The Red Thread

By: Ann Hood

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

In China there is a belief that people who are destined to be together are connected by an invisible red thread. After losing her infant daughter in a freak accident, Maya Lange opens The Red Thread, an adoption agency that specializes in placing baby girls from China with American families. Maya finds some comfort in her work, until a group of six couples share their personal stories of desire for a child.

Their painful and courageous journey toward adoption forces Maya to confront the lost daughter of her past.

Brilliantly braiding together the stories of Chinese birth mothers who give up their daughters, Ann Hood writes a moving and beautifully told novel of the red thread of fate that binds these characters’ lives. Heartrending and wise, The Red Thread is a stirring portrait of unforgettable love and yearning for a baby.

©2010 Ann Hood (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“[An] engaging new tearjerker….The individual arcs are woven together beautifully….Hood's sensitive depiction of her characters' hopes and fears makes for a moving story of dedication, forgiveness, and love.”( Publishers Weekly)

cute and simple

beautiful story but the then she said, then he said was a bit much in the beginning. you get used to it. a bit hard to follow with al the characters.

Beautiful and interesting

Found myself identifying w/a few of the parents in this book even though we had two healthy babies w/no problems. Fascinating story of adoption and families.

Well read

Enjoyable listen but emotional journey. Be prepared to contemplate the joys and woes of what it means to be a parent, mother, daughter, and family.

dysfunctional people adopting

none of the couples should have been given babies. bunch of dysfunctional people
narrator was best part and may be only redeeming part

…a flame in the darkness

The Red Thread is an amazing real time account of heart-wrenching Laws, Choices, Circumstances, Decisions, Injustices, Sorrows bundled-up into an infinity of possibilities that give way to: MUCH LUCK, GOOD FORTUNE, BRIGHT FUTURES & the reality of GREAT JOY

Well written, well read...

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. Masterfully told and well paced. I enjoyed meeting all the characters. The author's own story is touching to say the least...

Love this Legend

Would you consider the audio edition of The Red Thread to be better than the print version?

The people seem more real on audio for me

What does Hillary Huber bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She is fantastic

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Oh yes I cried and I laughed and I could not put the book down until all the babies were safely connected.

Poignant

This book touched my heart. Though I have never had the experiences of the families described in this novel, the author so poignantly illustrated their inner lives, I felt the empathy as though they were real people I could have known. I became immersed in the world of these people who had experienced such heartache, as well as those whose path took them to a where their hopes could be realized.

Good one

Easy story to listen to. Good narration. I enjoyed the overall plot and characters.

Beautiful storytelling

As an adopted person, this story resonated with me on a very personal level.
My adopted mother is turning 75 and loves to read hardcopy books so I am going to purchase a copy for her as a gift. She adopted me when I was three months old. I really think the story was told in such a unique way that shows both perspectives very clearly. You really get a sense of what it means to give up a child for adoption and also a window into what the adoptive parents go through emotionally on the road to adopt a child of their own.