The book jumps around a lot from generation to generation, era to era. It's not too distracting. The story of a daughter who goes looking for some answers to why her mother is the way she is gets more than she bargains for when she receives The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, a scrapbook of her mother and her mothers friends (the Ya-Ya's) lives. Sidda, the daughter finds out that there really is more to her mom, than the fact that she has a tendency toward alcoholism, that can explain why Vivi (mother) "ruined" Sidda's life with her eccentricity. ( )

A good example of a relaxing chick-lit book. It was an easy read, but an overall enjoyable one. The author did a good job at creating realistic and eccentric characters that grab the reader’s attention and keep them interested in the story. It’s the characters stories, lives and their personal traits that make the book what it is. I enjoyed taking the emotional journey, divulging into the secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, and finding out the past lives of all the different generations. Some of the characters tendencies did bug me a bit, and there wasn’t any one character that stuck out for me, but it was more the overall affect all the characters had together, and how their relationships and emotions were written, that made the book what it was.

I did see the movie first, but I’m having a hard time figuring out which one I like better. The movie has far more humour and eccentric characters to it. The mother especially is more entertaining in the movie. But the book is better at creating the relationships between the characters, which is what I enjoyed the most about the book, is the realism of the relationships between friends, and their emotional journeys they go on together. It’s a great book for book clubs and chick-lit fans.

Review can also be found at my Book Review Blog
http://juliebooks.blogspot.com/2009/0... ( )

The hardest part about growing up, is sometimes finding where you start and where your childhood ends. So much of who and what we are comes from those who raised us, and as we grow, in order to understand ourselves sometimes we look to those people for the answers that we don't have, without realizing that maybe they never had those answers either. This was a heartbreaking tale of mother and daughter both having to come to terms with the past, and the realization that those you love are probably the most fallible of all, because you actually get to see the dark sides they often hide from the outside world. Truly touching. But the best of this novel outside the rawness of the mother/daughter relationship, can be found in the intense, deep, lasting, loving friendship between the Ya-Ya's. It makes one long painfully for carefree days, running around with your friends. I really loved this book, in ways I don't think I even realized I would. ( )

This book explores the aspects of three generations of women. The book is predominantly about the mother and how her experiences impacted others including her children. The book is full of colorful characters that you wish were part of your own life in some way. ( )

This is a book of mothers and daughters. Of best friends and secrets. It will make you laugh and cry. A great summer read. It is ten times better than the movie. ( )