Evergreen by Rebecca Rasmussen

by Rebecca Rasmussen

From the celebrated author of The Bird Sisters, a gorgeously rendered and emotionally charged novel that spans generations, telling the story of two siblings, raised apart, attempting to share a life.It is 1938 when Eveline, a young bride, follows her husband into the wilderness of Minnesota. Though their cabin is rundown, they have a river full of fish, a garden out back, and a new baby boy named Hux. But when Emil leaves to take care of his sick father, the unthinkable a stranger arrives, and Eveline becomes pregnant. She gives the child away, and while Hux grows up hunting and fishing in the woods with his parents, his sister, Naamah, is raised an orphan. Years later, haunted by the knowledge of this forsaken girl, Hux decides to find his sister and bring her home to the cabin. But Naamah, even wilder than the wilderness that surrounds them, may make it impossible for Hux to ever tame her, to ever make up for all that she, and they, have lost. Set before a backdrop of vanishing forest, this is a luminous novel of love, regret, and hope.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Adult, Historical, Adult Fiction, Family

Hardcover

First published July 8, 2014

About the author

I am the author of the novels Evergreen (forthcoming from Knopf) and The Bird Sisters (Crown), but I am also a mother, wife, teacher, pie baker, nature swooner, birder, lover of all things old...

Thank you for visiting me on Goodreads!

Visit rebecca-rasmussen.com for more info!

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eveline fell in love with Emil precisely because of watching him tip people monarch butterflies. 🦋

It didn’t take long to feel Eveline’s sadness and loneliness. She was a new bride - away from her family - friends - civilization. She moved to the forest-deep in the woods.... the biggest change of her life!!!

It’s no accident that I started reading this book yesterday- the day our younger daughter made the biggest change in her life. She moved to another country: Canada.
I honestly hadn’t even realized the correlation until today.

Eveline and Emil’s new home was a shabby cabin in the wilderness of Minnesota. A beyond shabby cabin!!!
I don’t think Eveline’s parents slept sound at night.
Their daughter was pregnant. Emil was gone long hours each day. He was a taxidermist... or he was out cutting wood, or killing a rabbit or squirrel to bring home for dinner.
Everyday chores were demanding.
Cooking was difficult without proper layout of running water. Eveline had to heat blocks of snow on the woodstove at the beginning of each meal. The food pantry was threadbare. Life was hard and isolating. The forest was beautiful- but living in the woods narrowed happiness.

Life was about to get harder yet. Emil left for Germany to visit his dying father. Eveline and their baby- Hux stayed behind: sink or swim! I’m not sure I could have faced what Eveline was about to face —with minimum resources and a baby. I was nervous for Eveline. Turns out - I had good reason to be.

As for Emil... still in Germany - prewar days of WWII, thoughts of him never left me.

Rebecca Rasmussen’s writing is gorgeous and ‘visual’. I couldn’t help but feel affected.
The story is a combination of simple and complex. The plot moved in a direction
I didn’t see coming.
I had no idea it would be as much about Namaah and Hux,(Eveline’s separated siblings), as it was about Eveline and Emil.

Even the minor characters are ‘more’ than minor.
...Lulu is a great friend to Eveline.
...Cullen O’Shea is to ‘fear’!
...Sister Cordelia ... a nun at an orphanage will challenge your thinking.
...Tuna, the Sparrow will warm your heart.

The themes - for me - are many: love, marriage, motherhood, separation, survival, friendship, tragedy, adversity, new beginnings, hope, and redemption.

Endearing characters!!!

The woods - nature - the birds - other animals - the seasons- stillness —added beauty and power against the upheavals and sadness.

.....A ‘very’ fitting quote at the beginning:
“Tell me the landscape in which you live, and I will tell you who you are”...Ortega Y Gasset

I’m also reminded of Robert
Frost’s famous quote:
“Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”.

This quiet novel is really lovely!!!!! - great book club choice!



* Thank You Cheri - for bringing this to my attention!

