by Gretchen Anthony
Reviewed by Linda:
This satire of those obnoxious newsy holidays letters is a fun read any time of the year. With a gentle touch, the author pokes fun at Violet Baumgartner, a formidable Midwestern matriarch who writes glowing family updates each year. She also tries to make everyone in her family live up to her high (and traditional) expectations. But her daughter, Cerise, has a different future in mind, one with her beloved partner, Barb, and a baby, whose biological father is a carefully guarded secret.