The Search Angel

True rating - 3. Jul 03, Harpercollins Canada rated it it was amazing Shelves: When I was five years old, my best friend found out that she was adopted. I remember noting that my friend was very curious about where she came from. Eleanor is unable to conceive and yearns for a baby of her own.

After a long process, Eleanor and her husband are finally approved for an adoption, and their new baby Sylvie is ready and waiting. Eleanor learns that she will be approved for an adoption as a single mother only if she has a strong support system intact. But Eleanor is adopted herself, and her adoptive parents have passed away. And so, Eleanor sets out to find her support system—her birth mother—with the help of an expert in reuniting families: Read the rest of Keriann's review on The Savvy Reader Eleanor Sweet and her husband are about to board a plane and fly across country to pick up their newly adopted baby, until he flakes out.

Now, in order to adopt as a single parent, she needs a "support system", so she figures she'll locate the birth mother she never knewhuh? Readers are supposed to buy into the premise that a thirty-something woman assumes her birth mother, who she never met, will drop her life, move half-way across the country to be at her daughter's beckon call for the daug Eleanor Sweet and her husband are about to board a plane and fly across country to pick up their newly adopted baby, until he flakes out.

How one online search group is working to connect adoptees with their origins.

Readers are supposed to buy into the premise that a thirty-something woman assumes her birth mother, who she never met, will drop her life, move half-way across the country to be at her daughter's beckon call for the daughter she wants to adopt. Eleanor procures search angel to help her. I liked Cohen's writing style. Eleanor was engaging and easy to root for. Cohen did a good job portraying adoption complexities.

• Birds of a Feather Travelling in Tanzania and Mozambique;
• Consciousness: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide (Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guides).
• Origine du nom de famille HAY (Oeuvres courtes) (French Edition).
• The ‘search angels’ who reunite birth families on Facebook | The Outline.
• What Is A Search Angel?.

The minor characters were quirky. I had a hard time buying into the sudden search as it tied into Eleanor's adoption of the baby. Overall a light read. This book was very misleading in its synopsis. It claimed to be about a relationship between two ladies, but it was something else completely. That relationship didn't even come into play until the last third of the book and then it was muddled up with so many other things that you didn't even care. Not worth the read at all. And like the last 50 pages were about trying to get her baby to sleep.

Also, the synopsis on Goodreads says the baby is named Lily and from Ko This book was very misleading in its synopsis. Also, the synopsis on Goodreads says the baby is named Lily and from Korea. I really enjoyed this book.

I thought that Isabelle would play a bigger role as she was the search angel, but the story was mainly about Eleanor. This was a short, touching story about adopting and being adopted. Jul 08, Linda Hoye rated it liked it. As much as I really wanted to love this book I didn't.

The storyline was not believable and the plot was predictable. As an adoptee I found it flippant and insulting. View all 4 comments. Jul 08, Linda rated it it was amazing. Mar 15, Kathy rated it it was amazing. Fantastic story of Eleanor Sweet and what she gives up, and finds, in the quest of adopting Sylvie. Jun 20, Patrice M.

The Search Angel

Loved the story The process of adoption for those of us who have always had our natural born families is something we can only imagine. I like that this story shares the inner thoughts and feelings of an adoptee. Also how for some who find themselves unable to conceive their own child, still cannot open their hearts. Characters are well thought out with personalities, even though flawed, they are interesting.

Their own stories drawing attention. A really good read. May 07, Jennifer Nelson rated it really liked it. Great read for the most part! I enjoyed it although found some parts irritating like the birth mother not staying with her to help her with the new baby and also not acknowledging the central character as her daughter. But I guess that was the point.

Nov 15, Karen Duvall rated it it was ok. This book first caught my interest because I'm an adoptee myself. I'm pleased to say that this aspect of the book, as far as the search process and the feelings it stirs, and the disconnected emotions after a successful search, is spot on though my own search for my birthmother was successful, we never met in person nor did we nurture any kind of a relationship afterward, but that's beside the point.

I'd love to give this book at least 4 stars, but I'm too disappointed in all the mistakes in th This book first caught my interest because I'm an adoptee myself.

What Is A Search Angel? | www.newyorkethnicfood.com

I'd love to give this book at least 4 stars, but I'm too disappointed in all the mistakes in the narrative that had me clucking my tongue and shaking my head. Without giving away too much of the plot, here are a few examples: There was never any Julie then or later in the story. From the context of the conversation I can only assume he meant "Nancy," the adoption case worker, but the author used the name Julie instead. I really scratched my head over that one.

I blinked at that, thinking that's early for a baby to have teeth, but it's not unheard of so I didn't think about it again until chapter 39 when we're told this child's front teeth haven't come in yet.

See a Problem?

Eleanor's nephew says to his grandmother: But that elephant in the room never goes away. The question never comes up again and it's never answered. A total let down to have a crucial subplot left to dangle without any resolution whatsoever. If this kind of thing doesn't affect your enjoyment of a book, that's great. But it did me. The author should have proofread the story more carefully, but even more to the point, her editor, or copyeditor at the very least, should have caught these mistakes.

If not for all these errors, the book would have been a pretty good read. Apr 18, Beth rated it liked it Shelves: I really wanted to like this book - I saw that other readers whose opinions I respect had given it 5 stars so I went into it with high hopes and I really liked it in the beginning. But as I read on I got tired of the story, tired of the characters, and tired of the whining.

First off, I know I really wanted to like this book - I saw that other readers whose opinions I respect had given it 5 stars so I went into it with high hopes and I really liked it in the beginning. First off, I know a pretty fair amount about infertility and the author over-simplified when she stated that the 35 year old main character couldn't conceive and that was final.

If the husband was fertile and the wife was not, then they could have had a baby that was biologically his, etc. So right when the couple was about to go pick up the baby the husband gets cold feet and leaves his wife. Again, it was over-simplified but also annoying - he was so weak and whiny and meanwhile he was an ER Doctor - not usually a career for the weak-minded and indecisive.

The ‘search angels’ who reunite birth families on Facebook

I could go on and on about the things I didn't like but one more glaring mistake - the search angel, Isabelle, had a baby in that she gave up for adoption because the father "decided to become a rock star and join an Aerosmith cover band" - um really? Don't think the band was in existence then. There are a lot of great books out there - this isn't one of them so I don't recommend it. They can be used by an adoptee and a birth family.

Most search angels have been through a search and reunion themselves.

They understand what you are going through and want to pass along what they have learned. Many do it as a way to pay it forward for the people who offered them help along the way. They use many different tools to aid you in your search. Online adoption registries are combed through. Public records such as birth and death certificates are searched. Some angels have paid subscriptions to information databases an average person would not have access to. DNA testing has been an invaluable tool in recent years for search and reunion.

An adoptee can find their birth family using DNA even if the parents have not tested, but biological parents searching for a child are encouraged to test as well. There are many resources for finding a search angel. This is standard and should come as no surprise to your clients.

As a search angel, you cannot and should not search for children who are under age Children for whom you are searching must be legal adults—not minors.

This is the law, so, be sure to abide by it. This is a strict rule in the search angel community! Search angels do not initiate contact on behalf of clients. That can be frustrating for both parties. Search angels and clients alike absolutely need to be prepared for that unfortunate reality. Search angels do not have to be members of the adoption triad. Even if adoption has not directly touched your life, you can still serve as a search angel for the sheer experience of helping someone, doing some good in a volunteer role, and unlocking the mysteries of the past.

Search angels need to be familiar with the local geographic area of the client s they are serving. This important fact cannot be overstated. Volunteers tend to be individuals who work from home to help a search angel organization, typically for at least a few hours each week.