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Ya Yas #2
Little Altars Everywhere: A Novel
The companion to the beloved bestseller Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, here is the funny, heartbreaking, and powerfully insightful tale that first introduced Siddalee, Vivi, their spirited Walker clan, and the indomitable Ya-Yas.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1992
About the author
Rebecca Wells
34 books2,548 followersRebecca Wells was born and raised in Alexandria, Louisiana. “I grew up,” she says, “in the fertile world of story-telling, filled with flamboyance, flirting, futility, and fear.” Surrounded by Louisiana raconteurs, a large extended family, and Our Lady of Prompt Succor’s Parish, Rebecca’s imagination was stimulated at every turn. Early on, she fell in love with thinking up and acting in plays for her siblings—the beginnings of her career as an actress and writer for the stage. She recalls her early influences as being the land around her, harvest times, craw-fishing in the bayou, practicing piano after school, dancing with her mother and brothers and sister, and the close relationship to her black “mother” who cleaned for the Wells household. She counts black music and culture from Louisiana as something that will stay in her body’s memory forever.
In high school, she read Walt Whitman’s “I Sing the Body Electric,” which opened her up to the idea that everything in life is a poem, and that, as she says, “We are not born separately from one another.” She also read “Howl,” Allen Ginsberg’s indictment of the strangling consumer-driven American culture he saw around him. Acting in school and summer youth theater productions freed Rebecca to step out of the social hierarchies of high school and into the joys of walking inside another character and living in another world.
The day after she graduated from high school, Rebecca left for Yellowstone National Park, where she worked as a waitress. It was an introduction to the natural glories of the park—mountains, waterfalls, hot springs, and geysers—as well as to the art of hitchhiking.
Rebecca graduated from Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, where she studied theater, English, and psychology. She performed in many college plays, but also stepped outside the theater department to become awakened to women’s politics. During this time she worked as a cocktail waitress--once accidentally kicking a man in the shins when he slipped a ten-dollar bill down the front of her dress—and began keeping a journal after reading Anais Nin, which she has done ever since.
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In high school, she read Walt Whitman’s “I Sing the Body Electric,” which opened her up to the idea that everything in life is a poem, and that, as she says, “We are not born separately from one another.” She also read “Howl,” Allen Ginsberg’s indictment of the strangling consumer-driven American culture he saw around him. Acting in school and summer youth theater productions freed Rebecca to step out of the social hierarchies of high school and into the joys of walking inside another character and living in another world.
The day after she graduated from high school, Rebecca left for Yellowstone National Park, where she worked as a waitress. It was an introduction to the natural glories of the park—mountains, waterfalls, hot springs, and geysers—as well as to the art of hitchhiking.
Rebecca graduated from Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, where she studied theater, English, and psychology. She performed in many college plays, but also stepped outside the theater department to become awakened to women’s politics. During this time she worked as a cocktail waitress--once accidentally kicking a man in the shins when he slipped a ten-dollar bill down the front of her dress—and began keeping a journal after reading Anais Nin, which she has done ever since.
Click here to read more...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,157 reviews
June 25, 2010
This book leaves a bad taste in my mouth and a hole in my heart.
I have previously read the other two books in the Ya-Ya series, and upon completion I felt Vivi Walker was a damaged woman who sincerely tried to do the best she could with the hand she was dealt. "Ya-Yas in Bloom," in particular, ended with a feeling of redemption for the entire Walker clan. However, after reading "Little Altars Everywhere," I am disgusted beyond belief at this character. The Vivi Walker in this book is a bitter, angry, cruel child molester who ruins the lives of her children. Forever. I am not able, for the life of me, to understand how other critics and readers can describe this book as "hilarious" or "witty" or "nostalgic."
Overall, this book leaves me feeling conned. I fell for the Ya-Yas (Vivi especially) only to discover that at their core they are rotten. I am unable to reconcile the two images I now have for this family and that leaves me feeling angry and betrayed.
Take my advice, read the other Ya-Ya books, but little "Little Altars" alone.
I have previously read the other two books in the Ya-Ya series, and upon completion I felt Vivi Walker was a damaged woman who sincerely tried to do the best she could with the hand she was dealt. "Ya-Yas in Bloom," in particular, ended with a feeling of redemption for the entire Walker clan. However, after reading "Little Altars Everywhere," I am disgusted beyond belief at this character. The Vivi Walker in this book is a bitter, angry, cruel child molester who ruins the lives of her children. Forever. I am not able, for the life of me, to understand how other critics and readers can describe this book as "hilarious" or "witty" or "nostalgic."
Overall, this book leaves me feeling conned. I fell for the Ya-Yas (Vivi especially) only to discover that at their core they are rotten. I am unable to reconcile the two images I now have for this family and that leaves me feeling angry and betrayed.
Take my advice, read the other Ya-Ya books, but little "Little Altars" alone.
