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Ya Yas #3
Ya-Yas in Bloom
Rebecca Wells's wonderful third book in her Ya-Ya trilogy, which includes Little Altars Everywhere and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, is sure to provide reading that makes you laugh and cry, a book that will break your heart and mend it again.
Ya-Yas in Bloom reveals the roots of the Ya-Yas' friendship in the 1930s, following Vivi, Teensy, Caro and Necie through sixty years of marriage, child-raising, and hair-raising family secrets.
When four-year-old Teensy Whitman prisses one time too many and stuffs a big old pecan up her nose, she sets off the chain of events that lead Vivi, Teensy, Caro, and Necie to become true sister-friends. Using as narration the alternating voices of Vivi and the Petite Ya-Yas, Siddalee and Baylor Walker, as well as other denizens of Thornton, Louisiana, Wells show us the Ya-Yas in love and at war with convention. Through crises of faith and hilarious lapses of parenting skills, brushes with alcoholism and glimpses of the dark reality of racial bigotry, the Ya-Ya values of unconditional loyalty, high style, and Louisiana sass shine through.
But in the Ya-Yas' inimitable way, these four remarkable women also teach their children about the the wonder of snow in the deep South, the possibility that humans are made of stars, and the belief that miracles do happen. And they need a miracle when old grudges and wounded psyches lead to a heartbreaking crime...and the dynamic web of sisterhood is the only safety net strong enough to hold families together and endure.
After two bestsellers and a blockbuster movie, the Ya-Yas have become part of American culture -- icons for the power of women's friendship. Ya-Yas in Bloom continues the saga, giving us more Ya-Ya lore, spun out in the rich patois of the Louisiana bayou country and brim full of the Ya-Ya message to embrace life and each other with joy.
Ya-Yas in Bloom reveals the roots of the Ya-Yas' friendship in the 1930s, following Vivi, Teensy, Caro and Necie through sixty years of marriage, child-raising, and hair-raising family secrets.
When four-year-old Teensy Whitman prisses one time too many and stuffs a big old pecan up her nose, she sets off the chain of events that lead Vivi, Teensy, Caro, and Necie to become true sister-friends. Using as narration the alternating voices of Vivi and the Petite Ya-Yas, Siddalee and Baylor Walker, as well as other denizens of Thornton, Louisiana, Wells show us the Ya-Yas in love and at war with convention. Through crises of faith and hilarious lapses of parenting skills, brushes with alcoholism and glimpses of the dark reality of racial bigotry, the Ya-Ya values of unconditional loyalty, high style, and Louisiana sass shine through.
But in the Ya-Yas' inimitable way, these four remarkable women also teach their children about the the wonder of snow in the deep South, the possibility that humans are made of stars, and the belief that miracles do happen. And they need a miracle when old grudges and wounded psyches lead to a heartbreaking crime...and the dynamic web of sisterhood is the only safety net strong enough to hold families together and endure.
After two bestsellers and a blockbuster movie, the Ya-Yas have become part of American culture -- icons for the power of women's friendship. Ya-Yas in Bloom continues the saga, giving us more Ya-Ya lore, spun out in the rich patois of the Louisiana bayou country and brim full of the Ya-Ya message to embrace life and each other with joy.
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 3, 2005
330 people are currently reading
4827 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Wells
30 books2,431 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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August 22, 2024
EXCERPT: A LITTLE LOVE GIFT – Vivi, January 1994
My name is Vivianne Abbott Walker. Age sixty-eight, but I can pass for forty-nine. And I do. I altered my driver’s license and kept that gorgeous picture of me when my hair was still thick and I looked like Jessica Lange, and glued it onto every new license I’ve had since 1975. And not one officer has said a word to me about it. I like to think I am Queen of the Ya-Yas, the sisterhood I’ve been part of since I was four. But the fact is that ALL of us are Queens. The Ya-Yas are not a monarchy. We are a Ya-Ya-ocracy. Caro, who is still more alive than anyone I know, even though she is yoked to an oxygen tank most of the time because of her emphysema. Teensy, who is probably the most sophisticated of us, although she doesn’t know it, and still cute as a bug. I never know when she’ll be home in Thornton – right smack in the heart of Louisiana, where we were all raised – or in Paris or Istanbul. And Necie, our dear, kind Necie, who is still Madame Chairwoman of every charity in the parish, if not the state.
As Ya-Yas, we’ve grown up, raised our kids – the Petites Ya-Yas – and welcomed our grandchildren, the Très Petites, into this sweet, crazy world. We’ve helped one another stay glued together through almost any life event you can imagine. Except we haven’t buried our husbands yet. Well, Caro tried to bury Blaine when she found out he was gay, but decided he and his boyfriend were too much fun and Blaine too good a cook to kill him.
