Review: Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners by Gretchen Anthony

Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners

by Gretchen Anthony

Publisher: Park Row

Pages: 368

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Dearest loved ones, far and near--evergreen tidings from the Baumgartners!

Violet Baumgartner has opened her annual holiday letter the same way for the past three decades. And this year she's going to throw her husband, Ed, a truly perfect retirement party, one worthy of memorializing in her upcoming letter. But the event becomes a disaster when, in front of two hundred guests, Violet learns her daughter Cerise has been keeping a shocking secret from her, shattering Violet's carefully constructed world.

In an epic battle of wills, Violet goes to increasing lengths to wrest back control of her family, infuriating Cerise and snaring their family and friends in a very un-Midwestern, un-Baumgartner gyre of dramatics. And there will be no explaining away the consequences in this year's Baumgartner holiday letter...

Kritters Thoughts:  What a perfect family drama!  Violet and Edward Baumgartner are about to enter the next phase of life with his retirement they will have new opportunities to do life the way they want to when they want to.  Violet is ready for this phase and is excited about the party to start Edward's retirement on the right foot.  But of course nothing can go perfectly . . . 

Told through multiple perspectives including Violet and Edward's only child, their daughter Cerise.  Even their friends get a moment to move the story along from their point of view and I liked getting all of these different perspectives of the story.  All of the chapters were perfectly marked and it was easy to keep all the characters straight.  

The book also travels back and forth and time and not to worry this is all clearly marked, but the cool thing is it is driven by Violet's annual Christmas letter.  Violet recaps the year in the lives of the Baumgartners in the letter and sometimes it opens to a chapter to give more explanation and sometimes it doesn't and it is just the right moments.  

If you love a good family drama like I do and with the added bonus that it centers around the holidays then this book should be on your November or December to be read list!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.