January 20, 2013
Consider this a review of all three of the Ya-ya books because what I have to say about this one can't be said without referencing (without spoilers, of course) the other two.
These books are going to be love/hate for everybody who touches them. So let's get the good out of the way: some people say this series sucks because it's another quirky my-dysfunctional-family series and really, that's misleading. The movie made it into that, sure, but these books are a lot deeper than that. Wells writes characters as people. In one story, the characters are delightfully gray. I mean in one story, all of the characters will be right and wrong simultaneously, caring and aloof, vindicated and unquestionably unforgivable. By writing characters this way, you really get a fuller narrative. These characters could easily be people you know, maybe even people you've met before. And the range of characters and narrations is a delight. Also, I love how well connected all the books are. You learn one detail from a story and it pops up in other stories, from the point of view of others or as a reference or an example. You see these characters from 1st person, 2nd person, and 3rd person, with different people taking on different roles and evolving (for many of them) from childhood to adulthood. My favorite example of this is Mr. Ogden who is an often mentioned character (the least "fun" of the husbands). He starts as a reference, even sometimes as a stereotypical stuck-up older white man, but by book three, we see him as a fearful grandfather, a protective father, and a vulnerable man all in one story. It's a great evolution and it's nice to see characters written this way in short story format.
The major problem that readers will face is a difficult one. All people triggered by child abuse or alcoholism, stay away. Do not even bother with this. And that is part of the problem. In Little Altars Everywhere, we find out that Vivian abuses her children above and beyond "hey, it's the 1960s and everybody hits children as a form of discipline". If you've seen the movie, it is much worse in the book and, in one story, we find out as an audience that Vivian sexually abused one of her children, the extent of which is vague. This issue is never brought up again. Ever. It's in one story from one of her children's point of view and while the story is well written and deals with the honest truth of coming from an abusive home and being unsure of one's body and one's boundaries with others, that's it. One well written story and done. It's never mentioned again in any of the other books. So you, as a reader, see so much about how Vivian has suffered and how she gets into crazy escapades with her girlfriends...all while knowing that she's a child molester and a child beater. And the main book (the one the movie is based on) takes a sinister feel to it when you realize that the Ya-Yas are trying to fix a relationship between a woman and her mother who abused her. Do they excuse her behavior? Yes and no at the same time and it's uncomfortable. But through this exploration of Vivian, we see the cycle of abuse and how it continues from one generation to the next. So many people gush about Vivi as if she is the most awesome thing ever and I think the movie is slightly to blame for that because when you hear her mother's back story and see what happens with her children, it's really hard to sit through her stories. It's hard to empathize with her and it does color many of the stories from her point of view.
Does she have a tragic back story that causes everything? Yes and it is heartbreaking to watch how she is nearly broken over and over again. But does it take away from her unapologetic attitude about the abuse? Why does Siddalee need to have her relationship mended with her mother? Why don't her siblings have a similar experience? It puts a sour taste in your mouth and that might be too much for some readers.
Also, I'm really not sure how to feel about this but there are at least two (I might be remembering wrong) stories from the point of view of the Walkers' black maid and handyman. Their stories, while a more honest portrayal of black people than you usually get from Southern literature, are still hard to deal with without getting headaches at the stereotypes that Wells doesn't break. I think they're worth reading but bear that in mind, POCs. It's not THE HELP but it's not BELOVED either, okay?
I personally like these books because of the development of character and setting, not for the happy fun joy ride with kooky characters that some proclaim that it is. I like it because it's realistic and every happy ending has a black lining through it. If you're curious, check it out but I really cannot stress enough that you go into this series knowing what you're in for.
These books are going to be love/hate for everybody who touches them. So let's get the good out of the way: some people say this series sucks because it's another quirky my-dysfunctional-family series and really, that's misleading. The movie made it into that, sure, but these books are a lot deeper than that. Wells writes characters as people. In one story, the characters are delightfully gray. I mean in one story, all of the characters will be right and wrong simultaneously, caring and aloof, vindicated and unquestionably unforgivable. By writing characters this way, you really get a fuller narrative. These characters could easily be people you know, maybe even people you've met before. And the range of characters and narrations is a delight. Also, I love how well connected all the books are. You learn one detail from a story and it pops up in other stories, from the point of view of others or as a reference or an example. You see these characters from 1st person, 2nd person, and 3rd person, with different people taking on different roles and evolving (for many of them) from childhood to adulthood. My favorite example of this is Mr. Ogden who is an often mentioned character (the least "fun" of the husbands). He starts as a reference, even sometimes as a stereotypical stuck-up older white man, but by book three, we see him as a fearful grandfather, a protective father, and a vulnerable man all in one story. It's a great evolution and it's nice to see characters written this way in short story format.
