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Dearest Dorothy #2
Dearest Dorothy, Slow Down, You're Wearing Us Out!
For the legions of readers who enjoy books that celebrate life’s simple pleasures, eighty-seven-year-old Dorothy Jean Wetstra and her beloved farming town of Partonville, Illinois, will become instant favorites. In this hilarious, touching series, Charlene Ann Baumbich introduces readers to Dearest Dorothy, who tools around town in a 1976 Lincoln Continental nicknamed “The Tank,” plays bunco regularly with her pals, and grabs a stool at Harry’s counter often enough to stay on top of the latest-breaking news—which she is often creating. In the series debut, Dearest Dorothy, Are We There Yet? , Dorothy faces a decision that may change her town forever, and her gift for shaking things up comes in handy. In the second book, Dearest Dorothy, Slow Down, You're Wearing Us Out! , the town’s irresistible cast of characters is back in full swing as they confront some of the many surprises life sends their way. So pull up a chair and get ready for fireworks, laughter, and we’ll-get-through-it-all-with-faith friendships.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Charlene Ann Baumbich
24 books123 followersAuthor, Speaker, Humorist. Seventeen books under her belt (including the Dearest Dorothy series and the Snowglobe Connections series), Charlene is still going strong, finding writing (including grocery lists and brainstorming sessions and eCards to her grandgirlies) more enjoyable than ever. Visit her website at www.charleneannbaumbich.com for more information."
It's awesome when my fictional characters bless me. Like Evelyn in FINDING OUR WAY HOME is fond of saying, "Grace, Amen."
It's awesome when my fictional characters bless me. Like Evelyn in FINDING OUR WAY HOME is fond of saying, "Grace, Amen."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
March 1, 2017
I guess I am hooked on this series. I finished this one and have been to the library to get the next. Reading Baumbich is like going on vacation to a familiar place. Her style makes it visble and she has na extraordinary cast of character that are in mosst of our neighborhoods. Dorothy, the main character has already heped me deal with a "situation" in my own life. Thank you Charlene for your vision and your faith.
August 13, 2019
This book makes more sense if it is read in order. Katie is still working on cleaning our her aunt Tess’s house in Partonville and helping Dorothy clean out her farm to get ready to sell. The big fall sale is coming up fast. Katie decides to surprise her son with plans to move to the farm and give Dorothy her aunt’s house. Dorothy keeps up with her larger than life personality, even as she decides to give up driving.
December 21, 2024
These are like hallmark movies. The characters are saccharin sweet and the plot is mostly people running around all a-twitter.
August 27, 2018
This is a fun and very laughable book. By laughable I mean, that there are many chapters that laugh out loud scenes in them!!
Another small town with big characters in them is featured in this book.
The first part of the book is very funny then the second part gets a bit more serious.
I am looking forward to reading more of the series.
Another small town with big characters in them is featured in this book.
The first part of the book is very funny then the second part gets a bit more serious.
I am looking forward to reading more of the series.
May 23, 2017
I gave the first book a 2, this one has to be a 1. It was pretty bad. At least the first book was able to hold my interest. With this one, I kept skipping over paragraphs and pages, especially on Chapter 20, when there were 10 whole pages of play by play by play of the town's Musketeers vs. Pirate baseball game. Too long!
Spoiler Alert:
I"m not sure why the author gave this title: "Dearest Dorothy, Slow Down, You're Wearing Us Out!" because Dearest Dorothy at 87 years old, has finally figured out for herself that she needs to slow down. No one made the comment, "you're wearing us out", though she has been told for years that she "needs to slow down". When Dorothy is driving her faithful 1976 Lincoln Continental, better known throughout the small town as "The Tank", and cuts off Katie without even knowing she's done that, it's her sign that she needs to stop driving, and that she does need to finally slow down. It's not long after that her beloved car kicks the bucket. For fun and giggles, I had to google what "The Tank" would look like. Oh goodness, I remember those! LOL
In the first book, Dearest Dorothy goes back and forth about selling her farm, her farm house, her land, and she's having such difficulty with it because that's the only home she's ever known. She was even born in it! In this book, Dorothy sells the house to Katie, and Katie sells her recently deceased aunt's house in town to her. Most of the story leads up to Partonville's big annual sale and auction event, which is a riot when Aunt Tess' bed pan stuffed with plastic poinsettias should had been, rightly so, thrown out in the trash, ends up being auctioned off. LOL
I rolled my eyes when Katie wouldn't allow her son, 15!!! to go to a Bruce Springsteen concert "believing the influence of fans would not be a good one". Oh, please! What type of hog wash is that?! And seriously, at a Bruce Springsteen concert?!?! Haha! I do believe Katie needs to spend a day at a high school or on a school bus ride to find out what her son is exposed to daily! I really dislike when parents think they are shielding their children. You aren't! Give your child more credit, please! I know, I know, this is all make belief, but I know many parents feel this way, and I was glad when a few sentences later, it was acknowledged that Katie made a big deal out of nothing "after hearing a few of her business associates talk about how much they'd enjoyed it and how multigenerational the crowd had been, she'd been somewhat sorry she hadn't let Josh attend, although she never admitted that to him". For a "city girl", it seems like she's been living in a "bubble". Bruce Springsteen haha And don't get me started on "never admitted that to him" Ugh!
