Rating: 
Summary: A study in narcissism and dysfunctional marriage
Review: I read this book some time ago, and I was simply floored by the author's unabashed self-absorption and self-pity. Jill Smolowe's immaturity and naricssism are only outdone by her husband's ... they are truly meant for each other! I do feel sorry for the author's little girl, who was ultimately adopted from China ... The author's marriage is highly dysfunctional, and it seems all but certain that Becky will grow up with only one parent. The chapters on the author's trip to China were mildly interesting and informative, and were the best part of this otherwise disappointing book. Jill Smolowe and her husband come across as loathsome and utterly selfish, and I wonder how in the world they ever were able to convince a social worker to approve their homestudy.
Rating: 
Summary: Must reading for infertile and fertile people alike
Review: It was like reading my own story. It's an honest and unsentimental look at the anguished journey of infertility and adoption. The one thing she left out was the almost unbelievable rage I feel at my sisters in law as they constantly complain about the hassle that kids bring to their life!! Also, I wish that she had explored why callous and uncaring doctors seem to populate the world of infertility. Jill, write another book and explore the world of infertility and domestic adoptions for the fraud and sham that it all too often is. I'll be waiting. p.s. We are adopting from China too!!
Rating:
Summary: A Journey to Parenthood
Review: Jill Smolowe has written, not just a journey, but an odyssey as she courageously discloses the internal struggles she and her husband faced in their attempts at parenthood. Obviously her husband preferred to stay in an uncommitted lifestyle, but finally agreed to marriage, a home in the suburbs and a child. This is not always an easy tale to read, as the main characters, including the author, lay bare their true emotions and feelings. However, it would help any couple struggling through this journey face the realities of depression, failures, doubts, racism and ultimately joy. No issue is sugar-coated.I found the book compelling reading. I can't recommend it more highly.
Rating:
Summary: An Exquisitely Powerful Story of Adoption and Parenthood
Review: Jill Smolowe's book, "An Empty Lap,' was one of the most powerful books I have read in a decade. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in learning about the adoption process and the challenges of fertility. It details the author's personal quest to have a child. 'An Empty Lap' is extremely well written and easy to read. The story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. It recounts the travails of the available medical interventions explored to counter the couples' fertility problems. I personally found this section most informative. When the author and her husband finally began to research the adoption process, some of the roadblocks and setbacks they faced were devastating. I have since met numerous people who faced similar experiences in the adoption process. It is painful to know that there are so many wonderful children needing adoption and that the actual process of adoption can be so arduous. Their personal experiences while adopting a Chinese child were informative, encouraging and a great starting point for anyone interested in exploring the possibilities of adopting abroad. Jill is an award-winning journalist and rarely agrees to do television interviews. When they ran her story in People Magazine, she agreed to do a number of television interviews because the topic was so personal and powerful for her. This book is a treasure and would be a welcomed addition to your own personal library. After reading it, you will want to recommend it to anyone considering adoption. Reader's Digest felt so highly about the book that they featured it worldwide in a range of languages in condensed versions. I think it is worth reading the original book cover to cover. You would not want to miss any detail of this bittersweet story. It will certainly touch you forever. I feel very comfortable giving 'An Empty Lap' a five-star rating.
Rating:
Summary: An Exquisitely Powerful Story of Adoption and Parenthood
Review: Jill Smolowe's book, "An Empty Lap,' was one of the most powerful books I have read in a decade. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in learning about the adoption process and the challenges of fertility. It details the author's personal quest to have a child. 'An Empty Lap' is extremely well written and easy to read. The story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. It recounts the travails of the available medical interventions explored to counter the couples' fertility problems. I personally found this section most informative. When the author and her husband finally began to research the adoption process, some of the roadblocks and setbacks they faced were devastating. I have since met numerous people who faced similar experiences in the adoption process. It is painful to know that there are so many wonderful children needing adoption and that the actual process of adoption can be so arduous. Their personal experiences while adopting a Chinese child were informative, encouraging and a great starting point for anyone interested in exploring the possibilities of adopting abroad. Jill is an award-winning journalist and rarely agrees to do television interviews. When they ran her story in People Magazine, she agreed to do a number of television interviews because the topic was so personal and powerful for her. This book is a treasure and would be a welcomed addition to your own personal library. After reading it, you will want to recommend it to anyone considering adoption. Reader's Digest felt so highly about the book that they featured it worldwide in a range of languages in condensed versions. I think it is worth reading the original book cover to cover. You would not want to miss any detail of this bittersweet story. It will certainly touch you forever. I feel very comfortable giving 'An Empty Lap' a five-star rating.
Rating:
Summary: Supremely Emotional
Review: Supremely emotional, this story provides an up-close-and-personal look at the depths of pain that are experienced by the author in her quest for a baby - something she desperately wants but can't easily have or get. Thankfully, this stirring adoption journey comes complete with a happy and most deserved ending. As a parent, I can understand the steadfast desire to want children. It is a tribute to the author to willingly provide with forceful candor her detailed account of the trials and tribulations associated with infertility, international adoption and marriage. Courageous, honest and sobering, I recommend this book for those who aren't afraid to read an account of the raw stuff of life and how one couple make it a thing of worth and beauty - a true test of living.
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: The book is outdated as far as current policies on international adoption. There are better books out there about this. This couple has such a bad marriage that they should not have adopted. She took a huge risk of adopting with the hope that her husband would come around once the baby was born. If he hadn't, the baby would have experienced the loss of her birth parents and the loss of the adoptive father. The author was arrogant and selfish. The fighting between the author and she husband should have been left in her journal.
Rating:
Summary: Cry, Laugh and Educate
Review: This book did it all. I felt like I was going through everything the author was. OK so I really was living it. But it gave me the strength to keep going. Make sure you keep some tissues handy. And please pass this on to someone else when you're done. Maybe even a family member who hasn't grasped the ideas behind your adoption.
Rating:
Summary: Depressing book
Review: This book is one of the most depressing books I've ever read. Jill and her husband are incredibly selfish immature people - I'm not even sure why they're together since they don't seem to like each other. I think it's sad that they adopted a child into such an unhealthy environment. If I could give this book zero stars, I would. I would not recommend this book to anyone, but especially adopting couples, as this book barely talks about adoption. It focuses on this couple's problems which I think reach far beyond the issue of to have or not have children (biological or otherwise).
Rating:
Summary: Aid and Comfort
Review: This book should be of great comfort to anyone who is going through infertility or is thinking about adoption. The author's honesty and openness is as refreshing as it is painful. While I myself have not been through this particular ordeal, parts of her struggles with her husband rang a familiar note, as I expect they might with any couple that has an honest and equal-footed relationship. Her descriptions of her experience also helped me better understand what some of my friends went (or are going) through. I recommend it both to anyone who is dealing with infertility and/or adoption, and to anyone who has a loved one currently caught up in those emotion-fraught issues.
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