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

”I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go
When all those shadows almost killed your light
I remember you said don't leave me here alone
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight

“Just close your eyes, the sun is going down
You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now
Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound”

----Safe and Sound (from the Hunger Games Soundtrack), Taylor Swift, Songwriters: T Bone Burnett / John Paul White / Taylor Swift / Joy Williams-Yetton


”Tell me the landscape in which you live, and I will tell you who you are.” -- Ortega Y Gasset

A beautifully written story about nature, wilderness, siblings, and the people who choose to live a more solitary life, this story has a fairy-tale feel, replete with birds flittering about, and the hovering darkness before the light.

The story begins with the arrival of Eveline to Evergreen.

”Eveline LeMay came after the water. She arrived on a cool morning in early September, asleep in a rowboat without paddles as if she knew the river currents would carry her past the tamarack and black-spruce forest, around Bone Island, a fen, and a bog, all the way to Evergreen and her new husband, Emil, who was waiting for her on the rocky shore.”

They are no longer newlyweds, having lived in the home of her parents before Emil decided they should move. Life is simple, not easy, filled with hard, physical labor. Emil is used to the hum of mosquitoes in his ears, and the mud coming up to his ankles, but they have love, and a woodstove, and might even have electricity in a year or two. Home is a remote cabin in this forest wilderness, big enough for two. Soon to be three. A son, Hux, will be born to them.

There’s such a sense of isolation, and a dream-like quality to the days as they seem to merge into weeks, and soon a year has passed, and Emil receives a letter, calling him back to Germany. His father is dying. It is supposed to be a somewhat brief visit. It is 1939.

With Emil gone, Eveline decides to stay on rather than return to her parents, and draws strength, support and friendship from neighbors across the river.

There are additional characters that play a role in this story as the years go by, some you love to hate, and some you just love. Sister Cordelia is a memorable character, Lulu is wonderful, and Naamah’s story will steal your heart, as will Racina. What really pulled me in to begin with, though, was the lovely prose describing this life lived within this forest primeval.

A story about the road taken, the choices made, the cost and continuing impact of those choices - sometimes to our detriment; about motherhood; about the mercy we offer and the absolution we seek, and the wisdom in the words - “And a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)

”Every time you think you need to hold on, let go.”


Many thanks to the Public Library system, and the many Librarians that manage, organize and keep it running, for the loan of this book!

[Angela M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been trying to write a review of this book for the last couple of days and it’s just not working very well. For some reason, I found myself writing more about what the story is about than my feelings about it, which is usually what I like to convey in a review. So I have decided to just make a list of a few of my thoughts.

 This book is so well written that even though I knew some of what would happen, having read the description, the story was no less gripping. You can only grasp the incredible sadness of this story by immersing yourself into it, which happened to me with little effort. Parts of this book are very difficult to read, but it is well worth the pain in your gut.

 There are some wonderful characters in this book that you will love, especially Lulu.

 The breathtakingly, beautiful landscape of the wilderness in northern Minnesota makes for an amazing backdrop for the story.

 While the book opens with Eveline, this book in my view is really Naamah’s story. The emotional and physical abuse she lives through as a child shapes the novel

 This book is about decisions people make and the consequences of them, about friendship of the highest degree, about motherhood, and so many other things, but most of all about forgiveness taught to us by a little girl names Racina.



.

[Connie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Newlyweds Eveline and Emil settled in the Minnesota wilderness in 1938, and soon had a baby boy, Hux. Emil had to travel to Germany to see his sick father, and Eveline stayed in the cabin with the help of her neighbors. A violent stranger came to her wilderness home and changed her life. On her deathbed Eveline tells a secret to her son, Hux, and he attempts to right some of the wrongs of the past.

"Evergreen" is a multigenerational story about love, friendship, abandonment, and healing. Author Rebecca Rasmussen has created some unusual characters who fit in well with the remote setting. Her descriptions of the forests, the river, and the animals are beautiful and a bit magical. Even though the families are at the mercy of nature in the wilderness, the worst danger comes from people. The author is a talented storyteller so I would like to read another of her books.