ABOUT 'YA-YAS IN BLOOM': Rebecca Wells's wonderful third book in her Ya-Ya trilogy, which includes Little Altars Everywhere and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood , is sure to provide reading that makes you laugh and cry, a book that will break your heart and mend it again. Ya-Yas in Bloom reveals the roots of the Ya-Yas' friendship in the 1930s, following Vivi, Teensy, Caro and Necie through sixty years of marriage, child-raising, and hair-raising family secrets. When four-year-old Teensy Whitman prisses one time too many and stuffs a big old pecan up her nose, she sets off the chain of events that lead Vivi, Teensy, Caro, and Necie to become true sister-friends. Using as narration the alternating voices of Vivi and the Petite Ya-Yas, Siddalee and Baylor Walker, as well as other denizens of Thornton, Louisiana, Wells show us the Ya-Yas in love and at war with convention. Through crises of faith and hilarious lapses of parenting skills, brushes with alcoholism and glimpses of the dark reality of racial bigotry, the Ya-Ya values of unconditional loyalty, high style, and Louisiana sass shine through. But in the Ya-Yas' inimitable way, these four remarkable women also teach their children about the Mysteries: the wonder of snow in the deep South, the possibility that humans are made of stars, and the belief that miracles do happen. And they need a miracle when old grudges and wounded psyches lead to a heartbreaking crime...and the dynamic web of sisterhood is the only safety net strong enough to hold families together and endure. After two bestsellers and a blockbuster movie, the Ya-Yas have become part of American culture -- icons for the power of women's friendship. Ya-Yas in Bloom continues the saga, giving us more Ya-Ya lore, spun out in the rich patois of the Louisiana bayou country and brim full of the Ya-Ya message to embrace life and each other with joy.
MY THOUGHTS: I have lost count of how many times I have read this book over the years since it was first published (2005), and it never fails to lift my spirits along with the earlier two books in this series, Little Altars Everywhere and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
Sometimes one is my favorite, sometimes another, but I always manage to find something new every time I read them.
My favorite moment is the Christmas Pageant, which never fails to bring a tear or two to my eyes - sometimes of laughter, sometimes just raw emotion.
If there is one thing this book embodies it is the value of friends and family; almost indistinguishable in this case. I just love to immerse myself in this madcap but loyal and loving group of family and friends.
I have read some criticism of the parenting style in these books - no, they are not perfect parents, but it does pay to remember that the era these books were set in is totally different to now and to read them keeping that in mind.
The three books that makes up this trilogy sit firmly on my KEEP FOREVER shelf.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#Ya-YasinBloom
THE AUTHOR: Born on a cotton farm in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, Rebecca Wells comes from a culture where story telling is as essential and as rich as gumbo. As Rebecca puts it, “I came from loud, funny people who would fight over who got to read the latest volume of Readers’ Digest Condensed Books. When my novel Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood became a bestseller, I couldn’t help but think of how I used to get confused that both books and milk could be condensed. This confounded me as a girl and still does.”
Rebecca lives on an island in Puget Sound in Washington State where she writes, hikes, reads, dances, and is a student of trees. She is available for one-on-one coaching sessions on the The Soul of Character. She looks forward to resuming performance of her one-woman show, "Divine Daughter of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood", once the virus burns out and the world is safe enough. Rebecca is at work on a new book.
DISCLOSURE: I own my copy of Ya-Yas in Bloom by Rebecca Wells.
My name is Vivianne Abbott Walker. Age sixty-eight, but I can pass for forty-nine. And I do. I altered my driver’s license and kept that gorgeous picture of me when my hair was still thick and I looked like Jessica Lange, and glued it onto every new license I’ve had since 1975. And not one officer has said a word to me about it. I like to think I am Queen of the Ya-Yas, the sisterhood I’ve been part of since I was four. But the fact is that ALL of us are Queens. The Ya-Yas are not a monarchy. We are a Ya-Ya-ocracy. Caro, who is still more alive than anyone I know, even though she is yoked to an oxygen tank most of the time because of her emphysema. Teensy, who is probably the most sophisticated of us, although she doesn’t know it, and still cute as a bug. I never know when she’ll be home in Thornton – right smack in the heart of Louisiana, where we were all raised – or in Paris or Istanbul. And Necie, our dear, kind Necie, who is still Madame Chairwoman of every charity in the parish, if not the state.
