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Ya Yas #1
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Wells is a Louisiana-born Seattle actress and playwright; her loopy saga of a 40-year-old player in Seattle's hot theater scene who must come to terms with her mama's past in steamy Thornton City, Louisiana, reads like a lengthy episode of Designing Women written under the influence of mint juleps and Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!. The Ya-Yas are the wild circle of girls who swirl around the narrator Siddalee's mama, Vivi, whose vivid voice is "part Scarlett, part Katharine Hepburn, part Tallulah." The Ya-Yas broke the no-booze rule at the cotillion, skinny-dipped their way to jail in the town water tower, disrupted the Shirley Temple look-alike contest, and bonded for life because, as one says, "It's so much fun being a bad girl!"
Siddalee must repair her busted relationship with Vivi by reading a half-century's worth of letters and clippings contained in the Ya-Ya Sisterhood's packet of "Divine Secrets." It's a contrived premise, but the secrets are really fun to learn.
10 pages, Audio Cassette
First published May 22, 1996
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About the author
Rebecca Wells
30 books2,507 followersRebecca Wells was born and raised in Alexandria, Louisiana. “I grew up,” she says, “in the fertile world of story-telling, filled with flamboyance, flirting, futility, and fear.” Surrounded by Louisiana raconteurs, a large extended family, and Our Lady of Prompt Succor’s Parish, Rebecca’s imagination was stimulated at every turn. Early on, she fell in love with thinking up and acting in plays for her siblings—the beginnings of her career as an actress and writer for the stage. She recalls her early influences as being the land around her, harvest times, craw-fishing in the bayou, practicing piano after school, dancing with her mother and brothers and sister, and the close relationship to her black “mother” who cleaned for the Wells household. She counts black music and culture from Louisiana as something that will stay in her body’s memory forever.
In high school, she read Walt Whitman’s “I Sing the Body Electric,” which opened her up to the idea that everything in life is a poem, and that, as she says, “We are not born separately from one another.” She also read “Howl,” Allen Ginsberg’s indictment of the strangling consumer-driven American culture he saw around him. Acting in school and summer youth theater productions freed Rebecca to step out of the social hierarchies of high school and into the joys of walking inside another character and living in another world.
The day after she graduated from high school, Rebecca left for Yellowstone National Park, where she worked as a waitress. It was an introduction to the natural glories of the park—mountains, waterfalls, hot springs, and geysers—as well as to the art of hitchhiking.
Rebecca graduated from Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, where she studied theater, English, and psychology. She performed in many college plays, but also stepped outside the theater department to become awakened to women’s politics. During this time she worked as a cocktail waitress--once accidentally kicking a man in the shins when he slipped a ten-dollar bill down the front of her dress—and began keeping a journal after reading Anais Nin, which she has done ever since.
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In high school, she read Walt Whitman’s “I Sing the Body Electric,” which opened her up to the idea that everything in life is a poem, and that, as she says, “We are not born separately from one another.” She also read “Howl,” Allen Ginsberg’s indictment of the strangling consumer-driven American culture he saw around him. Acting in school and summer youth theater productions freed Rebecca to step out of the social hierarchies of high school and into the joys of walking inside another character and living in another world.
The day after she graduated from high school, Rebecca left for Yellowstone National Park, where she worked as a waitress. It was an introduction to the natural glories of the park—mountains, waterfalls, hot springs, and geysers—as well as to the art of hitchhiking.
Rebecca graduated from Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, where she studied theater, English, and psychology. She performed in many college plays, but also stepped outside the theater department to become awakened to women’s politics. During this time she worked as a cocktail waitress--once accidentally kicking a man in the shins when he slipped a ten-dollar bill down the front of her dress—and began keeping a journal after reading Anais Nin, which she has done ever since.
Click here to read more...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,043 reviews
April 11, 2008
When I was pregnant with my oldest child, a girl, I had a dream. In my dream, I was in the hospital, postpartum, holding not the one child I knew that I had been pregnant with . . . but two children. Both girls. One of my baby girls was quiet, observant, peaceful. She had big, open eyes that reflected her big, open heart. The other child was physically larger than the other baby and it's complete opposite. Ugly, angry, needy. I sat there holding both babies in their swaddling clothes while the one cried and demanded and writhed . . . and the other lay in my arms quietly observing . . . simply taking it all in. I had what has now become the all-too-familiar feeling of being in over my head - lost even before I had begun. And then, in my dream, my own mother walks into the room with the also all-too-familiar glower she has reserved for me for as far back as I can remember. The look that says "You don't deserve this".
I've never forgotten that dream and until recently, couldn't figure it out. Years later, I do in fact have two daughters and a son . . . born not in that order. My two daughters are almost a decade apart in age the older (bigger) one is definately NOT the noisy, demanding one. No . . . she's definately the open, loving one. (An old soul if ever there was one.)
What does any of this b.s about my dream have to do with Divine Secrets?
Basically, everything.
I have since sorted out this dream . . . my oldest daughter is now 17. A young woman. Just three years younger than I was when I carried her in my womb and dreamt of her and my mother and that demanding other child that needed so damn much all the time.
In the first few pages of Divine Secrets, you are plunged into the life of an interesting, lively young woman and her relationship with her mother. All the bad behavior, jealousy, rage, and hidden wounds.
When I read this book in 2002, I cried because I got that woman's rage towards her mother. I was that woman.
Now I find as my own daughter enters adulthood . . . I identify with the pain of that mother.
By the way, that demanding baby in my dream was me and frankly, that demanding baby in my dream is really a lot of us mothers to some degree or another. Raising our own daughters while trying to finish the job of raising ourselves where our mothers might have failed. Obviously, that analogy doesn't apply to everyone . . . but it's the link between that dream of mine and the thread of understanding that evolves in this book that are the same.
I've never forgotten that dream and until recently, couldn't figure it out. Years later, I do in fact have two daughters and a son . . . born not in that order. My two daughters are almost a decade apart in age the older (bigger) one is definately NOT the noisy, demanding one. No . . . she's definately the open, loving one. (An old soul if ever there was one.)
What does any of this b.s about my dream have to do with Divine Secrets?
Basically, everything.
I have since sorted out this dream . . . my oldest daughter is now 17. A young woman. Just three years younger than I was when I carried her in my womb and dreamt of her and my mother and that demanding other child that needed so damn much all the time.
