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Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Escrito por Rebecca Wells
Narrado por Rebecca Wells
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"A big, blowzy romp through the rainbow eccentricities of three generations of crazy bayou debutantes."
-Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"A very entertaining and, ultimately, deeply moving novel about the complex bonds between mother and daughter."
-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."
-Richmond Times-Dispatch
The incomparable #1 New York Times bestseller-a book that reigned at the top of the list for an remarkable sixty-eight weeks-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 for?
Acciones del libro
Comenzar a escucharInformación sobre el libro
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Escrito por Rebecca Wells
Narrado por Rebecca Wells
Descripción
"A big, blowzy romp through the rainbow eccentricities of three generations of crazy bayou debutantes."
-Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"A very entertaining and, ultimately, deeply moving novel about the complex bonds between mother and daughter."
-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."
-Richmond Times-Dispatch
The incomparable #1 New York Times bestseller-a book that reigned at the top of the list for an remarkable sixty-eight weeks-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 for?
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This is a "coming of age" story for a 40 year old who is reconciling the realities of her life with her baggage from childhood, as she learns to empathize with her mother. I particularly love this quote: "Because she gave me physical birth, do I expect her to give me spiritual birth as well?" This is a universal battle every adult child must eventually face when learning to understand the generation of her parents. That, and, "Who ARE these people?!" Wells brilliantly allows us to understand that prior generation through a scrapbook that contains the "divine secrets" of a group of girlfriends.
Rating: 4I feel like this is the type of book every woman should read. It doesn't gloss over the realities of female life, and everything feels very real, including the larger-than-life women it features. It's a wonderful story of the relationship between mothers and daughters, and how our history affects not only us, but the future generations to come.
Rating: 3Siddalee Walker spoke imprudently during an interview and now her mother, Vivi, has cut her off. Sidda and Vivi's relationship has always been complicated, but now that Sidda is getting ready to direct a play based on female friendships, she would love her mother's advice and pleads with her to forgive, but Vivi stands firm. She does however send her a scrapbook she's kept of her lifelong friendship with a group of women who call themselves the Ya-Yas. I love the Ya-Yas.
Rating: 4A wonderful book about the relationships between mother, daughter and friends through good and bad times.
Rating: 4Siddalee 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 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.
Rating: 3hard to put down, nice writing style, easy to read
Rating: 4Beautifully written and wonderfully emotive. Also one of the best narrative performances I've heard - gives life to the characters without getting too hammy.
Rating: 5
I have wanted to read this book forever – well ever since it came out, anyway, but could never afford it until I found it on Scribd.
It was a very good book about the relationship between mothers and daughters, and the relationships between a group of four girls growing up in southern Louisiana before and during World War II who are still friends something like sixty years later.
There was so much in here, and I am kind of sorry that this was the abridged version because I am almost certain that the full version would be even better, or at least would cover more ground. But given how many great books I still have to read and how little time to read them, perhaps it’s just as well that I got the abridged version.
This audiobook was read by the author, who did a very good job.
Rating: 5It was a very good book about the relationship between mothers and daughters, and the relationships between a group of four girls growing up in southern Louisiana before and during World War II who are still friends something like sixty years later.
There was so much in here, and I am kind of sorry that this was the abridged version because I am almost certain that the full version would be even better, or at least would cover more ground. But given how many great books I still have to read and how little time to read them, perhaps it’s just as well that I got the abridged version.
This audiobook was read by the author, who did a very good job.
Perfect Holiday reading! I loved the way you followed Sidda's emotions regarding her mother and Grandparents and as with all good holiday books - it has a nice ending if not a little alcoholic? Not sure about the righting of the Louisiana twang tho.
Rating: 4This is a story of friendship and love. This is also a story of loss and secrets buried.
The main character Sidalee mirrors many of us on our quest out of the past. For anyone who has discord with a parent...never understanding why they do the things they do.
This is a mother's story. Vivi's tragic life evokes tears and understanding. In a world of tough decisions, it's easy to see how tough women are sculpted. I found healing in DIVINE SECRETS, and an appreciation of life from another perspective.
Rating: 4The main character Sidalee mirrors many of us on our quest out of the past. For anyone who has discord with a parent...never understanding why they do the things they do.
This is a mother's story. Vivi's tragic life evokes tears and understanding. In a world of tough decisions, it's easy to see how tough women are sculpted. I found healing in DIVINE SECRETS, and an appreciation of life from another perspective.
