Sharp witticisms written in private letters between family members about other family members are notoriously misleading when interpreted in the cold light of history. The over-riding impression of Jane Austen from her works is that she liked people, even when making fun of them. Indeed, she even liked them for providing her with good material. If she had lived a thoroughly frustrated life then her ability to laugh and love must be considered almost miraculous.Rachel Billington has written a sequel to `Emma’, called `Perfect Happiness’..

Adeline Yen Mah was born “fifth daughter”, the lowest of the low in Chinese family hierarchy. The birth killed her mother, who died shortly afterwards of puerperal fever, thus branding the baby as unlucky. Adeline’s father, whose decision not to allow a nurse to care for his wife may have caused her death, never forgave his daughter. Not the most propitious start to life, but the family – living in the 1930s in the Chinese port city of Tianjin – were prosperous business people and there were devoted grandparents and lovely, loving Aunt Baba to play surrogate mother But … enter the evil stepmother Niang, a young, beautiful Eurasian who gives all her stepchildren Western names. When the family moves to Shanghai, she takes control, filling the house with flock wallpaper and red velvet sofas and introducing austerity programmes for the stepchildren – no pocket money, no fancy foods, shaven heads for the boys, no speaking at table unless spoken to, no friends allowed in the house.
Niang’s own two progeny are treated quite differently And, of course, her rule embitters and divides.

Relations between the step-siblings are invidious, with Adeline at the very bottom of the pecking order, receiving intermittent friendship from her nearest brother, James.The only solace comes from her grandfather, and from loving Aunt Baba with whom Adeline shares a bedroom. Baba feeds the little girl preserved plums and encourages her to work hard at school, where she always seems to be top of the class.Finally, in 1948, after a particularly vicious row with Niang, Adeline is despatched to a convent boarding school 1,000 miles away in Tianjin, where the civil war between the communist and Kuomintang armies is now raging. Her father insists that she must learn to change her spoilt ways and realise her worth, or rather her lack of it. Grandfather and Aunt Baba are prohibited from writing to her She receives no visits, and no letters. In the meantime, the family set up a new life in Hong Kong.Eventually, after Tianjin has fallen to the communists, Adeline is rescued by an aunt and brought to Hong Kong. But soon she finds herself back in another boarding school where she stays for several years, again receiving no letters or visits, and almost never going home for holidays.Academically, little Adeline continues to shine.