In the first few pages of Divine Secrets, you are plunged into the life of an interesting, lively young woman and her relationship with her mother. All the bad behavior, jealousy, rage, and hidden wounds.
When I read this book in 2002, I cried because I got that woman's rage towards her mother. I was that woman.
Now I find as my own daughter enters adulthood . . . I identify with the pain of that mother.
By the way, that demanding baby in my dream was me and frankly, that demanding baby in my dream is really a lot of us mothers to some degree or another. Raising our own daughters while trying to finish the job of raising ourselves where our mothers might have failed. Obviously, that analogy doesn't apply to everyone . . . but it's the link between that dream of mine and the thread of understanding that evolves in this book that are the same.
July 13, 2008
I think Vivi WAS a tap-dancing child abuser. Any discussion of this fact ends at the "being whipped with the belt" scene. Vivi had no right to be enraged when this fact comes to light--she should have been embarrassed, yes. Her daughter arguably should not have revealed this dirty laundry but should have worked it through with her mother privately.
According to this book, a scrapbook of silly adventures with Vivi's zany friends makes that behavior forgivable...not an apology or explanation from Vivi. Daughter is chastened and forgives dear Vivi after reading the scrapbook.
Another thing...PLEASE, spare me the "Southern Women" stories. I live in the South and have never met anyone remotely like this...Thank God!
According to this book, a scrapbook of silly adventures with Vivi's zany friends makes that behavior forgivable...not an apology or explanation from Vivi. Daughter is chastened and forgives dear Vivi after reading the scrapbook.
Another thing...PLEASE, spare me the "Southern Women" stories. I live in the South and have never met anyone remotely like this...Thank God!
March 26, 2016
Rebecca Wells can think up a few succulent stories, but her writing is absolute fast-food. It left me depressed to think that women are encouraged to read so-called "chick lit" on the basis that they only need a few sentimental tales about love, friendship, and/or family to satisfy them, no matter how infantile the writing style or half-baked the arguments.
July 19, 2008
I'm having a hard time deciding if I liked this book or not. On the surface, not so much. About 30 pages in, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it through, or if I was going to go insane if I saw the word "Ya-Ya" one more time.
There were some things that I liked about it. Friendship that endures, closer than blood. Knowing there's always someone there in your corner, and they've been there your whole life. Daughters learning that Mom had a life before she became a Mother, and has a separate identity apart from "Mom."
I think my main problem was that I thought the Ya-Yas were all a bunch of spoiled brats that we're supposed to love just because we're told to. Oh, they're so fabulous, it's okay that they desecrate a religious icon that means a lot to Vivi's mother! It's okay that they strip down naked and go swimming in the town's water supply! So the message seems to be that you can get away with whatever the hell you want, as long as you act like it's your birthright to be so obnoxious.
Meanwhile Sidda (daughter of Vivi, one of the Ya-Yas) pretty much seem to do nothing but page through the old scrapbook (the "Divine Secrets" of the title), avoid her fiance, and Think Deep Thoughts as she walks around the woods, or wherever the hell she is. She doesn't really seem to have much identity of her own, she just exists so there can be a Happy Ending, that we all knew was coming anyway.
The main conflict between Sidda and her mother seems to be that Vivi beat the holy hell out of her kids, and she's mad that Sidda is now famous enough to be interviewed for the New York Times and she told them about it. So Vivi's mad that...the truth was told.
So. I guess I'm glad I read it. I'm also glad I only paid half-price for it at the used bookstore.
There were some things that I liked about it. Friendship that endures, closer than blood. Knowing there's always someone there in your corner, and they've been there your whole life. Daughters learning that Mom had a life before she became a Mother, and has a separate identity apart from "Mom."
I think my main problem was that I thought the Ya-Yas were all a bunch of spoiled brats that we're supposed to love just because we're told to. Oh, they're so fabulous, it's okay that they desecrate a religious icon that means a lot to Vivi's mother! It's okay that they strip down naked and go swimming in the town's water supply! So the message seems to be that you can get away with whatever the hell you want, as long as you act like it's your birthright to be so obnoxious.
Meanwhile Sidda (daughter of Vivi, one of the Ya-Yas) pretty much seem to do nothing but page through the old scrapbook (the "Divine Secrets" of the title), avoid her fiance, and Think Deep Thoughts as she walks around the woods, or wherever the hell she is. She doesn't really seem to have much identity of her own, she just exists so there can be a Happy Ending, that we all knew was coming anyway.
The main conflict between Sidda and her mother seems to be that Vivi beat the holy hell out of her kids, and she's mad that Sidda is now famous enough to be interviewed for the New York Times and she told them about it. So Vivi's mad that...the truth was told.
So. I guess I'm glad I read it. I'm also glad I only paid half-price for it at the used bookstore.
April 20, 2012
I am so tired of this sort of storyline. A group of Southern women who form a timeless bond of woman-ness and Southern-ness and triumph in the face of all hardship because they are delicate as blossoms yet strong and fierce.
That said, when entering a genre so well-covered and sticky sweet, one must do something to make one's work stand out. I believe Rebecca Wells does an above-average job at this, and her book was a fun and easy read. It was hardly ground-breaking, nor did I find it moving, and I didn't shed a tear or laugh out loud. I just wrinkled my nose at the way everyone just wrapped up their lives with a nice bow at the end and no one walked away with residual hurt feelings or misunderstandings, then put the book down and decided to write this review before I promptly forgot it entirely.
If you watched Steel Magnolias or Beaches and thought they were profound, you'll just love this book.
That said, when entering a genre so well-covered and sticky sweet, one must do something to make one's work stand out. I believe Rebecca Wells does an above-average job at this, and her book was a fun and easy read. It was hardly ground-breaking, nor did I find it moving, and I didn't shed a tear or laugh out loud. I just wrinkled my nose at the way everyone just wrapped up their lives with a nice bow at the end and no one walked away with residual hurt feelings or misunderstandings, then put the book down and decided to write this review before I promptly forgot it entirely.
If you watched Steel Magnolias or Beaches and thought they were profound, you'll just love this book.
July 29, 2020
EXCERPT: Wearing nothing but their father's old seersucker pajama tops over their panties, the four girls pushed Genevieve's convertible to the end of the long drive before Vivi climbed behind the wheel and started it. There was only a dollop of gas in the tank so they couldn't get far.
'I just know we shouldn't be doing this,' Necie said as they journeyed into the night. 'We should have at least put on pajama bottoms.'