The major problem that readers will face is a difficult one. All people triggered by child abuse or alcoholism, stay away. Do not even bother with this. And that is part of the problem. In Little Altars Everywhere, we find out that Vivian abuses her children above and beyond "hey, it's the 1960s and everybody hits children as a form of discipline". If you've seen the movie, it is much worse in the book and, in one story, we find out as an audience that Vivian sexually abused one of her children, the extent of which is vague. This issue is never brought up again. Ever. It's in one story from one of her children's point of view and while the story is well written and deals with the honest truth of coming from an abusive home and being unsure of one's body and one's boundaries with others, that's it. One well written story and done. It's never mentioned again in any of the other books. So you, as a reader, see so much about how Vivian has suffered and how she gets into crazy escapades with her girlfriends...all while knowing that she's a child molester and a child beater. And the main book (the one the movie is based on) takes a sinister feel to it when you realize that the Ya-Yas are trying to fix a relationship between a woman and her mother who abused her. Do they excuse her behavior? Yes and no at the same time and it's uncomfortable. But through this exploration of Vivian, we see the cycle of abuse and how it continues from one generation to the next. So many people gush about Vivi as if she is the most awesome thing ever and I think the movie is slightly to blame for that because when you hear her mother's back story and see what happens with her children, it's really hard to sit through her stories. It's hard to empathize with her and it does color many of the stories from her point of view.
Does she have a tragic back story that causes everything? Yes and it is heartbreaking to watch how she is nearly broken over and over again. But does it take away from her unapologetic attitude about the abuse? Why does Siddalee need to have her relationship mended with her mother? Why don't her siblings have a similar experience? It puts a sour taste in your mouth and that might be too much for some readers.
Also, I'm really not sure how to feel about this but there are at least two (I might be remembering wrong) stories from the point of view of the Walkers' black maid and handyman. Their stories, while a more honest portrayal of black people than you usually get from Southern literature, are still hard to deal with without getting headaches at the stereotypes that Wells doesn't break. I think they're worth reading but bear that in mind, POCs. It's not THE HELP but it's not BELOVED either, okay?
I personally like these books because of the development of character and setting, not for the happy fun joy ride with kooky characters that some proclaim that it is. I like it because it's realistic and every happy ending has a black lining through it. If you're curious, check it out but I really cannot stress enough that you go into this series knowing what you're in for.
August 11, 2017
I almost want to say there is something Proustian about this novel except while I don't fear intellectual eye-rolling over my calling a popular novel written by and about southern women Proustian, I do fear eye-rolling over not quite correct use of the word. What I mean, then, is reading this novel was a gorgeously vivid sensory experience. When the Walker kids went to swim in the pond, I saw and felt and smelled it like I was in that same summertime water. I felt the cool concrete floors of the grocery store beneath my 10 year old feet. I experienced the vertiginous but exhilarating displacement of wandering through the house of a dimly known adult my parents were visiting looking for food, places to play, and random objects to pick up and examine all the while wondering, "Am I allowed to be in this room?"
All of this sensory overload sits on the surface of this loose collection of stories about the Walker clan of Thornton, Louisiana (a prequel of sorts to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood however they can be read in any order.) However, as you read you begin to see the darkness below the surface troubling the waters. Siddha is oddly obsessed with religion and suffering. Lulu pulls out her hair and eats it. Baylor has trouble chewing and swallowing his food. Their mother, Vivi, sure drinks a lot and by the first time someone mentions her hands shaking in the morning, you know.
As the story flashes forward midway through from the 60's to the 90's and expands to include the Walker's hired help, the picture grows clearer and darker. And yet even as unlikable as some characters in the book are, you still feel empathy for them even when you can't forgive their behavior. As a case in point, the final story narrated by Vivi, "Looking for My Mules", made me connect and feel sorry for her even when I should have been saying, "Bitch you brought this on yourself." There's a lot of deceptive depth to this kind of writing. And the story is really about much more than just one family's troubles: small town politics, the death of the rural way of life, war, the burden of secrets.
The final chapter belongs to Siddha and is a great way to wrap up the story although I wanted to keep going (too bad the reviews of YaYa's in Bloom are all so negative.) Don't hit the baby. Fine advice, indeed.
All of this sensory overload sits on the surface of this loose collection of stories about the Walker clan of Thornton, Louisiana (a prequel of sorts to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood however they can be read in any order.) However, as you read you begin to see the darkness below the surface troubling the waters. Siddha is oddly obsessed with religion and suffering. Lulu pulls out her hair and eats it. Baylor has trouble chewing and swallowing his food. Their mother, Vivi, sure drinks a lot and by the first time someone mentions her hands shaking in the morning, you know.
As the story flashes forward midway through from the 60's to the 90's and expands to include the Walker's hired help, the picture grows clearer and darker. And yet even as unlikable as some characters in the book are, you still feel empathy for them even when you can't forgive their behavior. As a case in point, the final story narrated by Vivi, "Looking for My Mules", made me connect and feel sorry for her even when I should have been saying, "Bitch you brought this on yourself." There's a lot of deceptive depth to this kind of writing. And the story is really about much more than just one family's troubles: small town politics, the death of the rural way of life, war, the burden of secrets.