I was literally convinced that Sidda's father was Jack until he died. This book was not at all what I expected. Depressing and not a fun read. Macabre really.
Rating: 2It was about 4 women from the Bayou and their long term friendship. The whole story sounded like it was from the perspective of a 40 year old woman who is still struggling with her mom and has no responsibilities. I also wasn't drawn to any of the charachters. i didn't want to finish the book.
Rating: 3I read both [book:Little Altars Everywhere6697] 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.
Rating: 5Women's fiction at its best. Funny, serious, poignant, painful, and healing. LOVED this book.
Rating: 5I think people that get the most out of this book are the ones who can relate to it in some way. I read it because it was part of a reading challenge, but I wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. I started with the physical book, but I wasn't really feeling any of the characters, so I checked out the audio version. That switch made the story much more appealing. The audio was performed very well and really brought the characters to life in a way that the simple text couldn't do.I enjoyed the idea of the book, the whole secret group of friends thing is something that always interests me in a story. I think most people have some kind of memory of a best friend that will come back to them when they read this. It wasn't a groundbreaking read or a terribly insightful or emotional one, but it was a nice story to listen to out in the hammock with a glass of lemonade.
Rating: 4I liked this book. Although it is the middle novel in a three-book series, it can stand alone as its own story. It's one of those stories about the complicated relationships between a mother and a daughter, the sort of thing I can relate to. It took me a few chapters to really get into it, but I think that overall, it's very good.
Rating: 3Siddalee 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 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.
Rating: 3Rambling, deeply insightful, nourishing lush story-tellng,
Rating: 4The author's distinctive voice captures the Louisiana way of speaking so well that I felt I had to slow down my reading to match the natural pace of it. There is some great dialogue and some great one-liners in this book. It's a shame more of those didn't make it into the movie.
Rating: 4It took me a few chapters to really get into this book, but after that I really enjoyed it.
Rating: 5What a wonderful surprise! A lovely book about the complicated relationships among the sisterhood of human experience. The characters, while colorful and eccentric to the point of almost achieving unbelievability, end up being all that more believable because of who they are. Who among us having lived in the South hasn't known a Viva or Necie or Shep or Teensy? Rebecca Wells has captured the complexity of women united and divided as only a woman can do.
Rating: 5great
Rating: 5When I saw this book at a bookstore, the cover didn’t actually scream, “Buy me! I look so good on the outside. I’m sure you’ll want to know what secrets I hold within.” But I still bought it. I was more interested in knowing what those “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” were.
I leafed through the pages and digested the words… I found they weren’t good. They were, in my opinion, “exceptionally good” because, as a daughter, I felt the pain and desperation of Siddalee Walker as she tries to reconnect with her mom, while at the same time, face her own troubles. As a mom, I also understood what Vivi Abbott Walker felt, especially, when her tale slowly unfolded.
There were scenes that depicted a raucous, wild lifestyle. I’ve seen many similar situations that run along in the same manner. What I mean is that Rebecca Wells tells the tale from a world that has mirrored views on reality, and I must say that this is her strength. She can spin the tale and make those (who can relate to it) gravitate towards it and understand its underlying messages.
The story is fast-paced, peppered with scenes that evoke different emotions: I found myself with a heavy heart at one page and smiling at the next. Personally, the story had a lingering effect on me. Even though there were scenes that I do not favor, overall, the story’s take on lasting friendship (somehow rare in our times) and building family relationships are what deeply impressed me about this book.
Rating: 5I leafed through the pages and digested the words… I found they weren’t good. They were, in my opinion, “exceptionally good” because, as a daughter, I felt the pain and desperation of Siddalee Walker as she tries to reconnect with her mom, while at the same time, face her own troubles. As a mom, I also understood what Vivi Abbott Walker felt, especially, when her tale slowly unfolded.
There were scenes that depicted a raucous, wild lifestyle. I’ve seen many similar situations that run along in the same manner. What I mean is that Rebecca Wells tells the tale from a world that has mirrored views on reality, and I must say that this is her strength. She can spin the tale and make those (who can relate to it) gravitate towards it and understand its underlying messages.
The story is fast-paced, peppered with scenes that evoke different emotions: I found myself with a heavy heart at one page and smiling at the next. Personally, the story had a lingering effect on me. Even though there were scenes that I do not favor, overall, the story’s take on lasting friendship (somehow rare in our times) and building family relationships are what deeply impressed me about this book.
