Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells (Ya Yas Series #1)

With passion, humor, and an irrepressible gift for language, The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood shows readers of all backgrounds a reflection of their own lives. (Greg Marrs) A powerfully literate yet thoroughly engaging and accessible novel, this story of a close-knit society of southern women has become a modern cult classic that digs deeply into the complex bonds of family.

Concerned about her daughter, Vivi convenes an emergency Ya-Ya council and at last decides to reveal her jealously guarded past to Sidda through her treasured scrapbook, "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." 

The scrapbook spans Ya-Ya history, documenting among other things the hilarious Shirley Temple Look-Alike Contest that first united the four women in a conspiracy against polite society; the secret history and initiation rites of the group; a trip to Atlanta to attend the premier of Gone With The Wind; and Vivi's first and greatest love. It also sheds light on Vivi's reaction to the constraints of motherhood and the alcoholism, self-medication, and spiritual confusion that eventually led to a complete nervous breakdown. Also buried in the book is the key that unlocks Sidda's childhood memory of a lost lesson of love and brings her to a new understanding of her family's shared triumphs and tragedies.

Goodreads: 3.84/5

Paperback edition, 1996