Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I opened this book, I was unaware that it was an autobiography. In fact, it took me reading about a quarter of the way through until I was sure that it was in fact, a book of facts. In some ways, that was a bit disappointing; not, however, because the book was badly written, but because by that point in the story, I felt the author had suffered enough to deserve more of a fairytale ending than reality usually grants.
Mah’s poignant tale of abuse, defiance, and survival is a brilliantly written work for those with the stomach to read her history of pain. It was without a doubt one of the most engaging autobiographies I have ever read. Her writing is clever and just the right amount of detailed: enough imagery to immerse oneself, but not enough to bog down the story. Currently, I’m keeping an eye out for more of her works. -Anya W. ’20
Harker US Book Blog 