Along the River: A Chinese Cinderella Novel

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.
From the Hardcover edition.

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, MDα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.