Rating: 
Summary: If you have not read it yet, get busy
Review:
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood has become a classic, a sprawling Southern novel of the lifelong friendships of 4 women, of the tensions between mothers and daughters, and of the survival, in spite of dark secrets from the past, of love.
Siddalee Walker says something unkind (but true) about her mother, Vivi, and this precipitates a gathering of the women who have been Vivi's friends since they were little girls together. Their purpose is to patch things up. Vivi was far from a perfect mother, but when the Ya-Yas (the girlfriends) bring a scrapbook chronicling 7 decades of friendship and family history, Sidalee begins to see the bigger picture.
There's a huge cast of characters (most of them females and all of them Southern), but author Rebecca Wells manages to make each come alive as distinct, individual, and wholly memorable.
A real tour de force. A laugh a minute with a requisite kernel of darkness at its core.
Rating:
Summary: Finding out what the little key unlocks...
Review: Although it took me a little while to get involved in this book, once I understood what was going on, I was hooked. Siddalee Walker is 40, successful professionally, and in love with Connor, who is a wonderful man. But Sidda doesn't feel like she knows how to love, and so she has decided to postpone her wedding. Sidda's mother, Viviane, is very angry with Sidda for what she sees as the ultimate betrayal (read the book to find out what it is). So when Sidda writes to tell her mother the news of the postponement of the wedding, Vivi is torn between staying mad at her oldest daughter, and helping her out. Vivi's 3 best friends (Necie, Caro, and Teensy, along with Vivi, are amazing women who are known as the "Ya-Yas"!) talk things over with her, and Vivi decides to help Sidda by sending the scrapbook of the divine secrets of the Ya-Yas. Sidda has taken a solo trip (solo except for her dog) to try and sort things out, and though she is grateful for her mother's sending of the scrapbook, she is frustrated by the mounting questions that the pictures and momentoes in the scrapbook provoke - questions that she doesn't have the answers to. What is really "Ya Ya" (charming) about this book is how Sidda's questions are answered by Vivi's recollections in later chapters - recollections that only the reader is privvy to - whereas Sidda is still floundering around trying to figure things out. Then the Ya-Yas, minus Vivi, show up at Sidda's private retreat to help her sort through her memories of her mother, the feelings and questions, and though they don't have all the answers, they have stories to tell Sidda to help her fit the puzzle pieces in place. So, does Sidda and her mother ever reunite? What happens with Sidda and Connor and the wedding? And what am I talking about, "finding out what the little key unlocks"? (Ok - a small clue - there is a tiny little key tucked into the scrapbook that Sidda finds; she is at a loss for what the key unlocks, but sharing a memory with Connor helps her to remember...)READ THE BOOK and find out!!! It's such a satisfying read! And yes, there are some very funny moments in this book - but you'll also need your kleenex close by. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Books dealing with the south
Review: For me, books dealing with the South are like pizza and sex---even when they're bad they're still pretty good. That's not to say that "Divine Secrets" is bad, it isn't. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, it's one of the two best books I've read recently that dealt with family sagas, secrets, the south, and a host of other things. The other is a book called "The Bark of the Dogwood--A Tour of Southern Homes and Gardens." Both books are entertaining and well-written. But I digress. My point is that books dealing with southern themes and ideas, well . . .you can't go wrong. Why is it that all the great writers are Southern? Who knows. And I don't care. All I do know is that "Divine Secrets" is a rollicking good time with more than a few dark undertones. This one's a keeper.
Rating:
Summary: A good book, mother daughter issues treated well.
Review: I found this book stirring. Vivi gives a wonderful representation of those days of early parenting when the babies are small. I could completely relate to being covered with baby mess, being angry at having to get up at all hours of the night, and only wanting to escape. Vivi's fear of telling her sisters about how the children make her feel is real. I was impressed with how the author depicted the depression experienced by some women who are not the perfect mom. A good read on this subject is The Mask of Motherhood: How becomming a mother changes everything and why we pretend it doesn't by Susan Maushart.I can also relate to the deep wounds caused by child abuse and the adult tension that is created between mother and child. Looking at the lives of our parents and what molded them can be helpful in understanding their behavior. Then again sometimes you just have to look past their moments of darkness and remember the loving moments to find peace. I liked the way suspence was built by getting little snippets of information as the author moved back and forth between Sidda's perspective and that of Vivi, both of them moving easily into the past and present. I really liked the mix of the Blessed Virgin Mary and pagan dancing under the moon. The thread of spirituality that wove itself through the entire book was uplifting.
Rating:
Summary: Gumbo Ya-Ya
Review: I have read both Divine Secrets and Little Alters. I must say, the characters in the first book are much darker. Vivi's sexual abuse and Sidda's scarring are greatly minimized.
