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"My name is Viviane Abbott Walker. Age
68, but I can pass for 49. And I do. I altered my drivers license and
kept that gorgeous picture of me when my hair was still thick and I
looked like Jessica Lange, and glued it onto every new license I’ve had
since 1975. And not one officer has said a word to me about it. I like
to think I am Queen of the Ya-Yas, the sisterhood I’ve been part of
since I was four. But the fact is that all of us are queens. The Ya-Yas
are not a monarchy. We are a Ya-Ya-cracy. Caro, who is still more alive
than anyone I know, even though she is yoked to an oxygen tank most of
the time because of her emphysema. Teensy, who is probably the most
sophisticated of us, although she doesn’t know it, and still cute as a
bug. I never know when she’ll be home in Thornton—right smack in the
heart of Louisiana, where we were all raised—or in Paris or Istanbul.
And Necie, our dear, kind Necie, who is still Madame Chairwoman of
every charity in the parish, if not the state." -- Ya-Yas in Bloom
An emotionally charged addition to Rebecca Wells' award-winning bestseller Little Altars Everywhere and #1 New York Times bestseller Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Ya-Yas in Bloom
reveals the roots of the Ya-Yas' friendship in the 1930s and roars with
all the raw power of Vivi Abbott Walker's 1962 T-Bird 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. Told in alternating voices of Vivi and the
Petite Ya-Yas, Siddalee and Baylor Walker, as well as other denizens of
Thornton, Louisiana, Ya-Yas in Bloom 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 Cajun sass shine through. Necies wise credo, "Just
think pretty pink and blue thoughts," helps too. . .
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 half-crazy, half-holy Louisiana to embrace life
and each other with joy.
.
Critical Praise
"Every bit as joyful as the original. . . .
Uplifting, uproarious, saucy, and smart, The Ya-Ya sisterhood sequel
lives up to the highest expectations." --Booklist
"Wells is a marvelous writer." --Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Having friends like the Ya-Yas is something every woman wants and the lucky ones get." --The Sentinel
"Reveals the roots of the friendship of the Ya-Ya sisterhood." --USA Today
"Entertaining. . . . Wells still charms when she focuses on the
redemptive power of family love and the special bond that comes from
genuine, long-lived friendship." --Publishers Weekly
"Charming. . . . Sparks of humor and sass." --Austin American-Statesman
"A must-read. . . . Rollicking anecdotes." --Detroit Free Press
"When Ms. Wells is good, she's very, very good, with a sharp ear for
dialogue and one of the finest gifts for verbal insult this side of
Dorothy Parker." --Wilmington Star News
"Entertaining. . . . Fun. . . . Blend[s] outrageous humor with living heartbreak." --The Denver Post
"The writing is as good as ever." --The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Hilarious. . . . Had me laughing out loud. . . . Brims with the Ya-Yas’ hallmark irreverence." --Rocky Mountain News
"Unforgettable characters." --Southern Living
"The charm here is in the details, the dialogue, and Wells’ canny
observations about life in Thorton, Louisiana." --Seattle Times
"Readers in touch with their inner Ya-Yas will feel right at home in
Thornton, where spring is just around the corner." --New Orleans
Times-Picayune
