Forever Lily

In December of 1999, Beth Russell agrees to accompany her friend Alex to China where Alex is going to bring home the baby girl she has been planning to adopt for more than a year. What she thinks will be a glorious adventure turns into one of the greatest challenges of her life when her friend panics and has second thoughts about taking the baby home. Russell refuses to leave the child behind and begins a journey to bring the little girl home against all odds.

Forever Lily chronicles the story of Beth's experiences in China; the horrible conditions of the orphanage, watching her friend's reluctance to bond with her baby and her own unexpected connection to the child.

Karla's Review: This was a fascinating and compelling real-life story. I learned a lot about the process of adopting from China. The description of the orphanage was heart-breaking. And while international adoptions seem to be a great deal more complicated than domestic adoptions, there were many parallels.

(Disclaimer: This book is not written from a Christian perspective, as many of the books I review are. The author is indeed very "spiritual" but draws from mysticism, Buddhism, and some Catholicism.)