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| (photo credit: goodreads.com) |
No doubt this will be one of my favourite book. This is a
memoir of Adeline Yen Mah's journey from child to adult across some of the most
difficult times and places in history. I am always interested with the life and
settings of power family and Chinese cities. The book is easy to read,
everything is narrated clearly and concise.
I consider this book some kind of a family's dirty laundry
exposed. All the stories within the family, the gossips and the secrets. The
writer basically told her stories growing up in an upper class with wealthy
grandfather, aunt, and parents but never really have the chance to enjoy a
grand upbringing. Her unfortunate life was mostly portrayed to be caused by
her beautiful stepmother (the typical evil kind) and a father who is forever
unable to be satisfied despite all her achievements academically. The whole
family bond also got affected when the stepmother took her position as the
lady-in-charge in the house. The already negligible daughter became more
invisible.
Besides all those internal drama, the story follows how
family survived a series of event that happened to China and guarded their
wealth safely. Adeline moved from one place to another and another to a point
of being abandoned. Nonetheless, she was brought back to reunite with her
family. She continues to be successful academically and later in her career,
but struggles to obtain universal human needs: love, especially from her parents
(including her stepmother).
I see the book as a daughter looking for love and
recognition from her own father, waiting for a pat at the back, and "well
done, Adeline".
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