'Necie, this is not a mortal sin, you know,' said Teensy.
'I do not recall it being listed in the Baltimore Catechism,' Vivi said.
'Moses didn't utter one word about pajama bottoms when he came down from the mountain,' said Caro.
'Well,' Necie said, 'I guess these tops do cover more of our bodies than our swimsuits do.'
As Vivi drove, it seemed that not only the Ya-Yas' bodies but the earth and sky were sweating. The very air they breathed was almost a juice. Moonlight spilled down into the convertible, onto the four friends' shoulders and knees and on the tops of their heads, so that their hair seemed to have little sparks shooting off it. 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered ' played on the radio. Vivi had no idea at all where she was headed, but she knew that whatever direction she went, her friends would go with her.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: When Siddalee Walker, oldest daughter of Vivi Abbott Walker, Ya-Ya extraordinaire, is interviewed in the New York Times about a hit play she's directed, her mother gets described as a "tap-dancing child abuser." Enraged, Vivi disowns Sidda. Devastated, Sidda begs forgiveness, and postpones her upcoming wedding. All looks bleak until the Ya-Yas step in and convince Vivi to send Sidda a scrapbook of their girlhood mementos, called "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." As Sidda struggles to analyze her mother, she comes face to face with the tangled beauty of imperfect love, and the fact that forgiveness, more than understanding, is often what the heart longs for.
MY THOUGHTS: 'The beauty of imperfect love.' That is the essence of the series of books that begins with Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
On the surface, this is a story of friendship, love and survival. But it goes so much deeper than that. Wells explores the mother daughter bond, with all its misunderstandings and misconceptions, hurt feelings and petty feuds, and the underlying love that ultimately overshadows everything else.
This is not a subtle story. It is big and loud and blowsy. Flamboyant. Southern. It is full of emotion from full-blown histrionics to studied indifference. It's characters love and hate with equal abandon, they drink, and cuss, and appear to neglect their children. But they have a bond, seemingly unbreakable, so that when something threatens one of them, they circle their wagons and protect one another.
But what happens when that threat, that danger, comes from inside? Siddalee Walker is about to find out. A few careless words to a reporter about her mother may have just exiled her from her family forever....
I love this book. Adore it. It is my favourite of the three in the series. Tattered is how I would describe its condition. Definitely beyond well worn. I read it often and I find it extremely difficult to put into words how much this book makes me feel. I laugh (a lot) and cry (not quite so much) every time I read it. It invokes memories, pleasant and not so pleasant, of my own childhood. Every time I read this, I get something different from it. Definitely one of my lifetime top ten books.
❤❤❤❤❤
THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Wells was born and raised in Alexandria, Louisiana. “I grew up,” she says, “in the fertile world of story-telling, filled with flamboyance, flirting, futility, and fear.” Surrounded by Louisiana raconteurs, a large extended family, and Our Lady of Prompt Succor’s Parish, Rebecca’s imagination was stimulated at every turn. Early on, she fell in love with thinking up and acting in plays for her siblings—the beginnings of her career as an actress and writer for the stage. She recalls her early influences as being the land around her, harvest times, craw-fishing in the bayou, practicing piano after school, dancing with her mother and brothers and sister, and the close relationship to her black “mother” who cleaned for the Wells household. She counts black music and culture from Louisiana as something that will stay in her body’s memory forever.
In high school, she read Walt Whitman’s “I Sing the Body Electric,” which opened her up to the idea that everything in life is a poem, and that, as she says, “We are not born separately from one another.” She also read “Howl,” Allen Ginsberg’s indictment of the strangling consumer-driven American culture he saw around him. Acting in school and summer youth theater productions freed Rebecca to step out of the social hierarchies of high school and into the joys of walking inside another character and living in another world.
The day after she graduated from high school, Rebecca left for Yellowstone National Park, where she worked as a waitress. It was an introduction to the natural glories of the park—mountains, waterfalls, hot springs, and geysers—as well as to the art of hitchhiking.
Rebecca graduated from Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, where she studied theater, English, and psychology. She performed in many college plays, but also stepped outside the theater department to become awakened to women’s politics. During this time she worked as a cocktail waitress--once accidentally kicking a man in the shins when he slipped a ten-dollar bill down the front of her dress—and began keeping a journal after reading Anais Nin, which she has done ever since.
DISCLOSURE: I own my own copy of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells, published by Harper Collins. And do not ever try to part me from it.
All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
'I just know we shouldn't be doing this,' Necie said as they journeyed into the night. 'We should have at least put on pajama bottoms.'
'Necie, this is not a mortal sin, you know,' said Teensy.
'I do not recall it being listed in the Baltimore Catechism,' Vivi said.
'Moses didn't utter one word about pajama bottoms when he came down from the mountain,' said Caro.
'Well,' Necie said, 'I guess these tops do cover more of our bodies than our swimsuits do.'
As Vivi drove, it seemed that not only the Ya-Yas' bodies but the earth and sky were sweating. The very air they breathed was almost a juice. Moonlight spilled down into the convertible, onto the four friends' shoulders and knees and on the tops of their heads, so that their hair seemed to have little sparks shooting off it. 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered ' played on the radio. Vivi had no idea at all where she was headed, but she knew that whatever direction she went, her friends would go with her.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: When Siddalee Walker, oldest daughter of Vivi Abbott Walker, Ya-Ya extraordinaire, is interviewed in the New York Times about a hit play she's directed, her mother gets described as a "tap-dancing child abuser." Enraged, Vivi disowns Sidda. Devastated, Sidda begs forgiveness, and postpones her upcoming wedding. All looks bleak until the Ya-Yas step in and convince Vivi to send Sidda a scrapbook of their girlhood mementos, called "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." As Sidda struggles to analyze her mother, she comes face to face with the tangled beauty of imperfect love, and the fact that forgiveness, more than understanding, is often what the heart longs for.
MY THOUGHTS: 'The beauty of imperfect love.' That is the essence of the series of books that begins with Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
On the surface, this is a story of friendship, love and survival. But it goes so much deeper than that. Wells explores the mother daughter bond, with all its misunderstandings and misconceptions, hurt feelings and petty feuds, and the underlying love that ultimately overshadows everything else.
This is not a subtle story. It is big and loud and blowsy. Flamboyant. Southern. It is full of emotion from full-blown histrionics to studied indifference. It's characters love and hate with equal abandon, they drink, and cuss, and appear to neglect their children. But they have a bond, seemingly unbreakable, so that when something threatens one of them, they circle their wagons and protect one another.