The final chapter belongs to Siddha and is a great way to wrap up the story although I wanted to keep going (too bad the reviews of YaYa's in Bloom are all so negative.) Don't hit the baby. Fine advice, indeed.
December 17, 2008
Not as good as "Ya-Ya", but yikes! Vivi is a child molester? Yuck!!! I actually couldn't believe reading that chapter - it's as if Rebecca Wells got tired of creating this amazing whirlwind of a character and decided that she had to have a truly evil center. For me, it's like Wells burned down the barn...
August 14, 2019
This book reinforces the marginalization of its marginalized characters. The black narrators function only as witnesses to the white characters. They have no development outside of their perspectives on and reactions to their white employers. Also, the chapters written in the voice of black characters are in dialect, but the chapters written in the voice of rural white Louisianians are not...Willetta (the black domestic worker) doesn’t pronounce her “-ings” but Viviane does? Please. I don’t mind dialect writing, but when it is only used for black characters in a setting where everyone has an accent, it just communicates otherness.
Also, the tone of the book is very weird. Truly disturbing things happen, which is not a problem in itself, BUT it is not clear that the book realizes how disturbing those things are. The end felt way too sweet and easy for the heavy content the narrative introduces.
I will say, some of the sections are very good when read as short stories. Some striking imagery that will stick with me. I particularly loved “Catfish Dreams.”
Also, the tone of the book is very weird. Truly disturbing things happen, which is not a problem in itself, BUT it is not clear that the book realizes how disturbing those things are. The end felt way too sweet and easy for the heavy content the narrative introduces.
I will say, some of the sections are very good when read as short stories. Some striking imagery that will stick with me. I particularly loved “Catfish Dreams.”
May 21, 2018
Another book I bought on my recent trip, this time from the library sale shelves. I had never read the author's other book, and I had never seen the movie made from it, but somehow this book intrigued me when I saw it.
Little Altars Everywhere was the author's first book. Originally published in 1992, this edition came out in 1996, after her Divine Secrets. So this technically is not #2 as GR lists it. And I don't think it should be called a prequel, either, since those usually seem to be written after some big hit, to explain more of the background. But this was written before the big hit and got reprinted by a larger publisher to capitalize on that big hit.
I tried to like Siddalee, but I just couldn't. I kept comparing her to another fictional character from a wonderful book by Fannie Flagg, Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man. I knew the situations were different, the stories wee different, but I guess I simply expected a Daisy Fay and not a Siddalee. I was bored right away, and that is never a good sign.
The quitting point came early, in the third of these stories (the book is more a loose collection of stories rather than a novel). This one is called Wandering Eye and is told by Siddalee's brother Shep, who talks about his relationship with his father, who hit him upside the head all the time. I had to quit when I reached the day Shep left a tractor out of the shed and his father proceeded to knock Shep's teeth loose, 'bust' him in the eye, and most likely broke a rib as well. The boy's mom was on the porch and just watched it happen, getting up at one point to say 'enough', but then retreating under threats of the same thing happening to her.
I don't need to read this type of thing right now. I understand it happens, I understand that pain is essential to the story, etc etc. But no, this chapter turned my stomach and I refuse to read another word.
DNF at page 28.
Little Altars Everywhere was the author's first book. Originally published in 1992, this edition came out in 1996, after her Divine Secrets. So this technically is not #2 as GR lists it. And I don't think it should be called a prequel, either, since those usually seem to be written after some big hit, to explain more of the background. But this was written before the big hit and got reprinted by a larger publisher to capitalize on that big hit.
I tried to like Siddalee, but I just couldn't. I kept comparing her to another fictional character from a wonderful book by Fannie Flagg, Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man. I knew the situations were different, the stories wee different, but I guess I simply expected a Daisy Fay and not a Siddalee. I was bored right away, and that is never a good sign.
The quitting point came early, in the third of these stories (the book is more a loose collection of stories rather than a novel). This one is called Wandering Eye and is told by Siddalee's brother Shep, who talks about his relationship with his father, who hit him upside the head all the time. I had to quit when I reached the day Shep left a tractor out of the shed and his father proceeded to knock Shep's teeth loose, 'bust' him in the eye, and most likely broke a rib as well. The boy's mom was on the porch and just watched it happen, getting up at one point to say 'enough', but then retreating under threats of the same thing happening to her.
I don't need to read this type of thing right now. I understand it happens, I understand that pain is essential to the story, etc etc. But no, this chapter turned my stomach and I refuse to read another word.
DNF at page 28.
Read
May 1, 2012After 100 pages I had to give up on this. Maybe I have a beef with stories about dysfunctional Southern families. No, that's not true. I love Flannery O'Connor. And anyone who perused my book list knows I do not shy away from the darker aspects of life...or from very dark comedies, which I think this is trying to be. Yet Wells seems to think there is something warm and funny about abuse and molestation. The scatter-shot styling of writing and alternating viewpoints dd not help at all to bring any organization or meaning to this tale. I know a number of people who loved Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood but I doubt this "prequel" is adds anything. Perhaps I should try the other book but I'm afraid Little Altars Everywhere has scared me off of Rebecca Wells' novels for good.
