A storm the size of Texas brews when Gloria Powell and Kai Chang meet in a Dallas hotel. They have come to discuss the future of Lily, the daughter Gloria adopted from China and the sister Kai hopes to reclaim. Kai is a doctor who had to give up her little sister during the Cultural Revolution and has since discovered that an inherited genetic defect may be waiting to fatally strike Lily.Gloria's relationship with her daughter is tattered and strained, and the arrival of Kai, despite the woman's apparent good intentions, makes Gloria fearful. Gloria longs to restore her relationship with Lily, but in the wake of this potentially devastating diagnosis, is Kai an answer to prayer...or will her arrival force Gloria to sacrifice more than she ever imagined?
I Give This Book: 3 Stars
My Thoughts:
I had a really hard time getting into this book. The first half of 'Reclaiming Lily' covered just one day and was very slow moving. It would alternate between the present day and the stories that Kai would tell about her life in China. However, about two-thirds into the book the story really got interesting, and I found myself rushing to reach the conclusion. The last twenty or so pages were especially moving, although abit abrupt, and left me guessing until the very end - literally until the last paragraph!
The story of Kai's life in China was so vividly written. I have heard of China's one child policy, but this story drives home how difficult that policy really is. Kai's mother had three daughters before the policy was put in place, but shortly after it goes into effect she finds herself pregnant again. Fearing what the government might do, her husband demands that she get an abortion, but she refuses to kill her child. Knowing that she can't keep her baby, she makes the heart breaking decision to leave her baby (Lily) at an orphanage (because a healthy child that was left at an orphanage would be taken care of), with the hopes of one day reclaiming her. But it would not go as planned.
When Lily was ten years old Pastor Andrew and Gloria Powell, an American couple, adopted her, changed her name to Joy and brought her home to Texas. Kai was there when they took her from the orphanage, watching from a distance horrified that her baby sister was being taken away and helpless to stop it.
The Powells have raised Joy to believe in God, but lately she has been rebeling against them at ever turn. Joy turns against a God that she at one time claimed to believe in and not only that but she acts out in so many different ways, that they never know what to expect from her anymore.
When Kai brings the news to them that Joy might have Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), they are wary of Kai at first, but she soons endears herself to them. PKD is an hereditery disease, and Kai and Joy's mother had had it. The only treatment is dialysis or a kidney transplant and Kai wants her tested for it right away.
I didn't like how long it took for me to get into the book and how when it got to the more crucial parts of the story it would jump ahead - sometimes by years. I felt that for a book that has 384 pages, it seemed rushed at the end, like the story was getting to long and so was just quickly finished.
Overall, I found 'Reclaiming Lily' to be an enjoyable book, but not one that I would be quick to recommend and likely won't be a book that I will read again.
*** I received a complimentary copy of this book through Litfuse to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done. ***
View all my reviews
About the Author:
I had a really hard time getting into this book. The first half of 'Reclaiming Lily' covered just one day and was very slow moving. It would alternate between the present day and the stories that Kai would tell about her life in China. However, about two-thirds into the book the story really got interesting, and I found myself rushing to reach the conclusion. The last twenty or so pages were especially moving, although abit abrupt, and left me guessing until the very end - literally until the last paragraph!
The story of Kai's life in China was so vividly written. I have heard of China's one child policy, but this story drives home how difficult that policy really is. Kai's mother had three daughters before the policy was put in place, but shortly after it goes into effect she finds herself pregnant again. Fearing what the government might do, her husband demands that she get an abortion, but she refuses to kill her child. Knowing that she can't keep her baby, she makes the heart breaking decision to leave her baby (Lily) at an orphanage (because a healthy child that was left at an orphanage would be taken care of), with the hopes of one day reclaiming her. But it would not go as planned.
When Lily was ten years old Pastor Andrew and Gloria Powell, an American couple, adopted her, changed her name to Joy and brought her home to Texas. Kai was there when they took her from the orphanage, watching from a distance horrified that her baby sister was being taken away and helpless to stop it.
The Powells have raised Joy to believe in God, but lately she has been rebeling against them at ever turn. Joy turns against a God that she at one time claimed to believe in and not only that but she acts out in so many different ways, that they never know what to expect from her anymore.
When Kai brings the news to them that Joy might have Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), they are wary of Kai at first, but she soons endears herself to them. PKD is an hereditery disease, and Kai and Joy's mother had had it. The only treatment is dialysis or a kidney transplant and Kai wants her tested for it right away.
I didn't like how long it took for me to get into the book and how when it got to the more crucial parts of the story it would jump ahead - sometimes by years. I felt that for a book that has 384 pages, it seemed rushed at the end, like the story was getting to long and so was just quickly finished.
Overall, I found 'Reclaiming Lily' to be an enjoyable book, but not one that I would be quick to recommend and likely won't be a book that I will read again.
*** I received a complimentary copy of this book through Litfuse to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done. ***
View all my reviews
About the Author:
Patti Lacy graduated from Baylor University with a BS in education and completed master's-level courses in English at Indiana State University. She taught at Heartland Community College until May 2006, when she resigned to pursue her passion of writing. The author of three previous novels, Patti is the mother of two grown children and lives with her husband in Normal, Illinois.
For more about Patti and her books, visit her website at www.pattilacy.com. She is also on Goodreads and Facebook.
For more about Patti and her books, visit her website at www.pattilacy.com. She is also on Goodreads and Facebook.
Product Details:
- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Bethany House (October 1, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0764209418
- ISBN-13: 978-0764209413
- Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
Here are some of the places where you can purchase Reclaiming Lily: Christian Book, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and The Book Depository.
Now for the Giveaway:
Patti Lacy is celebrating the release of her latest book, Reclaiming Lily,
with a KindleTouch Giveaway, blog tour and FB Book Chat Party!
Follow the blog tour and
read the reviews!
with a KindleTouch Giveaway, blog tour and FB Book Chat Party!
Follow the blog tour and
read the reviews!
Patti and her publisher, Bethany House, are giving away a Reclaiming Lily prize
package worth over $150 to one lucky winner!!!!
Enter the Reclaiming Lily Giveaway and you could win:
- A brand new just released KindleTouch with Wi-Fi
- $25 gift cetificate to Amazon.com
But, wait there’s more!
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. Giveaway ends on 10/19!
Patti will be announcing the winner of the Reclaiming Lily Giveaway at her Party on Facebook
October 20th! She’ll be hosting a book club chat of Reclaiming Lily (it's
okay if you haven't read it - you could win a copy!) and giving away other
fun prizes! (signed copies of her books and gift certificates to Amazon.com, Starbucks,
& iTunes!). Don’t miss the fun at Patti’s FB Author Page on 10/20/11 at 5pm
PST ( 6 pm MST, 7 pm CST, & 8 pm EST)! RSVP today!
Another great review! Once again, I appreciate not only your honesty, but also your justification in why you felt the way you did. This is a book that I REALLY want to read, primarily because I have a daughter who was adopted from China. I find it interesting and not very plausible that Kai meets her sister's adoptive family. I havent't read the book and hopefully that question is answered. Overall it sounds very interesting. I still want to read this book for sure!! :)
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