BOOK REVIEW SCRIPT

By Jane Amelia Ma 12A2

A. Introduction:
In this world, who does not want a pleasant life? Eating dinner with your family,
playing games with your siblings, and talking to your parents every night are everyone’s
dreams. However, there are still many irresponsible parents out there who like to pick
favourites. Unfortunately, this misfortune also happened to one of my favourite authors,
Adeline Yen Mah. She even authored a heart-touching novel about it, with the title
“Chinese Cinderella,” which was published by Delacorte Press in the United States on
September 7, 1999. It has 240 pages and is actually the revised version of her 1997
autobiography, “Falling Leaves”.

“Chinese Cinderella” is an autobiographical novel that talks about her life struggles as
a young Chinese girl who was born to a powerful family in 1937 at the city of Tianjin,
China. In the neighbourhood, Adeline was seen as the amusing and caring girl that lived
in a difficult situation, with a difficult family. As a child, she was bullied and looked
down upon, often being cast aside in favour of her siblings. In short, “Chinese Cinderella”
is the true story of Adeline’s life journey who faced the struggles of being unwanted and
unloved. The main conflict of the story is how she tried to be loved and acknowledged by
her family.

B. Summary (plot):
All this adversity started when Adeline was born to a wealthy family in Tianjin,
China, as their fifth child. However, being wealthy does not mean she had a pleasant life.
From the moment she was born, Adeline was forced to be strong since everyone abused
and blamed her for mother’s death. She was seen as a bad luck and a curse upon them
after her mother died two weeks after giving birth to Adeline. Thus, she was often called
as the “unwanted daughter” by others. The only relationship with the family members
Adeline actually found some solaces were with Aunt Baba, Grandmother, and
Grandfather.

Her life did not get any easier when Adeline’s father got married to a half-Chinese,
half-French woman whom the family called Niang. Niang hated the five children from
her husband’s first marriage and only favoured her two biological children, fourth brother
 BOOK REVIEW SCRIPT
By Jane Amelia Ma 12A2

and little sister. However, regardless of how the family had treated her, Adeline kept
trying to get her parent’s attention by achieving academic awards and winning
competitions.

Since kindergarten, Adeline had always earned the honour of the top student every
week. She was even chosen by her classmates to be the class president and the student
leader of the school. Even though she didn’t get very much affection from her parents,
she still had many friends at school who love her for who she was. However, it did not
change her life a bit. Although Adeline won prizes at school, they were still not enough to
compensate for what she really yearned for, which were the love and understanding of her
family.

At one point, Adeline was even sent to an orphanage after her friends threw a surprise
party in her house. This really showed how the family despised Adeline to the bone.
Furthermore, after Shanghai was captured by the Communists, Adeline’s journey just
kept getting harder and rockier. Throughout her life, she was facing not only physical
issues, but also mental problems too. As a child who had gone through so much, she was
obviously depressed and wished that the pain would end. Well, how do you think this
story is going to end? Will Adeline survive until the end, or will she give up? Go ahead
and read the novel to discover it for yourself!

C. Opinion and Recommendation:

Personally, “Chinese Cinderella” is one of the most inspiring novels I have ever read.
As the story went, the author kept giving out numerous valuable life lessons that you
might not come across anywhere else. One of the many points that I like is how she kept
achieving academic rewards during her sorrows. Even though she was neglected by her
family, Adeline proved that anyone could do anything if they kept trying and giving their
best. This makes the whole story very engaging and makes you want to read ceaselessly.
The words that are used in this novel also give us an accurate illustration of her life’s
struggles. It makes us feel one with the character and sympathize with her. You could feel
her joy, fright, sadness, and anxiety in every bit of the story. In addition, the author also
had an amazing character development. From when she only could rely on her aunt and
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By Jane Amelia Ma 12A2

grandparents, she then learned how to be an independent woman who could survive in an
orphanage alone without anyone taking care of her. This really motivates me to someday
be like her, always standing confidently and bravely, even if there is no one supporting.

Although for some people the story is too complex, I still recommend this novel for
anyone above the age of 15 who likes dramas or just enjoys a compelling story. The plot
is easy to follow, and the author has also carefully incorporated valuable life lessons that
can be a motivation for kids and adults around the world. In some parts, the story also
gets super heart-broken to the extent that I actually cried since her feelings are very
relatable and real. This is one of the best novels I have ever read in my life, and I
sympathize with this character very deeply.

Moreover, it seems that I’m not the only one who thinks that this novel is bangin’.
Countless reviews have been made by readers across the globe telling how the story has
touched their hearts. They were all satisfied and could not wait for her next novel.
According to the data, the novel also has reached more than 800,000 copies in print and
even won the “Best Books for Young Adults” awards in 2000, which of course is
amazing. Well, this is it for my book review video. Thank you for listening and watching.
I’ll see you next time.