Two families, who would otherwise never have come together, meet by chance at the Baltimore airport—the Donaldsons, a very American couple, and the Yazdans, Maryam’s fully assimilated son and his attractive Iranian American wife. Each couple is awaiting the arrival of an adopted infant daughter from Korea. After the babies from distant Asia are delivered, Bitsy Donaldson impulsively invites the Yazdans to celebrate with an “arrival party,” an event that is repeated every year as the two families become more deeply intertwined.

Even independent-minded Maryam is drawn in. But only up to a point. When she finds herself being courted by one of the Donaldson clan, a good-hearted man of her vintage, recently widowed and still recovering from his wife’s death, suddenly all the values she cherishes—her traditions, her privacy, her otherness—are threatened. Somehow this big American takes up so much space that the orderly boundaries of her life feel invaded.


A lovely and amusing look at adoption....not only the story of Jin-ho & Susan's adoption but Maryam's adoption of a new country as her own as well.

The two families become steadily closer as the children grow - although competition becomes rife between the two new mothers as they each try to out-do each other at the annual "arrival party"!

All the characters are well written & really come to life but my favourite character has to be little Xiu-Mei...the chapter on the "Pacifier Party" couldn't have had a better ending - I loved it (see page 249 & I'll say no-more...I don't want to spoil it for future readers!)

Added to Nataliec7's "Wrap It Up" book box. Looking forward to seeing who chooses it on the strength of it's first line.

Released as part of the "D FOR DECEMBER" CHALLENGE (#8)

I chose it from the "Wrap it up" bookbox. It sounds really interesting and I am looking forward to reading it!
Thank you Plum-crazy for sharing!

I will send it to a fellow bookcrosser as a part of the "Read It, Swap It, Leave It" Bookring.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Ooops.... deleted my last JE by mistake!
This book is back with me after coming home as part of my "Read It, Swap It, Leave It" Ring.

On it's travels again, this time to SharonHearn to help stock a new OBCZ at The Jury's Inn in Plymouth



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