But what happens when that threat, that danger, comes from inside? Siddalee Walker is about to find out. A few careless words to a reporter about her mother may have just exiled her from her family forever....
I love this book. Adore it. It is my favourite of the three in the series. Tattered is how I would describe its condition. Definitely beyond well worn. I read it often and I find it extremely difficult to put into words how much this book makes me feel. I laugh (a lot) and cry (not quite so much) every time I read it. It invokes memories, pleasant and not so pleasant, of my own childhood. Every time I read this, I get something different from it. Definitely one of my lifetime top ten books.
❤❤❤❤❤
THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Wells was born and raised in Alexandria, Louisiana. “I grew up,” she says, “in the fertile world of story-telling, filled with flamboyance, flirting, futility, and fear.” Surrounded by Louisiana raconteurs, a large extended family, and Our Lady of Prompt Succor’s Parish, Rebecca’s imagination was stimulated at every turn. Early on, she fell in love with thinking up and acting in plays for her siblings—the beginnings of her career as an actress and writer for the stage. She recalls her early influences as being the land around her, harvest times, craw-fishing in the bayou, practicing piano after school, dancing with her mother and brothers and sister, and the close relationship to her black “mother” who cleaned for the Wells household. She counts black music and culture from Louisiana as something that will stay in her body’s memory forever.
In high school, she read Walt Whitman’s “I Sing the Body Electric,” which opened her up to the idea that everything in life is a poem, and that, as she says, “We are not born separately from one another.” She also read “Howl,” Allen Ginsberg’s indictment of the strangling consumer-driven American culture he saw around him. Acting in school and summer youth theater productions freed Rebecca to step out of the social hierarchies of high school and into the joys of walking inside another character and living in another world.
The day after she graduated from high school, Rebecca left for Yellowstone National Park, where she worked as a waitress. It was an introduction to the natural glories of the park—mountains, waterfalls, hot springs, and geysers—as well as to the art of hitchhiking.
Rebecca graduated from Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, where she studied theater, English, and psychology. She performed in many college plays, but also stepped outside the theater department to become awakened to women’s politics. During this time she worked as a cocktail waitress--once accidentally kicking a man in the shins when he slipped a ten-dollar bill down the front of her dress—and began keeping a journal after reading Anais Nin, which she has done ever since.
DISCLOSURE: I own my own copy of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells, published by Harper Collins. And do not ever try to part me from it.
All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
February 5, 2025
3.5/5
Okay, so… Was this enjoyable? Yes, but.. in a weird way.
This story is basically generational trauma. And I’m not calling generational trauma weird btw, what I would find sometimes weird were the random quotes the author would throw every once in a while. Like, I don’t think this has anything to do with the plot…. But, I don’t think reading how one of the main characters masturbated herself in the book brought anything to the plot but… you do you!
Anyway, the story is about Sidda and Vivi. A daughter and a mother. Who seriously need therapy and who have seriously been through stuff. The book develops around what each of them have lived, what their mommy issues were like— I mean, family relationships. And how they each cope with those. But most importantly; how they both manage (or not) to connect with each other despite all the rights and wrongs they’ve both done.
And of course, the amazing group of friends in which who Vivi belongs to. The Ya-Ya’s.
There were points that I didn’t know who to blame. Because… man… I don’t think motherhood is that simple. But then again, some actions were completely horrible and aren’t excused.
I didn’t really enjoy Sidda’s part of the story, I found it a little… idk, quite boring.
Every single time we’d get a peek of Vivi’s story, man, now THAT was intriguing.
As for the Ya-Ya’s, they were cool. Honestly, I wouldn’t like to admit it but there wouldn’t be a plot if they weren’t in the book. So thank you Ya-Ya’s.
Okay, so… Was this enjoyable? Yes, but.. in a weird way.
This story is basically generational trauma. And I’m not calling generational trauma weird btw, what I would find sometimes weird were the random quotes the author would throw every once in a while. Like, I don’t think this has anything to do with the plot…. But, I don’t think reading how one of the main characters masturbated herself in the book brought anything to the plot but… you do you!
Anyway, the story is about Sidda and Vivi. A daughter and a mother. Who seriously need therapy and who have seriously been through stuff. The book develops around what each of them have lived, what their mommy issues were like— I mean, family relationships. And how they each cope with those. But most importantly; how they both manage (or not) to connect with each other despite all the rights and wrongs they’ve both done.
And of course, the amazing group of friends in which who Vivi belongs to. The Ya-Ya’s.
There were points that I didn’t know who to blame. Because… man… I don’t think motherhood is that simple. But then again, some actions were completely horrible and aren’t excused.
I didn’t really enjoy Sidda’s part of the story, I found it a little… idk, quite boring.
Every single time we’d get a peek of Vivi’s story, man, now THAT was intriguing.
As for the Ya-Ya’s, they were cool. Honestly, I wouldn’t like to admit it but there wouldn’t be a plot if they weren’t in the book. So thank you Ya-Ya’s.
August 30, 2007
When the whole Ya-Ya craze was going on, my book club decided we'd better read it to see what all the fuss was about. In the end, we had to take a vote ("ya-ya" if you liked it; "no-no" if you didn't). I fell into the "no-no" group.
I found it disturbing that hordes of women were flocking to this book that is really about completely dysfunctional families and marriages and a really unhealthy attachment to friends from the past. It made me wonder what's going on with women that this kind of co-dependent group of friends was something to aspire to.
I had a similar reaction to Bridges of Madison County, although I did go see the movie, and Meryl Streep did get me, despite my skepticism.
I found it disturbing that hordes of women were flocking to this book that is really about completely dysfunctional families and marriages and a really unhealthy attachment to friends from the past. It made me wonder what's going on with women that this kind of co-dependent group of friends was something to aspire to.
I had a similar reaction to Bridges of Madison County, although I did go see the movie, and Meryl Streep did get me, despite my skepticism.
September 13, 2013
My mother and her Ya-Ya’s were called the sisters of Beta Sigma Phi sorority in Charleston S.C. I grew up on the marshes watching them swing dance, shuck oysters and throwing what always seemed like a never ending festival that celebrated life.