[Melissa Crytzer Fry · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s no surprise to anyone who knows me that novels with natural settings are my ‘thing.’ The title of this book alone suggests an outdoorsy feel. The wonderful pine trees stamped on the book jacket, the bird … they speak volumes. Yet this book is SO much more than a novel with an outdoor setting filled with wondrous creatures, scents and sounds. This is character-driven fiction as its best: a story of love, identity, tragedy, forgiveness and yearning. Spanning generations of two close-knit families from 1938 to 1972, it is a treasure. (And I will concur with others – if you loved The Snow Child, you will love this book as well. While it is similar is some ways, it also is quite different and so very lovely in its own right).

I thoroughly enjoyed Rasmussen’s debut, The Bird Sisters, but I loved Evergreen even more. She writes with such an assured style – one that is at once filled with simplicity yet also luxurious sophistication. For example: “…Lulu came marching through the forest and up to the cabin, her coonskin coat unbuttoned and flying behind her like a feral cape and her child flying in front of her to avoid being swallowed by it.”

The imagery in Evergreen pops, the emotion ignites, yet the prose is still as accessible as it is drink-worthy. To me, the author’s style is reminiscent of Louise Erdrich and Rachel Simon. The ease with which Rasmussen braids symbolism, theme, foreshadowing and metaphor into the story is admirable. Birds, articles of clothing, trees, light – they all come to mean so much more than their physical identity.

And perhaps this is one of my favorite aspects of the book: Through the sensibilities of the characters – Eveline, Emil, Hux, Lulu, Gunther, Naamah – all living in the wilderness of Minnesota, Rasmussen is able to subtly weave environmental themes throughout, avoiding a preachy affect. Somehow she presents such a balanced view of the tug and pull of humans on the natural world – highlighting human ignorance but also human respect for the outdoors and its inhabitants. Yes, if you have an environmental conscience, this book will make you think (or have you saying aloud, like I did, “Yes. Yes. Yes.”) For instance, Hux takes note: “The second logging camp was more remote than the first. There were still forests that hadn’t been touched by the blade of a saw up here, a sight almost harder to bear than the forests that had. Hux was part of the destruction, but he didn’t ever use more of anything than he needed.”

Even the smallest details of the physical printing of this book wowed me: for Parts I-IV (each told through a different character’s point of view), the icons at that start of each chapter change. Maple leaves are used for one character, oak leaves for another, a fern for one, a flower for another… Loved this little detail!

This is one of my favorites of 2014. If mother-daughter, mother-son relationships interest you – if you’ve ever found joy in the singing of a sparrow or the hooting of an owl or the sound of wind whistling through a tree – if you want to better understand people with earthy connections, this book is for you! Read it! Read it!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the characters, the scenic descriptions, the heart of the story

[Phrynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully written and a very enjoyable and evocative read. I loved the descriptions of the country and the way of life and many of the characters were just remarkable. However I struggled with the way it wrapped up. I wanted to know what Naamah was thinking when she left especially regarding what she did to the baby. I understood her pain but could not reconcile her actions with the overly neat ending. So,a good, realistically told story which I felt was let down by a fairytale finale.

[Kalen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and can't wait for everyone else to get a chance to read it. It's definitely plot-driven and I would have liked to have seen some characters stick around a little longer, but Rasmussen's sense of space and suspense made it hard to put this one down. I devoured it and now I need to go see what else she has written.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so glad I noticed this wonderful book after reading recent reviews from Elyse & Cheri. I was drawn in from the beginning and savored every chapter of this lovely book. I enjoyed the descriptive words of the forest, the characters and the magical quality of the little bird named “Tuna”
I enjoyed this much in the same way I enjoyed reading The Snow Child. This is a perfect book to curl up with on a cool fall weekend. Add it to your reading list!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Rebecca Rasmussen, you did it again. You reached in and wrapped your hand around my heart with your lovely but heart-breaking story. I loved most of the characters – and the ones I didn’t you made me understand why. These characters leapt off the pages as did the settings (which played as big a part as the main characters). I should have been tipped off by the quote before the story begins: “Tell me the landscape in which you live, and I will tell you who you are”.