As Ya-Yas, we’ve grown up, raised our kids – the Petites Ya-Yas – and welcomed our grandchildren, the Très Petites, into this sweet, crazy world. We’ve helped one another stay glued together through almost any life event you can imagine. Except we haven’t buried our husbands yet. Well, Caro tried to bury Blaine when she found out he was gay, but decided he and his boyfriend were too much fun and Blaine too good a cook to kill him.
ABOUT 'YA-YAS IN BLOOM': Rebecca Wells's wonderful third book in her Ya-Ya trilogy, which includes Little Altars Everywhere and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood , is sure to provide reading that makes you laugh and cry, a book that will break your heart and mend it again. Ya-Yas in Bloom reveals the roots of the Ya-Yas' friendship in the 1930s, following Vivi, Teensy, Caro and Necie through sixty years of marriage, child-raising, and hair-raising family secrets. When four-year-old Teensy Whitman prisses one time too many and stuffs a big old pecan up her nose, she sets off the chain of events that lead Vivi, Teensy, Caro, and Necie to become true sister-friends. Using as narration the alternating voices of Vivi and the Petite Ya-Yas, Siddalee and Baylor Walker, as well as other denizens of Thornton, Louisiana, Wells show us the Ya-Yas in love and at war with convention. Through crises of faith and hilarious lapses of parenting skills, brushes with alcoholism and glimpses of the dark reality of racial bigotry, the Ya-Ya values of unconditional loyalty, high style, and Louisiana sass shine through. But in the Ya-Yas' inimitable way, these four remarkable women also teach their children about the Mysteries: the wonder of snow in the deep South, the possibility that humans are made of stars, and the belief that miracles do happen. And they need a miracle when old grudges and wounded psyches lead to a heartbreaking crime...and the dynamic web of sisterhood is the only safety net strong enough to hold families together and endure. After two bestsellers and a blockbuster movie, the Ya-Yas have become part of American culture -- icons for the power of women's friendship. Ya-Yas in Bloom continues the saga, giving us more Ya-Ya lore, spun out in the rich patois of the Louisiana bayou country and brim full of the Ya-Ya message to embrace life and each other with joy.
MY THOUGHTS: I have lost count of how many times I have read this book over the years since it was first published (2005), and it never fails to lift my spirits along with the earlier two books in this series, Little Altars Everywhere and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
Sometimes one is my favorite, sometimes another, but I always manage to find something new every time I read them.
My favorite moment is the Christmas Pageant, which never fails to bring a tear or two to my eyes - sometimes of laughter, sometimes just raw emotion.
If there is one thing this book embodies it is the value of friends and family; almost indistinguishable in this case. I just love to immerse myself in this madcap but loyal and loving group of family and friends.
I have read some criticism of the parenting style in these books - no, they are not perfect parents, but it does pay to remember that the era these books were set in is totally different to now and to read them keeping that in mind.
The three books that makes up this trilogy sit firmly on my KEEP FOREVER shelf.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#Ya-YasinBloom
THE AUTHOR: Born on a cotton farm in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, Rebecca Wells comes from a culture where story telling is as essential and as rich as gumbo. As Rebecca puts it, “I came from loud, funny people who would fight over who got to read the latest volume of Readers’ Digest Condensed Books. When my novel Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood became a bestseller, I couldn’t help but think of how I used to get confused that both books and milk could be condensed. This confounded me as a girl and still does.”
Rebecca lives on an island in Puget Sound in Washington State where she writes, hikes, reads, dances, and is a student of trees. She is available for one-on-one coaching sessions on the The Soul of Character. She looks forward to resuming performance of her one-woman show, "Divine Daughter of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood", once the virus burns out and the world is safe enough. Rebecca is at work on a new book.
DISCLOSURE: I own my copy of Ya-Yas in Bloom by Rebecca Wells.
March 12, 2009
Now that I have read all three of Rebecca Well’s Ya-Ya books, I can honestly say that while Divine Secrets was the most intellectually satisfying of the three, Ya-Ya’s in Bloom was the most emotionally satisfying.
It’s mostly a matter of tone. The books seem somewhat like a continuum… or maybe more like working through the stages of grief and recovery. In Little Altars Everywhere, I felt the author dwelled on the broken, angry, bitter aspects of the Walker family history. In Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, there was still pain and anger to process and come to grips with but Wells included some of the bright moments, the things done right, the sense that the mistakes of the past didn’t necessarily have to cripple the future. Ya-Ya’s in Bloom takes that one step future with stories of the high points of growing up Ya-Ya. In a lot of ways, it’s like a bright reflection of Little Altars. That’s not to say that everything was suddenly all better or that the past could be ignored or erased. All in all, it just seemed as if the characters and author were choosing what to dwell on and were happier for that choice. I enjoyed it and I am glad that I read the entire Ya-Ya saga.