I loved this book. It's a wonderful story about friendship between women, and the closeness of a small town.
But. But. It's the story of the friendship of white, well-off Louisiana women, at least one of whom from a plantation background, and at least two of whom had black maids and wet nurses in their homes. I would really like the text to give more acknowledgment to the black women whose labour made their lives possible. The characters are for the most part oblivious, although there is a little more thought from Sidda, the younger generation character.
There's this one exchange right at the end, where the younger-generation lovers are staying in converted slave quarters. Sidda says she feels guilty, staying in luxury within walls that had seen such misery. Her lover replies that they must have seen a lot of joy as well, and then no more is said. I really dislike that kind of casual excusing of slavery as "not all bad all the time". It added a sour note to a beautiful book.
Rating: 5But. But. It's the story of the friendship of white, well-off Louisiana women, at least one of whom from a plantation background, and at least two of whom had black maids and wet nurses in their homes. I would really like the text to give more acknowledgment to the black women whose labour made their lives possible. The characters are for the most part oblivious, although there is a little more thought from Sidda, the younger generation character.
There's this one exchange right at the end, where the younger-generation lovers are staying in converted slave quarters. Sidda says she feels guilty, staying in luxury within walls that had seen such misery. Her lover replies that they must have seen a lot of joy as well, and then no more is said. I really dislike that kind of casual excusing of slavery as "not all bad all the time". It added a sour note to a beautiful book.
The things I enjoyed most were the Southern setting, and learning bits and pieces of the strong friendship among the four girls->women throughout the book. Since I've moved several times since high school, I haven't maintained the closeness with my childhood girlfriends like the women in this book did. I liked how the scrapbook told part of the story as well.
Rating: 3I found this book pretty weird. The child abuse was so lightly dealt with -- and it's still abuse if it only happens once. Physical abuse, even on just one occasion, sticks in your mind. Especially when you're a child and you haven't had that many experiences yet. It's not something to be just... dismissed and so easily forgiven.
That kind of distracted me from the supposedly awesome stuff about this novel.
Also, such melodrama. Cut it out, guys.
Rating: 1That kind of distracted me from the supposedly awesome stuff about this novel.
Also, such melodrama. Cut it out, guys.
Better than I thought it would be, but I'm not sure how frequently I'll go back to read it...
Rating: 3The story is dark, but doesn't everyone wants close friends like these?
Rating: 3'Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood' is the sequel to Wells' first novel, 'Little Altars Everywhere'. Following the Walker clan from the first book, 'Divine Secrets' is a journey into the relationship between Ya-Ya queen Vivi Abbott Walker and her theatre director daughter, Siddalee. Full of accounts from both of their lives from birth to present day, the novel weaves a story about the way the past can shape us, break us and ultimately heal us. When Sidda mistakenly opens up to a journalist about her abusive childhood and it is published in the paper for all to see, her already tenuous relationship with her mother is damaged to what they feel is the point of no return. This chasm between mother and daughter sets Sidda on an emotional crash course through her past in an attempt to reconcile with the hurt and pain of her childhood, and to help her with her ability to love her fiance, Connor McGill. Told in alternating perspectives and decades, 'Divine Secrets' takes the reader on a journey from the sultry, humid Louisiana bayou, to the cool, earthy Washington forests.Rebecca Wells is a skilled writer and weaver of tales. Her writing is sumptuous, and reading through the different vignettes feels like pure gluttony. Every sense is aroused with her writing, which is one of the things I love most about it. She describes everything so properly and so thoroughly that you can't help but feel like you are right there, surrounded by this wacky cast of characters. 'Divine Secrets' is a quick read and would appeal most to the Southern Lit and Women's Lit crowds. If you like gossip, scandal and humor, then this is definitely a great choice for you! It has its issues, but I find it to be a well rounded novel and give it four stars!
Rating: 4I loved getting to know Vivi, first through her daughter’s eyes, then more directly with recounts of her past. The themes of the book like mother/daughter relationship, female friendship and childhood impact are very common but made so interesting in this book through colorful and multi facet characters. Excellent writing style.The thing that did not work so well for me: the very Hollywoodian end, with the 180 degree change in Vivi/Sidda relationship and Connor’s character depicted as the perfect guy.
Rating: 5