July 2, 2018
Anthony’s enjoyable debut depicts the dysfunctional, touchingly flawed Baumgartner family of St. Paul, Minn. As Violet Baumgartner sits down to write her annual Christmas letter, she thinks back on 2017, a year in which most of the excitement comes from her husband Edward’s retirement party, where a family friend, Kyle, reveals that Violet’s daughter, Cerise, is pregnant in front of the hundreds of guests. Thirty-year-old Cerise is a lesbian, and her desire to keep the identity of the father a secret sparks rampant gossip. Soon after the party, Violet collapses over the stress of the event and, during her convalesce, Cerise begins to get closer to her mother. But having her daughter around the family more doesn’t fix Violet’s concerns. Meanwhile, Violet begins to realize that her perfect image of the family might have been distorted, and the truth might be more beautiful than her carefully constructed facade. Anthony playfully uses different point of views to reveal many perspectives on the family, and the interspersing of Christmas cards from years past and news clippings adds texture. Although a subplot involving Kyle and his fiancée is left frustratingly incomplete, the evolution of Violet and Cerise’s relationship satisfyingly leads to the revelation of long-held secrets. Anthony paints a complex portrait of a matriarch struggling to give up control over her daughter’s life, and strengthening her family in the process.
August 15, 2018
A stodgy Midwestern socialite is forced to re-evaluate many of her deeply held beliefs in this stunning debut.Violet Baumgartner has been crafting an annual Christmas letter for the past three decades, providing detailed updates about the goings-on in the picturesque life of the Baumgartner family. This year's letter is particularly exciting because Violet's doting husband, "dear Ed," is retiring from his lifelong career as a medical researcher. While Ed spent most of his married years toiling away in the lab, Violet has thrown herself into leadership roles in her church community as well as various charitable endeavors. Most of all, Violet has enjoyed raising her now-grown daughter, Cerise. As is her way, Violet has given 110 percent to planning a spectacular formal retirement party for Ed, with every detail choreographed. Unfortunately, when the party occurs, the local celebrity who has come to speak about Ed also reveals during her toast that Cerise and her female partner, Barb, are expecting a baby. Violet is flummoxed that her daughter is pregnant and even more so by the fact that she doesn't know how the baby was conceived or who the father might be. She faints in front of their party guests, cracks her skull, and is rushed to the hospital. Thank goodness Ed is no longer working so he is home to care for Violet, whose slow recuperation leaves her unable to micromanage every aspect of her family's life. Even so, Violet embarks on a quest from her recovery bed to unearth the identity of her grandbaby's father, risking her own relationship with her daughter in the process. Violet also inadvertently discovers many secrets about the members of her family and her community during her investigation, which threatens to further derail her overly quaint existence. This is a complicated novel full of subtle humor, multidimensional characters, and unexpected twists.An intricately satisfying story about love and understanding that is full of both nostalgia and surprising optimism.
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September 1, 2018
Many of us have been on the receiving end of those humble/bragging holiday letters. Violet Baumgartner's letters are the humble/braggiest, detailing the accomplishments of her distinguished scientist-husband, Ed, and their brilliant daughter, Cerise, not to mention her own work on behalf of Faithful Redeemer Lutheran Church. Her perfect life all comes crashing down?literally?at Ed's retirement party, when the discovery that Cerise is expecting causes her to faint. The resulting concussion sidelines Violet for several weeks, making it harder for her to exert her accustomed control over everything, including Cerise's pregnancy. Having already accepted that Cerise's significant other is a woman, Violet now becomes obsessed with finding out the identity of the biological father. Meanwhile, her best friend, Edris, has troubles of her own. Recently laid-off husband Richard seems to have a secret life, and son Kyle, Cerise's best friend from childhood, is being investigated for fraud. Everything comes to a head at the festivities surrounding baby Adam's baptism. Anthony's debut gently pokes fun at her characters while affirming the supreme importance of family, whatever form that family might take.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
Starred review from September 15, 2018
Violet Baumgartner is proud of husband Ed and daughter Cerise and loves to share how amazing her family is in a Christmas newsletter, smoothing out any imperfections. But the Baumgartners have normal family struggles, including Cerise and Barb's surprise pregnancy announcement, Ed's adjustment to retirement, and an investigation of donated funds to Cerise's work project. Close friends bring more layers of drama and a few screaming fights. VERDICT Anthony's debut successfully mixes realistic emotional responses to big life events with a sense of humor, preventing any single character from becoming a victim or a villain.
Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 15, 2018
Blithely penning her annual holiday letter while planning her husband's retirement party, Violet is in for a surprise: daughter Cerise uses the event to announce before 200 guests that she and partner Barb are having a baby. A debut from ScaryMommy.com humorist Anthony; with a booming 100,000-copy first printing.
Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.