They did community work and supported the local theatre, but mostly they just had a good time. I grew up in the whirlwind of color and laughter that now seems only like a distant dream. Momma passed 18 years ago and I don’t think I will ever be the same. I miss her, and her Ya-Ya’s, Aunt Betty, Aunt Carol, Aunt Dolores with their respective husbands and friends in toe.
I live in New York now, not unlike Siddlee, but they are always with me especially when I revisit their split-a-parts in the tapestry of Rebecca Well’s – Divine Secret of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. If you want to know more about who I am and where I come from read this book, it explains a lot!! So pass the "bloodies" sugar, it’s time to get our panties in a knot!
They did community work and supported the local theatre, but mostly they just had a good time. I grew up in the whirlwind of color and laughter that now seems only like a distant dream. Momma passed 18 years ago and I don’t think I will ever be the same. I miss her, and her Ya-Ya’s, Aunt Betty, Aunt Carol, Aunt Dolores with their respective husbands and friends in toe.
I live in New York now, not unlike Siddlee, but they are always with me especially when I revisit their split-a-parts in the tapestry of Rebecca Well’s – Divine Secret of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. If you want to know more about who I am and where I come from read this book, it explains a lot!! So pass the "bloodies" sugar, it’s time to get our panties in a knot!
March 9, 2010
If you don't find these women as adorable and outrageous as they find themselves, you are really going to hate this book. And I did.
January 10, 2009
Much of this book I found really aggravating -- the unthinking privilege of the Ya-Yas, their total narcissism, the constant and tedious drama -- and yet I found myself looking forward to my lunch breaks so I could read it. Despite the foreignness of the situations and location, the class and race, there was still enough of my mother and me in Vivi and Siddalee Walker to make the book resonate with me. In the end, that's what I enjoyed (not quite the right word -- you know what I mean, though) most ... but that said, if you don't personally connect with that particular mother/daughter dynamic, it might just leave you pissed off at the hamminess of it all.
December 14, 2009
Has anyone else read this book and thought it sucked? I was very disappointed in it. I started off excited to read this book and that's where that enthusiasm left me.
To start - Wow religious! There are some books that make me go - hmm you're religious - I get your sense of peace from it. Or I can also read it and go ok you are one of the crazy religious people that are scary. This book was just like STOP TALKING ABOUT RELIGION!!! No one practiced what was preached and so I don't really understand the necessity of it. And they did a lot of "praying".
Now I'm not going to go into every detail, as this review would be incredibly long and no one would read it. However . . . .
Nothing was resolved, nothing was solved, nothing remarkable happened, all in all, nothing! This girl randomly decides she can't marry her boyfriend because of her mother. Which - clearly this love/hate between mom and daughter is not something new. Way to be a bitch about it and just leave good man standing there. Nice. Very nice.
Then she goes making demands on her mom. Who hasn't really been there throughout her life, who hasn't always been the nicest to her, and who has disowned her because of a dumb newspaper article. And the mom - for some random reason - was like here! have this book! but that's all I'm giving you! Good thing this won't help you in any sort of way!
So then we get random stories of the mother and her depression and addiction, but still nothing is resolved. There is no epiphany in the mothers thoughts. No real regret shown to her daughter. And then it just abruptly ends with - in my opinion - many unanswered questions. And when her daughter does have more questions - it's not the mom who comes - it's her friends.
And then randomly - the daughter just forgives her mom - decides to get married again - and life is wonderful. WHAT!? Where the hell did that come from!? And her mom was kinda a bitch towards her on the phone. Something along the lines of I'm not sure if I will welcome you to come home. But - alas - of course she does!
What absolute garbage! I am so angry I wasted time on this book.
Does anyone have a different opinion? I would love to be proven wrong?
To start - Wow religious! There are some books that make me go - hmm you're religious - I get your sense of peace from it. Or I can also read it and go ok you are one of the crazy religious people that are scary. This book was just like STOP TALKING ABOUT RELIGION!!! No one practiced what was preached and so I don't really understand the necessity of it. And they did a lot of "praying".
Now I'm not going to go into every detail, as this review would be incredibly long and no one would read it. However . . . .
Nothing was resolved, nothing was solved, nothing remarkable happened, all in all, nothing! This girl randomly decides she can't marry her boyfriend because of her mother. Which - clearly this love/hate between mom and daughter is not something new. Way to be a bitch about it and just leave good man standing there. Nice. Very nice.
Then she goes making demands on her mom. Who hasn't really been there throughout her life, who hasn't always been the nicest to her, and who has disowned her because of a dumb newspaper article. And the mom - for some random reason - was like here! have this book! but that's all I'm giving you! Good thing this won't help you in any sort of way!
So then we get random stories of the mother and her depression and addiction, but still nothing is resolved. There is no epiphany in the mothers thoughts. No real regret shown to her daughter. And then it just abruptly ends with - in my opinion - many unanswered questions. And when her daughter does have more questions - it's not the mom who comes - it's her friends.
And then randomly - the daughter just forgives her mom - decides to get married again - and life is wonderful. WHAT!? Where the hell did that come from!? And her mom was kinda a bitch towards her on the phone. Something along the lines of I'm not sure if I will welcome you to come home. But - alas - of course she does!
What absolute garbage! I am so angry I wasted time on this book.
Does anyone have a different opinion? I would love to be proven wrong?
February 7, 2009
self-pitying, self-destructive characters.
May 21, 2014
Oh I loved this book! I had a very complicated relationship with my mother and though a cliche, I could well relate to that aspect of the book! I also love the movie, but I love the book more! (I read it just before the movie came out). I've also battled severe depression and this book (and movie) is near to my heart. Overall, the details, descriptions & relationships are just amazing! Ms. Wells has Lyme disease and has had a horrible past few years, and when I joined the message boards on her website, I mentioned that I had Lyme disease and as a result have been battling many health problems myself over the years. I was asked by the moderator if I would write about what I've gone through so that fans could better understand her struggles ~ I was so honored and touched!
**Update 5/21/2014: Unfortunately, as it turns out, I did not have Lyme disease, although I do have different debilitating auto-immune disease. I have Rheumatoid Disease (aka Rheumatoid Arthritis) and have likely had it since I was fairly young (aka Juvenile RA). Since beginning IV med treatments, I have had an improved quality of life (whereas prior I had no quality of life), but it was too far along to be 'cured' (there is hope to be 'cured' or put into remission within the first two years of the disease's appearance). I've been at and will continue to be at the disease/symptom management stage. It's incurable, chronic and progressive. It's WAY more than just arthritis - it affects my nerves, kidneys (5 surgeries to date in less than 10 years), my heart (which has damage due to an infection that caused a high fever which caused an alarming spike in my heart rate 4 years ago), my eye sight, my motor skills, leaves me at higher risk for heart attack, stroke and cancers vs healthy folks and leaves me open to picking up bacterial and viral infections at the drop of a dime - all in addition to/on top of chronic pain, swelling and fatigue.
