Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
- Downloads：7764
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-22 11:55:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Mah
- ISBN：0141047089
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
The story of an unwanted Chinese daughter growing up during the Communist Revolution， blamed for her mother's death， ignored by her millionaire father and unwanted by her Eurasian step mother。 A story of greed， hatred and jealousy; a domestic drama is played against the extraordinary political events in China and Hong Kong。
Written with the emotional force of a novel but with a vividness drawn from a personal and political background， Falling Leaves has been an enduring bestseller all over the world。
The story of an unwanted Chinese daughter growing up during the Communist Revolution， blamed for her mother's death， ignored by her millionaire father and unwanted by her Eurasian step mother。 A story of greed， hatred and jealousy; a domestic drama is played against the extraordinary political events in China and Hong Kong。
Written with the emotional force of a novel but with a vividness drawn from a personal and political background， Falling Leaves has been an enduring bestseller all over the world。
Reviews
June Dillow
，
Beautifully written and interesting to read about the changes that happened within China and Hong Kong， something I know little about
Rosemary
，
Falling Leaves is an autobiography of， as the title says， "an unwanted daughter。" It's an insight into Chinese culture。 Given when Mah was born， unwanted daughters were not unusual。 Chinese always want sons。 Birth order counts。 Beauty counts， which is why her beauteous stepmother had so much influence。 Traditionally， Chinese men （fathers） did not get embroiled in the petty schemes within the family。 Mah's saving grace was a spinster aunt who believed little girls could and should be smart and do Falling Leaves is an autobiography of， as the title says， "an unwanted daughter。" It's an insight into Chinese culture。 Given when Mah was born， unwanted daughters were not unusual。 Chinese always want sons。 Birth order counts。 Beauty counts， which is why her beauteous stepmother had so much influence。 Traditionally， Chinese men （fathers） did not get embroiled in the petty schemes within the family。 Mah's saving grace was a spinster aunt who believed little girls could and should be smart and do well in school。 In the Chinese way， Mah saved herself by studying hard and pulling herself up， becoming a physician。 But the bit of love and attention she got from her aunt also helped her to carry on and carry through。 Mah suffered a lot of emotional cruelty。 But she was tough enough to end up with a wonderful husband and two children。 Not too many books I've encountered take a good， hard look at the real Chinese family， culture and the way professional accomplishment equals "success。" Mah rips open the flaws in the deeply ingrained Chinese traditions。 。。。more
Elena Santamariña
，
Una biografía espectacular， entretenida y muy bien contada。 Me recordó en cierta forma a Una educación por la resiliencia de la protagonista。 Adeline tendrá que luchar mucho para conseguir sus sueños y lo hará a pesar de los obstáculos y perversidades a las que se tendrá que enfrentar。
Jo Beth
，
Reading some of the reviews， i noted that some felt the author was exaggerating or not being wholly truthful about the abuse she suffered and her behavior as an adult。 i accept what she describes as her extraordinarily hard childhood。 Children who are abused crave the love that is with held from them。 They will go through tremendous pain and anguish for love and acceptance。 The author was miserably abused。 The family was divided against itself by the stepmother who later disowned her own daughte Reading some of the reviews， i noted that some felt the author was exaggerating or not being wholly truthful about the abuse she suffered and her behavior as an adult。 i accept what she describes as her extraordinarily hard childhood。 Children who are abused crave the love that is with held from them。 They will go through tremendous pain and anguish for love and acceptance。 The author was miserably abused。 The family was divided against itself by the stepmother who later disowned her own daughter， Susan。 Susan thrived after being exiled from the family。 Her break was clean and swift。 She adjusted well， but the author could never gain the affection of any of her family。 Even her brother James， who was the one person in the family that accepted her but stayed distant from the rest of the family as a survival tactic would also betray her。 After Adeline left home （kicked out） to gain her degree in the USA and married， she followed a pattern familiar to some abused。 Her first relationship was abusive just as her family had been。 When the relationship became violent and her husband had gone to China， she finally got a divorce。 It takes sometimes years to heal from abuse， the scars always remain。 The adult child will still strive for the recognition and love she never had from her parent（s）。 She finally found the love and healing she deserved with her second husband Bob Mah。 She lived a successful and happy life overcoming betrayal， hardship， and manipulation。 She emerged victorious。 。。。more
