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Perennials / Julie Cantrell.

By: Cantrell, Julie, 1973- [author.].
Material type: TextTextPublisher: Nashville, Tennessee : Thomas Nelson, [2017]Copyright date: ©2017Description: 355 pages ; 22 cm.Content type: text Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 9780718037642; 0718037642.Subject(s): Sisters -- Fiction | Gardens -- Fiction | Domestic fiction | Domestic fiction | Christian fiction | FICTION / Christian | FICTION / Contemporary Women | FICTION / Family Life | FICTION / Small Town & Rural | Sisters -- FictionGenre/Form: Domestic fiction. | Christian fiction. | Christian fiction.Summary: " When two estranged sisters reunite for their parents' 50th anniversary, a family tragedy brings unexpected lessons of hope and healing amid the flowers of their mother's perennial garden. Eva--known to all as Lovey--grew up in Oxford, MS, surrounded by literary history and her mother's stunning perennial gardens. But a garden shed fire and the burns suffered by one of her best friends seemed to change everything. Her older sister Bitsy blamed her for the fire--and no one spoke up on her behalf. Bitsy the cheerleader, Bitsy the homecoming queen, Bitsy married to a wealthy investor. And all the while, Lovey is blamed for everything that goes wrong. At eighteen, Lovey turns down a marriage proposal, flees from Oxford and the expectations of attending Ole Miss, and instead goes to Arizona--the farthest thing from the South she can imagine. She becomes a successful advertising executive, a weekend yoga instructor, and seems to have it all together. But she's alone. And on her 45th birthday, she can't help but wonder what's wrong. When she gets a call from her father--still known to everyone as Chief from his Ole Miss football days--insisting that she come home three weeks early for her parents' 50th wedding anniversary celebration, she's at wits end. She's about to close the biggest contract of her career, the one that will secure her financial goals and set her up for retirement. But his words, "Family First," hit too close to home. Is there hope for her estranged relationship with Bitsy after all this time? Eva's journey home, to the memory garden her father has planned as an anniversary surprise for her mother, becomes one of discovering roots, and truth, and love, and what living perennially in spite of disappointments and tragedy really means. Eva thought she wanted to leave her family and the South far behind. but she's realizing she hasn't truly been herself the whole time she's been gone"--Summary: Eva grew up in Oxford, MS, surrounded by literary history and her mother's stunning perennial gardens. But a garden shed fire and the burns suffered by one of her best friends seemed to change everything. Her older sister Bitsy blamed her for the fire-- and no one spoke up on her behalf. Eva fled to Arizona and became a successful advertising executive, a weekend yoga instructor. She seems to have it all together-- but when she gets a call from her father insisting that she come home three weeks early for her parents' 50th wedding anniversary celebration, she's at wits end. Is there hope for her estranged relationship with Bitsy after all this time?
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Item type Current library Collection Shelving location Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Book - Paperback Book - Paperback Voorhees Fiction Adult F Can (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 05000009771481
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Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:



From New York Times bestselling author Julie Cantrell comes a story of family and the Southern roots that call us home.

"If Julie Cantrell isn't on your reading list, she should be." --Lisa Wingate

Years ago, Lovey chose to leave her family and the South far behind. But now that she's returned, she's realizing things at home were not always what they seemed.

Eva Sutherland--known to all as Lovey--grew up safe and secure in Oxford, Mississippi, surrounded by a rich literary history and her mother's stunning flower gardens. But a shed fire, and the injuries it caused, changed everything. Her older sister, Bitsy, blamed Lovey for the irreparable damage. Bitsy became the homecoming queen and the perfect Southern belle who could do no wrong. All the while, Lovey served as the family scapegoat, always bearing the brunt when Bitsy threw blame her way.

At eighteen, suffocating in her sister's shadow, Lovey turned down a marriage proposal and fled to Arizona. Free from Bitsy's vicious lies, she became a successful advertising executive and a weekend yoga instructor, carving a satisfying life for herself. But at forty-five, Lovey is feeling more alone than ever and questioning the choices that led her here.