It’s mostly a matter of tone. The books seem somewhat like a continuum… or maybe more like working through the stages of grief and recovery. In Little Altars Everywhere, I felt the author dwelled on the broken, angry, bitter aspects of the Walker family history. In Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, there was still pain and anger to process and come to grips with but Wells included some of the bright moments, the things done right, the sense that the mistakes of the past didn’t necessarily have to cripple the future. Ya-Ya’s in Bloom takes that one step future with stories of the high points of growing up Ya-Ya. In a lot of ways, it’s like a bright reflection of Little Altars. That’s not to say that everything was suddenly all better or that the past could be ignored or erased. All in all, it just seemed as if the characters and author were choosing what to dwell on and were happier for that choice. I enjoyed it and I am glad that I read the entire Ya-Ya saga.
September 29, 2007
seriously, it's as if she was drunk when she wrote this. or gave it to her child to write. or gave it to her drunk child to write.
don't read it, don't don't don't
but if you DO read it, make sure you read and fall in love with the first two books first
don't read it, don't don't don't
but if you DO read it, make sure you read and fall in love with the first two books first
May 27, 2013
Worst. Book. Ever.
What felt so cheap was the glaring disregard of continuity, as in the film biz type where a scene in a later take Must match the scene in a previous take.
Here, we have Caro serving the kids chili and cornbread, and on the Facing Page, fer Krisesakes, one of the kids snatches another slice of garlic bread. !
Another glaring lapse: Vivi learns about the Globe, pours herself a gin and tonic, downs it, fixes another and takes it to the guest house where Baylor is playing with it. She becomes so upset she can't finish her drink, but " why waste a perfectly good bourbon and branch water?".
The book is an obvious rush job, insultingly mediocre, and just plain bad.
What felt so cheap was the glaring disregard of continuity, as in the film biz type where a scene in a later take Must match the scene in a previous take.
Here, we have Caro serving the kids chili and cornbread, and on the Facing Page, fer Krisesakes, one of the kids snatches another slice of garlic bread. !
Another glaring lapse: Vivi learns about the Globe, pours herself a gin and tonic, downs it, fixes another and takes it to the guest house where Baylor is playing with it. She becomes so upset she can't finish her drink, but " why waste a perfectly good bourbon and branch water?".
The book is an obvious rush job, insultingly mediocre, and just plain bad.
February 24, 2010
I adore the Ya Yas. I have read this and the other two books about them before, seen the movie countless times, and often wished to BE a Ya Ya. This was my first time audio-ing one. Judith Ivey was the perfect narrator. Her accent was spot on, she did the voices (which I usually hate on audio) perfectly, and if she wasn't tipsy when she was relaying a story from Vivi's POV, then she is one of the best actresses I have ever heard!
I actually prefer this book and Little Altars Everywhere: A Novel to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Divine has a plot running through the chapters, whereas this one and Altars just gives us glimpses back in time to a different age. That's what I crave. The stories she shows us of how these girls love, support and care for one another through their childhood and entire lives. For every horrid, irresponsible thing they did, there was an equally wonderful, loving, uplifting action. Life is not constant, steady or routine. How can we survive if we try to be those things?
The Ya Yas always remind me of my mama and aunts. I have so many pictures of them pregnant, playing dice (instead of the Ya Ya Bourre) a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other! They didn't know it was wrong. They may not have done what we think is best for our children now, but they sure loved us the best they could. As flawed as the Ya Yas are, they are loyal, devoted lovers. What Wells shows us through them, is that we can only love another wholeheartedly when we have given in and loved who we are. Done our best with what we have and given up appologizing. Be yourself. You are the only one that knows how.
Ya Yas forever!
I actually prefer this book and Little Altars Everywhere: A Novel to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Divine has a plot running through the chapters, whereas this one and Altars just gives us glimpses back in time to a different age. That's what I crave. The stories she shows us of how these girls love, support and care for one another through their childhood and entire lives. For every horrid, irresponsible thing they did, there was an equally wonderful, loving, uplifting action. Life is not constant, steady or routine. How can we survive if we try to be those things?
The Ya Yas always remind me of my mama and aunts. I have so many pictures of them pregnant, playing dice (instead of the Ya Ya Bourre) a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other! They didn't know it was wrong. They may not have done what we think is best for our children now, but they sure loved us the best they could. As flawed as the Ya Yas are, they are loyal, devoted lovers. What Wells shows us through them, is that we can only love another wholeheartedly when we have given in and loved who we are. Done our best with what we have and given up appologizing. Be yourself. You are the only one that knows how.
