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.