It’s a story about the need for love and acceptance, and what happens when those are missing in one’s life. The question of ‘nature versus nurture’ ran through my mind with each generation. I loved what a minor character says at one point in the story: “Every time you think you need to hold on, let go“. Without spoiling the story I’ll just say I think book clubs would find a lot to discuss with Evergreen.

Earlier I mentioned the story is lovely but heart-breaking. I turned the final page feeling uplifted and hopeful and so glad to have read Evergreen.
*I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for my opinion

[JanB · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story spans 3 generations, beginning in 1938 when newlyweds Eveline and Emil move from the city to a remote cabin in northern Minnesota, living without modern comforts. They have a son, Hux, but soon after, Emil travels to Germany to see his dying father. His return is delayed when war breaks out. Eveline decides to stay in the cabin instead of going to the city and living with her parents until Emil's return. That fateful decision, and a crime that occurs, ripples down through the generations, causing lasting changes for the characters.

Rasmussen writes beautiful prose and her sense of place made the location as much of a character in the novel as were the characters themselves. The story has a fable-like tone and feel to it, somewhat reminicent of The Snow Child. Told in 4 parts, each section leaps ahead many years, as we see the after-effects of Eveline's decision. The fate of some characters is told only through the narrative of the following generation. Those who like a linear plot may find this troublesome but once I was caught up in the story I adapted quickly, although I would have liked more detail concerning some of the characters. There is a lot of sadness, but also hope, as these characters, many broken by circumstances beyond their control, try to find peace and happiness. The friendship between Eveline and the quirky but big-hearted LuLu was probably my favorite part.

[reading is my hustle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good but troubling read that explores the theme of motherhood. In some ways this has a fairy tale feel to it. A young, newly married couple live in a one room home in the woods. A happy life begins.

And then.

It is the and then that casts a shadow over the next few decades. The characters are bound by love and tragedy. And while the story is not a happy one it is gentle in its own way. The ending was a bit too tidy but that is a quibble and did not change my overall opinion of the novel.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Every time you think you need to hold on, let go."

[Jeanette]

No rating. I read exactly half and then declare a DNF. It had moments early in the first third. But after that portion I just cannot stay embedded. It skips too much time and the prose, to me, seems juvenile. Too many stereotypes all told, and no more than in the orphanage.

Overall, even in the cabin sections I liked, the transitions were awkward. This is what I'd group with chick lit MN fiction. It had historical criteria like the dam building for electricity, but it is not historical fiction. Just not for me in mood tone of telling either.

[MissSusie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was sad yet uplifting at the same time. These characters are flawed but flawed by things done to them by others and how they dealt with the hurts that were done to them. My favorite character was Lulu she was an amazingly strong woman who conquered whatever life threw at her and was strong for everyone around her, she was the kind of friend I think anyone would be lucky to have. Hux was my second favorite he had a quiet reserve and so much empathy for people.

Of course it is hard to agree with some of the choices made by these people especially Evaline but if she had made different choices then it would have been a very different book. The treatment Naamah received in the orphanage is tough to read but it is one of those instances where it made her who she was flaws and all and her choices when she left the orphanage were caused by the treatment she got there.

Parts of this book will break your heart and parts will make you smile, this is one of those books that is hard to review because I don’t want to give anything away because I want you to experience it for yourself. This one will give you such a book hangover I can’t get these characters out of my head. I finished this book 3 days ago and am still thinking about these characters and miss them and it makes me tempted to go back and start again at the beginning just to be close to them again.


My only qualm would be I wish I knew Naamah's journey after Racina ended up in the hospital and how she ended up where she did. And there were times I wish she hadn’t jumped quite so far in time but I think that was more about me missing the characters.

