Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood : A Novel

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Summary: A Perfect Portrait of the South
Review: This book was a gift, and as soon as I began to read, I couldn't put it down. The characters are so alive to me... I feel as if I really do know these people. Anyone from the South will appreciate the detail and recognize our little idiosyncrasies in Vivi, Sidda and all the rest. It's a compelling story of the complex relationships we have with our families. The book was just marvelous.

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Summary: I couldn't force myself to finish this book.
Review: I can't imagine what all of the hype is about. What one-dimensional characters and absurd writing -- I couldn't help laughing out loud during passages that were intended to be serious and emotionally powerful.

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Summary: One can't escape the effects of one's parents.
Review: This book gave me hope. We all seem to have issues with our parents and the ways we are raised. Life is a process of evolution. We learn as we grow and we come to understand the reasons behind our parents' actions. Many of us find support from the unconditional love of friends. They love us no matter what our flaws are. This book made me wish I had a ya-ya sisterhood. To love me in spite of myself. And it made me wish that in raising my own child, I don't make the same mistakes my parents did. That's how we evolve as humans. We'll still make mistakes but hopefully we continue to evolve.

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Summary: A Must read for any woman who has ever had a best friend!
Review: A friend gave me this book to read, and it took me a little bit to get into it. I met a lot of people just reading it who told me it was amazing, so I ended up expecting a lot from this book! Needless to say, I was not dissapointed by the end. Not only does it gracefully show the complexities of a mother-daughter relationship, but it is amazing in describing the relationship between the Ya-Ya's. Anyone who has ever had a group of friends that accept them totally, will understand and appreciate the love they have for each other! Fantastic!

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Summary: A compelling portrait of alcoholism
Review: Ya Ya has inspired a look at active alcoholism and it's affects on the family in a way which readers may find uncomfortable and reassuring. The codependent relationships are vividly portrayed in the loving bonds and enmeshing ego. The crippling of the children, emotionally, is developed beautifully from the first book, Little Alters Everywhere.

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Summary: It Touched Deep Parts Of Me
Review: Maybe it's the Southern thing. More importantly, maybe it the Louisianna thing. It's important that the message be taken in context with the locale. Every fellow reader who has shared her (and they're all her's to the letter)thoughts on this book with me have a different slant. Each of us brought our own baggage to it. On second reading I felt differently than the first time. Each time, however, was catharic. Rebecca Wells, you can com to my slumber party anytime. You're one of us and we're all part of you. Thanks for pulling out some of our warts so we could see them better.

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Summary: Not hard to put down
Review: I read the Ya Ya sisterhood for a book club. while I finished it and even found some of it entertaining, it was the the type of book that I just could'nt put down. I read before bed, and I had no trouble putting it down to go to sleep. The best part of reading this book, was when I was finished and found out how the others in my book club felt about it. Some were absoulutly enthralled by it while others found that it hit to close to home and stopped reading midway. I enjoyed some of it, but I would not recommend it to my friends.

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Summary: Cliched writing with cliched characters
Review: I spent $14 on this book because all my co-workers said it was the best book ever. WHAT??? I read half of it and couldn't go on. The characters, for one, are NOT even REMOTELY believable, and they are not even original streotypes. All this goddess stuff - PLEASE! And the language! "[His wife] was like a foreign country that he needed a passport to visit." GAG! If the characters in the book think in language like this, it doesn't mean that the author has to write the whole book that way. DON'T FALL FOR THIS BOOK! IT'S COMPLETELY MEDIOCRE!

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Summary: i hated this book
Review: i read the whole thing hoping it would get better but it never did. i read it because someone told me it was a great book - i'm never going to listen to them ever again. hated hated hated it.

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Summary: This book touched my heart!
Review: Our book club met last night to discuss this book and though not all of us would give it 5 stars it touched each of us and a number of us know this is one of those books we will read again. Even though I found there to be much sadness there was also much joy. For those who disliked the book, I can only guess that it might be to close to home for them or that they have never experienced any of the tragedies, failures or deep friendship these women shared and could not relate. I was moved by the way the authour wrote about ViVi's mental illness. Having read Wally Lamb's depressing "She's Come Undone", just prior to the Divine Secrets... it was a pleasure to ride the wonderful roller coaster of emotion to be found here in "The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood". A must for every woman who is a daughter or has one! I look forward to reading " And Little Altars Everywhere".