CC suffers a bad fall and, in order to treat her injuries, she undergoes hypnotherapy that reveals her connection to an eleventh-century girl named Mei Lan, who defied convention to befriend a household servant who was a brilliant artist. - (Baker & Taylor)
CC suffers a bad fall and, in order to treat her injuries, she undergoes hypnotherapy that reveals her connection to an eleventh-century girl named Mei Lan, who defied convention to befriend a household servant who was a brilliant artist. Includes glossary and pronunciation of Chinese words, and author's note on the background of the story. - (Baker & Taylor)
Lapsing into unconsciousness after an accident, CC vividly dreams about life in the Song Dynasty 800 years earlier, where an art-loving emperor befriends an orphan boy and his master's daughter, in an adventure inspired by the famous Chinese painting, Along the River at the Qing Ming Festival. By the best-selling author of Falling Leaves. - (Baker & Taylor)Bestselling Chinese American author Adeline Yen Mah weaves her authentic accounts of life in China into an absorbing novel about a Chinese girl and her vision of a previous life.
After a fall, CC is whisked away to a hospital. As she drifts in and out of consciousness, she is haunted by vivid dreams that seem strange—yet somehow familiar. Thus begins CC’s emotional journey back to a privileged life lived eight hundred years ago during the Song dynasty.
CC is the daughter of a wealthy and influential man, but she finds herself drawn to a poor orphan boy with a startling ability to capture the beauty of the natural world. As the relationship between these two young people deepens, the transforming power of art and romantic love comes into conflict with the immovable rules of Chinese society.
This stunning fantasy adventure novel, inspired by China’s most famous painting, Along the River at the Qing Ming Festival, tells the story of a friendship both tender and bold. CC’s remarkable journey reminds readers that though time moves on, art and love endure. - (Random House, Inc.)
Adeline Yen Mah was born in Tianjin, China, and trained to be a doctor in London. She had a distinguished career in medicine in the United States for many years. Her memoir for adults, Falling Leaves, was a worldwide bestseller and was translated into eighteen languages. Chinese Cinderella is her memoir for young adults. She divides her time between Los Angeles, London, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Visit her Web site at www.adelineyenmah.com. - (Random House, Inc.)
Booklist Reviews
In this Chinese Cinderella novel, CC's odd conversations and references while recovering from an injury prompt Grandma Wu to take her to a physician who practices hypnosis. That's the tipping point that plunges CC from mid-twentieth-century China to the days of the Northern Song dynasty, where she lives as a privileged daughter in love with a gifted young orphan painter. Hard-edged stepmother Niang works to thwart the relationship as CC defies her family and fights for romance and adventure. The painter, Ah Zhao, is based on a famous court artist in this time-travel historical fantasy that sings the praises of art and love. Copyright 2010 Booklist Reviews.
PW Annex Reviews
Mah (Chinese Cinderella) connects two eras of Chinese history in this emotionally charged tale of two young women, originally published in Australia. Fearful that she's being pursued, 12-year-old CC escapes to a rooftop and falls, landing in a coma. When she awakens in a hospital, it is as though her mind has been transported back 800 years. Under hypnosis, she recalls vibrant details of another life as Mei Lan, the privileged daughter of a kindly father and cruel stepmother. Mei Lan's only friends are her ambitious older brother, Gege, and Ah Zhao, a servant boy whose artistic talent has won the notice of the emperor. Mei Lan and Ah Zhao become confidantes and fall in love, but fate tears them apart. Based on the Chinese painting Along the River at Qing Ming, this painstakingly researched novel brings to life the sights and sounds of ancient China, providing a clear interpretation of the era's rigid social structures. Characters often speak with a formality that may feel overly stiff, but vivid imagery enlivens the gripping premise; readers will be captivated by the exploration into a possible past life. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)
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School Library Journal Reviews
Gr 5–8—During World War II, 12-year-old CC is helping her grandmother rescue downed American pilots from behind enemy lines when she falls and ends up in a monthlong coma. Hypnotherapy provides a superfluous frame for the main story. She learns that in 1091, she is 13-year-old Mei Lan, who, along with her older brother, forms a close friendship with Ah Zhao, an orphaned slave possessing considerable artistic talent. As they grow up, the three friends explore the truth behind beauty and art, the prisons formed by societal expectations, and the lasting memories of one perfect day. In the story of their friendship, Mah provides a possible explanation for the provenance of several Song Dynasty paintings, reproductions of which appear in a full-color insert. Throughout the book, the story and characters are often lost in excessive historical detail and background. Further, explanations of culture and language are frequently and clumsily inserted into the dialogue. Despite this attention to historical detail, the characters are extremely modern, creating a confusing disconnect.—Jennifer Rothschild, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, Oxon Hill, MD
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