Publishers Weekly
The Ya-Ya sisters shimmy on and off stage in this disjointed follow-up to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Wells's bestselling novel about the singular friendship and escapades of four larger-than-life Southern women. The author is off to a good start with the tale of how Vivi, Teensy, Caro and Necie met as little girls in 1930, their spunk and liveliness a harbinger of things to come. But the focus on the Ya-Yas' early years soon wavers and the novel is all over the map-here a few tales about the grown-up Ya-Yas, like Vivi's run-in with her son's first-grade teacher, a pompous nun; there a story about Vivi's eldest daughter, Sidda, one of the so-called "Petites Ya-Yas," and her directorial debut at age eight at a Valentine's Day party. A chapter appears out of nowhere from the viewpoint of Myrtis Spevey, a contemporary of the original Ya-Yas, who is so excessively jealous and resentful of the friends that she comes off as a cartoon character. After a vexing 30-year leap, Myrtis's creepy, emotionally ill daughter, Edythe, takes over the narrative, kidnapping one of the Ya-Yas' grandchildren. What begins as a collection of haphazard but entertaining snippets from the Ya-Yas' lives suddenly bumps up against a sober story about a missing child and the lengths to which parents will go to protect their young. Readers may lose patience as even the loose family-album format fails to hold up, but Wells still charms when she focuses on the redemptive power of family love and the special bond that comes from genuine, long-lived friendship. Agent, Kim Witherspoon. (One-day laydown Mar. 29) Forecast: Flaws aside, this has a chance at #1, though it may not stick at the top of the lists as long as Divine Secrets. Major ad/promo. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Fans of The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood will find Wells's follow-up a major disappointment, lacking all the sparkle and insight into mother/daughter relationships that marked the introduction of characters Sidda, ViVi, Teensy, Necie, and Caro. This book is a collection of turgid vignettes highlighting moments in the lives of the Ya-Yas, told primarily from the point of view of Sidda and her mother, ViVi. Leaping randomly from the 1960s to the 1990s, these include such events as how ViVi met her three best friends, Sidda's first experience directing a Valentine's Day performance of the Ya-Yas, the first appearance of snow in their hometown of Thornton, LA, the Beatles' appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, and other random events. The dialog is leaden, the stories not particularly interesting. Of course, given Wells's well-earned popularity for her earlier titles and the aggressive marketing campaign that will surround this book, public libraries will get requests but should consider purchase only to meet demand. [See Prepub, LJ 12/04.]-Nancy Pearl, formerly with Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
More helpings of southern-fried sisterhood. Actually, in this third set of snapshots from the lives of four Louisiana friends (Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, 1997, etc.), the men get the final epiphanies. But since these consist of politically correct nostrums like "masculine love . . . is not about power. It is not about judging. It is about a quiet calm, a quiet love," it's clear that girls still rule. For those who have been panting to know how the Ya-Yas first got together, Wells takes us back to 1930, when Teensy Whitman shoves a pecan up her nose and, rushed to the doctor's office where Viviane Abbott sits with an earache, intoxicates Vivi with "a magical wink." Bohemian Caro and good-girl Necie round out the quartet before the year is up, and the narrative then bounces around to show them as unconventional young mothers during the 1960s and cool grannies in 1994. That's the year when Edythe Spevey, the mentally disturbed daughter of a jealous farm girl who always hated the wealthy, flamboyant Ya-Yas, snatches Necie's three-year-old granddaughter, Rosalyn, from a video store. This scary development assorts very oddly with earlier feel-good episodes that show the Ya-Yas facing down such all-too-easy targets as Necie's narrow-minded husband George (he doesn't like the Beatles!) and a censorious nun (she's shocked when Vivi's six-year-old son brings in his mother's garter belt for Show and Tell!). Not even a kidnapping can bring real depth to the kind of characters who call their kids "the Petites Ya-Yas" and their grandchildren "the Tres Petites." Fortunately, since Wells inclines to southern cutesiness rather than southern gothic, little Rosalyn is rescued in short order-andin plenty of time for the annual Ya-Ya Christmas party. Wells closes with a chaotic pageant that's meant to be adorable and the stunning revelation that Judge George Ogden is actually not such a bad guy. Another divine jacket image will undoubtedly move books off the shelves, but this is pretty thin stuff for all but the most fanatical Ya-Ya devotees.
From the Publisher
Irrepressible…Touching…A pleasure to read.” — The Oregonian (Portland)
“Unforgettable characters.” — Southern Living
“Reveals the roots of the friendship of the Ya-Ya sisterhood.” — USA Today
“Hilarious…Had me laughing out loud…Brims with the Ya-Yas’ hallmark irreverence.” — Rocky Mountain News
“A must-read…Rollicking anecdotes.” — Detroit Free Press
“The charm here is in the details, the dialogue, and Wells’ canny observations about life in Thorton, Louisiana.” — Seattle Times
“Charming…Sparks of humor and sass.” — Austin American-Statesman
“Wells is a marvelous writer.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Readers in touch with their inner Ya-Yas will feel right at home in Thornton.” — New Orleans Times-Picayune
“A sharp ear for dialogue and one of the finest gifts for verbal insult this side of Dorothy Parker.” — Wilmington Star News (NC)
“Having friends like the Ya-Yas is something every woman wants and the lucky ones get.” — The Sentinel
“Every bit as joyful as the original…Uplifting, uproarious, saucy, and smart…lives up to the highest expectations” — Booklist
“Entertaining...Wells still charms.” — Publishers Weekly
Booklist
Every bit as joyful as the original…Uplifting, uproarious, saucy, and smart…lives up to the highest expectations
The Sentinel
Having friends like the Ya-Yas is something every woman wants and the lucky ones get.
Wilmington Star News (NC)
A sharp ear for dialogue and one of the finest gifts for verbal insult this side of Dorothy Parker.
New Orleans Times-Picayune
Readers in touch with their inner Ya-Yas will feel right at home in Thornton.
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Wells is a marvelous writer.
Austin American-Statesman
Charming…Sparks of humor and sass.
Seattle Times
The charm here is in the details, the dialogue, and Wells’ canny observations about life in Thorton, Louisiana.
Detroit Free Press
A must-read…Rollicking anecdotes.
Rocky Mountain News
Hilarious…Had me laughing out loud…Brims with the Ya-Yas’ hallmark irreverence.
USA Today
Reveals the roots of the friendship of the Ya-Ya sisterhood.
Southern Living
Unforgettable characters.
The Oregonian (Portland)
Irrepressible…Touching…A pleasure to read.
JUN/JUL 06 - AudioFile
Tony Award winner Judith Ivey may not be from Louisiana, but there's no doubt her heart belongs to the home of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and the highly acclaimed sagas of the Southern belles. In this newest addition, Ivey reveals the beginnings of the Ya-Yas' friendship in the 1930s, sixty years of marriages, children, scandals, and the bond that holds them together. She flawlessly performs the stories as dozens of easily identifiable, believable characters, not only in the purrs and hisses (often tinged with booze) of the beloved Ya-Yas, but also the giggly lisps of the 4-years-olds and the roaring, blustering bassos of powerful Southern gents. If ever there was a match made in heaven, Ivey and the Ya-Yas are it. M.T.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2006 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
