Rating: 
Summary: Stick to the Ya-Yas
Review: If you like the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood then don't read this book. It takes all your favorite characters and ruins them. I had been really looking forward to reading this book and it ended up making me cranky.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Writing...
Review: Richer, darker and deeper than the second book or the movie, this book truly is a 'must' read if you want to understand the Walker family, especially the mystery who is Viviane Abbot Walker. Starting as a simple short story ("Looking for My Mules," with Shep, Viviane and an old man lost on their farm), Rebecca Wells' tales of growing up in Louisiana in a less than perfect home grew first into Little Altars Everywhere, then into the Divine Secrets book and movie. Each chapter contains a well crafted short story, told from the viewpoint of different characters. Each chapter offers a title with the name of the narrator and year they are talking in. In some cases, the titles are enough to draw you in (Catfish Dreams; E-Z Boy War; The Princess of Gimmee.) From the 60's to the 90's, each story offers a simple, but meaningful slice of the entire Walker family's story. Some are told in the present, some are memories of what happened long ago. The chapters weave together to give you a wider view of what was going on from different perspectives. As you read, you'll find yourself piecing together the story of Sidalee, her siblings, her mother Vivi and father Shep, as well as Willetta and Chaney, the black couple who were hired help, and who have an outside view of the family. Don't stop reading with this book, or you'll miss a view of the whole person -- doting mother, child abuser, unloved child, shattered schoolgirl, broken hearted, passionate lover, distant wife and mother as well as a view of Shep as a fallible human being and how he contributed to Vivi's 'condition' and the affect it had on their children. A treasure of a book, you may find it more unsettling than the movie or the second book. Excellent writing, it will leave you wanting to know more (unless you've already read the second book!)
Rating: 
Summary: Fun, stunning, sad, hilarious....
Review: Every now and then a book comes along that just grabs you by the emotions and won't let go. I read Divine Secrets first and then rushed out to buy Little Altars, and although the writing style is quite different, each book has amazing strengths of its own.
Little Altars is a short book (the trade paperback is only about 224 pages), but it packs a big punch. Each chapter is told by one of the characters in a reminiscent style. I really liked that the male characters are more fleshed out here. Wells lets us in on the inner workings of Shep, Little Shep, Baylor, and Chaney; this is an aspect that really isn't present in the female-centric Divine Secrets.
These stories are fantastic! It's been quite a while since I laughed and sobbed so often while reading the same book. "Cruelty to Animals" had me laughing so hard I couldn't breathe! "Snuggling" and "E-Z Boy War" were two stories that simply made my heart ache. Wells is wonderful at creating characters that stand on ther own; she gives each one a unique voice and then simply allows the story to tell itself. The writing is simple but powerful, and all of these "little" stories combine to create a vivid picture of this Louisiana community. In Little Altars, we really get to see the characters for who they are; this isn't so much one character trying to figure out her mother, her family, and her own place in all of it. This is more of a combination of stories to show that every family has so much more meaning underneath its outward appearance. Be prepared to be shocked by some of the more horrific things you learn about Vivi in this book. And if Willetta's chapter doesn't shake you to the core, then this type of story-telling might not be for you!
Little Altars is a bit darker than Divine Secrets, but it is just as enjoyable. It's an emotional roller-coaster, and I'm glad I took the ride!
Rating:
Summary: The Ya-yas have their dark side -- thank goodness!!!
Review: This is the dark side to "Divine Secrets" --- the focus is on Vivi's husband and family. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character at a different point at time -- Sidda as a child in the 1960s and as a grown-up in the 1990s; Sidda's adolescent brother; Vivi's husband. The Ya-yas are not as divine as the first book makes them out to be -- they are not that smart, dignfied, or nice. In fact, Vivi is a child molestor! This book makes everything about "Divine Secrets" more real and full-fleshed, and as a result, more sorrowful.
