Daughters of the Bamboo Grove by Barbara Demick 4

"Now we truly felt like family. I remembered that the first day we'd arrived, Zanhua had recoiled when Marsha tried to hug her. But now the two women had a long embrace, celebrating their collaborative motherhood. I wished that they could have really talked to each other about their lives and frustrations as young women, their sacrifices. And yet they seemed to intuit what they had in common. I thought I might have detected a tear in Zanhua's eye at saying goodbye again to her daughter."

           -from the author, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove

I doubt I would have selected this book to read; my nonfiction choices are rare. It was selected by our Page Turners for April and although it wasn't exactly a page-turner, I am glad I read it. My rating is 4.

The subtitle of the book is very revealing of the context: From China to America, A True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins. When Zanhua and her husband had twin girls they were aware of the single-child policy established in Communist China in 1979. In fact, they had already been fined for having multiple children and so they decided to give one twin to relatives, hoping to hide her from the Family Planning Police. Unfortunately, it worked only briefly and the little girl, Fangfang, is ripped from her aunt's arms and taken to a government facility. From there she would be adopted while still a toddler by an American family and end up with them in Texas.

One reason for my 4 rating is that I learned a great deal about Chinese history and culture. I knew a bit about the one-child rule (lifted in 2015, by the way) but not how children were stolen and basically sold to families who thought they were saving an orphan but not realizing the harm that was done to loving Chinese families.

Our book group gave the book an average of 3.9 and we had a very interesting discussion. Some of us, including myself, had personal stories of adoption to share. A few had been in China and shared experiences. We agreed the author's research was thorough and her reporting was honest. She certainly was the catalyst for the reunion of the twins as teenagers. I believe most of us were glad we read the book.

At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen 3

 

"...that it made no sense whatsoever to throw ourselves into the middle of an ocean crawling with U-boats on a quest to find a monster that probably didn't even exist, especially as a way of proving his worth to people who were too ignorant to realize he was as honorable as any of them. We knew the truth. I knew the truth. It would be difficult, but together we could withstand the scrutiny until the war ended."

                        -Maddie's thoughts, from the novel

Water for Elephants by this author is one of my all-time favorite books. In fact, I've read it twice. At the Water's Edge did not measure up. It took me a while to get into the story, maybe because 3 young Americans going to Scotland to film the Loch Ness monster and become famous is pretty far-fetched. 

Ellis Hyde is driven to find and document the monster, partly for fame but mostly to earn his rich father's respect (and inheritance). He is accompanied by his long-time friend Hank Boyd and the two of them coerce Ellis's wife, Maddie, to go along. This Atlantic crossing will take place while WWII still rages. (see quote)

The three stay in an inn run by Angus Grant. While Ellis and Hank disappear for days at a time, Maddie becomes friendly with the help, Anna and Meg, and Angus. Maddie and the others soon find her husband is verbally abusive and the marriage is loveless.

I rated this book a 3---I liked it but didn't love it.