September 15, 2007
I think one of the reasons I like this book is because it provides a sense of realism compared to the fluff in the YaYa book. For all those women that believe they are only capable of mentally digesting useless chick lit, and they blindly read books by their favorite chick lit authors-I'm sure they hated this book with a passion. Our world is not a Disney cartoon, and there are plenty of people that have addictions, and that consciously emotionally/physically/sexually exploit and abuse others. These characters, although very scarey at times, are really believable.
Oh yeah, her writing ability is quite amazing too...
Oh yeah, her writing ability is quite amazing too...
January 7, 2016
Awful, awful book! I loved 'Divine Secrets' years ago and recently reread it to find it was better than I remembered. So I read 'Little Altars' for the first time and it ruined this storyline for me. Namely, Vivi Dahlin, the mother you love to hate. I had some empathy for her in Divine Secrets, but in Little Altars, you discover she's a monster of a child abuser. I liked her better when I thought she really only had one bad episode with her children. And honestly, it was unbelievable for the Vivi character for the author to take it this far. Why do modern day authors think they need to put in some seriously sick sh$t for someone to read their books? It was totally unnecessary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2024
I liked this one a lot more than I did ‘The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood’ and really wish I’d read this first. That’s what I get for trusting Goodreads’ reading order instead of reading the books in publication order.
Saying that, if I had read this one first, I think I’d’ve rated TDSOTYYS even lower than the three stars I did give it, as it attempts to airbrush out some of the more horrible aspects of some of the characters revealed in this first book, in its attempt to idealise (I’m tempted to say ‘fetishise’) the Ya-Yas.
Saying that, if I had read this one first, I think I’d’ve rated TDSOTYYS even lower than the three stars I did give it, as it attempts to airbrush out some of the more horrible aspects of some of the characters revealed in this first book, in its attempt to idealise (I’m tempted to say ‘fetishise’) the Ya-Yas.
May 2, 2016
This book is terrible. While it is interesting to see more of the lives of the characters of Divine Secrets this book just jumps around and doesn't have the main storyline to hold the various stories together, or make us care about what we are reading.
July 23, 2020
Ok I rarely review things with 5 stars, I'm a notorious 4-starrer all around because I generally like the books I read by the time I finish them 😂
I LOVE Rebecca Wells voice(s). Her style reminds me of Salinger, but with a twinge of femininity. Her expertise as a playwright creates a truly lively book with an array of witty, narcicistic, honest and just fun characters. I laughed out loud and cried with this little novel 💗
I LOVE Rebecca Wells voice(s). Her style reminds me of Salinger, but with a twinge of femininity. Her expertise as a playwright creates a truly lively book with an array of witty, narcicistic, honest and just fun characters. I laughed out loud and cried with this little novel 💗
August 1, 2024
3.5 Stars. This sequel gives you more insight into what went on from multiple POV’s
February 20, 2011
I think a childhood in America in the 1960's is going to have a lot in common whether you grew up in the suburbs of S. Calif like I did, or in a farming family in a small town in Louisiana like the character Siddalee and her siblings. From being called Sara Bernhardt when you pouted and stomped your foot and whined, to watching Roadrunner on TV, to eating Ritz crackers, bologna sandwiches, Fritos, grilled cheese sandwiches, coca-cola, and snickers bars, calling things "even-steven", being told to push back your cuticles and wearing cold cream at night. And a lot of the tougher stuff too, like most adults smoking cigarettes and drinking, getting "belted" for a punishment, parents screaming at each other.
But this book goes beyond that. It starts out eccentric and charming in its way, the drinking doesn't seem beyond what I used to see, as I said drinking and smoking was accepted in the 1960's as regular behavior, and belting your kids was acceptable as well. This book strays into territory beyond that, it gets kind of monstrous and very sad really.
The author is a gifted writer and succeeds at connecting her reader to each character in her story, and to Louisiana itself. Without being overly descriptive each character tells you about what is going on with them at the time and it makes a very complete picture, especially when the children are young. When the children are grown I had a harder time relating to them although I retained my connection to the main four adults: Vivi, Big Shep, Letta and Chaney. I felt especially connected to Big Shep in the section where he finds an old black man in his fields looking for his mules. I could understand his tears and his feelings very well and I mourned the changes and the loss of the farmland in Louisiana, I cried along with Big Shep. Despite Vivi's behavior I found myself often liking her and I liked the way the book wrapped up with Siddalee's declaration to her mother, the one she repeats twice, that felt right. Still a sad book in many ways, not the light-hearted read that I expected. It is much more complex and sophisticated than it would seem to be, a social commentary, not just a story of one family.
