Rating: 
Summary: Heal your Spirit
Review: This is an excellent book! One of the best I have ever read. If you find yourself longing for childhood friends or if you just love a great story this book is for you!I have given it to every women in my life, and every one has loved it!
Rating: 
Summary: Could not get into this one
Review: I had high hopes for this book when I started, but after 75 pages put it down to go on to something better ( so many books, so little time). It just was not my style of writing I guess...I just found so much of the conversation the ya-ya's had as young kids, well unbelievable. So contrived.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a great book!
Review: I first read this book a year ago when I was 14 and I completely loved it. I picked it up again at the library a couple weeks ago to re-read and loved it almost even more than the first time! Last year I got really into reading about women, feminity, and sisterhoods and picked this up. Wells captures the mystery and the beauty of Southern women.
Rating:
Summary: Stupendous!
Review: Divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood by Rebecca Wells is a good book for young adults. It revolves around a woman and her mother, and a fight they have over an article printed in the New York Times. The woman is working on a new play, but needs her mother and her friends to give her inspiration. She recieves a book from their childhood and learns about why her mother is the way that she is, and how she grew up. This book could be compared to "In the Time of the Butterflies" because they are both about young women's childhoods, and how they relate to each woman's life as an adult. They are both about relationships and growing up to have a different personality than everyone expects.
"Let me tell you, girl, this whole city is on fire with excitement! You can feel it crackling through the air, There are movie displays in every single store window, and it's like all of Atlanta is one big movie advertisement." -Vivi, Page 90. I related to this because I went to Europe a few years ago and the places we visited were so different from what I was used to. I really enjoyed getting excited over the new environment and the things that went on there. There were movie advertisements, just like in the book, and there were a lot of people and things to see and do. I had a great time on this trip, just like the Ya-Ya's did in Atlanta. I also enjoy the author's style of writing, because she creates characters that actually change over time, and she even creates subtle details and differences, which kept me interested.
I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't the best I've ever read. The plot and the ending were really good, and I really liked how the Ya-Ya's relationships and adventures were portrayed. The letters were also good, because it changed the style of the book, not always being written in the exact same format. However, most of the book was about how Sidda was in the cabin, looked at a few divine secrets, went outside and walked around, slept, then came back and started the process over again. This got a little repetitive after a while to the point where I stopped reading whenever I saw her name for several chapters. This book may not be for everyone, because there are several religious references, and some language.
Rating:
Summary: Women Empowerment... Pre Mentrual Syndrome
Review: This book epitomized the complexity of women. While they can be wonderful and powerful creatures, we are also weak and moody. Overall I really like this book it was light and fun to read but definately had substance. You are drawn very easily into the book and fall in love with characters instantly. But at the same time feel bad for them because in some ways, their seemingly happy and wild life is kind of sad and pathetic. Really liked it!
Rating: 
Summary: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Review: Although the book started out rather slow, I stayed with it because a friend highly recommended it. It definitely got better with each passing chapter. Growing up as a military brat, moving every 3 years or so, I found myself envying the special bond between the ya-yas. I especially related to the relationship between mother and daughter, from beginning to end!
Rating:
Summary: The use of literary terms by Well's
Review: In the Divine Secretsof the Ya-Ya s\Sisterhood,Rebecca Wells' use oflimitedpoint if view along with Siddalee's particular dialect, strenghtened the plot of the novel as well as created a stronger sense of Siddalee's character.
The plot was strenghtened by the use of first e person point-of-view becausethis revealedSidalee'sgrowth inthinking and understanding of the world, a maini theme in the novel. Sadilee' Lousianadialect strenghtenedthe novel by stressing the theme of asmall-town girl thriving to overcome her small town.
The use of these literary terms also strenghtened Sidalee'scharacter. Sidalee's character ws strenghtened by Wells' use of the first person point-of-view because this enabled Siddallee's maturing to be seen as she grew-up threw the story. Also Siddalee's dialect stressed Siddalee as being a small-town Louisiana girl.
Overall, Wells' use of the first person point-of-view with Sidallee's Louisiana dialect helped establish the plot aswell as Siddalee's character and growththrew the novel.Without the use of the literary devices, Siddalee's experiences would not seem as real, and would not be a very effective novel in showing thechanges of a girl to a woman.
Rating:
Summary: What a great book
Review: I don't usually have a lot of time to read, but now I wish that I did. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I never realized the importance of my relationship with my mom or with my girlfriends. I have always taken these things for granted. Sidda's relationship with her mother, Vivi, and Viv's relationship with her mother, Buggy, make me want to have a stronger relationship with my mom.
Both Sidda and Vivi are encountered with jealousy by their own mothers, which seem to have strong impacts on the rest of their lives. In Vivi's relationship with her mother, Buggy becomes jealous of her. This causes Vivi to feel unloved and unwanted which eventually causes her to have a hard time accepting tragedy. Vivi always encouraged her daughter Sidda to succeed, but when she does, Vivi becomes jealous.
Another thing that I liked about this book was all of the flashbacks of Vivi's youth. The flashbacks gave me, what I thought to be, a very true account of life during World War II. I never could imagine what my life would be like during a war, but because of the flashbacks I now have an idea. Also, the flashbacks were very effective in showing how strong of an impact the Ya-Ya's had on Vivi growing up. It also makes it understandable why Sidda would long for a relationship with her girl friends like that of the Ya-Ya's. Who wouldn't want three best friends whom you grew up with and whom you could share anything with?
Finally,the author, Rebecca Wells, did an excellent job of relating the relationship between a woman and her friends and a woman and her own mother and daughter. I now know appreciate the importance of my mother and my girl friends.
Rating:
Summary: Wish We Could Vote 4 1/2 Stars.... Great Book!
Review: I immensly enjoyed every part of this wonderful book. The only reason I do not rate it 5 stars is because I reserve that rating for only a select few and although this book was terrific, the ending was a bit too brief for me. However, the entire story line was tremendous. The outward layer of the story is about a 40 year old woman, Siddalee Walker, who is not only doing 'research' for her next directorial project, but also trying to come to terms with her childhood, specifically, her relationship with her mother, Vivi. The 'research' and emotional reflection Siddalee endures come together as one giant project, which become the basis and true story of this book. The real story flashes back into Siddalee's Mother's childhood, adolescence, and adult life as a young mother with four children. The stories are rooted in the extreme bond Vivi has with the Ya Ya's, Caro, Necie and Teensy. Here is where the story blossoms with the fun and frolic of youth and also with the sentiment of female bonds, which I believe is the essential message of this book. You will not only enjoy the joyride of exploring a bygone era (30's, 40's, 50's) but will also come away with a renewed and sweeter vision of your own Mother and Girlfriends.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: I had no idea what I was missing out on by not reading this book. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is definitely in my top 5 books of all time. I wanted to start over at the beginning as soon as I was done with it. I love Rebecca Wells' writing style. She weaves flashbacks, letters, story-telling, and various peoples' perspectives together for a multi-layered, mature, and very moving piece of literature. I feel changed by reading it. I'm going to give my mom a copy next time I see her. It made me laugh and made me cry and made me grow emotionally. It's an amazing book that I hope every woman will read. The only warning I would give is that there is a lot of rampant alcoholism in the book. I absolutely love her writing style, and can't wait to read "Little Altars Everywhere."
|
