Beth Nonte Russell

Beth Nonte Russell shares her story in this personal memoir of her voyage to China with her friend Alex. Alex has been trying to adopt a baby from China for a year and a half, when she gets the approval she chooses her friend Beth to go with her. Beth feels she is an unlikely choice, as they are just casual friends and she hasn't been very close in the last several months, but never a woman to turn down an adventure she agrees.

Alex goes throughout a series of doubt and withdrawals while they are in china, she says she just, "doesn't love this baby". The author takes the reader through her own roller coaster of emotions which are choreographed all too well with the manipulation of her friend Alex. She wants the baby, then she doesn't, wants it, then doesn't- the whole time Beth is falling more and more in love with this delightful baby girl. What could be her fate if not brought back to America? She is already months behind in physical and mental development, and soon will probably just fail to thrive.

I wished I would fall in love with this book, and I didn't. I thought it was interesting, but it was too much about the relationship between the two American women and not enough about the baby's or the orphanages or china. The little glimpses of those things that are there are beautiful and a joy to read about. All of the internal wars between the women- that is something that I could have done without. I think that if you were really interested in international adoption it might be different. This one just wasn't for me, I would have preferred the author to tell of a different adoption that wasn't so much about her relationship with Alex, more about their family, and how the girl ended up being integrated into their family.

Also (not to rip on it) but throughout the book there are dreams, dreams that are supposed to be her past connection with this particular child. It was too strange (and disjointed) and didn't really work for me.… (more)

Beth agrees to accompany her friend, Alex, to China to bring home the baby girl she and her husband are adopting. Beth decides to go along for the adventure and it is something she can write about in her journal. Beth feels an instant connection with the baby and with all the baby girls she is leaving in China. Alex is conflicted about the baby and withdraws from the baby. Beth cares for the baby and dreams of being her mother...

I very much enjoyed the story of baby Lily and how she found her home in America. I really felt for the baby girls who are abandoned to orphanages in China. I did not understand the purpose of the dream sequences within the story, I found the story interesting, but I did not really think it fit within the story of Lily. I also did not understand Alex at all, but at least she let Lily go...to find her true mom.… (more)