Chelsea
，
A bit slow at the beginning but picked up from about a third of the way through the book。
Meg Sands
，
The nitty gritty details of a rather horrible upbringing - the strength to persevere and create the life you choose。
Rosa
，
The memoir of an unwanted Chinese daughter。BBBC discussions
Ady Lam
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 my favourite part was when her father asked if her fiancé was gay bc he was still single at his age
Nora Rasco
，
⁸
Marijn Damen
，
nice
Marina
，
** Books 27 - 2021 **Buku ini untuk menyelesaikan Tsundoku Books Challenge 2021 dan Baca Keliling Dunia 3，3 dari 5 bintang！ Sebenernya ketika pertama lihat cover buku ini aku penasaran sama isinya seperti apa。 Astaga isinya kisah Adeline yang tinggal bersama 4 saudara kandung （Lydia， Gregory， Edgar， dan James） dan 2 saudara tirinya （Frank dan Susan） dimana ia sedari kecil disisihkan oleh ibu tirinya。 Namun berkat kegigihannya ia bisa angkat kaki dari rumahnya dan bisa sekolah kedokteran di luar ** Books 27 - 2021 **Buku ini untuk menyelesaikan Tsundoku Books Challenge 2021 dan Baca Keliling Dunia 3，3 dari 5 bintang！ Sebenernya ketika pertama lihat cover buku ini aku penasaran sama isinya seperti apa。 Astaga isinya kisah Adeline yang tinggal bersama 4 saudara kandung （Lydia， Gregory， Edgar， dan James） dan 2 saudara tirinya （Frank dan Susan） dimana ia sedari kecil disisihkan oleh ibu tirinya。 Namun berkat kegigihannya ia bisa angkat kaki dari rumahnya dan bisa sekolah kedokteran di luar negeri。 Namun lama-kelamaan drama keluarga banyak menghiasi buku ini。 Yang adalah saudaranya dihapuskan namanya dari anggota keluarganya， upaya cari muka dengan orangtua mereka hingga pada akhirnya rebutan harta warisan termasuk Adeline sendiri。 Capek bacanya terutama mendekati akhir cerita。 Kalau bisa pengen ngasih 3 bintang aja tapi aku kasih tambahan 0。3 bintang karena aku bisa mendapat perspektif keadaan penduduk china saat itu dibawah kekuasaan Chiang Kai Shek dan Mao Zedong yang melengkapi bacaanku sebelumnya mengenai Big Sister， Little Sister， Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century ChinaAku paham banget kenapa aku melihat review buku ini ada yang ngasi 1-2 bintang hahaa。。 sumpah sih lelah baca dramanya itu ngalah-ngalahi drama di indo**** yang pake backsound kumenangiisss~~ LOL 。。。more
Jo Cunningham
，
I have read this book several times。 It outlines a life and upbringing very different to my own and which， at times， can be so foreign and shocking to me。
Elaine James
，
Interesting to read this biography and to learn more of the cultural and political situation in China as the author is growing up in the 1930s and 1940s。 The main theme， reflected in the title， is one of overcoming childhood loneliness and emotional abuse inflicted by her self-centred Eurasian stepmother。
Liesl
，
This is a fascinating but heartbreaking story of family dysfunction that is disturbing on a level similar to that of The Glass Castle by Jeanette Wells。
Kristine Troesch
，
I read this back in middle school and it broke my heart because I could relate to it so deeply。 The cultural pressures and influence in this book were gripping。 I distinctly remember staying up till 3am to finish it all in one sitting。。。 crying， moved and amazed by the story in this book。 Highly recommend。
Alyssatuininga
，
Sad story but really interesting look at life in China in the late 1930s through the 1970s。
Leslie Davis
，
A hard-to-read story of a Chinese version of Cinderella， only worse。 The evil stepmother basically ruins a family， pitting the members against each other。 The behaviors are petty， selfish and demeaning。 At lease Adeline was able to go on to finally have a marriage with a supportive， kind man。
Mia
，
A wonderfully written page-turner filled with harrowing events， turmoil and sorrow。 I loved every paragraph of this masterpiece， and feel honoured to have been able to read it。 Falling Leaves mixes some Chinese history as well as her life， which I enjoyed as I felt I learnt even more than anticipated。 Wonderfully fantastic。
Beatrice Hunt
，
This book was amazing， even though it destroyed me emotionally。 I did not find Adeline Yen Mah to be "whiny，" or "annoying，" as other people have said。 Either they have no idea what abuse （both emotional or physical） is like， or they have a complete lack of empathy。 If you are not completely heartless， I highly recommend this book。 If you lack empathy， maybe don't read it。 This book was amazing， even though it destroyed me emotionally。 I did not find Adeline Yen Mah to be "whiny，" or "annoying，" as other people have said。 Either they have no idea what abuse （both emotional or physical） is like， or they have a complete lack of empathy。 If you are not completely heartless， I highly recommend this book。 If you lack empathy， maybe don't read it。 。。。more
