Book Review on Chinese Cinderella: the Secret Story of an Unwanted Daughter

1 Book review on Chinese Cinderella The Secret Story of an Unwanted Daughter By C ben Shin In wealthy families, babies are born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Not quite for Adeline. In fact, the recount of Adeline Yen Mahs childhood is a relatively sad angiotensin-converting enzyme even though her father was a millionaire. She was seen as bad luck to the family as her mother died later giving birth to her. She is always frowned upon by her older and younger siblings, neglected by her father and scolded by her stepmother. She has to learn to depend on herself as at that place was often no one to help her.The story reveals the two sides of her family on the surface it is friendly and caring, while inside one can realize how the children are re all toldy treated by their stepmother Niang. As the youngest of 5 children from her fathers first marriage, Adeline has to suffer many blows because every one looks down on her oddly when she receives her fathers praise. Adelines main reason for her love of school was to be away from her stepmother so that she could become a different person that was admire by her peers as she topped her class regularly.Her whole personality changed when she was away from her Niang and with someone that knew her from the heart her friend Wu Chung-Mei, her Ye Ye and Aunt Baba. At age eight, Adeline was given a duckling, the only one left(p) after all her siblings had picked their choice. Although it was not the best duckling, she still loved it dearly and treasured every opportunity that she could get with it. She named it cunning Little Duckling (PLT). I see this illustrates her love for her pet and that she was pleased that her siblings had left her one. It also gives a comparison of how each sibling is treated by their parents.Since she was the youngest and the least likely to make a fuss, her big brother took her duckling when her father ordered him to test the obedience training of his dog Jackie. Adeline immediately sense d her ducklings requirement she knew that PLT was going to die. When Jackies demonstration of obedience was over, PLT was bleeding and passed away next morning. Adeline and her third brother buried PLT under a magnolia tree. Adeline was saddened by the above incidence and recalled every time when she sensed the presence of a magnolia, she would remember PLT. I feel this demonstrates the love she felt for PLT and how heartbreaking the experience as. Throughout this passage of the story, I envision there are many emotions often examinen as colours that were being pressed into Adelines mind white, yellow, black and brown. I have chosen these colours because white represents the magnolias, yellow symbolizes the feathers of PLT, black for the grim horror that happened, and brown for the eyes of PLT and the earth on top of PLTs grave. When Adeline became a sixth occasion at Sheng Xin (Sacred Heart) Primary School, a democratic election was held in their class to see who would be their class president and head girl of the whole school.She teamed up with her friend Wu Chun-Mei who won the election for her. On her triumphant day, many of her supporters went to her house to give her presents. Her father and Niang were very upset and annoyed at the fact that Adelines friends were at their house, disturbing them. When she was called to her fathers room for the cause for all her friends to be there, Adeline did not know. Niang did not believe her and slapped her making her nose bleed. In movement of all her friends (with blood still dripping down her face) she told them to go away because her father was sleeping.Then she was told to open all her presents in attend of her parents and throw them all in the rubbish bin. I experience the sadness she has felt when she was 2 humiliated by her stepmother. Adeline must have had a determination not to show her weakness by crying. After this incident, Niang ordered her to pack all her things as Adeline, Niang and her father we re going to Tianjin on an airplane. As she was on the plane, they had to fill out landing cards. Adelines father forgot Adelines Chinese name and her date of birth.Since her father had forgotten her Chinese name, Adeline felt deeply hurt as her father mixed-up her name with her little sisters. This meant that her father had forgotten all about her and had only remembered her little sister, even though she was his real daughter. I feel untellable at the thought that her father could forget her name. Her date of birth became her fathers November 30 because her date of birth was unknown. In this story of Adeline Yen Mahs childhood life, I felt many ups and downs and how she might have felt. It was surprising to see a girl like Adeline being humiliated in front of her friends who wanted to support her.If I were in her shoes, I would feel scared and frightened because the supporters might not support me anymore because they had known of the family ugliness. I think that this family ug liness was hidden from other people seeing it by Niang and Adelines father. To prove this point, when Niang met other people, she wanted them to know that the family only had her two children. She kept the five children from her husbands first marriage in the dark, thus swerving Adelines father into forgetting his former wifes younger children including Adeline.Her father and Niang went with Adeline to Tianjin and left her as a border in St Josephs School. At first, there were many people attending the school but soon Adeline was the only scholar left in the whole school. All of them fled from the communist army. I feel how she must have felt in these circumstances as no one was bothered to look after her while she was the only student. She would feel bewildered and frightened at the same time as she was being punished from omission by her father and stepmother.During this story I feel Adelines sadness, despair and happy moments. I feel very grateful that I am in a different famil y and that I did not have to go through what Adeline had to undergo. The story of her childhood is a very sad one, but I forecast that other children do not have to suffer the same case as she did. Her life had many hopeful and downhearted moments she had and only determination helped her springy through this dark period. En fortitudement from her Aunt Baba and her Ye Ye was the only source to give her the strength to be a good scholar and prove her Niang wrong.In this story, Adeline has a message to neglected and unloved children of the world within every one there is something precious and unique. Her childhood experience brings out the importance of perseverance in life. One must persist to do ones best when one is hopeless, to have the faith when ones spirit is down, and to change fears into courage and strength. Everyone of us can be Cinderella and successful as Adeline if we hold her belief that one single positive dream is more important than a meter negative realities. END