So I have book #3 sitting on my shelf. It may have to sit there a bit longer. I'm in no hurry to read it. Give me the Mrs. Julia series by Ann B. Ross, or the Midford series by Jan Karon, both along the same story lines, but written on a whole better and different level.
Spoiler Alert:
I"m not sure why the author gave this title: "Dearest Dorothy, Slow Down, You're Wearing Us Out!" because Dearest Dorothy at 87 years old, has finally figured out for herself that she needs to slow down. No one made the comment, "you're wearing us out", though she has been told for years that she "needs to slow down". When Dorothy is driving her faithful 1976 Lincoln Continental, better known throughout the small town as "The Tank", and cuts off Katie without even knowing she's done that, it's her sign that she needs to stop driving, and that she does need to finally slow down. It's not long after that her beloved car kicks the bucket. For fun and giggles, I had to google what "The Tank" would look like. Oh goodness, I remember those! LOL
In the first book, Dearest Dorothy goes back and forth about selling her farm, her farm house, her land, and she's having such difficulty with it because that's the only home she's ever known. She was even born in it! In this book, Dorothy sells the house to Katie, and Katie sells her recently deceased aunt's house in town to her. Most of the story leads up to Partonville's big annual sale and auction event, which is a riot when Aunt Tess' bed pan stuffed with plastic poinsettias should had been, rightly so, thrown out in the trash, ends up being auctioned off. LOL
I rolled my eyes when Katie wouldn't allow her son, 15!!! to go to a Bruce Springsteen concert "believing the influence of fans would not be a good one". Oh, please! What type of hog wash is that?! And seriously, at a Bruce Springsteen concert?!?! Haha! I do believe Katie needs to spend a day at a high school or on a school bus ride to find out what her son is exposed to daily! I really dislike when parents think they are shielding their children. You aren't! Give your child more credit, please! I know, I know, this is all make belief, but I know many parents feel this way, and I was glad when a few sentences later, it was acknowledged that Katie made a big deal out of nothing "after hearing a few of her business associates talk about how much they'd enjoyed it and how multigenerational the crowd had been, she'd been somewhat sorry she hadn't let Josh attend, although she never admitted that to him". For a "city girl", it seems like she's been living in a "bubble". Bruce Springsteen haha And don't get me started on "never admitted that to him" Ugh!
So I have book #3 sitting on my shelf. It may have to sit there a bit longer. I'm in no hurry to read it. Give me the Mrs. Julia series by Ann B. Ross, or the Midford series by Jan Karon, both along the same story lines, but written on a whole better and different level.
September 26, 2014
The second in this series of "inspirational fiction" about an 87-year-old woman, Dorothy moves into her new house and finds that changes can be for the best, even when they don't seem to be as such. When she almost crashes into Josh and his mom's SUV, Dorothy begins to realize that perhaps it's time to give up driving. And when she hits a garbage truck and the Tank is irreparably damaged, there's not much else she can do...but she can go out with a bang.
In the meantime, the church women are working on the annual rummage sale and an auction of Dorothy's estate so that Josh and his mom can move into Dorothy's farm. But Dorothy's sons and grandsons are not so happy with the arrangement, and it takes a lot of togetherness to win them over.
I enjoyed Katie's friendship with the new mom who runs the bed-and-breakfast, and I was pleased that the conflict was minimal but well-handled. All in all, compelling characters and a great book.
In the meantime, the church women are working on the annual rummage sale and an auction of Dorothy's estate so that Josh and his mom can move into Dorothy's farm. But Dorothy's sons and grandsons are not so happy with the arrangement, and it takes a lot of togetherness to win them over.
I enjoyed Katie's friendship with the new mom who runs the bed-and-breakfast, and I was pleased that the conflict was minimal but well-handled. All in all, compelling characters and a great book.
April 30, 2015
I sometimes enjoy books that are happy for happy's sake. I laughed and got teary and feel like I know these characters.
July 27, 2022
I'm on the 4th book of this series and so far this one is my favorite, if only because of the hilarious description of a softball game featuring the over-the-hill (mostly) local team (forgot the name). I laughed out loud for several minutes. I wish more of the books included such humor. Dorothy and friends continue to make the most of little Partonville, aka Pardon-Me-Ville by helping one another and just being good people -- sometimes maybe a little TOO good. I enjoy good Christian fiction but in this case it's almost too much of a good thing, as the characters beat us over the head with their constant praying and references to church, Bible, prayer, etc. I guess it's just the way some people are and it doesn't ruin the stories for me, just intrudes a bit much.
