Rating: 
Summary: The author should have researched Chinese adoption first
Review: This book misrepresents Chinese adoption beyond recognition. As a parent of a daughter adopted from China, I have found the Chinese government to be reliable and predictable. The situation described in this book is ridiculous and offensive. Perhaps Mr. Ball wanted to seem contemporary by seizing on the current trend of international adoption. His ignorance of the subject is staggering.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved this book!!
Review: What a storyteller David Ball is. I could not put this book down. He develops wonderful characters, both American and Chinese, and has exquisite descriptions of China, and the plot is totally intriguing and fast-moving. It is well-written and exciting, and I learned a lot about the exotic, and complicated, land and culture of China. It provides an exciting trip through that country. The books is extremely revealing about the process of adoption and shows how sensitive, and frustratingly arbitrary, it can be. Loved it.
Rating:
Summary: I did not want to like it -- but it is a great read
Review: When I first received the book, I opened it and read the prologue and wept. The story of a woman's suffering through pregnancies and abortions and difficult choices presented by a one-child policy and family pressures has more than a ring of truth to it.Fortunately, that is where the truth ends. Yes, this book is 'fiction' but the wording on the fly leaf indicating it is based upon a 'true' incident will mislead people into thinking there is more truth here than fiction and that is NOT the case. The 'true' part of the story is that international adoption from China used to be run by more than one governmental agency, and in the late mid-1990's this process was changed in order to tighten controls and eliminate irregularities in processing of applications. There had never been even any hint of baby selling or organ-farming, and the implication that there may have been, while titillating, is a creation of the author's imagination. During the transition period of the re-org, there were families who had been 'matched' and notified of their referrals, only to have their referrals changed later on - most prior to leaving for China. At the end of the re-organization, CCAA became the sole governmental arbiter of all things related to adoption in China. The China program of international adoption is a well-run program, resulting in the placement of approximately 6000 children into loving homes around the world each year. So the 'true incident' mentioned on the book cover in no way resembles the story as written. In fact, the incident in the book never took place. The author's story is an extrapolation of the re-org into a HUGE 'what if' scenario. And, as far as that goes, that is fine - because this is, afterall, a fiction novel. However, the book does make interesting reading, and it is unfortunate that the fly leaf does not provide more details about the 'true incident' because the statement that it is 'based upon a true incident' misleads readers into thinking that the story is more true than it is. And, as we know that many people only think as far as the end of their nose about these things, it presents a very wrong, and therefore potentially VERY harmful, impression about China, Chinese government officials, the adoption process and adopting parents. What makes the situation even more maddening for those of us who have gone through the process or are in the midst of the process, is that the author is also the Dad of a daughter adopted from China. This not only makes some of us feel betrayed, but also angry, as it lends a level of veracity to the fictional story that is neither warranted nor wanted. All that being said, you will easily get caught up in the action and emotional turmoil of the adopting parents, especially the protagonist - an adopting mom who has been told she must give back her daughter, and runs, with her 9 year old stepson in tow, for their lives. Mr. Ball's writing about the Chinese countryside and daily life is on the mark, and very well done. Having been there/done that twice now (I am Mom to 2 daughters from China), I was easily transported back through the images described in his writing. I could 'see' things, 'feel' things, even 'smell' the markets and cooking scents. The book is rich with images that evoke a strong sense of place, and add much to the story. As a work of fiction, I have found myself recommending the book highly -- much to my surprise.
Rating:
Summary: Offensive to this adoptive parent
Review: While I respectfully acknowledge the creative process, I must say that as an adoptive parent of a child from China, this book offended me. We (adoptive parents) appear to be desperate people who will do anything beyond reason to get that child, legally or not. Chinese government officials are misrepresented (at best) and demonized (at worst). Neither group has any resemblance to their real life counterparts. Aside from the poor character portrayals, the bureaucracy portrayed in the work is nothing like the stable, fairly predictable nature of the China adoption organization. While mistakes happen from time to time, actions such as those encountered by Allison are sensationalistic beyond belief. Personally, I find the "dark side of Chinese adoptions" to be continually explaining what the process is really like and rebuking stereotypes that should have disappeared a long time ago. The only thing "frighteningly real" about this book is that a prospective adoptive parent may read it and turn away from a wonderfully run, well organized adoption program such as China currently has. Just my two jiao.
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