This sad story of a Chinese Cinderella is based on the life of the author, Adeline Yen Mah. As her mother died giving birth to her, she was considered a bad luck child, but when her father remarried, her life took a turn for the worse. As her stepmother gives birth to both a son and a daughter, the children of the first marriage are in turn mistreated and ignored. The abuse that these children suffer is appalling, all the more so, as their father stands by and lets it happen, in fact, he even seems to encourage them to be pitted against each other. At first the grandmother is alive and exerts a slightly controlling influence over this uncaring stepmother, but upon her death, stepmother appears to be in full control. Even the Grandfather suffers and lives in fear. Adeline seems to come in for the worse of treatment due both to her position in the family and the fact that she is considered a worthless girl. Shunted from boarding school to boarding school, Adeline makes the most of her time and finds refuge in education. Using this education she finds a way to escape and create a new life for herself. Aimed at a YA audience, the book is interesting not just for the sad story it tells, but it’s historic references and linguistics as well. As an adult, I would have like a more in-depth look at these strange parents and, in particular, why the father allowed this woman such control over the life of his family, but overall this was a well-written, simple account of how it feels to be an unloved child.

I borrowed out this book randomly and read this book one weekend in highschool and I read it from cover-to-cover almost constantly and cried throughout while reading it. I don't think I have cried over another book.

This is about a young girl (called Wu Mei, by her siblings) who was abused, neglected, and abandoned by her family. Her stepmother, Niang, is the worst, acting as if the innocent child were a criminal. She is left at boarding schools, and ignored by the family. Will Wu Mei succumb to depression, or rise above it? Will her family ever feel regret and shame at their actions? What will happen to her? Read and discover for yourself.