**Update 5/21/2014: Unfortunately, as it turns out, I did not have Lyme disease, although I do have different debilitating auto-immune disease. I have Rheumatoid Disease (aka Rheumatoid Arthritis) and have likely had it since I was fairly young (aka Juvenile RA). Since beginning IV med treatments, I have had an improved quality of life (whereas prior I had no quality of life), but it was too far along to be 'cured' (there is hope to be 'cured' or put into remission within the first two years of the disease's appearance). I've been at and will continue to be at the disease/symptom management stage. It's incurable, chronic and progressive. It's WAY more than just arthritis - it affects my nerves, kidneys (5 surgeries to date in less than 10 years), my heart (which has damage due to an infection that caused a high fever which caused an alarming spike in my heart rate 4 years ago), my eye sight, my motor skills, leaves me at higher risk for heart attack, stroke and cancers vs healthy folks and leaves me open to picking up bacterial and viral infections at the drop of a dime - all in addition to/on top of chronic pain, swelling and fatigue.
June 16, 2025
Ya-ya non, chère. DNF @ 26%.
This book was everywhere in the late '90s. I'm glad I gave it a shot, but I'm no longer the kind of girl who enjoys reading about toxic mother/damaged daughter relationships, served up with a glass of whiskey-spiked sweet iced tea.
Even just a couple of years ago this might have clicked with me, but not now.
This book was everywhere in the late '90s. I'm glad I gave it a shot, but I'm no longer the kind of girl who enjoys reading about toxic mother/damaged daughter relationships, served up with a glass of whiskey-spiked sweet iced tea.
Even just a couple of years ago this might have clicked with me, but not now.
March 22, 2008
The only thing better than reading about dysfunctional, alcohlic, crazy families is reading about dysfunctional, alcoholic, crazy Catholic families. Who are Southern.
Every now and then I'll sit down and reread the chapter where Vivi and her friends (fourteen at the time) travel to Atlanta by themselves for the premiere of Gone With the Wind and Vivi ends up throwing a plate at her cousin when he insults one of the maids.
Then there's the time the girls enter a Shirley Temple lookalike contest and get kicked out for farting onstage. And when they climbed the town's water tower, went skinny-dipping in it, and got arrested.
I can continue.
If you like this book, try Little Altars Everywhere and Ya-Yas In Bloom.
Every now and then I'll sit down and reread the chapter where Vivi and her friends (fourteen at the time) travel to Atlanta by themselves for the premiere of Gone With the Wind and Vivi ends up throwing a plate at her cousin when he insults one of the maids.
Then there's the time the girls enter a Shirley Temple lookalike contest and get kicked out for farting onstage. And when they climbed the town's water tower, went skinny-dipping in it, and got arrested.
I can continue.
If you like this book, try Little Altars Everywhere and Ya-Yas In Bloom.
July 23, 2019
Read this book in my early 20’s enjoyed it. But never continued the series and I won’t.
July 21, 2022
“I want to lay up like that, to float unstructured, without ambition or anxiety. I want to inhabit my life like a porch.”
Set deep in the south (Louisiana) where the crawfish are boiling, the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is an unforgettable experience.
Guilty of having seen the film first as a child, I finally got around to reading the book. Full of the finest southern charm, this book is a keepsake. It’s all encompassing. It provokes laughter, smiles, and tears. It makes you crave parts of a life you never had or even thought you wanted. It gives you a dose of pain, friendship, family, nostalgia, freedom, country life, and joy all at once. The Ya-Ya’s are the very definition of being a part of something bigger than yourself, something I’m sure every woman/girl has dreamed of at some point in their lives.
Painstakingly, it also closely examines the reality of a broken mother-daughter relationship and the difficult, often times impossible to find, road to healing.
This is one of those stories where you can see both sides for what they truly are and you just pour your heart and soul out into the characters hoping they all find healing in their existences. What absolutely hurt me the most about this story was the hidden message of it all….it was the unspoken sacrifices that led to the destruction of dreams. It’s that acknowledgement of the beast clawing from within to be let out and roam free. It’s the realization (sigh, tear drop) that your life isn’t what you hoped it would be and it’s too far gone to fix it. It’s no wonder someone as “vivacious” as Vivi Abbott Walker “dropped her basket.” She deserved more than just an ordinary life.....
“There was nothing to erase the stink of being alive.”
---Vivi
More thoughts:
I loved the historical reflections in the story.
The film adaptation was nearly spot on in so many ways!! I mean line for line from the book itself appeared at times which completely astounded me! With a cast of strong leading women, how could it have gone wrong? There were only a few minor changes, with one change that actually made the movie slightly better than the book!!
So glad I completed the Gone with the Wind reading challenge of 2021 since there were an abundant number of references to that book.
The story reminded me of a long forgotten concept – the lachrymatory from the Victorian era which is a tiny jar of teardrops. Gotta check into that again!
Set deep in the south (Louisiana) where the crawfish are boiling, the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is an unforgettable experience.
Guilty of having seen the film first as a child, I finally got around to reading the book. Full of the finest southern charm, this book is a keepsake. It’s all encompassing. It provokes laughter, smiles, and tears. It makes you crave parts of a life you never had or even thought you wanted. It gives you a dose of pain, friendship, family, nostalgia, freedom, country life, and joy all at once. The Ya-Ya’s are the very definition of being a part of something bigger than yourself, something I’m sure every woman/girl has dreamed of at some point in their lives.
Painstakingly, it also closely examines the reality of a broken mother-daughter relationship and the difficult, often times impossible to find, road to healing.
This is one of those stories where you can see both sides for what they truly are and you just pour your heart and soul out into the characters hoping they all find healing in their existences. What absolutely hurt me the most about this story was the hidden message of it all….it was the unspoken sacrifices that led to the destruction of dreams. It’s that acknowledgement of the beast clawing from within to be let out and roam free. It’s the realization (sigh, tear drop) that your life isn’t what you hoped it would be and it’s too far gone to fix it. It’s no wonder someone as “vivacious” as Vivi Abbott Walker “dropped her basket.” She deserved more than just an ordinary life.....
