From the book cover
When Vivi and Siddalee Walker, an unforgettable mother-daughter team, get into a savage fight over a New York Times article that refers to Vivi as a "tap-dancing child abuser," the fallout is felt from Louisiana to New York to Seattle. Siddalee, a successful theater director with a huge hit on her hands, panics and postpones her upcoming wedding to her lover and friend, Connor McGill. Vivi's intrepid gang of lifelong girlfriends, the Ya-Yas, sashay in and conspire to bring everyone back together.
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Divine Secrets was really hard to get into. It wasn't until around page 100 of the 356-page novel that I really started to enjoy the story. I think this is because I found Sidda's story a bit too staged. It doesn't make sense that she's putting off her wedding to the man of her dreams because all of a sudden she feels like she doesn't know how to love. What does her mom's breakdown thirty years before have to do with her marrying the man of her dreams?
I would have been happy to read about all of the lives and experiences of the Ya-Yas (especially Vivi) coming of age in Louisiana in the 1930s onwards. I really enjoyed all of the flashback sections. It was interesting to see how Vivi's attitude towards the black people in her life develops, shifts and changes throughout her life. I've gained two things from this novel: a desire to visit Louisiana and a desire to read Gone with the Wind.
Rebecca Wells did a wonderful job with the character of Vivi, she really came to life. I understood her motivation and her desires and drivers. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Sidda or the other Ya-Yas. She provided just enough tidbits about the lives of the other Ya-Yas to spark a desire in her readers to know more about these quirky ladies.
3/5
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