"Reclaiming Lily" Book Review

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Reclaiming Lily
Bethany House (October 1, 2011)
by
Patti Lacy

MY REVIEW:

Years ago a Chinese family had to give up their baby to an orphanage with every intent of reclaiming her once they could take care of her. When that day came it was one day too late and she was being adopted by an American family. 7 years later her sister, Kai, is seeking out Lily's American family to give them the news that their mother had a hereditary disease that Lily could be carrying. She finds the perfect little American family isn't so perfect and maybe just maybe they need her after all.

There are many points in the story where Lily is connecting with Kai and in turn she develops a better relationship with her American parents as well. There is a turning point in the story when we find that Kai can't be the saviour she was hoping to be but someone else can.

This book was intriguing and even though it was not a mystery I loved the twists and turns along the way. Patti Lacy has penned an incredible story that again reminds me that while women's fiction is not my favorite genre, when she writes it she crafts incredible stories that make them favorites on my bookshelves!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Patti Lacy, Baylor graduate, taught community college humanities until God called her to span seas and secrets in her novels, An Irishwoman's Tale and What the Bayou Saw.

The secrets women keep and why they keep them continue to enliven Patti's gray matter. A third book, The Rhythm of Secrets, released in January of 2011. Patti's, Reclaiming Lily, documents a tug-of-war between a Harvard-educated doctor and an American pastor and his wife for a precious child and explores adoption issues, China's "One Child" policy, and both Christian and secular views of sacrifice.

Patti also facilitates writing seminars in schools, libraries, and at conferences and has been called to present her testimony, "All the Broken Pieces," at women's retreats. She also leads a Beth Moore Bible study at her beloved Grace Church and has had a blast planning the September 2009 wedding of her firstborn, Sarah.

Patti and her husband Alan, an Illinois State faculty member, live in Normal with their handsome son Thomas, who attends Heartland Community College. On sunny evenings, you can catch the three strolling the streets of Normal with their dog Laura, whom they've dubbed a "Worchestershire Terrier" for her "little dab of this breed, a little dab of that breed."

ABOUT THE BOOK

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?

If you would like to read the first chapter of reclaiming Lily, go HERE.