Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I am a huge sucker for star-crossed lovers! I also learned a lot about South Korea and their culture, institutions, and history. Others may have found that tedious and/or boring, but I appreciated it. I am surprised this was a true story, as I never head of Mark and Jennifer before. I'm glad I read this book and would definitely recommend it!

What a brave and self confident young couple to realize that they can change their future if they just stick to what they know to be right. Very well written. Very well lived. It's an engaging story that is well told. I don't know that I would have particularly liked Mark Diehl when he was in his twenties. But I do admire him.

Fantastic book! It was a great combination of being an intriguing and, often, suspenseful personal memoir as well as an informative reflection on Korean society. I was drawn to this book because my son wanted to go to Asia to teach English, much like the author did. I had recommended he go to South Korea because I also thought it was an up and coming country, but he was intent of going to Japan instead and I'm so glad he did. I don't know whether it was the fact that it was 20 years later (he went in 2014) or whether the Korean culture and acceptance of foreigners and particularly of a relationship between a Asian woman and Western man is so different from the Japanese norms, but he encountered none of the frightening problems and married a lovely Japanese woman this year with the full blessing of her family, complete with the four changes of costume during the wedding ceremonies, and they continue to live happily in Japan. I would have been interested in information on whether what Mark Diehl encountered is still what would be expected today. The section on the experiences in Hong Kong were as compelling and informative as those in Korea, and I very much appreciated the epilogue and pictures since I felt quite invested in the couple and their long-term well-being. This is a book that will stay with me and that I will enthusiastically recommend to others, and I thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance e-copy.

I loved this book from start to finish. The author's detailed descriptions of Korean life and culture drew me in immediately. In the beginning, Diehl, and his wife, Jennifer, went through some harrowing experiences in order to be together as a couple. Despite Korean society's disdainful look upon Koren women dating American men, they met secretly while continuing their relationship. Diehl's outlook, humor, and never-give-up attitude helped both of them to finally get to the U.S., eventually telling their story.

As an international educator who never worked in South Korea, I enjoyed Mark's retelling of his time there and his many experiences with the administration, roommates, and other teachers. From his vivid descriptions, life in South Korea at that time was not altogether enjoyable, either. I always enjoy reading about other cultures and this book definitely delivered. I couldn't help wondering if South Korea is still like that today.

Stealing Cinderella is a ride worth taking. The ups and downs will keep you entertained to the very end and keep you wondering, did this really happen?

Thank you NetGalley, Mark Diehl, and publisher for granting me permission to read and review this book.

A young American comes to South Korea to teach English.He meets and falls in love with a South Korean girl their relationship is forbidden and in an act that reads like a romance novel to stay together they must flee the country.Living through this dangerous act escaping.A very interesting read an eye opener about South Korea and its customs and a look at what this young couple did for love. #netgalley#fencetreepress.

Love conquers all. That is what I kept thinking as I read Stealing Cinderella, by Mark D. Diehl. This is the real life love story of Mark and Jennifer. Although, it reads as action movie! Mark and Jennifer met in South Korea while they were both teaching English. Jennifer, a native South Korean and Mark a recent college graduate from Iowa. Their connection was pure and true. But their cultures clashed. They couldn't be more different. Their desire to be together and to leave South Korea for the United States is the focal point of this memoir.

Although the book started slowly, it quickly picked up tempo as the Mr. Diehl described South Korea and how he fit in, or didn't fit in, to the area. When Jennifer entered his life, we learned more about South Korean culture and how Jennifer, being the middle child, felt ignored and abandoned. I learned about the need for obedience and hierarchy in South Korea. The danger for Mark to be seen with a South Korean woman was great, but it was more dangerous for Jennifer. And that danger never stopped until they made it to Iowa.

I thoroughly loved this book. I really could see it as a movie. There are so many exciting scenes, I found myself holding my breath a few times. There is a lot to be learned about culture and respect for culture from this book. But there is much to be learned about human respect. I know that a South Korean child needs to follow the directions given by the parent, from where to go to school, what to major in and what job they will get when completed, not to mention who they will marry. But is it humane to beat that child unconscious if they don't follow those directions. This memoir gives us much to consider.

In this fascinating memoir Mark Diehl describes his experience as an English teacher in a large South Korean city during the early 1990's. The cultural differences that he experienced to begin with were enormous, but then when he wanted to date a fellow teacher who happened to be Korean the obstacles seemed insurmountable. Jennifer, the young woman he fell in love with, was expected to follow every wish of her parents in order to promote their honor and status, and was indeed considered their property. The couple was treated with hostility by nearly everybody, and were in pretty continual danger. The true story of their efforts to escape from South Korea is exciting and suspenseful, every bit as much of a page turner as a fictional thriller.

Mark journeyed to South Korea to teach English to Korean students. He quickly fell in love with a teacher, and Korean, Jennifer. As a mixed-couple, the two were ostracized in public, forbidden to be together by the school, and forced to sneak around. When Jennifer's parents found out about their relationship, the situation quickly turned dangerous.

I found this book to be boring and off-putting. I quickly grew tired of Mark continually correcting the grammar and pronunciation of those around him. I know that he was a teacher, but this make the book move very slowly and make conversations almost painful. Mark seemed to have a hatred for the Korean people and a big problem with authority and respect. Overall, this book was a bust.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this. This book was a wonderful insight into the Korean culture. Mark Dielh went to South Korea to teach English classes. There he met and fell in love with a second daughter from a wealthy family. (Which is absolutely forbidden.) Through the class discussions and the difficulties with seeing one another we learn how strict the culture can be. Eventually they flee the country for their love. In part an informative book this is also a sweet romance. I enjoyed the slow immersion into Korean lifestyle, the writing and tone allows the reader to learn without feeling like your reading a textbook.

I enjoyed reading this book, mostly I enjoyed the setting South Korea, a place where not many books are set. Just because of this the book became fascinating to me. It is a true story and there is an innocence to it. The year was 1993, so still a time I feel I could relate to. Mark an impoverished graduate from the US arrived in South Korea to teach English. At the school he worked in, he meet and fell in love with a local girl but this is no ordinary love story and there is nothing mushy about it.
For anyone who likes to read about relationships and social norms in a place that we don't know a lot about, this book is an eye opener and is at times both moving and gripping.
I would love to hear more about what happened after the conclusion of the book, although there is a resume at the end.

I loved “Stealing Cinderella!” It is the true story of how two kindred spirits from different sides of the globe met and realized they were meant for each other, but the society decided to try and break them up. It’s passionate and violent, and even somewhat crazy.

I liked the way Diehl informed us about Korean culture by using examples from his English classes and lunchtime conversations with his colleagues – we learn about it as he does. It let me see the kind of restrictive society that exists there and how ingrained the rules are in the people's everyday lives. We learned a lot about Jennifer’s upbringing, and his, as well, by conversations they would have over lunch.

This is not a head-over-heals, heart-pounding romance of fiction, but a true story about how much these two have in common even though they are from such different worlds. I see him as her knight in shining armor, though on a black bike instead of a white horse. It's not a spoiler to say that they encounter opposition throughout and only through cunning is he able to “Steal Cinderella.” Lots of memoirs teach us new things and show us interesting people in difficult situations, but none have ever gotten my pulse pounding the way this one did. It’s a fantastic read (but a true story!) and I can’t recommend it strongly enough.