Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Wells’ novel takes readers to the heart of the pain that an adult daughter experiences at the hands of a troubled mother.

It explores how the pain and trauma of being a woman in a culture that doesn’t value women equally are passed down through generations and how each generation picks it up and carries it, in similar but different ways.

This “wound” shows up in the relationships of mothers who grew up in the 1950s and 60s and their daughters who grew up in the 1970s and 80s. The mothers want so much for their daughters to have more… show more.

Vivi and her three friends sealed a bond as childhood friends. Together they move through the sometimes dysfunctional and always unpredictable nature of life through marriages and family.

At the core of this novel, Wells features a group of women who stick by one another and tell each other the hard truths through thick and thin. Their bond is a soulful, uncompromising connection of chosen sisters. This book reinforced for me the necessity of friendship and the importance of chosen families.

This book has such a special place in my heart because it entirely and solely focuses women, their stories, and their relationships. The men, the lovers, the husbands, and the children are relegated to second place. It’s a beautiful story about a friendship group, the choices they make, and how their children live with the consequences of some of those choices. It’s also an incredible portrayal of the difficulties between mother/daughter relationships. This novel is so visceral that it will take you to the heart of a boiling-hot Louisiana summer in the 1930s. It’s stunning.