Ya Yas forever!
April 9, 2012
The familiar and much loved characters of the Ya-Ya series return in a collection of short stories. As always, I enjoyed the writing style, rich characters and Louisiana setting (a personal favourite of mine). I felt the additional character development of Baylor particularly interesting - a sensitive man who refuses to carry a gun or kill a deer but still goes hunting with the other masculine characters. The closeness of Baylor's relationship with his wife and children was touching. I was left wanting a little more of this character.
Sadly there were moments when it did feel as though the stories were scenes culled from the other books during editing. This book will separate the true die hard Ya-Ya fans from the casual reader. The real fans will enjoy the characters and little bits of back story which add another piece to the colourful Ya-Ya puzzle we fell in love with in the first two books. The casual reader will not be satisfied with the assumed background knowledge of the crazy Ya-Ya way which was so beautifully crafted in the other books.
At times the religious side was a little too tick and failed to resonate with me for some reason, at one point I actually wanted to skip a page! For Shame!
Sadly there were moments when it did feel as though the stories were scenes culled from the other books during editing. This book will separate the true die hard Ya-Ya fans from the casual reader. The real fans will enjoy the characters and little bits of back story which add another piece to the colourful Ya-Ya puzzle we fell in love with in the first two books. The casual reader will not be satisfied with the assumed background knowledge of the crazy Ya-Ya way which was so beautifully crafted in the other books.
At times the religious side was a little too tick and failed to resonate with me for some reason, at one point I actually wanted to skip a page! For Shame!
September 21, 2010
Where do I begin?
First, I know this has nothing to do with the actual story, but I needed a place to vent my frustration. I also know that I shouldn't be so superficial nor should I judge a book by it's cover, but I have to say a serious, okay maybe not significantly so, but still, a distraction was the author's "glamour shot" on the back cover. Those ultra short, choppy bangs and drawn in eyebrows turn what would otherwise be an okay face into an old lady who looks like she is trying way too hard. She kind of looks like an alien. I wished I had a book cover so no one would associate me with the "Mary Kay" looking cheesiness of this woman. Despite this photo, I do like Wells . . . as a writer.
Her first book of the Ya-Yas was quite amusing--much better than the movie version. I am not someone who affiliates herself with anything Southern- like (even though my husband insists I can fall into a distinctly Nevadan accent that could be confused as less Northern), but Wells writing made me really appreciate that setting and the characters therein. She really does a good job of describing places and people.
Unfortunately, that's mostly what makes this book good. Ya-Ya's in Bloom really lacks plot. If you're looking for this in a story, and most are, you will surely be disappointed. She does do a good job of highlighting other characters from the first book, and I LOVED the "Pilgrimage" chapter where we see how Sidda falls in love with the Beatles. That alone earned an extra star from me. The rest of the story gives other glimpses into the lives of YaYa offspring, and Wells writing continues to be descriptive and entertaining, but the overall connection isn't really there.
"Your voice is soothing, but the words aren't clear
You don't sound different, I've learned the game.
I'm looking through you, you're not the same"
-The Beatles
First, I know this has nothing to do with the actual story, but I needed a place to vent my frustration. I also know that I shouldn't be so superficial nor should I judge a book by it's cover, but I have to say a serious, okay maybe not significantly so, but still, a distraction was the author's "glamour shot" on the back cover. Those ultra short, choppy bangs and drawn in eyebrows turn what would otherwise be an okay face into an old lady who looks like she is trying way too hard. She kind of looks like an alien. I wished I had a book cover so no one would associate me with the "Mary Kay" looking cheesiness of this woman. Despite this photo, I do like Wells . . . as a writer.
Her first book of the Ya-Yas was quite amusing--much better than the movie version. I am not someone who affiliates herself with anything Southern- like (even though my husband insists I can fall into a distinctly Nevadan accent that could be confused as less Northern), but Wells writing made me really appreciate that setting and the characters therein. She really does a good job of describing places and people.
Unfortunately, that's mostly what makes this book good. Ya-Ya's in Bloom really lacks plot. If you're looking for this in a story, and most are, you will surely be disappointed. She does do a good job of highlighting other characters from the first book, and I LOVED the "Pilgrimage" chapter where we see how Sidda falls in love with the Beatles. That alone earned an extra star from me. The rest of the story gives other glimpses into the lives of YaYa offspring, and Wells writing continues to be descriptive and entertaining, but the overall connection isn't really there.
"Your voice is soothing, but the words aren't clear
You don't sound different, I've learned the game.