But this book goes beyond that. It starts out eccentric and charming in its way, the drinking doesn't seem beyond what I used to see, as I said drinking and smoking was accepted in the 1960's as regular behavior, and belting your kids was acceptable as well. This book strays into territory beyond that, it gets kind of monstrous and very sad really.
The author is a gifted writer and succeeds at connecting her reader to each character in her story, and to Louisiana itself. Without being overly descriptive each character tells you about what is going on with them at the time and it makes a very complete picture, especially when the children are young. When the children are grown I had a harder time relating to them although I retained my connection to the main four adults: Vivi, Big Shep, Letta and Chaney. I felt especially connected to Big Shep in the section where he finds an old black man in his fields looking for his mules. I could understand his tears and his feelings very well and I mourned the changes and the loss of the farmland in Louisiana, I cried along with Big Shep. Despite Vivi's behavior I found myself often liking her and I liked the way the book wrapped up with Siddalee's declaration to her mother, the one she repeats twice, that felt right. Still a sad book in many ways, not the light-hearted read that I expected. It is much more complex and sophisticated than it would seem to be, a social commentary, not just a story of one family.
July 12, 2009
I don't care if it's fluffy chick lit/"look at my dysfunctional family" memoir trash, I still love these characters.
"You can't go anywhere with Mama without things getting nuts. If it's going along too smooth she will invent something just to stir things up. Sometimes we'll be downtown shopping and everything's going normal, and Mama will put her fingers in her mouth and let out the loudest, most piercing whistle you ever heard in your life. Then everyone gets startled and drops what they're doing and looks around to see where the noise came from. And Mama, she'll just bend over and pretend to be looking at a pair of shoes."
"Buggy is terrified of big organizations. She says they're all in cahoots with each other. For instance, she thinks the Communists have infiltrated the NASA space program to ruin the weather so they can destroy the Catholic church. Every time we have a hurricane, she says, See, what did Buggy tell yall?"
"You can't go anywhere with Mama without things getting nuts. If it's going along too smooth she will invent something just to stir things up. Sometimes we'll be downtown shopping and everything's going normal, and Mama will put her fingers in her mouth and let out the loudest, most piercing whistle you ever heard in your life. Then everyone gets startled and drops what they're doing and looks around to see where the noise came from. And Mama, she'll just bend over and pretend to be looking at a pair of shoes."
"Buggy is terrified of big organizations. She says they're all in cahoots with each other. For instance, she thinks the Communists have infiltrated the NASA space program to ruin the weather so they can destroy the Catholic church. Every time we have a hurricane, she says, See, what did Buggy tell yall?"
December 5, 2008
I am SO glad I read this after Ya Ya. Ugh, if I had read it beforehand, I may not have read the other book at all.
YaYa was written in a way that made Vivi seem human, but also with a decidedly magical charisma. In Altars she was - well, I dunno. Totally bonkers, I guess I'd say. And this is on TOP of being an alcoholic, which tore my dress a little. I felt like it stole away some of the magic.
By itself it's a humorous, touching, poignant read - but as a companion book to YaYa it's ... I dunno. It'd be like taking a look inside your preacher's head - while he's delivering a message that you know is for you and will forever change the way you do something. So, say you could hear him talk to himself and what you heard him say was, "I need to poop." Altars was like that for me - suddenly I knew more than I wanted to. Boo.
YaYa was written in a way that made Vivi seem human, but also with a decidedly magical charisma. In Altars she was - well, I dunno. Totally bonkers, I guess I'd say. And this is on TOP of being an alcoholic, which tore my dress a little. I felt like it stole away some of the magic.
By itself it's a humorous, touching, poignant read - but as a companion book to YaYa it's ... I dunno. It'd be like taking a look inside your preacher's head - while he's delivering a message that you know is for you and will forever change the way you do something. So, say you could hear him talk to himself and what you heard him say was, "I need to poop." Altars was like that for me - suddenly I knew more than I wanted to. Boo.
October 21, 2019
For the most part I enjoyed this book. There were parts of Viviane’s past that were extremely disturbing and actually not needed (it just took her from a drunk narcissist to an actual monster) in the YaYa book Vivi was one of my favorite characters but this book has forever tainted my opinion of her. (I know that’s silly because it’s fiction) I wish the author had just not put that in. I don’t see how it added to anything at all. I did enjoy how each section was told by a different character at a different point in their lives and with their own perspectives. I especially enjoyed the sections told by Big Shep.
January 14, 2012
This book was much more fucked up than I thought it would be. Two stars may not be enough but after pounding through it all night I can't decide if I want to kill the author or myself. I am almost afraid to read the other two books. But, I shall soldier on!
August 27, 2022
If you enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird and Secret Life of Bees, you will also enjoy this first novel from Rebecca Wells. For some reason, I have a thing for Southern lit about innocent children and their adventures 🤷🏼♀️
June 14, 2024
The only book in existence I wish I could unread
Read
June 7, 2008I read this book a few years ago, before reading Ya-Ya's, and just recently got it back from my mom, who was cleaning out her office bookshelves. (That woman has an enviable library!!)
