≫ Download Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners Gretchen Anthony 9780778307860 Books

Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners Gretchen Anthony 9780778307860 Books

Download As PDF : Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners Gretchen Anthony 9780778307860 Books

Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners Gretchen Anthony 9780778307860 Books

I love books about messy families and this one falls into that category. I have never felt so many different emotions for one character before I met Violet Baumgartner. I liked her, disliked her, thought she was crazy, thought she was a disrespectful control freak, I had empathy for her and loved her...not it that order. Usually I plow through books and forget about them two days later but with this one I took my time and savored every minute.


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Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners Gretchen Anthony 9780778307860 Books Reviews

I picked this book up at the recommendation of a colleague who is a childhood friend of the author. I could not put it down! Violet Baumgartner is definitely one of my favorite characters in a long time. An extreme control freak wanting to hold on to her daughter who has now grown up. I could relate to Violet's desire to be relevant as she enters a new chapter of her life. Her husband (Ed) is retiring and her daughter (Cerise) is all grown, successful, in a relationship (with Barb) , and expecting.
The cast of supporting characters is great too. Sweet Eldris and Richard-a man with a shady secret?- are fun. The baptism is hilarious! I look forward to more from this author!
If you find holiday letters amusing, then no doubt you will enjoy Gretchen Anthony’s novel EVERGREEN TIDINGS FROM THE BAUMGARTNERS. Behind the cheerful tone, tell everyone every single thing that has happened over the course of the year, basically the precursor to social media, there is something else lurking. This is exactly what is happening when Violet, who must be in control of everything, from planning an annual charitable event to the T to ensuring that her husband’s upcoming retirement party goes off without a hitch. She is in for a surprise when her daughter comes home for the party. Surprises are not part of her plans. Nor do they fit in to her holiday letters.

Full of comedy, drama, hidden sadness, learning to adapt, and perhaps, redefining the Baumgartner tidings.
I bought this book out of curiosity, because some friends of mine share the last name with the one in the title. Thankfully, they are nothing like the parents in this drama-comedy. The family matriarch Violet reminded me of Hyacinth from the British TV series Keeping Up Appearances. Similarly, the patriarch retires at the beginning of the book and we have a nervous, eager-to-please neighbor and her brusque husband (instead of brother) who can't stand the neighbors.

The characters also include the Baumgartners' adult lesbian daughter and her long term partner. The unexpected announcement that her daughter is pregnant causes Violet to faint and hit her head at the post retirement party she has thrown for her husband, the scientist, who had spent his career at a biotech company researching intestinal disorders. The book is all about changing family dynamics. In one family, one spouse has retired; in another, the spouse has gotten laid off and is having trouble finding work again. The two mothers-to-be are working on their changing relationship with one another and with their parents while also coming to terms with fears of becoming parents and being responsible for another human being. The neighbor's son and life-long friend of Violet's daughter is having his own relationship and professional issues. And on top of all of this, Violet really, really wants to know who her grandchild's father is and how the child was conceived and will stop at nothing to find out the secret that her daughter and her partner refuse to share.

I found the book interesting. There are a lot of things going on simultaneously. There are some comical bits and some moments where I cringed along with the characters.
This book was laugh out loud funny in the beginning and then the humor petered out. The plot also became less interesting for me and I cared less about the characters. I guess what I did not enjoy was when the family started to pull together and the story became about “love and understanding.” Apparently my taste in families runs more to manipulation, sarcasm, and slap-stick comedy. That’s just how I roll!

Violet Baumgartner writes an annual Christmas letter full of the amazing accomplishments of her scientist husband Ed and brilliant daughter Cerise. We all know about those letters. We all probably know a Violet too planner, perfectionist, control freak. However, at the perfect retirement party for her perfect husband, she learns a major secret about her perfect daughter. Chaos and hilarity ensue as Violet tries to take back control, all while recovering from a concussion. Of course, things just continue to go wrong and Violet has to worry about her reputation in the community and at her church. Her best friend Eldris Endres tries to help, but she has her own worries about her unemployed husband Richard and her son Kyle who is engaged to a weather forecaster.

The book has two plot lines, one about each family. I thought the Baumgartner plot was far superior to the Endres plot. In fact, I did not enjoy those chapters much at all. Interestingly, in the author interview at the end of the book, Ms. Anthony identifies Richard as her favorite character. He was my least favorite. There are some twists in the story, some obvious and some genuine surprises. The novel is set in Minneapolis. I have spent a lot of time there, so I enjoyed the references to streets, lakes, and places. I did not enjoy the tied in a bow ending and I did not think it was entirely plausible. If you enjoy humorous writing AND a sweet, charming, and loving ending then you will probably love this book.
This is everything I’ve wanted in a book lately! An absolutely delightful dramedy. I was raised in the deep south, and Violet reminds me so much of the ladies I grew up with in church - her perfectionism, her family’s carefully crafted image, her community involvement, her organization, her hilarious neuroticism, her charm. The characters are all masterpieces, really. Such an incredible debut book. Can’t wait for more from Anthony.
I love books about messy families and this one falls into that category. I have never felt so many different emotions for one character before I met Violet Baumgartner. I liked her, disliked her, thought she was crazy, thought she was a disrespectful control freak, I had empathy for her and loved her...not it that order. Usually I plow through books and forget about them two days later but with this one I took my time and savored every minute.