The book Divine Secrets, however, is a true literary gem. The language has a distinct Louisiana flavor, and the characters are delightful. One does wish that the novel followed on the lives of the other Ya-Yas and their Petites.
Unlike Little Alters, which centers mainly around Vivi, Caro and Necie, Divine Secrets trades in Necie for Teensy as a more hefty character.
It seems that this book explains WHY Vivi is the way she is, and one almost wishes they had simply skipped Sidda entirely. Her viewpoint is wrong and boring. Why does the book get 5 outof 5 then? Why, because it is simply divine, Dahlin!
Yes, I am a real live Ya-Ya; the leading member of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, the Long Island Ya-Yas. I LOVE THIS BOOK! praises to wells, the book was truly tour de force! BOOS to the director of the film.
Rating:
Summary: The search for the hidden inner mother
Review: I usually stay away from abridged books (which often leave out interesting details) as well as audio books read by the authors (which prove that professional readers exist for a reason). "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" is a marvelous exception to both rules. Author Rebecca Wells is an exceptional reader who brings life and warmth to the quirky characters she created. Guy that I am, I could still appreciate the mythic female element that wound its way through the book, from the Holy Lady of the first chapters to womb-like water towers to the jungle character at the end. And throughout, mother Vivi Walker and her band of Ya-Yas, human embodiment of all that is good, strong and also frail about women. Wells's characters are strong and elemental without being mere caricatures of Southern female weirdness -- a major problem with the movie made from this book. A feminine presence permeates the book, whose characters struggle together and alone to remain grounded in its nourishing embrace.
Ya-ya Sisterhood gave me a sense of what many women long for and seldom find in this world -- a strong, enfolding, mothering presence that affirms their femininity in all its guises, simultaneously sensuous and sacred. What a book!
Rating: 
Summary: No - No!
Review: One of those super-"feminine" chick-lit. books that made me irritated - mostly at myself for not ceasing to read! (My policy, for better and for worse, is never to put down a book I have started). This story is so predictable, so cliche, so contrived...it basically cloakes itself in tiresome, ultra-hammy "I am Woman, hear me Roar" self-importance. I especially could not stomach Sidda's "insecurities" about whether or not to marry her hunky dream man - because would she really be able to love? And does she even know what Love is? Gag... Vivi, the leader of the Ya-Yas and Sidda's mother, is supposed to be some overly complex Woman with both allure, sensitivity, and disgusting habits and behavior, yet she is just a carricature that never seems real. Simply too overdone! Yet, I still read the whole book - it is a quick read - even though I knew how it would end half way through. Yawn...
Rating: 
Summary: WONDERFUL SCARLET-IN-A-SNIT VOICES
Review: The Louisiana born author who is currently a Washington based actress, playwright and TV writer, has unlatched the hearts of women by creating earthy, irrepressible heroines. Following her award-winning "Little Altars Everywhere" Ms. Wells transfixed us with the Ya-yas, a coterie of women who are by turns loyal and lusty.
Sometimes delivered with humor, sometimes with hubris, this author always has a meaningful story to tell. She has an awareness of human foibles and an understanding of our need for hope as she chronicles the joys and pains of human relationships.
No one could bring these Scarlet-in-a-snit voices as vividly to life as Rebecca Wells.
- Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: Divinely hilarious!
Review: The spicy aroma of Creole and Cajun cooking wafts through the air as four young friends, Caro, Necie, Teensy, and Vivi, all connected by their divine sisterhood, swing on the porch of a grand Southern home. Years later and half way across the country, Siddalee, Vivi's daughter, sits on another porch deep in the Northwest rainforest and so their stories begin. Wells' novel explores the complex personal relationships that we all experience in our lives. Throughout the book, Wells' reveals the lives and memories of both Siddalee and her mother, Vivi . Descriptions of the characters are quite vivid and stay with you long after the book is read. You become a part of the sisterhood with Wells' storytelling. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood tells a wonderful account of growing up in the South. We read of deep-rooted friendships, the complexity of being in love, and mother-daughter relations. The unconditional love amongst girlfriends is the most wonderful you'll ever read about. Mix a mint-julep and enjoy your trip to bayou country.
Rating:
Summary: For mothers and daughters, or your circle of friends
Review: The ultimate in chick lit for everyone who's ever had a love-hate relationship with their mother, or belonged to a strong circle of friends, or just wish they did. Siddalee, in search of her mother's secrets, ends up finding herself along the way. Her mother Vivi confronts her own dark past and grows up along with her. One of my all-time faves.
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