I was shocked when re-reading some things I must have forgotten in my original reading of the book. I don't think I would have moved on to "divine secrets", or have loved the movie so much, had I remembered some of the details. Part of me wonders, why was it included, near the end of the book, with Little Shep, in the one chapter dedicated to him, that his mother touched him, and the other children, he suspected, inappropriatly? I know these are fictional characters, but, it's almost like Rebecca Wells added insult to injury, making the character of Vivi Walker not only insane, and abusive, but a molester of her children.
In Ya-Ya's, we are supposed to be somewhat sympathic for her, and the situation that Siddalee's article has put her in. And then joyous at their final reconcilliation. But, how does one reconcile with a molestering mother?? I believe it was either an oversight, or a gratuitous except trying to make us hate the character of Vivi even more.
I was shocked when re-reading some things I must have forgotten in my original reading of the book. I don't think I would have moved on to "divine secrets", or have loved the movie so much, had I remembered some of the details. Part of me wonders, why was it included, near the end of the book, with Little Shep, in the one chapter dedicated to him, that his mother touched him, and the other children, he suspected, inappropriatly? I know these are fictional characters, but, it's almost like Rebecca Wells added insult to injury, making the character of Vivi Walker not only insane, and abusive, but a molester of her children.
In Ya-Ya's, we are supposed to be somewhat sympathic for her, and the situation that Siddalee's article has put her in. And then joyous at their final reconcilliation. But, how does one reconcile with a molestering mother?? I believe it was either an oversight, or a gratuitous except trying to make us hate the character of Vivi even more.
October 3, 2013
I read this book back in the early 90’s when it was first published and totally loved it. I decided to read (listen to) it again and see if it was as good as I remembered. It was!
I’m irritated by reviewers who call this a book a sequel to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. It’s not! This was the original book. Divine Secrets is the sequel. Many of these same readers don’t seem to like the heaviness of Little Altars Everywhere. I agree that this book deals with some dark themes, but I find Little Altars Everywhere to have much more depth and emotional power for this very reason. The book does include incredible humor. I found myself frequently laughing out loud. But in the next moment one’s heart is breaking at some of the tragic events and dysfunctional relationships. This combination of funny and heart-wrenching is what makes this such a powerful novel—-and Wells’s best in my opinion.
I listened to the audio read by Judith Ivey who does a great job giving voice to the different characters. I highly recommend it.
I’m irritated by reviewers who call this a book a sequel to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. It’s not! This was the original book. Divine Secrets is the sequel. Many of these same readers don’t seem to like the heaviness of Little Altars Everywhere. I agree that this book deals with some dark themes, but I find Little Altars Everywhere to have much more depth and emotional power for this very reason. The book does include incredible humor. I found myself frequently laughing out loud. But in the next moment one’s heart is breaking at some of the tragic events and dysfunctional relationships. This combination of funny and heart-wrenching is what makes this such a powerful novel—-and Wells’s best in my opinion.
I listened to the audio read by Judith Ivey who does a great job giving voice to the different characters. I highly recommend it.
August 13, 2008
After loving every second of DSoftheYYS, I was surprised to find that whole minutes of this novel left me queasy. I don't mind heavy emotional lifting, but this was heavy and twisted. If only I had had some warning that this companion story was of a completely different mood/genre/vein, maybe I could rate it higher. But my nausea won't let me.
I do remember a friend warning me not to read it. She said the book was a downer. But as I said, I enjoy good stories even if they aren't all tra la la (Anna Karenina, Snowflower and the Fan, East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath, Hamlet, etc etc), so I thought she was protecting what she thought was my expectation of a sunny sequel. I don't need sunny sequels. I knew Vivi was off kilter. I just wasn't prepared for how very off. Read with some Pepto Bismal at hand.
I do remember a friend warning me not to read it. She said the book was a downer. But as I said, I enjoy good stories even if they aren't all tra la la (Anna Karenina, Snowflower and the Fan, East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath, Hamlet, etc etc), so I thought she was protecting what she thought was my expectation of a sunny sequel. I don't need sunny sequels. I knew Vivi was off kilter. I just wasn't prepared for how very off. Read with some Pepto Bismal at hand.
December 22, 2016
Southern gothic for the rural set - I feel like I stepped back in time to a childhood I never had but totally could have. All 4 doorways perfectly balanced too!
January 11, 2026
DNF (Ch. Catfish Dreams, pg. 154). This is my first and last book from this author. It is broken into two parts, showing snapshot moments of the children's memories of trauma. Then the second part turns to how the trauma affected them growing up, and recounting child molestation and racial bigotry throughout.
I know I was almost to the end of the book, but I won’t be turning another page.
I know I was almost to the end of the book, but I won’t be turning another page.