Rating:
Summary: Dark but full of Diamonds
Review: Definitely this book gives a darker picture of Vivian than the second, which sort of implies Vivi's abusiveness toward her children was largely limited to one episode. But that's not the only reason I found this book darker and less affirming. What hit me was that, in the first part of the book, except for the obvious heavy drinking, Vivian seemed a high-spirited woman who thrived on attention but also found social bonds and responsibilities as suffocating as they can be supportive. But she was an extremely likeable character. For example, she was concerned about teaching her daughter how to be popular, but she wouldn't stand for her daughter to be mean or cruel to somebody else, even the unpopular Edie. Viviane obviously flaunted convention, but still had a kind heart and was extroverted to the extreme, and loved to be a local socialite. However, when the reader reaches part 2 of the book, he or she discovers that Viviane has a darker side. A MUCH darker side, if child abuse bothers you as much as it does me! The drinking we have seen, but the physical abuse of the children becomes more graphic and seems much more severe, and we find she sexually abuses at least one of her sons. These were hard revelations to me, though obviously in keeping with much of "Southern" gothic fiction, from Blanche Dubois on. But I hate to think that perhaps something of the point is that creative and free-spirited people are also child abusers and emotional leeches. Yes, one can argue that these negatives make a character more "three-dimensional," and maybe the author is making the point that such flamboyance has its dark side, but that's a pretty dark side! Furthermore, once these aspects of Viviane were introduced, particularly the sexual abuse of Little Shep, I think it is a real shortcoming of the two novels that these issues are so briefly alluded to but not resolved further. Maybe Wells planned/plans more novels about the Walkers? Maybe we can get the men's points of view? However, the above criticisms should not keep someone from reading these books. They contain a marvelous sense of times and places, particularly Louisiana from the 1930's on to the present. And there are many luminous moments among the dark parts.
Rating:
Summary: Get over it!!!!
Review: I prefer this book over the hokier Yaya Sishood. I find its dark depiction of Vivi the child molester and the POVs of others besides whiny (grown-up) Sidda and vivacious Vivi of Divine Secrets fame refreshing. I cannot believe some recommend skipping this novel to protect the images of the Ya Yas they gleaned from reading the sequel. These are Wells' characters, and she has chosen to make them three-dimensional and complex. What's so offensive about that? If you truly loved the Ya Yas, you shouldn't be afraid to read this novel. In fact, I was relieved to discover the neglect and abuse that went uncovered in the Divine Secrets...druggie alchies are not always the bright, shiny French-spouting debutantes they appear to be. Merci, Rebecca Wells!!
Rating:
Summary: funny and very sad at the same time
Review: i read this book in 2 days. i couldn't put it down. rebecca wells has such a dynamic way of writing. the stories of all the characters in this book are so real and even though they are tragic the humility and humurous way wells writes you can't seem to cry you just seem to smile and think and keep reading. i was told to read this book first and now that i'm reading the second novel...i recommend everyone do the same. this book is an amazing read you must try it!
Rating:
Summary: Little Altars Everywhere
Review: The life of Vivian Walker and her three best friends told from the perspective of her daughter Siddalee. Truly an amazing work that is true to life and easy to identify with. No matter what age you are, from 15 to 115 there are surprises waiting for you in this book. Read it once, then a year later read it again, etc., etc., etc., you'll always find a story within the weft of the book that relates to your life now; from teenage angst to the immense pain of blows delt by those you love. READ IT!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Prequel That Has Teeth
Review: I loved "Ya Ya" so much, I immediately went out to find this novel and read it. Equally as brilliantly written and captivating it is well worth the read. The only thing I found was that it changed my view of the characters in a way that is kind of upsetting. With "Ya Ya", I felt for the mother, I felt her life and struggles damaged her and made her the way she was, but that deep down she was a good mother and a loving mother that did her best with what she had emotionally. In "Little Alters" I had no love left for her character, not even a lot of like. She did inexcusable things that are only ever so slightly alluded to in "Ya Ya", and it changes your view.
This book is fantastic, but, if you have fallen in love with the Ya Ya's as you percieve them in "Ya Ya", I reccomend NOT reading this book. I know that sounds strange, but, it's impossible to respect them the same way, to wish that you and your girlfriends will be them someday etc., when you read "Little Alters".
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down
Review: This book took me on a magnificent journey. I went inside the lives of the Walker family and felt the hot summer weather of Louisianna. The book is broken down in such a way that it makes it impossible to put down. By knowing what each character is experiencing and thinking it puts you on a very intimate level with them. Rebecca Wells brings to life the innocent summers of youth and the hardships of love. I can't wait to see what awaits me in the "Ya Ya Sisterhood". Two thumbs up for Little Alters Everywhere!
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