Susan
，
My heart is broken。 Because there have been two Niangs in my life， I could barely read this book。 It's superbly written。 But the tragedy strikes too close。 My heart is broken。 Because there have been two Niangs in my life， I could barely read this book。 It's superbly written。 But the tragedy strikes too close。 。。。more
Alice
，
What a soap opera！ There is a totally wicked step mother， abuse， deceit， and treachery among the siblings， all while a great fortune is made， with the Japanese occupation， then the Communist take over， as a back drop。 And it is true！ Although the writing is matter of fact most of the time， the content is unbelievably dramatic。
nicolec
，
In this story， Adeline Yen Mah takes all the pain from her past and puts it into words。 Reading about how she was treated as a girl and as the child that 'caused' her biological mother's death， was really upsetting， but it gives the reader a different point of view on how life was like back then in China， as it also talks a lot about how China was like back when Adeline was a child。 I feel like many children who grew up in an abusive and unwelcoming household could connect to this book， and I'm In this story， Adeline Yen Mah takes all the pain from her past and puts it into words。 Reading about how she was treated as a girl and as the child that 'caused' her biological mother's death， was really upsetting， but it gives the reader a different point of view on how life was like back then in China， as it also talks a lot about how China was like back when Adeline was a child。 I feel like many children who grew up in an abusive and unwelcoming household could connect to this book， and I'm sure this book has given many people hope that things could turn around for them even if they had a very despairing childhood。 。。。more
Kathy Ding
，
I don't think I've ever yelled at a book as much as I did this one。 I was so emotionally invested in this woman's life that I actually had trouble falling asleep after I finally finished because of all the injustices she's endured。 It baffles me that people in her life would say things like "well， life has treated you well" or "you're in a good position。。。" and completely ignores her own determination and hard work？ If anything， this woman has had the worst luck in the world but a lot of her suf I don't think I've ever yelled at a book as much as I did this one。 I was so emotionally invested in this woman's life that I actually had trouble falling asleep after I finally finished because of all the injustices she's endured。 It baffles me that people in her life would say things like "well， life has treated you well" or "you're in a good position。。。" and completely ignores her own determination and hard work？ If anything， this woman has had the worst luck in the world but a lot of her suffering also comes from her own decisions， so that I can't condone。 How can one person be so forgiving， weak and frustratingly irrational when it comes to her own wellbeing？ The author claims this is a Chinese family trait but I claim that it's her own diseased mental state。 How can her own father and every one of her 4 siblings treat her worse than any stranger？ How was her wretched stepmother able to live out her macabre dream life without anyone ever reporting her or going against her wishes。。。even just ONCE？ She treated her own daughter worse than a political enemy？ Holy kaiser buns。。。imagine beating， starving， manipulating， lying and thieving from someone her whole life and to get 100% meekness， cooperation， gratitude and even expensive gifts （WTF？！） in return？ The author treated those who were bad to her all too well but then kind of dismissed those who treated her like a human being and loved her （e。g。 Chinese college friend and Martin）。 What I enjoyed most about this book is her effortless historical anecdotes woven seamlessly into her own tale。 She offered a rare （English） glimpse into what it was like living in Hong Kong， Britain， Shanghai （pre and post war） as a Chinese woman。 I loved the inclusion of all the Chinese adages and found absolutely no errors--impeccably edited！ 10/10 would recommend and go on to read her other works。 What a strong woman to have gone through everything in her life。。。just wished in hindsight for her to have at least one satisfying confrontation with "Niang" or even her father。。。 。。。more
Sharon Adams
，