When her father calls insisting she come home three weeks early for her parents' 50th anniversary, Lovey is at her wits' end. She's about to close the biggest contract of her career, and there's a lot on the line. But despite the risks, her father's words, "Family First," draw her back to the red-dirt roads of Mississippi.

Lovey is quickly engrossed in a secret project--a memory garden her father has planned as an anniversary surprise. But the landscaper who's also working on it is none other than Fisher, the first boy she ever loved. As she helps create this sacred space, Lovey begins to rediscover her roots, the power of second chances, and how to live perennially in spite of life's many trials and tragedies.

Includes author note, acknowledgments, and discussion questions.

" When two estranged sisters reunite for their parents' 50th anniversary, a family tragedy brings unexpected lessons of hope and healing amid the flowers of their mother's perennial garden. Eva--known to all as Lovey--grew up in Oxford, MS, surrounded by literary history and her mother's stunning perennial gardens. But a garden shed fire and the burns suffered by one of her best friends seemed to change everything. Her older sister Bitsy blamed her for the fire--and no one spoke up on her behalf. Bitsy the cheerleader, Bitsy the homecoming queen, Bitsy married to a wealthy investor. And all the while, Lovey is blamed for everything that goes wrong. At eighteen, Lovey turns down a marriage proposal, flees from Oxford and the expectations of attending Ole Miss, and instead goes to Arizona--the farthest thing from the South she can imagine. She becomes a successful advertising executive, a weekend yoga instructor, and seems to have it all together. But she's alone. And on her 45th birthday, she can't help but wonder what's wrong. When she gets a call from her father--still known to everyone as Chief from his Ole Miss football days--insisting that she come home three weeks early for her parents' 50th wedding anniversary celebration, she's at wits end. She's about to close the biggest contract of her career, the one that will secure her financial goals and set her up for retirement. But his words, "Family First," hit too close to home. Is there hope for her estranged relationship with Bitsy after all this time? Eva's journey home, to the memory garden her father has planned as an anniversary surprise for her mother, becomes one of discovering roots, and truth, and love, and what living perennially in spite of disappointments and tragedy really means. Eva thought she wanted to leave her family and the South far behind. but she's realizing she hasn't truly been herself the whole time she's been gone"--

Eva grew up in Oxford, MS, surrounded by literary history and her mother's stunning perennial gardens. But a garden shed fire and the burns suffered by one of her best friends seemed to change everything. Her older sister Bitsy blamed her for the fire-- and no one spoke up on her behalf. Eva fled to Arizona and became a successful advertising executive, a weekend yoga instructor. She seems to have it all together-- but when she gets a call from her father insisting that she come home three weeks early for her parents' 50th wedding anniversary celebration, she's at wits end. Is there hope for her estranged relationship with Bitsy after all this time?

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Cantrell (Into the Free) captures the unbreakable bonds of family in this poignant story. Sisters Eva and Bitsy have never been close, and, after a horrific fire harms one of their close friends when they are teenagers, Bitsy accuses Eva of starting the fire, and their bond seems to break forever. Eventually Eva leaves their hometown of Oxford, Miss., for Arizona and a job in advertising, and Bitsy stays behind and marries a wealthy investor. After more than two decades of avoiding her family, Eva gets a call from her father, who asks her to come home for his 50th wedding anniversary. He is planning to surprise his wife with a special garden that represents the story of their life together through flowers. Although Eva is petrified of seeing Bitsy again, her father cajoles her into making the trip. But it's not until Eva returns home that she understands the real reason for her father's request. Cantrell has a great understanding of family quirks and the nuances of family dynamics, and though the secondary characters are thin (and tangential sections concerning William Faulkner needlessly slow the pace), the textured portrayal of Eva will leave readers inspired. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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