Another complaint is that the author must have used voice-to-text because she fails almost every test of homonyms -- how many times does someone "peak" around a corner, or send something "down the shoot"? Really, how about a little proofreading before sending it to the printer?
Generally, this is a feel-good series without a lot of earth-shaking issues but it does address family relationships of all kinds, and includes believable characters such as a recovering alcoholic and an adult with mental challenges.
Another complaint is that the author must have used voice-to-text because she fails almost every test of homonyms -- how many times does someone "peak" around a corner, or send something "down the shoot"? Really, how about a little proofreading before sending it to the printer?
Generally, this is a feel-good series without a lot of earth-shaking issues but it does address family relationships of all kinds, and includes believable characters such as a recovering alcoholic and an adult with mental challenges.
June 3, 2024
Originally released in 2001, my e book was released in 2014 and I found the old fashioned attitudes towards aging and religion a nice change from 2024.
Dorothy is an 87 year old widow facing moving from the only house she has ever lived in on the family farm and into a small cottage house in town. Her beloved The Tank has a cracked engine and can't go another mile. More changes to cope with but at least in town she can walk to the grocers or they will deliver! All of these changes are faced with humor and a bit of sorrow Dorothy refuses to dwell on.
Her encouraging words help those around her as well as herself. Dorothy's deep faith in God helps her accept the new situations.
Very well writtenand faces all of the concerns of downsizing and health mandated changes. As reminder tht we can trust God in all things.
Glad I decided to tackle my TBR piles and found this still interested me.
Dorothy is an 87 year old widow facing moving from the only house she has ever lived in on the family farm and into a small cottage house in town. Her beloved The Tank has a cracked engine and can't go another mile. More changes to cope with but at least in town she can walk to the grocers or they will deliver! All of these changes are faced with humor and a bit of sorrow Dorothy refuses to dwell on.
Her encouraging words help those around her as well as herself. Dorothy's deep faith in God helps her accept the new situations.
Very well writtenand faces all of the concerns of downsizing and health mandated changes. As reminder tht we can trust God in all things.
Glad I decided to tackle my TBR piles and found this still interested me.
May 4, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. I had read the first Dearest Dorothy book a few years back and enjoyed it. Then I found the third book about a month ago at a book sale and read it through. As I read it brought back the characters from the first book to my mind. It was like visiting with friends you haven't seen in a while. I was just in a second hand store and found this book (the second in the series) and couldn't have been happier. You don't have to read these in order, each book stands on its own, but it does help. Dorothy and the folks in Partonville are the kind of people that you find yourself wanting to get to know better and spend time with. This book follows lots of changes in the character's lives.
August 25, 2026
Dearest Dorothy, Slow Down, You're Wearing Us Out! by Judy Leigh is the second book of the Dearest Dorothy series set in contemporary small-town ("Pardon-Me-ville") Illinois. Dorothy is a spunky eighty-seven-year-old, amazing and inspiring to her friends. Dorothy is about to move from her farm, which has been in her family for generations, to town. Her niece Katie, considered a "city slicker", has purchased the farm property. Instead of turning it into a subdivision (averted in the last book), a portion of the land will become a park. Katie's son Joshua is ecstatic each time they visit Pardon-Me-ville. "Josh-meister" corresponds regularly with "Outta My Way" (Dorothy) via email.
Dorothy struggles more and more with the cantankerous "Tank" (her old car) until it is finally too worn out to be saved by the local mechanic's tinkering. Together they devise a clever way to make the Tank's last drive memorable - and they include a cute surprise.
Entertaining, squeaky-clean writing and antics, a celebration of friendship and faith.
Dorothy struggles more and more with the cantankerous "Tank" (her old car) until it is finally too worn out to be saved by the local mechanic's tinkering. Together they devise a clever way to make the Tank's last drive memorable - and they include a cute surprise.
Entertaining, squeaky-clean writing and antics, a celebration of friendship and faith.
February 21, 2022
I found this book strolling through the shelves of the Pittsburgh Carnegie Library in Oakland. I was going through a period of grey. I was lost and trying to find my footing for myself. All my dreams and hard work had taken a turn.
Dear Dorothy brought me out of it. I can't explain how but it did. Through it's pages I saw light and a new way forward for myself and my daughters. I have been moving forward ever since.
Must read when you need to escape to a place where things get done through a web of community and friends.
Dear Dorothy brought me out of it. I can't explain how but it did. Through it's pages I saw light and a new way forward for myself and my daughters. I have been moving forward ever since.
