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Luckily she never abused physically anyone in my knowledge. That's how her own son Franklin grew up to be monstrous as the adult Susan described. I grew up fearing her in my home when she came to visit us from San Francisco to Hong Kong almost every summer. She expected everyone to look up to her and to always say good morning, great-aunt every day from us. 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. I bought this book because I wanted to know why my great-aunt acted that way towards her own family. She's been creating violence in the innocent, sweet home. She's like expecting every family member to be robotic to her.
Otherwise she probably would do such things to her own children like Niang did to her own. I cried and felt mad silently and finally got brave for the very first time by showing a little angry attitude towards her. She was mean and tended to verbally abuse her own family and even step-family who later supported her at old age. Niang certainly was not a good influence in the home and I'm so glad that my great-aunt never had any children. 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. When I read Falling Leaves book, I was really surprised that Niang went ahead and abused her own toddler daughter physically so badly. Yen's Falling Leaves book is a truly great book for Chinese History with more specific details. After reading the book, I finally got some ideas of what happened to my mysterious great-aunt's past.
Empowering and inspirational as well as educational. I could not put this book down. Brilliant story of how one woman overcame numerous obstacles to find her place in the world. I learned quite a bit about China and its history. Recommend to anyone who enjoys true accounts of the strength of the human spirit.
Yes, she was taken care of and was never starving. This book makes me glad that I am a fast reader and even more grateful to have an understanding husband who knows that once a book has me in its grip that I am unable to focus on anything else until the book is done. Yes, she was born in a wealthy family. No one was left unaffected, even the Chinese who fled to other countries.
After her stepmother's death, Adeline finally felt the courage to severe ties with her family. Her aunt was soon caught up in the revolutions that swept through China and it did not fare as well for her as it did for Adeline's family, who managed to escape China by fleeing to Hong Kong. While others may view it as a "woe-is-me" type story. I don't "love" this book, per se, but I am amazed by the strength the author had to write this book. That is what happened to me yesterday.
Her father soon married a beautiful woman who was part French and part Chinese. and this woman really did fit the stereotype of the "wicked stepmother." Adeline was soon shuffled off to boarding schools with no contact from home. Since she was a female child, she was degraded even more in her family's eyes. which it is in some ways, I viewed this as a story of a child who endured emotional neglect and survived to be stronger for it. Yes, she wasn't completely abandoned, left to fend for herself on the streets.
Adeline was born the fifth child of her father's first wife. I wasn't expecting to pick up this book and be unable to put it down until I turned the last page. She grew up and eventually became a doctor and even though her first marriage ended in a disaster, she did find happiness with her second husband. Adeline sought hard all of her life to gain her parents' approval as well as her siblings, but she was constantly betrayed by them up to the end when she discovered that her father did include her in the original will but her stepmother excluded her.
Adeline did have two people in her family that did love her and encourage her, her aunt Baba and her grandfather. Both of them were punished by Niang, her stepmother, for loving her and eventually, her aunt left the house to take care of herself. There are also information about the Chinese culture, the society mores that dominate the family and more.
(It helped that yesterday was also a holiday). It is a fascinating look into one family as well as one child's life. But she was abused and neglected and unwanted.
Within two weeks, her mother died and Adeline was blamed for causing her mother's death. Throughout this memoir are fascinating information about the history of China and the revolutions that swept through the countryside. This is an interesting memoir and one that I will definitely pass onto others to read.1/19/10
There are many better books available that tell more honest tales of the horrors of growing up in China, because they also include heart-warming scenes of people caring for other people. But, over-all, she was much better off than most others - like the homeless children she would sometimes pass when she was walking to and from school.
While the author did suffer hardships growing up in Shanghai, she was much better off that 99% of her fellow countrymen. As an avid reader of books involving Chinese culture and the hardships of the Twentieth Century, I have to strongly recommend not reading this book.
Yes, she did have an evil stepmother, a dysfunctional home life, and strict rules to follow. During the timeframe of her book over 70 million Chinese were murdered, beaten and starved to death by policies of the dysfunctional Government.
While this was going on she had plenty of food, was sent to a private school, lived in a multi-story home in an affluent neighborhood (with indoor plumbing, a luxury some Chinese still don't have), and a father who made more money than most people anywhere in the world. I'm very disappointed in this book, but I'm even more disappointed in myself for buying it.
This book has no heart, and therefore no reason to care for the author and her whining.
her life remained hopeless throughout and it makes one see and appreciate just how wonderful the simple things of life in the united states really are. this book was more historical than i expected. the politics of china was woven throughout her story from a perspective one would never see or feel otherwise. the style of writing is very matter-of-fact and you never feel she is whining or merely looking for sympathy. this is a very worthwhile book.
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