I don’t want to say too much more as I don’t want to spoil the experience for anyone so I will just say this book is a must read!

5 Stars

I received this book from Edelweiss for a fair and honest review.

[Karol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I told my husband this was one of the best books I've read in a long time. "What's it about?" he asked. That was a little hard to describe because the story spanned three generations and was so rich in detail about relationships, hardships, joys . . . Perhaps the book was about endurance, perseverance, overcoming (but occasionally not) . . . Perhaps the book was about hope, love, friendship, family. It was really about all of these. Each main character in their own way conquered something - some perhaps more effectively than others. The novel showed the unexpected twists and turns of life, whether good or bad, and the strength of self. Iron sharpening iron in friendships. I was totally engrossed in the story, and thoroughly enjoyed the writer's style.

[Penny (Literary Hoarders) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rasmussen got me again! Just like she did with The Bird Sisters! Another fantastic read that left me teary at its end. Now I'm left wanting more from Rebecca Rasmussen and hoping and praying she is hard at work on a new book!

[Catherine (The Gilmore Guide to Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small cabin without running water, indoor plumbing, or electricity, in the wilderness of Minnesota is the setting for Rebecca Rasmussen’s new novel, Evergreen. In it, the young Evaline joins her new husband Emil who hopes to build their life as a taxidermist to the numerous hunters and sportsmen who live in the region’s lumber towns. Although a city girl, Evaline embraces life in the woods with her husband and, nine months later, their baby boy, Hux. When Emil learns that his father back in Germany is dying he feels he must return to say goodbye. Despite his wishes that Evaline move back to her family’s home while he is gone, she decides to stay in their cabin, feeling that this is her home now. Their life is quiet but idyllic, enhanced by visits from an eccentric neighbor named Lulu and her son Gunther. Unfortunately, this world is shattered by a visit from a con man who rapes Evaline, leaving her pregnant and with a horrible choice to make.

The rest of this review can be read at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2014/0...

[Po Po · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars.

Predictable storyline. The rape, the regret. The unwanted baby in a basket. The guilt. The reunion of brother and sister.

Pretty much the entire story is presented on the cover (book jacket) side-flap.

Predictable characters.

The stoic good lil wife.

The wilderness woman with a heart of gold.

The cruel nun.

The strong-willed sassy orphan with inner turmoil.

The kind, patient yet boring older brother.

The lovesick husband.

The depraved logger men who sleep with teen prostitutes.

* * *

I kept reading just to finish. NEXT!

[Julie Timmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrific book! I read this in a single day -- could not put it down. Rebecca's writing is gorgeous and the story is riveting. I loved the realistic look at how, for some people, tragedies suffered in childhood never go away, but affect the victims and those around them forever. Evergreen is a hopeful book in the end, but it doesn't get there predictably.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a story! a fable of resilience and how choices we make and circumstances we are in, affect our generations to come. it's sad, it's beautiful, and it's a moving story! so yes, I recommend this for sure!

[Sandy Irwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written story. The depth of the story and the development of the characters kept me fully engrossed. A fantastic read.

[Taryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that feels really big even though the actual scope is only as wide as a single family, and in this case not even a very big family. It's the themes that make it feel sweeping, as well as the span of years it covers, following trails of heartbreak from one generation to the next.

The story begins in 1938 with plucky, naïve Eveline, who has moved into a cabin nestled deep in the Minnesota woods to be with her husband, German immigrant Emil. Although Eveline is a city girl, she proves her mettle with how quickly she adapts to her new hardscrabble country life. It's that inner toughness, that grit that leads her to stay on alone when Emil is called back to Germany to visit his dying father. She subsists just fine—chopping her own wood, caring for their young son Hux, even taking over Emil's taxidermy business to make money while he's away. However, despite Eveline's resourcefulness, there are some tragedies that can't be avoided, and one unwelcome visitor changes everything.

