Rating: Summary: And what is the big deal with yaya? Review: How does skinny dipping cause such a stir? A completely unbelievable family relationship, poor monolouge.
Rating: Summary: Readable, but just barely. Review: Parts of this story are entertaining, but the last five chapters are pure sentimental drivel, as are passages throughout the book. The 4 yayas are exactly the type of girls/women I've always detested--they think they're something special, when what they really are is obnoxous and thoroughly self-absorbed.
Rating: Summary: It helps to be Southern.... Review: I notice that a lot of the unfavorable reviews of this book come from people NOT from the South. Being raised by a Southern Belle (a more refined version of the Ya-Ya's) helps one to appreciate the antics of these women. I found the book thoroughly enjoyable and totally believable...made perfect sense to me. If you like this book, I would suggest ANYTHING by Florence King or "A Southern Belle Primer" by Marlyn Schwartz. You'll gain insight into the reason the Ya-Ya's are the way they are. As for the one reviewer who couldn't believe Sidda's boyfriend....I'm married to a man very much like that....he's practically perfect....they DO exist!
Rating: Summary: An intricate journey into the bayous of our souls... Review: I, too, read this book as part of my book club. Being the mother of a 7-month old, I had to grab a snatchet here & there - basically muddling thru. I missed the book club deadline, but hung on for dear life as everyone raved over it so... Well, here I am, and I'm perplexed. I'm thinking I missed something somewhere because it just didn't move me as it did the others. I love how Wells doesn't tell us anything - we've got to figure out the symbolism & meanings for ourselves. She doesn't give us the answer, she gives us the clues for us to answer ourselves, whatever those personal questions might be. Siddalee & Vivi don't really reconcile, but they let go and yet they hang on. I found it quite disturbing that Sidda didn't get her answers and Vivi never got her dreams. Instead of being inspired, I was saddened. There seems to be much more Rebecca Wells could have offered her readers and I can only wonder why she did not. (Again, an unanswered question!)
Rating: Summary: This book riveted me and made me laugh and cry. Review: In order to grasp what the Ya-Ya's are all about you have to read this book. Many of us have had our own Ya-Ya's and never knew it. My sister gave me the book for Christmas. She is my Ya-Ya. It moved between laughter and tears many times. A must read for women and men!
Rating: Summary: I was sad to see it end. Review: Yeah-Yeah for Ya-Ya. Every female should get their hands on this hilarious and often touching look at femalehood. Not sure if it's for the brotherhood.
Rating: Summary: Remarkably disappointing Review: I read and enjoyed Little Altars Everywhere and was looking forward to reading Divine Secrets. I haven't been as disappointed by a novel in quite a while. The characters in Little Altars are articulate, smart, funny, painfully honest and--most important--speak for themselves. The switch from first person to a third person narrator robs Divine Secrets of much of the vitality of the first book, substituting a lame "romantic" plot for the slowly revealed mysteries and horrors of a remarkably dysfunctional southern family. The romance is contrived, and the writing is banal. Comparisons to The Bridges of Madison County are all too accurate. Sadly, the characters in Divine Secrets are quite weak : annoyingly narcisistic women and an unrealistic, stereotyped cast of supporting players. What happened to the engaging people in Little Altars? They are unrecognizable here. I hope Ms. Wells finds original characters with their own voices again in her next book.
Rating: Summary: excellent! wonderful! a must-read! Review: This is the kind of book that leaves you all warm inside! The characters are so real that you feel like you are right there with them! It also relates to many issues between mothers and daughters! A must - read for every daughter and every mother!!
Rating: Summary: Not at all what I thought It Would be cut out to Be Review: I just got to get this out of my system: This Book Sucked! I absolutely hated the way it was written, bouncing around, back and forth, not at all connecting with what the story was meant to be. Another thing: the characters were unbelieveablely grossly American. Your typical immigrant from the early 1700s. Housewives with rats for kids may enjoy this book, but as for me, the single female, did not find this novel humerous or interesting at all.
Rating: Summary: Fabulous!! Couldn't put it 'The Ya-Ya's' down! Review: 'Divine Secrets' is an excellent book. Wells character development is extremely well done. I have told just about everyone I know about it and continue to lend out my copy. Everyone I know who has read it, has loved it. When I started to read 'Ya-Ya Sisterhood' I couldn't put it down and read it all in one sitting. The plot keeps the pages turning and whether or not you love the characters you can't help being fascinated by them. Can't wait to read other novels by Ms. Wells.
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