Evergreen: A Novel (Werner Family Saga Book 1)

I read this for the first time at age 16. I read it again in my 20s. I've always remembered it. Now I'm a grandmother and decided to read it again. I loved it in my teens and young adulthood because of the romance and the rags to riches story. Since then I've learned so much about WWII, the hardships of Jews, Israel, and racism. This time around it was less about romance and more about the will to survive and the sacrifices to mold a family. This book is excellent for the young and old.

This was a wonderful read about the trials and tribulations of several generations. Through her writing she made you feel,as you were there. I can’t wait to read another of her books.

Couldn't put down.

Rating 4.0 stars. _No graphic sexual content.Stand alone read. 1st in the Evergreen series.GOOD READ. Compelling storyline, well developed main characters, well researched, great locations details, large and diverse secondary cast, and some twists and turns. HOWEVER, some characters are underdeveloped, the writing is occasionally stilted and fragmented which makes the chronology difficult to follow, the storyline contains a lot of angst and tragedy, the relationship with the heroine's first love ends unsatisfactorily, and the book is long, so set aside enough time to appreciate the read.THE STORY follows Polish immigrant, Anna Foster (Friedman), who travels to New York at age seventeen to start a new life. She faces crowded living conditions in substandard housing, menial jobs, class discrimination, and religious prejudice. But she perseveres, finds work as a maid and meets wealthy banker, Paul Werner, and house painter, Joseph Friedman. Because Paul, the love of her heart is beyond her status, she marries Joseph and starts a family. The story then follows three generations of her family through WWI, the fall of the stock market, the Great Depression, WWII, the establishment of Israel, and the Viet Nam war.OVERALL, engaging storyline and detailed locations that add depth and richness to the book. The EVERGREEN series includes Evergreen, The Golden Cup, Tapestry, Harvest, and Heartwood.You may also enjoy the historical fiction of Irving Wallace and Leon Uris or the exciting political/spy thrillers of Brad Thor and Scott Horvath.

I first read Evergreen back in the 1980s when it was published. I kept my copy of the book until moving just a year ago, and then decided to buy the book again as a Kindle download.This story is so well developed that readers will be able to picture each character and their homes. Readers will enjoy following the life of the main character, Anna, from her life as a girl in a Polish village, to her life as a wife, mother, and lover in New York.I will say that I was dismayed by the number of typos in this book. I forgave the first one, became irritated at the second one, and began taking notes with the third one. Here are some examples: "He had so much contempt for me that he didn't even brother to pretend," and "Hell tell you about it." There are not just a few of these mistakes, but dozens! As a freelance editor, I can't help but to notice these errors. I find them to be very distracting, and I don't think that the book should be available for purchase in this condition.That having been said, this is an excellent book. If you read it, though, go with the printed version, not the Kindle download.

What fun! Belva Plain should be crowned the queen of the family saga. This sweeping novel of passion, love, life, sex, betrayal and survival in early twentieth-century America is the first of five books in the Werner family saga and tells the tale of Anna Friedman, from childhood to old age.Anna has deep, passionate secrets she keeps from those she loves best, which affects so much of what she does and who she is. One of the reasons the novel is so riveting is that the story is told from the points of view of various characters, not just Anna. That makes for more interesting reading, in my opinion. This is definitely chick-lit at its best!Note to Kindle readers: There are dozens and dozens and dozens of typos in this book, which are due, I believe, to how the ebook was scanned from the original text. I dutifully submitted to Amazon all the errors I found, so hopefully there will be a new edition issued.

The story concept was quite interesting not particularly original, but quite tedious to read with endless stream of consciousness narrative. Made for a jumbled, flat poorly paced story and very repetitive. Also the editing was awful which really distracted - basic stuff like apostrophes - well, wed, were instead of we’ll, we’d, we’re throughout the entire book! And then just odd misspelling of words. Amateur hour really, needs to be sorted out

Evergreen, the first book in the series is loaded with history of Immigrants coming to America, hardship, love, families, and history from an emotional testimonyIf you enjoy family saga's, and learn something besides, then read EVERGREEN. Belva Plain in my favorite author, and now that she is gone, we are void of an author who's talent has not been equaled . This is SUBSTANCE, yet easily read, and characters you will remember. I rrad this book when it came out in the late 70's. Loved it so much then, and thrilled to find it in a Used Book store via Amazon, and I think I am enjoying it in a completely new way. I was a young mother then. I am a grandmother now. I have lived life now. Now I understand the emotions from another side. I love this book. I love every book of Belva Plain, and you will love her to ! Believe me !! and I wish I could hear how YOU will say the same thing !

A must read especially for people like me who want an insight into how their immigrant forbears conquered the strange new world,America.A heartwarming tale of life,love, belief intertwined with fear, jealousy,hard toil and longing.It’ll make you smile and cry.A wonderful book that has moved and inspired me again all these years later.

I first read this book about 20 years ago and really enjoyed it then so have just re read it and was just as impressed the second time around.

I read this book years ago and it stuck in my head so thought I would like it again on my kindle to read while on holiday. It was still good. Have downloaded book 2.

This is one of the best books I have ever had the pleasure to read. It spans over the life-time of a young woman and encompases the joys and tradgedy's she encountered. The story line is unpredictable but you become so engrossed in it, you can't wait to pick the book up again. This book was recommended to me and I am very glad it was.

It's not often I think that I would like to read a book again, but, in a few years I will read it again and no doubt will gain as much pleasure from it as I did the first time I read it. It is epic story telling of one family through time. I just loved it and would thoroughly recommend.