tani reviewed on 6/20/2005

Helpful Score: 5

This is not the story of a poor Chinese girl who married a prince, but of a Chinese girl from a rich family who turned out well in spite of them. Most of the family had it in for her because her birth had caused the death of her mother; but her stepmother, Niang, was the worst of all and her father did nothing to protect her against Niang's capriciousness and spite. Not being in a position where I have to show any Oriental respect to her, I am happy to be able to say here that I found Niang a despicable, selfish, and incredibly cruel person. The writer's father was also terribly insensitive, but at least in the end, he recognized her literary achievements and decided to let her go to England and study to be a doctor. The postscript tells us that in the end her life was happy, and the reader will be glad I let that much slip out, because the rest of the book is full of frightful suffering. She must be in her 60's now and appears to be living in California.

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