94 pages • 3 hours read
Adeline Yen MahFalling Leaves
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1997A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 25-28Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 25 Summary: “Yi Dao Liang Duan (Sever This Kinship with One Whack of the Knife)”
After the death of Adeline’s father, the family gathers in Hong Kong for the funeral, then congregates once again for the reading of his will. This moment is a return to the opening scene of the prologue wherein Niang proclaims that there is nothing for her children to inherit. The siblings learn that Niang has transferred all of their father’s money into her own account and seized all of his international assets.
That night, Lydia and Adeline engage in a heated argument at the hotel. In the argument, Lydia accuses Adeline of helping her son more than her daughter “because he’s young and handsome” (238). Enraged, Adeline vows to “sever this kinship with one whack of the knife” (238).
Chapter 26 Summary: “Wu Feng Qi Lang (Creating Waves Without Wind)”
Tai-way and Tai-ling stay in touch with Adeline despite her parting ways with their mother. In 1989, Tai-ling invites Adeline to her wedding in St. Paul, Minnesota. The wedding is filled with strange back-and-forth communication with Lydia—who still claims Tai-ling feels slighted for not receiving as much financial support as Tai-way—and Tai-way—who tells Adeline that Niang disapproved of Adeline coming to the wedding. Adeline is confused by Tai-way’s words and perceives them as a red flag.
