Ya-Yas in Bloom : A Novel
Author(s): Rebecca Wells
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.
Review(s):
“Irrepressible…Touching…A pleasure to read.”
“Unforgettable characters.”
“Reveals the roots of the friendship of the Ya-Ya sisterhood.”
“Hilarious…Had me laughing out loud…Brims with the Ya-Yas’ hallmark irreverence.”
“A must-read…Rollicking anecdotes.”
“The charm here is in the details, the dialogue, and Wells’ canny observations about life in Thorton, Louisiana.”
“Charming…Sparks of humor and sass.”
“Wells is a marvelous writer.”
“Readers in touch with their inner Ya-Yas will feel right at home in Thornton.”
“A sharp ear for dialogue and one of the finest gifts for verbal insult this side of Dorothy Parker.”
ISBN: 9780060953652