"The Offering" by Angela Hunt~Surrogacy & IVF Story

SUMMARY :

One innocent mistake . . . a lifetime of consequences.

After growing up an only child, Amanda Lisandra wants a big family. But since she and her soldier husband can’t afford to have more children right away, Mandy decides to earn money as a gestational carrier for a childless couple. She loves being pregnant, and while carrying the child, she dreams of having her own son and maybe another daughter. . . .

Just when the nearly perfect pregnancy is about to conclude, unexpected tragedy enters Mandy’s world and leaves her reeling. Devastated by grief, she surrenders the child she was carrying and struggles to regain her emotional equilibrium.

Two years later she studies a photograph of the baby she bore and wonders if the unthinkable has happened—could she have inadvertently given away her own biological child? Over the next few months Mandy struggles to decide between the desires of her grief-stricken heart and what’s best for the little boy she has never known.

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :

Published by:  Howard Books/Simon & Schuster
Pages:  299  Plus Reading Group Guide
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction/Women's Fiction/Spiritual
Author:  Angela Hunt
Website:  Angela Hunt
Purchase Your Copy:   http://ow.ly/l6HiW


ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Ms Hunt has sold over four million copies of her books worldwide.  She is the bestselling author of more than 100 titles including "The Tale of Three Trees," "The Note," and "The Nativity Story."  Her non-fiction book "Don't Bet Against Me," written with Deanna Favre, spent several weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list.  Angela frequently teaches writing workshops at schools and writers' conferences, and she served as the keynote speaker at an American Christian Fiction Writers' national conference.  She and her husband make their home in Florida.


THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

I had an idea this was going to be light reading when I picked this book up after the very intense, suspenseful reading of Jeffrey Deaver's "The Killing Room."  I thought it would be a relaxing change from that book.  In some ways, it was.  In other ways, it was a stunner.  Pleasantly surprising me, it captured my attention from the beginning and kept me hanging on until the last pages.  This book was every bit as piercing in its own way.  I was swept up in the story.

Ms Hunt is a new author for me.  She writes in a genre I rarely read, but the summary of the story grabbed me.  I'm the grandmother of three invetro fertilization children.  Wonderful, physically beautiful and very smart children, who are as natural and normal as the ordinary child.  I'm a strong believer in the process for those who aren't able to get pregnant otherwise, obviously.  And so, this book was a draw to my attention.

The moral and ethical conflicts the character of Amanda Lisandra faces as she seeks to become an IVF and surrogate parent are current issues.  Her personal struggles, those of her family and the impending, intentional parents were so beautifully handled by Angela Hunt.  So real, it seemed she had been in the process herself.  The novel held me rapt.

This is a book that looks at the questions of having children from all sides:  adoption, IVF, surrogacy, biological, and family inclusion.  Infinitely interesting, it's a book that will capture your heart and imagination.  It will cause you to question your own sense of right and wrong, as well as your moral and ethical stances.

I loved the story and the various characters.  While I found some of the particulars of the greater family reactions to be somewhat unrealistic in light of Amanda's circumstances at times, for the most part the story rang true.

Highly recommended and unusual book!  Amanda Hunt is a fine author of substance. A great book for book group discussions.

5 stars                          Deborah/TheBookishDame