May 15, 2022
When you read blurbs from reviewers of this book ‘hilarious’ is mentioned on numerous occasions. I consider myself to have an excellent sense of humor but I have to think that if someone thinks this book is funny then they need their head examined. Broken into two parts the first told from various POVs from the Walker family during the 60s the mother, father and 4 kids. When the story is told from the kids POV their tales are very matter of fact. Little glimpses of what would be idyllic summers in their childhood but within the glimpses the children are witness to some completely messed up behavior to the point that you are witnessing the makings of PTSD. The house they live in is like a land mine field with a mother that is a narcissist of the worst kind and it is no wonder some of the questionable behavior exhibited by the kids is a reflection of their parents. I don’t know if the author is purposely using the fact that the family are Catholic to add another level of crazy to an already mental case of a woman, she could have used any religion it wouldn’t have changed the fact that the mother is one step from the psych ward. The sad, sad thing about these kids is that they all seem to be incredibly bright and what has to be mentioned is that despite the chaos of home they all seem to have successful careers.
Just when you wonder where this book is going exactly we jump into part two which takes place in the 90s and its still going no-where we learn a little of just how messed up emotionally these kids have become and that belting them wasn’t the only physical abuse that they were exposed to. POVs remain the same with the addition of their maid and farmhand that just tell the story from the outsiders viewing. Abused kids, absentee drunken father and drunken narcissistic mother that considers nothing to be her fault and that everyone is out to get her. The book could have gone on in the same formula for another 100 pages but thankfully we weren’t subjected to it. As for the YAYAs if I read their ‘Divine Secrets’ in this lifetime it’ll be too soon.
Just when you wonder where this book is going exactly we jump into part two which takes place in the 90s and its still going no-where we learn a little of just how messed up emotionally these kids have become and that belting them wasn’t the only physical abuse that they were exposed to. POVs remain the same with the addition of their maid and farmhand that just tell the story from the outsiders viewing. Abused kids, absentee drunken father and drunken narcissistic mother that considers nothing to be her fault and that everyone is out to get her. The book could have gone on in the same formula for another 100 pages but thankfully we weren’t subjected to it. As for the YAYAs if I read their ‘Divine Secrets’ in this lifetime it’ll be too soon.
July 3, 2013
This book is worth reading. I like all the child characters and the maid, Willetta. I find it has some interesting metaphors. For example, the characters try to fix their deeply sad and disturbed psyches with obsessive religious rituals and pills and alcohol throughout the story, and then it casually mentions that at the same time they were chasing DDT trucks and covering themselves in this dangerous poison to keep the bugs away. I like that book is written from the point of views of many different characters. The changing view point not only kept my attention but it also showed how differently different people can be affected by the same situation. Even each child in the Walker family naturally has a different take on growing up in this atmosphere. It is also interesting to see each character speaking through their own cultural perspective. Each character has an individual voice, but they also go through the perspectives of black, white, Catholic, Baptist, male, female, child, adult, rich, and poor. I find the book well-written and thoughtful. I found very little of it funny though. It doesn't need to be funny to be a good book. However, I have noticed that it has been described that way and I would not recommend it to anyone who is just looking for a laugh, even with a dark sense of humor. The book is horribly sad in many places, and I do not find the character Vivi to be remotely likable or sympathetic. In fact, I find her downright evil and think that reconciling with her is not in Siddalee's best interest. She sort of approaches the reader the way she does her children, trying to force them to accept all the horrible things she says and does with a mixture of charm and self pity. Again, this doesn't mean the book is bad, just that some of the promotions are misleading.
May 28, 2011
A prequel to the Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, this novel is a portrait of Siddalee Walker's childhood upbringing in a dysfunctional family. The novel is told from multiple different perspectives, including Sidda, her father, sister, brothers, and hired help. Rebecca Wells is a great story-teller for sure, and it was easy for me to slip into the emotional world of this novel. Having the novel told from different perspectives was also interesting, as it presented the secrets within the family. That being said, my overall reaction to the novel is pretty negative. I felt like I was vicariously traumatized for no good reason. I can't help but compare this novel to another Wells novel that I just finished, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder. Difficult, traumatic things happen in that novel, too - but there's also a lot of love and healing. In Little Altars, there's really not any healing to speak of. In fact, seeing the children as adults was even more depressing than seeing them as children. Maybe things will round out in The Divine Secrets. I don't know. As a stand alone, I really wouldn't recommend this book to any of my friends.
February 1, 2021
Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood is one of my favorite books/movies. I knew 'Little Altars' existed but didnt realize that is was a prequel. That said, I was distressed by a few chapters that mention things about ViVi that I didnt know. I wont mention them here. But now I wonder, knowing this, if I will see the characters differently if I reread/rewatch. I dont know if it will change anything, and Im glad that I read this. But I wont be rereading it
May 23, 2019
Didn't like this one as well as YaYa Sisterhood, but it's still pretty good.
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