“There was nothing to erase the stink of being alive.”
---Vivi
More thoughts:
I loved the historical reflections in the story.
The film adaptation was nearly spot on in so many ways!! I mean line for line from the book itself appeared at times which completely astounded me! With a cast of strong leading women, how could it have gone wrong? There were only a few minor changes, with one change that actually made the movie slightly better than the book!!
So glad I completed the Gone with the Wind reading challenge of 2021 since there were an abundant number of references to that book.
The story reminded me of a long forgotten concept – the lachrymatory from the Victorian era which is a tiny jar of teardrops. Gotta check into that again!
February 23, 2008
Really awful Southern girl shit.
April 28, 2023
This was easily one of the worst books I ever read that had such popular acclaim. Not only was the ending apparent from the first pages - do these books ever have an unhappy ending or even a melancholic one? - but it was poorly written, aimed at "super-light" readers. "Chick-lit books" are fine but there was very little thinking of any weight here. Substitute booze for pills and all clichés would be covered, but this also included, "Yeah, I beat the shit out of my kid but I had an excuse," to top it off. Could this be more whiney? Next time you see some kid on the news with the crap knocked out of them, remember that the parent probably had an excuse and should be forgiven. They were neither violent bullies nor psychopaths, just misunderstood.
August 21, 2017
Disappointed. Overly romanticized. I really wanted to like this book and I gave it 2 stars because it had potential but unfortunate Wells butchered it (and her editor didn't stop it?!) with all the ridiculous descriptions. Pet peeve: I hate being told exactly how a character feels over and over, it takes away any personal interpretation or imagination.
April 7, 2012
This book may be entertaining for someone who likes gossip so much, because here you can get to know all the juicy events that happened in the youth and life of four women who were best friends and thought they were absolutely amazing and called themselves the Ya-Yas.
So, this story starts when a Petite Ya-Ya, that's how the Ya-Yas called their daughters, (not so petite anymore) let escape in an interview with the New York Times that her mother, the awesome Vivi, used to hit her. Vivi becomes so mad at her, because this piece of dirty laundry has affected her reputation so much, and stops talking to her. Now her daughter is working at the theater and for some reason (i don't really remember) she asks her mother to help the theater, not her, with a book with many pictures and anecdotes and stuff from her past and the Ya-Yas', which she guards jealously. So her mother accepts, and with this book called the divine secrets, let's her enter in the past and adventures she had with the Ya-Yas since they were 8 years old.
These ladies thought of themselves like divas from a very little age, and now that they were old, it was no different. They sometimes use some words in French to feel they are very nice and create their own words like something is Ya-Ya if it's nice and cool, or something is Ya-Ya-No if it's not. So, occasionally they'll say things like "That's très Ya-Ya-No" or "Let's go, S'il vous plaît". French is not a language i particularly like, so maybe you can see my annoyance with this aspect.
The rest of the book continued to tell stories of the pictures and things she was seeing in the scrap book, and it contained a ton of letters she and her mother kept writing to each other back and forth. So, if you really feel intrigued enough to know all of the adventures and things the Ya-Yas went through, then maybe it is an ok book for you. But, for me, I don't care. I started reading this with high hopes that maybe it would be interesting, that it could surprise me, until those hopes started to fade away and left me feeling with no desire to carry on in the least. Something like this, see:
I don't fucking care what these "fabulous" women did, and the fun they had, and how they were dressed, and how they did their hair or anything. So i didn't bother to finish it.
I picked this book to read along with someone in a buddy read, so i was trying to force myself to finish it, but then i realize, what is the point in that? i read enough of the book to understand i don't care for it, and there are plenty of other books i want to read to waste my time reading something i am not enjoying. So, i just skimmed through the book until the end to give me a basic idea of everything that followed... None of my interest.
I didn't hate it, though. This isn't a book i absolutely despise or anything. It's just a story i didn't find any interest on.
So, this story starts when a Petite Ya-Ya, that's how the Ya-Yas called their daughters, (not so petite anymore) let escape in an interview with the New York Times that her mother, the awesome Vivi, used to hit her. Vivi becomes so mad at her, because this piece of dirty laundry has affected her reputation so much, and stops talking to her. Now her daughter is working at the theater and for some reason (i don't really remember) she asks her mother to help the theater, not her, with a book with many pictures and anecdotes and stuff from her past and the Ya-Yas', which she guards jealously. So her mother accepts, and with this book called the divine secrets, let's her enter in the past and adventures she had with the Ya-Yas since they were 8 years old.
These ladies thought of themselves like divas from a very little age, and now that they were old, it was no different. They sometimes use some words in French to feel they are very nice and create their own words like something is Ya-Ya if it's nice and cool, or something is Ya-Ya-No if it's not. So, occasionally they'll say things like "That's très Ya-Ya-No" or "Let's go, S'il vous plaît". French is not a language i particularly like, so maybe you can see my annoyance with this aspect.
The rest of the book continued to tell stories of the pictures and things she was seeing in the scrap book, and it contained a ton of letters she and her mother kept writing to each other back and forth. So, if you really feel intrigued enough to know all of the adventures and things the Ya-Yas went through, then maybe it is an ok book for you. But, for me, I don't care. I started reading this with high hopes that maybe it would be interesting, that it could surprise me, until those hopes started to fade away and left me feeling with no desire to carry on in the least. Something like this, see:
I don't fucking care what these "fabulous" women did, and the fun they had, and how they were dressed, and how they did their hair or anything. So i didn't bother to finish it.
I picked this book to read along with someone in a buddy read, so i was trying to force myself to finish it, but then i realize, what is the point in that? i read enough of the book to understand i don't care for it, and there are plenty of other books i want to read to waste my time reading something i am not enjoying. So, i just skimmed through the book until the end to give me a basic idea of everything that followed... None of my interest.
I didn't hate it, though. This isn't a book i absolutely despise or anything. It's just a story i didn't find any interest on.
March 6, 2011
I must be a masochist of sorts to have put myself through this book.
The word that constantly came to mind when i read this book was 'contrived'. Everything felt so contrived about this book.
The characters, especially the four primary members of ya-ya. Each had a character that seemed to have been pushed on them, and each of their conversations played out like a badly rehearsed school-play. Very mechanical, and very predictable.
