Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: I absolutely loved this book. After the first chapter I felt like I knew the characters, and like I was along for the ride through the fantastic childhood of the ya-yas. I laughed and cried out loud able to see the scenes so vividly in my mind. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an emotion envoking book that you never want to end.

Rating:
Summary: Better than therapy!
Review: My sister presented me with this book, stating she and all of her girlfriends loved it. She finished it on an airplane and had to cope with a crying jag in public! The story of family stressors, history, coping, and acceptance was indeed true to Southern tradition. I am a survivor of physical and verbal abuse who has shelved many feelings for years. This novel made me realize how much baggage parents carry with them and that it is okay to accept this without indepth family counselling and get on with life. Parents do not want to hurt or traumatize their children; adult children do not want to reciprocate. I loved the trip to Atlanta for the "Gone With the Wind" premiere and skinnydipping in the water tank. Wish I had three such wild and crazy friends!

Rating:
Summary: Another Book Written For The Hollywood Screen
Review: This seems as if R.Wells was preparing herself for a movie deal. Alot of interesting stuff but the characters were not fully developed and felt that Viv was the only one I liked or wanted to know anything about. Alot of unresolved conflicts and the ending was too easy. How come I was more sympathetic with the drunk better than the weepy whiny 40 year old girl? Sidalee where is your sense of adventure? This was the book of the month in my book club. Certainly an easy book for discussion.

Rating:
Summary: An exceptional tale of female bonding
Review: This book is absolutely one of the best I've ever read. I was recovering from surgery and engrossed in self-pity when I started it, but by the end I had come to terms with my illness. As Vivi would say, "Life is scary, you just have to get on the beast and ride!" It made me appreciate my own group of Ya-Ya's even more.

Rating:
Summary: Can Canadians be Ya Ya's?
Review: I wish that I had not finished the Ya Ya's. I want it to go on and on forever. I was not finished learning from them. They are the inspiration for Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!! I called a girlhood friend and told her about it and she wants to be a Ya Ya too, even though she has not read it YET!! Any work of when it will be out in small format? I work in a bookstore and will sell a billion copies for you Rebecca!!

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly instructive for men!
Review: Dear Ms. Wells, Thanks for an instructive book. As a business counselor working mostly with men during the day and surrounded by a wife and two teen-age daughters during nonwork, I appreciate greatly the new insight you've given me in how some women apprehend life. I'll take to my grave the wonderful notion that life is a beast to just get on and ride. Warm thanks.

Rating:
Summary: You will want to be a Ya Ya after this!
Review: After reading Little Alters Everywhere I find this to be less dark and more upbeat. Having a family that orginates in Louisiana and now lives in Washington myself I could completely relate to this book. I also must confess it made me call my own mom and ask for her scrapbooks (which she still has). It also inspired me to work at getting to know my Louisiana born and bread Catholic grandmother better. The most difficult thing I had to deal with was the dreadful longing to take another jaunt back to the bayou state - I haven't been in 3 years. Rebecca's tone and the quirkiness of the characters reminded me of my own time living down there. The Ya Ya's reminded me so much of my mother and her "clucking hens" as my dad used to call them. The Ya Ya's have a good time and despite all the religious burdens, that is what Lousiana is all about! In short, I loved this book and can't wait for the next!!!

Rating:
Summary: good if you're not annoyed easily
Review: I, like many others I know, found the book to be hysterically funny at times--and downright annoying at others. I relished the stories of Vivi and her friends, but when it came to the "current day" parts, I found myself wanting to skip over most of the paragraphs (with exception of the mentions of the dog). Sida was so cloyingly obnoxious that I found myself wishing her ill. I was disappointed that such a strong woman as Vivi would have such a simpering daughter. I hope the same does not happen to me!

Rating:
Summary: I LOVED this book...
Review: This book is now one of my all time favorites. Deep inside, we are all Ya Ya's...I saw a lot of myself and my friends in these characters.

Rating:
Summary: Ya-Ya Yuck
Review: Suffers from the same problem as Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club -- the mothers' stories are more intersting than the daughter's modern-day angst. Skimming the sections about Sidda are the best way to get through this book. One annoying aspect -- with each chapter, every character was putting some mood music into the CD player. I felt like I was reading a treatment for a script -- I'm sure the movie version can't be far behind...