Ya-Yas in Bloom
By Rebecca Wells
(Harper Paperbacks, Paperback, 9780060953652, 272pp.)
Publication Date: March 17, 2006
Categories: General
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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.
Rebecca Wells is a novelist, actor, and playwright. She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Ya-Yas in Bloom, Little Altars Everywhere (winner of the Western States Book Award), and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (winner of the American Booksellers Book of the Year Award, short-listed for the Orange Prize), which was made into a feature film. She performs from her work internationally, and her books have been translated into twenty-three languages. A native of Louisiana, she now makes her home on an island in Puget Sound, Washington, with her husband, their spaniel, and three sheep.
"Charming.Sparks of humor and sass."
-Austin American-Statesman
"Irrepressible.Touching.A pleasure to read."
-The Oregonian (Portland)
"The charm here is in the details, the dialogue, and Wells' canny observations about life in Thorton, Louisiana."
-Seattle Times
"Hilarious.Had me laughing out loud.Brims with the Ya-Yas' hallmark irreverence."
-Rocky Mountain News
"Wells is a marvelous writer."
-Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Irrepressible.Touching.A pleasure to read."
-The Oregonian (Portland)
"Entertaining...Wells still charms."
-Publishers Weekly
"A must-read.Rollicking anecdotes."
-Detroit Free Press
"Reveals the roots of the friendship of the Ya-Ya sisterhood."
-USA Today
"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
"A sharp ear for dialogue and one of the finest gifts for verbal insult this side of Dorothy Parker."
-Wilmington Star News (NC)
"Hilarious.Had me laughing out loud.Brims with the Ya-Yas' hallmark irreverence."
-Rocky Mountain News
"Unforgettable characters."
-Southern Living
"Readers in touch with their inner Ya-Yas will feel right at home in Thornton."
-New Orleans Times-Picayune
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