I'm looking through you, you're not the same"
-The Beatles
October 31, 2019
This was a good book, I enjoyed the different stories told by the different characters. It was much more charming, sweet and sentimental than the last one which was rather dark and angry. I am happy however this is the final book in the series because honestly i’m Ya Ya’ed out!! Lol
January 2, 2008
I saw this book in a miscellaneous pile at the library and picked it up by chance. I had no idea where the book lay in the chronology of the series and was very excited to see that it was short story format, like Little Altars Everywhere. However, it was obvious within the first few paragraphs that this is a "new" book that tries (unsuccessfully) to tap into the "old" vibe.
As other readers have already commented, it really feels like an obligation to the publishers and/or public, and not at all a book that Rebecca Wells wanted to write. All of the crucial stories of Vivi and Sidda and most of the other Ya Yas have already been told, which leaves only space for random tales from the other kids' lives. Which is okay, but since we don't really know them (other than Sidda's perception of them), it's hard to care too much about them.
I didn't think this book was as terrible as some others have commented, but it certainly isn't the caliber and quality that is found in Wells's other books. It's a quick read and can be interesting at times. I'd suggest borrowing a copy before committing to purchasing your own.
As other readers have already commented, it really feels like an obligation to the publishers and/or public, and not at all a book that Rebecca Wells wanted to write. All of the crucial stories of Vivi and Sidda and most of the other Ya Yas have already been told, which leaves only space for random tales from the other kids' lives. Which is okay, but since we don't really know them (other than Sidda's perception of them), it's hard to care too much about them.
I didn't think this book was as terrible as some others have commented, but it certainly isn't the caliber and quality that is found in Wells's other books. It's a quick read and can be interesting at times. I'd suggest borrowing a copy before committing to purchasing your own.
March 18, 2018
This was ok, Not at good as the first Ya, Ya book.
May 18, 2017
I read Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and enjoyed it. This books gives a little more of this group’s history. It tells how Vivi, Caro, Teensy, and Necie meet back in the 1930’s and mostly follows Vivi’s family. If you enjoyed the other book and this cast of characters you will like this book with the Southern flair with stories from the 1960s and then more currently 1994. A fun light read.
February 6, 2019
Unlike the other YaYa books, I listened to this one. The narration by Judith Ivey was perfect, and the story was just as great as the other two. This one tells the stories of how the YaYas met one another.
April 13, 2024
Long live the Ya-yas!!!!!
Wonderful sequel to my favorite book ever :)
Wonderful sequel to my favorite book ever :)
January 17, 2020
Easy nice read...love the adventures of Ya ya's and the Petites.....love the fact it started with a Peacan ... YAYA !
November 6, 2012
Ya Yas in Bloom is the sequel to Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells. It doesn’t read like a sequel, however, but more like an expansion of what we learned about the Ya Yas and the Petites Ya Yas in Divine Secrets. The narrative jumps between Vivi’s early youth and the Ya Yas first encounter in 1930, through to Sidda’s youth in the 1960s and on to the 1990s. Different events in the lives of the Ya Yas, Petites Ya Yas and Trés Petites Ya Yas are told from the viewpoints of Vivi, Sidda, Baylor, Myrtis Spevey and her daughter Edythe, although only Sidda’s and Edythe’s recollections are told in the first person. We learn a lot more about the characters’ lives, and I found both Sidda and Vivi more likeable in this book than in Divine Secrets. Whilst Baylor was a minor character in Divine Secrets, his recollections in this book form a major part of the narrative. Wells touches on racism, catholic guilt, nuns and religious fervour, Alzheimer’s and mental illness, guns and hunting. There are plenty of laughs and some very moving moments. Whilst not a great deal happens, the Ya Yas do spring into action during a family crisis and save the day. While the Christmas Pageant was fun, the description was a little tedious as the litany of family names was recited. Better than Divine Secrets.
October 18, 2012
I have kind of mixed feelings about the book. While I love the characters, and have enjoyed all three of the books about them, this book left me with some feelings that I need to sit and think on. While reading the previous two books, I remember thinking how wonderful to have such a close-knit group of friends to form a life-long circle of support and safety. In this book, the vignettes about two other local women (a mother and daughter) made me think about the exclusivity of the group, even across generations. I thought back to the previous two books, trying to remember how the Ya-Yas treated those outside their cohesive group. I just couldn't remember, and have given away the books, so couldn't check. I felt really sad for those two women, and for all women and girls who are on the outside of a group like the Ya-Yas, longing to be a part of something so special. I was glad that at least one of the Ya-Yas showed great compassion to these women after all was said and done (trying not to reveal too much so I don't spoil the story.) All in all, it was a pretty good read.