There seemed to be a lot of characters and information in the book that didn't seem like it had a reason to be there. For example, the only reason i could see for the dog in the book is to fill up some pages. For that matter, one could have actually made do without Siddalee as a main character.
What i hoped would be a light read in between the more intense novels turned out to be a nerve-grater instead. The endless descriptions and poorly made up metaphors were painful. Again, those felt too contrived. Even in the most boring of books i have read so far, the descriptive pieces didn't really bother me, but this one sure did.
I was wondering if coca-cola paid for putting promos in this book.
Well, i have to confess that there were bits that did grip me. However, those bits were few and far between. If only more attention was paid to action and plot in the book than to inane attempts at trying to describing everything.
The word that constantly came to mind when i read this book was 'contrived'. Everything felt so contrived about this book.
The characters, especially the four primary members of ya-ya. Each had a character that seemed to have been pushed on them, and each of their conversations played out like a badly rehearsed school-play. Very mechanical, and very predictable.
There seemed to be a lot of characters and information in the book that didn't seem like it had a reason to be there. For example, the only reason i could see for the dog in the book is to fill up some pages. For that matter, one could have actually made do without Siddalee as a main character.
What i hoped would be a light read in between the more intense novels turned out to be a nerve-grater instead. The endless descriptions and poorly made up metaphors were painful. Again, those felt too contrived. Even in the most boring of books i have read so far, the descriptive pieces didn't really bother me, but this one sure did.
I was wondering if coca-cola paid for putting promos in this book.
Well, i have to confess that there were bits that did grip me. However, those bits were few and far between. If only more attention was paid to action and plot in the book than to inane attempts at trying to describing everything.
July 4, 2010
Wow, this book got some harsh reviews! I will agree that the whole southern friendship pact was over the top, but I think that Wells was trying to present a rare friendship and an outlandish character in Viviane. These girls grew up without air conditioning and television; they needed some pretty big distractions just to cope with the heat and the boredom!
My mother in law grew up in Georgia, and remembers some pretty crazy characters from her youth and some wild stories in her own family. Having listened to her stories, I think the characters are plausible, and the storyline is very engaging. Yes, Viviane was a child abuser, horrifyingly so. But I didn't think Wells so much as justified her behavior as brought Sidda, Viv's daughter, to a place of understanding and forgiveness. Wells did a great job constructing events that led to Viv's alcoholism, abuse, and nervous breakdown. I thought Viv's months in the Catholic school were particularly well done.
I stand by my initial rating; I really enjoyed this book.
My mother in law grew up in Georgia, and remembers some pretty crazy characters from her youth and some wild stories in her own family. Having listened to her stories, I think the characters are plausible, and the storyline is very engaging. Yes, Viviane was a child abuser, horrifyingly so. But I didn't think Wells so much as justified her behavior as brought Sidda, Viv's daughter, to a place of understanding and forgiveness. Wells did a great job constructing events that led to Viv's alcoholism, abuse, and nervous breakdown. I thought Viv's months in the Catholic school were particularly well done.
I stand by my initial rating; I really enjoyed this book.
February 8, 2016
I read both Little Altars Everywhere and this book in sequence. I really enjoyed them, but they are at times heart-wrenching and difficult to read. They definitely should be read in sequence because the second (this one) explains much of Vivi's behavior and reminds us that while we are all products of our up-bringing, we are also all capable of changing patterns, of overcoming our trials and of forgiving (not necessarily forgetting) our parents for their less-than-perfect love.
August 20, 2017
This book speaks so true to core of what I feel. That core is - being who you REALLY authentically are - and having people in your life who know truly know you. Vivi Walker is a part of me, I think I have a bit of her in me and I identified with her character more than ever. WAnting to be a star, something special and bigger than the small town she grew up in. Always feeling like NO ONE understood her. Life circumstances hit and she remains in that same small town with a group of female friends who have been around since childhood. As I read the story from her daughter, Sida, I see what it is like to be a child of someone who is so big and yet so unfulfilled. What can a Vivi-like person do?
I doubt this is the true intentional message of the author, but I got it. Vivi and all her longings and yearnings, and mistakes, and consequences weave a tapestry that is so beautiful to me. This book is one I read at least once a year. I dont' love every single word written, but I love the story and the characters. I love the theme. I love the victory of connection. I always read this book when I need grounding.
My most favorite image from the story - Vivi, depressed in her room, has a Mary Kay type salesperson come to the door. Sida tries to summon her mother to the door. The only way she is able to get her to come is by saying, "Momma, there is a woman at the door who is wearing the wrong shade of lipstick" and Vivi snaps to attention.
I doubt this is the true intentional message of the author, but I got it. Vivi and all her longings and yearnings, and mistakes, and consequences weave a tapestry that is so beautiful to me. This book is one I read at least once a year. I dont' love every single word written, but I love the story and the characters. I love the theme. I love the victory of connection. I always read this book when I need grounding.
My most favorite image from the story - Vivi, depressed in her room, has a Mary Kay type salesperson come to the door. Sida tries to summon her mother to the door. The only way she is able to get her to come is by saying, "Momma, there is a woman at the door who is wearing the wrong shade of lipstick" and Vivi snaps to attention.
June 7, 2007
I loved this book, although there are parts I hated equally. The cameraderie of the grown ya-ya's was funny as well as endearing. The tragedies were painful to read. This is nowhere near a "classic" book, but it is, for the most part, a fun read. Reading "Little Altars" after this was a mistake. I wish I had left it at "Divine Secrets"
April 4, 2024
I read this years ago but I just wanted to say I loved the book and the movie, how rare is that?
May 11, 2014
I'm glad this was quite a fast read, because I didn't find it all that enjoyable. I disliked the main characters (from the beginning I thought Vivi was arrogant, selfish, manipulative and someone who finds herself better, more important and more deserving than others, and I found Sidda whiny. I wanted to shake her and tell her to grow up and stop whining and feeling sorry for herself and get over it) and the writing wasn't that good either. It felt like a lot of blablabla, especially the parts involving adult Sidda. I did like the parts describing Vivi's life as a girl, in the Lousiana of the 30s and 40s and 50s, and I like the close friendship the Ya-Ya's had, lasting for 60 years.
June 14, 2008
Grab a girlfriend, drink mint juleps and toast to sisterhood! This book shares all the details of the close relationships girlfriends share.
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