This is a memoir of a Chinese daughter。 Despite being born into a wealthy family， Adeline was neglected and unwanted。 The story takes places amid the Japanese influence in China and then the Communist takeover。 Despite being shunted from one boarding home to another， the heroine manages to overcome great obstacles and become a success despite her upbringing。 It's not exceptionally well written but certainly an interesting look into China at that time and some of the nuances of being raised a wom This is a memoir of a Chinese daughter。 Despite being born into a wealthy family， Adeline was neglected and unwanted。 The story takes places amid the Japanese influence in China and then the Communist takeover。 Despite being shunted from one boarding home to another， the heroine manages to overcome great obstacles and become a success despite her upbringing。 It's not exceptionally well written but certainly an interesting look into China at that time and some of the nuances of being raised a woman in the Chinese culture。 。。。more
Vivian
，
Oh boy， where to unpack here？ It seems all daughters are treated pretty badly in Chinese families， but this one adds a power hungry stepmom and wealth into the mix --the drama！ No one wins。 In the end， I think the author still comes out better than all her brothers and sisters， but she has many scars emotionally。 Those last 2 chapters are a real tear jerker。 As the author grew up， I saw glimpses into reasons why her stepmom was soo stern to the point of being monstrous。 She was definitely a prod Oh boy， where to unpack here？ It seems all daughters are treated pretty badly in Chinese families， but this one adds a power hungry stepmom and wealth into the mix --the drama！ No one wins。 In the end， I think the author still comes out better than all her brothers and sisters， but she has many scars emotionally。 Those last 2 chapters are a real tear jerker。 As the author grew up， I saw glimpses into reasons why her stepmom was soo stern to the point of being monstrous。 She was definitely a product of her generation。 It's interesting to see how difficult it is growing up in the the 20th century。 Comparing it to what it is now， it's a lot different regardless whether it is in China， England， or America。 A lot of rules have changed。 I don't want to give anything away。 It's a pretty fast read for me and I'm such a slow reader （average 7 books a year）， and this only took 2 weeks to finish。 It just dawned on me there was an incident when Adeline defended baby Susan when their Niang was beating her and that Niang said she would never forgive Adeline。 *smacks forehead* I suggest reading it as it is easy， but also keep in mind that this is a memoir and memories can be faulty。 。。。more
Angelika
，
Podobno wybitna， ale strasznie męcząca。 Może to wina polskiego wydania - skład jest odpychający。
Aneesa
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book reads like a long tragedy。 I read it decades ago in school and it stuck with me so much that I re-read it。 I loved the backdrop of the history lesson in there but it was incredibly depressing to hear how much Adeline was abused by every family member。 She just couldn’t catch a break and there wasn’t any epiphany or learning from her end that came out of it other than “my family are jerks and will stay that way。” She doesn’t seem to grow - it’s mostly “this happened to me。”
Ash Presto
，
What I liked best about this is that it gave historical context on the private lives of the characters。 4/5 because I thought it could have included some notes on how the author could have pushed back。 I wish the author all the best， she deserves everything after all she went through。
liirogue
，
I'm torn on this one。 If you want to read about an incredibly dysfunctional family， this is the book for you。 The author also gives some great glimpses of China and Hong Kong during a time period of massive change。 There are two main things that I didn't like， however。 First， the book isn't always chronological。 The narrative jumps back and forth quite a bit， so it's hard to remember what else is going on with her family during that time。 Second， the author is never really able to break free fro I'm torn on this one。 If you want to read about an incredibly dysfunctional family， this is the book for you。 The author also gives some great glimpses of China and Hong Kong during a time period of massive change。 There are two main things that I didn't like， however。 First， the book isn't always chronological。 The narrative jumps back and forth quite a bit， so it's hard to remember what else is going on with her family during that time。 Second， the author is never really able to break free from her family。 Page after page she's going back to various family members， begging for love and acceptance。 At multiple points， I kept waiting for her to finally realize she wasn't going to get that， but it never mattered how cruel they were - two pages later she's back begging， as if their most recent rejection didn't really count。Perhaps that's my Western mindset and upbringing versus the Eastern devotion to family， but it was sad to me that this well-educated， professionally successful， happily married， financially well-off woman could not break herself free from such utter torment。 。。。more
Prashamsa
，