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Summary: Serendipity
Review: On a recent holiday south,this book was lent to me... It was an unexpected true pleasure. I read it on the beach and on my daily walks with my husband I just couldnt help myself .I had to describe every chapter... I am a motherless daughter,a mother and a friend. It brought back so many memories of having a loving mother, of being a mother and of being friends with lifelong friends. I smiled ,I teared,but most of all visualized the book and its heartwarming characters. I too am a Mixed Gift Set in my own mind. I hope Ms. Wells writes many more books. I am a fan.
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Summary: This will be our book club's December selection.
Review: I laughed and I cried so I know it is a reader's joy. I have recommened it to my book club. It made me remember how miserable I could be when my mother was angry with me. Daughters are just that way.
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Summary: When are they going to make the movie?
Review: I laughed, I cried, I devoured this book. Highly recommended for anyone who has a mother, and especially for those of us with mothers who really tried to do what they thought was best for us, even if it wasn't. Ya-Ya recounts the outrageous Divine Secrets of 4 young women, growing up in the South, and how their friendship influenced not only their adult lives, bu the lives of those around them. If you have ever wanted to go skinny dipping on a hot summer night, you will identify with these gals... As the innocences of the 40's and 50's has melded into the sophification of the 80's and 90's, the Ya-Ya's solidify their bonds, more so to each other than to their families. This book is funny, sad, poignant, wistful, and just too true. What shines through the most is their clear love and devotion to each other.... and their Southern heritage. I gave away 10 copies of this book as Christmas presents... to all my YaYa Sisters... May we create our own Divine Secrets!
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Summary: I loved the many emotions of this story.
Review: This book is an emotional rollercoaster, but enjoyable. I love books about the South and "Belles". I read the preceding book, "Little Alters" after this and I may not have enjoyed "Ya-Yas" as much if I had read it first. Somehow they don't quite jive.
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Summary: absolutely appalling
Review: Cannot see why this book is so popular. Poorly written, dialogue unreal, characters not fleshed out, the ya yas completely unappealing and not like anyone you would want to know, let alone be like. But then, "Bridges of Madison County" and "Horse Whisperers" were popular, too. It is amazing to me when there are so many good writers out there--Smiley, Kingsolver, Gibbons, Russo--how anyone can struggle through such drivel. I tried for l67 pages and then I was getting so depressed I had to give up. Back to Welty.
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Summary: The "Divine Secrets" are indeed divine!
Review: The "Divine Secrets" are truly dvine! The ladies in Vivi's gang remind me of all the stories I've heard about my own mother's assorted group of friends, cousins, and classmates in the 1930's. Mama and her gang weren't quite as wild and crazy as Vivi, but there was the same sense of love and support of each other.There are few really good stories about women, their relationships with one another, and with their families these days. This is a really great example of telling the woman's -- the SOUTHERN woman's --- story. I can only say, "Long live the Ya-Ya's!
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Summary: A delightful and insightful novel
Review: I am only 14 and I absolutely loved this book. After I read it, I wanted to go hug my mother and hang on forever. This novel also made realize how important it is to have friends and how important family is. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone!
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Summary: simply,the most satisfyingly nostalgic book I have ever read
Review: I never wanted to put this down, even for a minute. I was always dying to know what Vivi and the girls would do next.
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Summary: Wish I could give this 0 stars
Review: I, too, read this for my book group and I have to say it's one of the worst books I've ever read. It's contrived and unbelievable. I found all of the Ya-Ya's annoying in their belief in their own cuteness and outrageousness. I've never heard of people spending so much time cultivating their own mythology. And why exactly are they so special? Because they went skinny-dipping? It's like a bunch of women who all thought they were Zelda Fitzgerald but were really just mid-sized fish in a very small pond. I found Sidda unbelievable too, and even the other members of my Book Group (most of whom at least liked this book) all found her boyfriend just too perfect to be real.
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Summary: Poignant
Review: Rebecca Wells has captured the tortured essence of the mother/daughter relationship. I laughed, I cried, I've told all of my friends. Ya-Ya is to die for.
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