Little Altars Everywhere : CD

Rating:
Summary: Instantly my favorite
Review: I picked up this book and couldn't put it down! It is amazingly like real life. Part one takes you through childhood and then in part two it all hits you. All of the characters see their lives differently and as the reader you get a glimpse into each of their minds. All of them become your friends and everyone has their own favorite that they can relate to the most. Don't miss this book!!

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Summary: Another wonderful tale of Southern women
Review: This was a wonderful book, but read Divine Secrets first, or you'll be clueless the whole time. I can not wait for another novel by Rebecca Wells, she tells about how life really is, and can make me feel the heat and humidity of the bayou even in the dead of winter. A MUST-READ for anyone who reads just for the pleasure of reading.

Rating:
Summary: A good read -- but read Divine Secrets first!
Review: Little Altars precedes the Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, but I recommend reading the latter first. Both are excellent and touching, but Little Altars actually reads better in the context of Divine Secrets. Rebecca Wells does an amazing job of capturing the pain and beauty of maturing relationships. Each of the voices in this book is distinct and powerful.

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Summary: Don't Expect Hilarity
Review: Unlike the best-selling follow-up Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, this novel is rarely funny and often cruel. It chronicles the lives of the Walker family of Thornton, Louisiana from varied personal perspectives. Viviane Abbot Walker (mother of Siddalee who is the narrator in Divine Secrets) appears in this story as a crazed alcoholic child abuser. The horror of what the Walker children went through at the hands of Viviane is only whispered in the latter book, but screams out here. Ms. Wells' writing style is impeccable, of course, but I would have done better to read LITTLE ALTARS first-or not at all as it soured the joy of her sequel

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Summary: This is not just a "womans" book.
Review: I read this book for a book talk. Part One had me thinking I had read all this before. But Part Two has so much power and excellent writing, any reader will be moved. Being male, I found so much understanding of the human condition that it was hard for me to sleep the night I finished it.

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Summary: Made me homesick!
Review: I'm from Southwestern Louisiana and this book just made me so homesick because Rebecca's description of the south and the people there were so real to me! I loved Sidda and Vivi and read this book in one afternoon...then immediately started on Ya Ya's. I have never been so fascinated by the characters in a book...I felt like I knew them all by the time I finished!

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Summary: MY FAVORITE BOOK IN THE WORLD
Review: I am 13-years old, but I consider myself to be well-read and to have a great knowledge of literature. A teacher at my school recomended this book to me, and I found myself unable to put it down after the reading first couple of pages. It is so charming and such a wonderfully written story! The actual content of "Altars" is a bit tragic and sad, but overall, it somehow gives you hope and inspires you. I could read this book a thousand times.

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Summary: Humor, tragedy, life...
Review: Real people populate Rebecca Wells novels. Her multi-dimensional characters are all at once self confident, insecure, self destructive, hurtful, loving, and playful. In a nutshell, the characters are as flawed as real people, and that's just what makes them so interesting. We've all met people like this and wondered what goes on behind closed doors. Rebecca Wells shares their lives with us.

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Summary: Enchantment from tragedy
Review: This story is beautifully written and packed with humor but it is impossible to overlook the truly twisted and very tragic content. This is a story about children (of many generations) who have suffered flagrant physical and emotional abuse. Still, they continue to grow and enchant us. The comedy, the love and the bonds may never have evolved without the very dark thread that binds this story. I found myself excusing horrid abuses due to character charm and wit. Abusive relationships are everywhere...but these characters DO learn to get out.

Rating:
Summary: I didn't want this book to end!!!
Review: I loved this book! It's a funny, sometimes very sad story of a dysfunctional family in Louisiana. I loved all the characters, especially Siddalee. Her quest for happiness amongst all the emotional upheaval of her family is heartbreaking. This book grabbed me from the first page and never let me go. The last chapter was especially touching. I read "Divine Secrets ..." which is also an emotional rollercoaster, yet I keep wanting more. I hope Ms. Wells will continue the saga of the Ya-Yas and their Petite Ya-Yas!