October 30, 2017
Somehow better than "The Divine Secrets" but still, not a book I would necessarily recommend. The timeline gets super confusing and there are so many irrelevant details. I have the feeling that Wells just didn't realize that the story should have finished with the second book, so she just wrote this trying to give us EVEN MORE insight on the characters, which was a failed endeavor from the start. We already knew everything there was to know about the Ya-Yas and the Walker children, so this book ended up being not difficult to read, or disturbing, or boring, but simply useless. Also, there was no point in trying to emphasize the good side of Vivi (which is something the author also did in the second book) because anyone who has read "Little Altars" will remember her as a vicious child abuser. I liked how the book tackled some issues that are still plaguing the Deep South today such as racism and gun control. I liked the fact that we got to see Baylor develop as a character but I would have really loved it if the same had been done for Lulu.
May 30, 2011
If I had read this ten years ago, I probably would have given it five stars. After all, in high school, I was obsessed with all things Ya-Ya. Seriously - I read Little Altars Everywhere and Divine Secrets multiple times. I loved Sidda and her artistic take on the world. I loved the idea of friends being best friends since childhood. I loved the Southern phrases and the references to entertainers through the decades. And, of course, I loved the drama of it all.
Now, while I enjoy the books, I see more of Wells' formula, more of her pattern. Don't get me wrong - I can't help but love the Walkers and the rest of the Ya-Ya gang. I'm just not as willing to follow them anywhere they want to go. So, all that said, if you loved the earlier books, feel free to give this a whirl. If you haven't read the others, don't start here. And remember, as the Ya-Yas would say, life is always better with a drink in your hand.
Now, while I enjoy the books, I see more of Wells' formula, more of her pattern. Don't get me wrong - I can't help but love the Walkers and the rest of the Ya-Ya gang. I'm just not as willing to follow them anywhere they want to go. So, all that said, if you loved the earlier books, feel free to give this a whirl. If you haven't read the others, don't start here. And remember, as the Ya-Yas would say, life is always better with a drink in your hand.
July 28, 2009
Another delightful Ya-Ya book from Rebecca Wells.
Ya-Yas in Bloom is told from multiple viewpoints, with some stand alone chapters. Other chapters offer multiple views of the same storyline. There is not a cohesive storyline tying everything together like there was in The Ya-Ya Sisterhood. This book is more about snapshots in time, told from the perspective of different characters. We do get to learn a little bit more about the male characters of the Ya-Ya world.
This book was a fast and enjoyable read and I couldn't put it down. I'm looking forward to the next book in the Ya-Ya series.
Ya-Yas in Bloom is told from multiple viewpoints, with some stand alone chapters. Other chapters offer multiple views of the same storyline. There is not a cohesive storyline tying everything together like there was in The Ya-Ya Sisterhood. This book is more about snapshots in time, told from the perspective of different characters. We do get to learn a little bit more about the male characters of the Ya-Ya world.
This book was a fast and enjoyable read and I couldn't put it down. I'm looking forward to the next book in the Ya-Ya series.
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January 11, 2025Listening to Judith Ivey performing these characters is as good as a Broadway show. I laughed, I cried, I held my breath and pulled the car over so I could listen. The book itself is really just a bunch of unconnected character sketches that jump around in time, with no plot and no consistent perspectives. I get the feeling that it was published directly from the author's notebook, where she had written back stories on her characters and their children that never made it into the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. So I think the audio version actually adds something that makes me keep listening when I'm not sure I would have kept reading.
January 13, 2025
Best of the three
At first, I thought it was going to be a random collection of memories from different points of view like Little Altars Everywhere. But as the book progressed, I saw how all the stories interwove between all the books. The last three chapters, especially the ones on the Speveys, took me by surprise until I saw where it was going. It was a great ending.
I was prepared to like it less based on the second book, so I was really pleased to like it most. Only thing I could wish for to make it better would be a family tree of the Ya-Yas. By the time the last chapter came, I couldn’t keep track of who was who anymore.
At first, I thought it was going to be a random collection of memories from different points of view like Little Altars Everywhere. But as the book progressed, I saw how all the stories interwove between all the books. The last three chapters, especially the ones on the Speveys, took me by surprise until I saw where it was going. It was a great ending.
I was prepared to like it less based on the second book, so I was really pleased to like it most. Only thing I could wish for to make it better would be a family tree of the Ya-Yas. By the time the last chapter came, I couldn’t keep track of who was who anymore.
January 14, 2013
I read the first two YaYa books many years ago- Little Altars Everywhere and the Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood. I remember them as being a pretty fun read, but this book seemed to try to hard. It was almost like a really bad sequel that just didn't need to be made. The story jumped all over the place, giving the reader pieces of the 30's, the 60's, and the 90's. I walked away from the end of the book thinking, so what? I couldn't be bothered with the sloppy plot line.
December 11, 2014
You always hope a sequel will be exciting--after all, your favorite characters get a chance to continue their stories and you can follow their lives a little more... this one was lackluster and seemed to bounce around to various eras, which was a little confusing to say the least. The writing was decent, but also seemed to pepper in a lot of curse words or catchphrases just for show.
May 31, 2012
I loved this book. I liked the individual stories of different characters and spread over the years of the Ya Yas.
The ending seemed somewhat contrived; but the Ya Yas deserved a happy ending.
The ending seemed somewhat contrived; but the Ya Yas deserved a happy ending.
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February 5, 2009Critics generally agree that the bloom may have left the Ya-Yas. The novel, a collection of vignettes about "the time that [insert: _
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August 5, 2011This book was awful. Beyond description. I will never get that time back.
February 11, 2016
Great story! Like the origin myths of comic-book superheroes, this one tells you whence the ya-yas sprang.
May 29, 2025
I enjoyed the book—it centers on love, compassion, and forgiveness. Was it as great as the first book? No, but it was still a good read. It wasn’t as heavy as the first and second books, which I appreciated. What I loved most was the deep bond between Vivi and her girlfriends. I honestly wish I had a group of friends as supportive as the Ya-Yas.
That said, I was a little thrown off when the book repeated the Beatles concert storyline. It felt unnecessary. I would’ve loved to see more focus on Vivi and the Ya-Yas during their college years, their time in New York, and their weddings.
Also, I think it would be great if the author wrote a story centered around Lee-Lee and Rosalyn. Since they’re best friends, it would be interesting to see if they form a close-knit group like their Grand-Mères and what kind of adventures they’d have. A focus on their relationships with their mothers could add even more depth. There’s so much potential for more.
All in all, it was a good book.
P.S.,
The ending was beautiful, but I do wish Lulu and Siddalee had been in Thornton to celebrate Christmas with their families. It was a little disappointing not to see them sharing that special time together.
That said, I was a little thrown off when the book repeated the Beatles concert storyline. It felt unnecessary. I would’ve loved to see more focus on Vivi and the Ya-Yas during their college years, their time in New York, and their weddings.
Also, I think it would be great if the author wrote a story centered around Lee-Lee and Rosalyn. Since they’re best friends, it would be interesting to see if they form a close-knit group like their Grand-Mères and what kind of adventures they’d have. A focus on their relationships with their mothers could add even more depth. There’s so much potential for more.
All in all, it was a good book.
P.S.,
The ending was beautiful, but I do wish Lulu and Siddalee had been in Thornton to celebrate Christmas with their families. It was a little disappointing not to see them sharing that special time together.
December 31, 2018
A southern chick lit book, which is one of my favorites --if not my favorite--genres. I read this book quite a while after having read the author's Little Altars Everywhere. It's a good story, but I had to subtract a star when the author went into far too much detail on deer hunting, to the point that I had to skip over that part since I really didn't want to read about a deer being shot and felt it really added nothing to the story and just wondered why the author felt she needed to added these gross details of a deer hunt in a book that probably no men are going to read anyway. And yes, I know that is probably quibbling, but when you put something so disturbing in your book that I decide to skip over it, and I find that it really adds nothing to the overall story, then I'm going subtract some points. The story does make some interesting conjectures on Catholicism that, while I don't necessarily agree with the ideas, I can see how some people struggle with the Catholic beliefs. This was a good book to read around Christmas time, as the ending has all of them celebrating the holiday together.
April 30, 2022
I read this one in 2 days. It would have been one sitting but my family wants to eat and sleep on a schedule. I read The Divine Secrets a long time ago and loved it. I didn't get around to reading this one until recently because most of the time I find sequels weak and frustrating. That was not the case with this book. It reads exactly like the first one and even though it leaves you thinking the story has ended I still wanted more. I hope she writes another one. I've gotten to love the characters very much. I also liked the way the story of the Ya Ya's men was given more interesting roles. Baylor in particular was a well-rounded fascinating character. He was very believable despite some fairly unusual circumstances he was placed in. Big Shep & Little Shep also have strong showings in many areas. I liked the idea of the YA YA men all belonging to a special group of their own.
This is a quick easy read. It's a fun romp down memory lane revisiting characters you came to know and love years ago. You won't be disappointed. I suggest you carve out some time from your busy lives and read this book.
This is a quick easy read. It's a fun romp down memory lane revisiting characters you came to know and love years ago. You won't be disappointed. I suggest you carve out some time from your busy lives and read this book.
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