Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: A Novel

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Summary: Refreshing passionate characters, except the lead
Review: The Ya Yas are the bestest of best friends. Everything about their lives is exponential, from the love to their tragedies. Its this passion for living that makes them so fascinating. The only disappointment is the lead character, the very boring daughter of Ya Ya Vivi, Siddalee Walker. Oh well, you'll get past her like I did and revel in all the glories of the Ya Yas.

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Summary: Pick this over Little Altars
Review: I could be wrong, but I wonder if Little Altars Everywhere was once a part of this book. Little Altars and Divine Secrets seem to be the same story. Divine Secrets is not a collection of monologue essays like Little Altars, but a complete story. Wells does a great job with the mom character. You can't help but pity her, even love her, despite her abuse and pushiness. This book finally does something with all the characters created in Little Altars.

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Summary: Cooky but good
Review: I enjoyed this book very much. I recommend any female wanting to read a light easy read to pick up this cooky book. Enjoy!

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Summary: My Fourth Time Around
Review: I just finished reading for the fourth time and now I'm beginning Little Altars Everywhere. Divine Secrets is a wonderful insight into the different relationships of women. This book actually made me laugh until I cried. Read it like I did, with an open mind. I hope you'll enjoy it!

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Summary: wow ya ya
Review: This book was unbelievable as was Rebecca Wells' other book ,Little Altars Everywhere.I wanted to feel sorry for ViVi as her mother was a true nut case and treated her awful. It is a wonder that she made any thing of herself. However, there is no excuse for sexual abuse ,no matter what. She was smart enough go to an insane asylum many times why didn't she stop herself or get help? Still, I loved the books and I will eagerly read another book by this author. I think that Rebecca has know true pain in her life to be able to write like this.

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Summary: I cried, thats for sure.
Review: This book is far from the greatest I have ever read, and I am left wondering how Rebecca Wells has been named 'Author of the Year', but it is intensly heart wrenching, and contains a divine mix of both humour and sadness. I cried frequently, as well as found myself laughing at the bizarre antics of the character's friendship, and crying at the sad deaths of interesting characters. I expected a lot less of this novel, for it is not the usual style of book I enjoy, but was plesantly surprised that it was well written and almost magical in it's style. I did however find the characters self absorbant and selfish, and later on in the novel found myself less interested in their actions. This novel, like all, has faults, but is a quick and inspiring look into friendship, Southern ways, and the relationship between daughters and their mothers.

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Summary: Fluffy, escapist stuff
Review: I was encouraged to read this book by my mother-in-law -- a former drunken and neglectful mother herself. I expect she found solace in the lenient portrayal of Vivi (the protag's mother). I found it pat and over-generous, but enjoyed the author's easy, escapist style. Good summer fare, I suppose, but if you've had any meaningful encounters with characters as self-centered and destructive as Vivi, you may find it offensive, or at least oversimiplified.

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Summary: Gotta Love You Crazy Southern Women!
Review: Your all quite entertaining. Little Alters is even Better. Read that first!

Rating:
Summary: Wished I coulda liked it
Review: There are over 700 reviews of this book, but I thought I should lower the 4 star count a bit more. I really wanted to like this book. (A friend who LOVED it loaned it to me) Unfortunately, I had a hard time caring about the characters. Sidda is 40 year old going on 11. Get a grip. A lot of us have traumatic or sometimes unhappy childhoods. But we usually realize that we are responsible for our own happiness pretty early. Sidda seems to enjoy the role of the victim and therapy a bit too much. Her mother, Vivi, also has a hard time moving on with life. Maybe it was genetic. As far as I could tell the mother was a passionate, but selfish egotist. I could relate to some of the feelings she had, but her actions were inexcusable. These are small people that I couldn't get behind. I did like the friendship of the Ya Yas (I have friends like that), but the story just wasn't there. Too bad.

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Summary: a story of women friendships and mother/daughter relationshi
Review: I have read divine secrets 3 times already and each time I discover something new. This is a good story of women's friendships, their sorrows and tribulations. It is also a story of that wierd and special relationship that exists between mother and daughter and how we never really are able to know the woman behind the mother. Siddalee is given that chance when she receives her mother's secret scrapbook detailing her life and friendships with the Ys-Yas. She becomes privey to that special relationship that exists between women that no man is allowed to penetrate: the sorrows, the joys, the ups the downs that are part of a woman's life. This book is wonderful - a must read for all women of all ages.