his mother died when he was only two, and his father remarried shortly after that.
Everyone should read this book. It tells us that even though at the first few years of life was a bumpy road, don't be despair because God is always there near you. Though the book has no exactly a happy ending, I think what that had happened to Adeline was enough to show us that she is happy and content with what she has now.
Because of this book, I ended up reading Adeline's other two books. A must read, I should say...
Rating:
Summary: Falling Leaves return to their roots
Review: Upon first purchasing this book, I didn't know what that quote had to do with in this book! But as I read, I knew! This book is about Adeline Yen Mah's painful adolescence and adulthood. Her triumph in the end, and yet her painful longing for a loving family. I wanted to cry, the details were enriching and her childhood was unusual. Adeline Yen Mah described her life with great detail considering that it must have been hard. For anyone who needs a story of sorrow and courage, read Falling Leaves. You will fall in love!
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