A quick read because it was easy to relate to the author's voice. She reminded me of my mother in her stubbornness to succeed academically. The descriptions of Niang's family politics were a bit foreign and were so petty and manipulative that I was almost wary of the dynamic halfway through the story. ( )

couldn't finish. didn't find the author interesting. ( )

Warning: This review has spoilers.

Falling Leaves is the autobiography of Adeline Yen Mah, born in 1937 in Tianjin, China. She was the fifth child. Her mother contracted puerperal fever and died weeks after her birth. Several years later her father re-married and with his new wife had 2 children. The new step-mother influenced her father so that this daughter was ignored, mentally abused, and sent away to substandard schools.

Some of the stories are heart-rending; a beloved pet set on the ground to test the training of a dog and injured, no gifts when all brothers and sisters got gifts, throwing away of all gifts given by friends, no money for trams for school unless she begged and humbled herself.

Adeline bore this unhappily but couldn’t do anything about it until she entered a play-writing competition. She won, and her father and step-mother allowed her to go to England to study to become a doctor. This she did, earning several degrees. She married, had a child, divorced, re-married, and had a second child. All the while she was building a successful career.

In the meantime she always anguished over family’s rejection of her, her step-mother’s influence and control over her father. Two sisters were disowned. At the reading of her father’s will, her step-mother’s influence was so strong that she told the children there was no money and not to read the rest of the will – and they obeyed.

When her step-mother died she and her husband went back to China. One of her brothers told her she was cut out of the will. Adeline didn’t care about the money so much as family unity. They found her father’s original will, suppressed by her step-mother, which had divided his money equally among his children and his wife. This inclusion and proof of his love for her helped her finally gain peace in her life-long quest for acceptance and love.

I loved this book. It was well written. I loved that each chapter title was in English and Chinese. When there is a Chinese word or concept, the symbol is included with the Chinese translation. Example: Shanghai’s two symbols are followed by the word Shanghai and then (city by the sea), a literal translation of the symbols. I found this to be very helpful in understanding more about Chinese culture. The book was captivating and immediately got me involved. It was also heartbreaking, and frustrating. Adeline’s almost pathological quest to be accepted by her family might have been understandable if that family wasn’t so dysfunctional, manipulative, and controlling. I hope the comfort and peace she found offset the very real cruelty and mental abuse she experienced. ( )

Fascinating glimpse into a painful past. Well worth the read. ( )

My friend lent me this book, and I forgot the name until I saw it on someone else's LibraryThing library. My memories of it are faint, but it was a great book. I remember how it made me feel, her struggles were so real. and her horrors were simply that. ( )