Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: A Novel

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Summary: This book affected me in a way that will never leave me.
Review: When I picked up this book, its dynamic words jumped right off the page and into my startled, open mind. From the very beginning, Wells gives the feeling both of difficult, difficult conflict and of serenity that is washing through the mind of Siddalee Walker. Her emotions-both Wells' and Siddalee's-seem to spiral into the inner heart of the reader, making this one of the best books I've ever read. More importantly, though, is the way Wells blends the stories of Sidda, at 40, and the turmoil in her life, with the happy-go-lucky days of her mother and her three best friends. Wells' women are strong, and highly beautiful. This feeling eminates from the stories like rays of light from the sun. All in all, Wells has broken the barrier between being an excellent writer and being a star.

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Summary: Rah! Rah! for the Ya-Ya's--Vital Women of the South
Review: The Ya Ya Sisterhood is every woman's dream relationship with her fellow woman. The other as support and strength and vitality. How the men pale in comparison as lost loves or simply husbands. It's one woman's search for her mother as a person. The search for the feminine and balancing the ying and yang. How can she be an accomplished person when she doesn't know if her mother approves of her? How can she commit to the all-too-perfect love of her life if her mother doesn't love her? Reconstructing her mother's past and her relationship with the Ya Ya's helps her identify and solve her dilemna. A wonderfully thoughtful, yet joyful journey.

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Summary: A captivating, emotional experience!
Review: It is rare that a book captures its reader from the beginning. This is one of those books. The characters are real people, the experiences are familiar. From the start, the reader shares Sidalee's simultaneous longing for and bitterness toward her family... especially her mother. This is a tender story of middle age, mistakes, forgiveness and love. These characters cling to you long after the book has been put down.

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Summary: Meaningful and poignant, it opened personal doors.
Review: This very sensitive book, colorful and sensual, made me want to take a trip to Louisiana. I could smell the jasmine and taste the lemonade! I wanted to know the Ya Ya's, but do I want to be one? I'd rather be one of their children. This excellent novel certainly made me analyze my own childhood and the ways my family relationships molded me. I intend to send copies to my own daughters.

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Summary: Liked the book a lot. Easy read!
Review: There was a lot of comedy in the book and a lot of psycological undertows. I found the Mother daughter relationship between Vivi and Sidda more compelling than the yayas and the sisterhood.

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Summary: My (macho) Husband read it first and loved it!!
Review: As a Southern raised male my husband got a kick out of this book. He kept chuckling and tried to read excerpts to me but I stopped him as I want to read it too! I ordered this one first and then I discovered that the first book of Rebecca Wells..."Little Altars Everywhere" led up to "Ya Ya.." (MY husband who has read both has confirmed this..read "Little Altars..." first.) I can hardley wait to read them! My husband is still talking about these novels! And amazing enough he is not an avid reader but I think he has a new interest in books now!

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Summary: Beautiful story of mother/daughter relationships
Review: To me, this is a story of mother/daughter relationships. The ya-yas serve to give depth to Vivi--to explain important things about her character that ultimately impact her family, particularly Siddalee. Wells does a wonderful job of portraying Vivi and her generation. I love her descriptions, such as the way the ya-yas smelled of jergens lotion and sunned themselves with iodine and baby oil. As a 50s baby, I really empathized with Siddalee and her frustration with trying to understand her mother. Therefore, it was terrifically therapeutic to see how this story unfolded. The lessons Siddalee learned are now mine to embrace. I am very grateful to this wonderful author and her contribution.

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Summary: From the very beginning this book crackles with energy.
Review: Can you really be a truer friend to a friend than to your own children? Vivi embodies the answer "yes." I loved the structure, the unfolding story, the descriptive language and the developed characterizations. This book was a rich, satisfying roller coaster ride through generations of emotions, dreams, fears and reconciliations.

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Summary: Made me want to call my mom
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed the ride this book took me on. Vivi's character was a lot of fun and her struggle to maintain a hip yet sincere relationship with Siddalee was extremely heartfelt. I especially liked how the scrapbook was able to give Siddalee some insight into her mother's youth while at the same time it made her realize how little she knew her mother. The scrapbook was Vivi's way of telling her story w/out words. There are some things in our lives that we simly cannot put into words--it is just the silent memory that sustains the event. It was a treat to be able to read this book and see Sidda's reactions to the contents of the scrapbook and then hear Vivi's explanations for them. Although on the surface the plot of the book is somewhat "fluffy" I thought the way that it portrayed mother-daughter relationships was touching. I'm sure many women can relate to the difficulties that arise as we get older as do our mothers. The book, however, reminds ! us how the bond that exists between a mother and a daughter is the most sincere and indestructable female bond which we can depend on today. After I finished this book I wanted to call my mom and my grandmother and have them tell me stories about their youth. Too often we take for granted the wonderfully colorful stories these women can share with us.

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Summary: Surpasses 'Little Altars Everywhere'-one of the BEST!
Review: After reading (and loving) 'Little Altars Everywhere', I could not wait to get my hands on this one and yet I opened it afraid that it would not live up to my high expectations! I need not have feared! The Divine Secrets was even more engaging, funnier and made me cry more! I carried it with me everywhere, even picking it up to digest a paragraph when stopped at stoplights. This was one I really COULD NOT PUT DOWN!!!!