Must read when you need to escape to a place where things get done through a web of community and friends.
September 13, 2024
I liked this one better than the first book in the series. In fact, I came close to not finishing the first book. It took nearly 100 pages (large print) for me to get into it. And I really did not like some of the characters in the first book. But after I got into the first book, the characters got a bit more interesting and I wanted to see how things turned out with Dorothy moving out of her beloved farm house. If we could give half stars, I would rate this book 3 and a half stars. I will read the next book in the series.
June 9, 2021
I enjoyed this book....I started the series years ago and am just now getting to the second book. There is a reason for this, a little sweetness goes a long way for me. It isn't only the sweetness, it is the neat way that everything gets tied up in the end. I will say that this was an example of the right book at the right time. I needed a good, uplifting Christian book that wasn't too "preachy". Sometime in the distant future I am sure that I will read the third book in this series.
July 26, 2022
This is really a 3.5 rating. I did not love this one quite as much as the first one but it was still delightful and I will continue with the series. I did relate to the changes being made in the life of Dearest Dorothy and learned some things that may be useful to me as I work to transition to a new and different life. I do hope to be an 87-year-old the likes of Dorothy one day! This is not great literature but it is a fun small town full of characters.
November 11, 2017
Cute book with continue of all the wonderful folks in "Pardon me Ville". I can relate to these folks, grew up city, but my grandparents and aunts/uncle lived, worked and thrived in a small farm town. You can see these people in you mind and feel you are along with them. Love the fact that kindness and heart are the main reasons the generation gap in this book, thrives and is so real.
December 30, 2017
I love Dearest Dorothy!
Love this series. Great characters, lots of love, wonderful messages. It's got everything. This second book in the series once again touches your heart and has you tearing up and cheering on as you flip through the pages. I'm ready for the next installment of Dearest Dorothy!
Love this series. Great characters, lots of love, wonderful messages. It's got everything. This second book in the series once again touches your heart and has you tearing up and cheering on as you flip through the pages. I'm ready for the next installment of Dearest Dorothy!
April 5, 2018
Book 2
I enjoyed the story line, and this book continued easily from book 1. However, the story seemed flat, at times trying too hard to show us the adjusts being made. I also felt part of the story line could be developed further ( conflict about moving from Josh's dad for one).
I enjoyed the story line, and this book continued easily from book 1. However, the story seemed flat, at times trying too hard to show us the adjusts being made. I also felt part of the story line could be developed further ( conflict about moving from Josh's dad for one).
July 22, 2026
Entertaining
This was an entertaining sttoryline. Dorothy has decided that it's time to sell the farm and move into town. Leaving the house in which she was born won't be easy but asking for God's guidance assures her it's the right decision. Small town activities and long-term friendships take up a lot of the plot. It was a clean read.
This was an entertaining sttoryline. Dorothy has decided that it's time to sell the farm and move into town. Leaving the house in which she was born won't be easy but asking for God's guidance assures her it's the right decision. Small town activities and long-term friendships take up a lot of the plot. It was a clean read.
February 6, 2017
This book feels like good writing for the sake of good writing. Nothing really happens in this book, so there are no twist, mystery or even romance. This book is just a book about life in a small town.
August 22, 2019
This story has the charm and gossip of a small town, the wit of an old lady, and the grace of God all around. I just love it! Dorothy is at it again. Big changes are happening that includes a ceiling that is painted fire engine red.
March 23, 2024
I am LOVING this series!! The characters are relatable and engaging, the story is interesting, and there is nothing "spicy" or vulgar. The end of this one was even pretty emotional because I'm so invested in these characters and their lives.
July 20, 2026
Wonderful read
I felt immersed in small town goodness. It reminded me of my own grandmother who was pretty feisty and loving and faithful in her Christian walk. She also faced each day with good humor and steadfast faith. This book spoke to my heart.
I felt immersed in small town goodness. It reminded me of my own grandmother who was pretty feisty and loving and faithful in her Christian walk. She also faced each day with good humor and steadfast faith. This book spoke to my heart.
October 31, 2017
Read my review for book one of this series.
December 24, 2017
Book #2 in the Dearest Dorothy series. Please see my review of Book #1 (Dearest Dorothy, Are We There Yet?)
January 14, 2018
Wonderful story with delightful characters! Such a warm and cozy read! I'm moving on to the next book in the series!
July 1, 2018
Loved it
Wonderful story continues as Dorothy moved from the farm she was born on. Katie becomes a real country girl after being called a city slicker.
Wonderful story continues as Dorothy moved from the farm she was born on. Katie becomes a real country girl after being called a city slicker.
July 10, 2018
This book is not great literature, but a nice, simple read that captures the sweetness of small town living.
July 24, 2018
I do enjoy these stories about small town friends and how they help each other.
September 4, 2018
Lots of laughs!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews