Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: A Novel

by Rebecca Wells

Paperback, 1997

Call number

FIC WEL

Collection

Publication

Perennial (1997), 368 pages

Description

Fiction. Literature. HTML: "A big, blowzy romp through the rainbow eccentricities of three generations of crazy bayou debutantes." â??Atlanta Journal-Constitution "A very entertaining and, ultimately, deeply moving novel about the complex bonds between mother and daughter." â??Washington Post "Mary McCarthy, Anne Rivers Siddons, and a host of others have portrayed the power and value of female friendships, but no one has done it with more grace, charm, talent, and power than Rebecca Wells." â??Richmond Times-Dispatch The incomparable #1 New York Times bestsellerâ??a book that reigned at the top of the list for an remarkable sixty-eight weeksâ??Rebecca Wells's Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is a classic of Southern women's fiction to be read and reread over and over again. A poignant, funny, outrageous, and wise novel about a lifetime friendship between four Southern women, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood brilliantly explores the bonds of female friendship, the often-rocky relationship between mothers and daughters, and the healing power of humor and love, in a story as fresh and uplifting as when it was first published a decade and a half ago. If you haven't yet met the Ya-Yas, what are you waiting… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member keywestnan
This book was intensely irritating on multiple fronts. 1) Not all that well written. 2) Full of gender cliches. 3) There were a lot more but it's been 10 years since I read this for a book group so I can't remember. Other women in my group really related. Not me. Maybe it's a Southern thing. Or an
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alcoholic mom thing.
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LibraryThing member akblanchard
I was glad to be done with this book. It was one of the most irritating books I’ve ever forced myself to finish. Yet, it did keep me reading. Someone should write a book that reflects the realities of female friendship, complete with petty jealousies, divided loyalties, growing apart, etc., as
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well as the good times. This sugar-coated, bourbon-soaked Oprah-pleaser, about four lifelong female friends who don’t mature emotionally beyond age 12, does not reflect any reality I’ve ever heard of. It contained a lot of sentimental New Age religion (contrasted with a distinctly anti-Catholic message), anachronistic entreaties against racism (to appeal to modern sensibilities and Oprah, I guess), and a scene that hinges on embarrassing bodily functions. On top of that, the characters other than the supposedly-charming Vivi and her uninteresting daughter Sidda were not developed enough to tell apart. I’m glad it’s over, and I don’t think I will be reading the prequel.
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LibraryThing member drsyko
Out of the literally thousands of books I have read, this one is in my top five favorites. It is beautifully written, with phenomenal character development, a fascinating plot, and an overall emotional tone that is very powerful and very moving. I cannot imagine that there is a woman on the planet
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who cannot relate in some way to the women in this book. There are moments in this book that are simply breathtaking and at times I was laughing and crying at the same time when reading it. It is a supremely satisfying read. The book follows the amazing friendship of these women from when they are small children until they are women facing their own mortality. Wells is able to make each of them a fully realized person, and because of this you will find yourself struggling with how you feel about them since like real women they are capable of both amazing acts of love and selfishness. In fact, this book has had such an impact on women that Ya-Ya Sisterhood clubs have sprung up literally all over the world. If you are looking for a fun, mild-mannered beach read, this is not it. This is a sweeping, epic, very powerful story and if it doesn't stir at least some deep longing and emotion in you, you had better check your pulse to make sure you're still alive.
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LibraryThing member madamejeanie
While each of the Ya-Yas have a history and a story to be told, it is
mainly the story of Viviane Abbott Walker and her oldest daughter,
Siddalee, and how they manage to cope with and get past a particularly
painful episode when Vivi cracks up and attacks her children before
going away to "the hospital
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that nobody calls a hospital." As Vivi puts
it, "I dropped my basket and couldn't pick it up again." To Siddalee,
and her siblings, it was a moment that shaped the whole rest of their
lives. The "bad time" that they all remember more vividly than the
thousands of good times they'd shared with their sparkling mother and
her friends. The basic story is about how the Ya-Yas tenderly remind
Siddalee of those good times and explain the truth about the bad one.

The characters in this book are real, fully fleshed out people with
complex relationships and deep secrets. But they are never morose,
never maudlin. The humor is sharp and never lets up, but there is pain
here, too, the kind that only abused children understand. The so-called
"cycle of abuse" is displayed in a very matter of fact manner, but it is
hardly the focal point of Vivi's life. She is one of the most
flamboyant and likable characters I've ever found in fiction.
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LibraryThing member DanaMBurnett
Any woman that had a best friend growing up, that one person that knew everything about you and loved you anyway, will appreciate the friendship described in this novel. Wells writes beautifully wounded characters that are flawed and honest.
LibraryThing member UtopianElle
I read this a long time ago, but from what I do remember: I laughed a lot, but definitely didn't cry. I think the relationship between mother and daughter was developed in a meaningful and complex way. Overall, the book was a bit disappointing given all of its success. One for the masses. One where
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the movie version would have done well enough.
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LibraryThing member Jesse1031
I liked this book. I liked the story and the characters. I also enjoyed the movie. I liked the detail in this book. I read it while I was away from home and it had me feeling really home sick. I feel the details about Louisiana and older adults is accurate in some cases. Who doesn't have some sort
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of family drama. I found this book very sweet and touching at times and sad and complex in others.
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LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
In a way I feel like I'm being stingy giving this only three and a half stars. This is the last book on a list of over twenty I've tried from a chicklit/women's fiction recommendation list. Style-wise, this is at the top. I'd say that, along with The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing, this was
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the only book listed that had the quality that approaches literary fiction--it's lyrical at times, witty, quotable, with a narrative that mixes first and third person, letters and newspaper clippings from the scrapbook of "Ya-Ya-rabilia." It's a novel that celebrates a friendship of nearly 60 years from 1934 to 1993, and a rocky mother/daughter relationship.

It's also about forgiveness, the subject of one of the three quotations that front the book that tells us we all "need to forgive and be forgiven every day, every hour." That could make for a very moving book, but I remained unmoved because I absolutely hated the central character, the "Queen" of the "Ya-Ya Sisterhood," Vivi Walker. When the book begins in 1993, she's just cut her daughter, Sidda, out of her life for the crime of telling the New York Times "lies" about how Vivi beat her with a belt. They're not lies though, as we learn just pages in. They're not even "exaggerated" as Ya-Ya sister Necie claims to Sidda. They're minimized. Vivi beat ten-year-old Sidda and her younger sister and two brothers with a belt until they were bloody. Sidda still bears the physical (and emotional) scars thirty years later. And, as we learn just a few pages in, to the present day Vivi blames Sidda for not stopping her. Sadly, so does Sidda. And not only is Vivi still drinking all these years later after her abuse of her children fueled by drink, pages into the book in the present day of the novel, she's handing over a Bloody Mary to her fellow senior citizen Ya-Ya Teensy for her to drink as Teensy drives the car.

*SPOILERS BE HERE BELOW IF YOU CARE*

Sidda is constantly begging her mother for forgiveness through out the book, celebrating her mother's friendship with the Ya-Ya sisterhood, excusing and worshiping her mother for her "vivid" and "vivacious" spirit. It's all very "Ya-Ya-No." (Ya-Ya speak for "pathetic" we're told.) Yes, if you've reached 40 years old, it's way past time to let go of the anger and stop blaming your parents for your problems. But that's different from forgiveness and reconciliation. To really forgive, the person who hurt you needs to be sorry and say so and stop hurting you. It sucks sure if they die and never give you that, and if they don't, you have to move on. But if that doesn't happen that doesn't mean they should get a pass just because they'll be the only parents you'll ever have. Not when the abuse is this extreme and still ongoing.

I mean, I know. I've read that Philip Larken poem "This Be the Verse." It's true. Parents screw you up, but they were screwed up first. They're human. And the book makes Vivi understandable, and therefore potentially forgivable. But I don't think she (and the book) come anywhere near earning the Hallmark moment ending.
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LibraryThing member tandah
I couldn't put this put down - however, didn't think it was written particularly well (feel that the narrative was written as dialogue and was a bit casually in the way it skipped between 1st and 3rd person), having said that, as an Australian, caught myself reading it with a Southern accent - but
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the story was fantastic - and the first time in ages I walked through the street reading the book. The Ya-Ya friendship, the self-expression and Vivi/Siddha relationship were just a delight and moved me to tears. The vignetts around the the Ya-Ya's and petite Ya-Ya's described and the delight and effort they all put into living was wonderful.
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LibraryThing member OhSnap
read the first 100 pages or so of this book in one sitting and really enjoyed it. It may be a slight surprise that it took me so long after that to finish it off. Its not that I found it tedious or boring; I think its simply that it wasn't that gripping. It didn't bother me too much if I didn't
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read it for a week. I wasn't dying to read more or find out how it would end. It was just an enjoyable read whenever I got round to reading a bit.
Although not one of my favourite books of all time, I did like it. I would recommend it more as a light hearted beach read although I wouldn't classify it as 'chick lit'. The mood of it is relaxed and laid back which is a nice change from fast paced, tension filled books that are more common to me.
The characters were all believable, likeable although not as three dimensional and vivid as some characters in books seem to be. The thing I really enjoyed about this book is the way it conjured up images and the mood of Louisiana, especially in summer which I could really feel even though I have had no experience of it myself.
Overall, a good book which I don't regret reading but nothing extra special which I would have to rush out and tell people "You HAVE to read..."
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LibraryThing member PortiaLong
I was surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did (I don't usually read "chick books"). Strong and eccentric characters, compelling writing style, fast-paced but with sufficient depth - a good Sunday read.
LibraryThing member estellen
The follow-up was much better - this one is slightly sentimental and only touches on the psyche of the Ya-yas
LibraryThing member silversnowflakeak
I really enjoyed the writing of this book. The characters represent the need for all woman to break free and be themselves; not to follow societies expectations of what we should be doing or how we should behave.
LibraryThing member vegaheim
saw movie first, wanted to read book. easy read, good writing. also read ya'yas in bloom
LibraryThing member Jeyra
A book that explores the complexities of the mother-daughter dynamic and uses fascinatingly complex characters to do it. More than worth the read. Some sexual content and language.
LibraryThing member karieh
The only thing better than reading Wells's beautiful prose is listening to her read it. (Which is how I heard about her in the first place - she was reading part of her book in an interview.)
LibraryThing member nessreendiana
I found it very painful and real. It got me thinking about my mother, what her life is like, and how, the little I know about her are things I only assumed. It also only intensified my fear of motherhood.
LibraryThing member cindyloumn
LOVED it. I had heard lots of stuff about this book, but never believed it. Now I know it was true!! It was great. Great women characters. Much different then I imagined. hated to have it end!
LibraryThing member Cecilturtle
Some nice fun tales, but very heavy-handed psychology
LibraryThing member bexaplex
Siddalee Walker, a newly renowned theater director, gets disowned by revealing some none-too-flattering details of family life to the New York Times. Her mother's friends, the Ya-Yas, repair the relationship by filling in some missing details. The narrative is evenly split between Vivi's life and
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Sidda's.

The forcefulness of the story certainly comes from the sections about Vivi. Sidda's are more prose-y, reflective, and there's a lot of breathing. Together they make a good counterpoint.
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LibraryThing member xmaystarx
Looking back I realize the detail of this book aren't very memorable. It was fun reading, nice and light.
LibraryThing member susanbevans
Really easy and enjoyable to read. The characters are memorable and really draw you in to their world.
LibraryThing member isabelx
The story of Siddalee Walker and her relationship with her mother and her mother's life-long friends, the Ya-Yas. Very enjoyable.
LibraryThing member Piedra
This book has to be one of the best books I've read this year. The story and how is told is wonderful and you can't help but root for the characters, even though they are far from perfect.
I truly loved the atmosphere and the feel of this book, it's really a book about relationships of all kinds.
LibraryThing member campingmomma
The book jumps around a lot from generation to generation, era to era. It's not too distracting. The story of a daughter who goes looking for some answers to why her mother is the way she is gets more than she bargains for when she receives The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, a scrapbook of
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her mother and her mothers friends (the Ya-Ya's) lives. Sidda, the daughter finds out that there really is more to her mom, than the fact that she has a tendency toward alcoholism, that can explain why Vivi (mother) "ruined" Sidda's life with her eccentricity.
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Pages

356

ISBN

0060928336 / 9780060928339
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