Eveline is forced to make an impossible choice, one that will reverberate through her family for generations to come. The story picks back up in 1954, 1961, and 1972, and each section reveals how the past continues to live in the characters' present. Redemption may not come in just one generation; it may not come at all. But the name of the place Emil chose to live all those years ago—Evergreen—is a symbol of the hope and promise the future holds, even after unimaginable pain and loss.

I loved Eveline, the calm and matter-of-fact way she takes care of business. She's one of the most memorable strong female characters I've read in a while. I was almost disappointed when the story moved on from her, although I came to love the entire cast: Eveline's wacky but loving friend Lulu, plainspoken and deeply honest Hux, and fragile, feral Naamah. Rasmussen captures perfectly the duality, the bittersweetness of their lives. Their joy (like all joy?) is inextricably entwined with their sorrows.

More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book through the Goodreads giveaway and I am so glad that I did! It wasn't really the genre that I am used to reading so it was a refreshing read in many ways. This book focuses on three generations of women in a family that lives in the less tamed parts of northern Minnesota. All of the main characters were interesting, dynamic,and three dimensional. It didn't take long for me to become attached to all of them.
My only complaint (which isn't a legitimate complaint) is that I wish there would have been some sort of flashbacks. This way the reader doesn't have to get all of the information about what happens to characters like Lulu, Reddy, Eveline, and Emil through the vague recollections of the characters of the following generation. Honestly I just wanted to hear more from the first generation characters but this is the sign of a well written book; leave them wanting more. Mostly I wished that there would have been a reunion scene between Eveline and Emil.
This is a random side note but Lulu was my favorite character. She was incredibly tough and I loved how her coonskin coat of strength itself was a character!

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes an emotional read and appreciates stellar characters.

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always captured by lovely writing, and this book has a generous serving of gorgeous prose. I could just imagine the wild setting of these young pioneers in their cabin. This is a family story that stretches over two generations, set in the Minnesota wilderness, beginning in the prewar days of World War 2, 1938. We meet Eveline and Emil, a young and idealistic couple. He's a German man, who feels a need to return to Germany to visit his very sick father. But the war begins and Emil is swept up by Germany's need for soldiers. Eveline makes a fateful decision to stay in the cabin in the woods by herself. This is the impetus for the rest of the novel. And it is a sad story, but I did love it.

[Lydia Presley · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's an otherworldly quality to Rebecca Rasmussen's writing and it really shows in Evergreen, her sophomore novel. I loved The Bird Sisters, but it was Evergreen that tipped me over the edge and really made me sit up and pay attention. While it still had its flaws, by and large, it was one of the most thoughtful books I've read this year. While set in Minnesota, it still had a touch in it that reminded me of some of my favorite southern stories; a touch I can only describe as magical.

Read the rest of this book at The Lost Entwife on June 26, 2014.

[Donia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first third of this story was engaging but then as the author speeds through the next 20 years barely touching the surfaces after we "learned how to stuff a deer" in the first few chapters -- the rest just underwhelmed me. I found the balance of the book too predictable. It's bad being an orphan in an orphanage, especially with an evil nun in charge and then when an orphan finally gets away from the wicked witch the only opportunity is being a hooker in a log camp. This just didn't work for me and I so wanted it to. Like I said, the first part of the book was very engaging.

[Mrs C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. Great writing, it hooked me from page one. Eveline was very interesting to read--her struggles with daily life in the cabin was very convincing--I can practically smell the rotting wood, the taste of the venison...she really came alive. After she abandoned her daughter, Naamah's experience in the orphanage was heartbreaking. Great characterization all throughout. The ending was satisfying.

[Jessica McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a beautifully-written novel about flawed, yet endearing characters. I loved the elements of nature and our vital connection to it. I enjoyed the author's debut novel, The Bird Sisters, quite a bit. I loved Evergreen. If you enjoyed The Snow Child or The Orchardist, you will also enjoy this story and the way it is written. Highly recommended.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 review to follow.