The devastation perpetuated by alcoholism and substance abuse coupled with all forms of abuse: emotional, physical and sexual, simply cannot be measured, and the memories cannot be erased. That being said, the “fun crazy joy” of the YaYa’s was definitely overshadowed by the selfish disturbing nature of Vivi and her mama. I find myself still shaking my head over this book, not because I find it so outlandish, but because it is startlingly realistic.
Well, I should have read Little Altars Everywhere first, which I did not. I found myself despising Vivi even more than I did in the YaYa’s book. Children are the most oppressed people on the planet. They are victims of abuse from: poverty, war, sick adults, and sadly, their own parents.
Wells is clearly gifted at character development, setting and description. I liked the way she told the story from differing character perspectives. While the writing appears simplistic, there is a great depth to it. They say you will love or hate this novel; I did both.

I read this book after I watched the mind-opening movie. Women have divinity within them and have the rights and priviledges and responsibilities that all divine beings do.

I read this book first, thus in the order it was written but after seeing the film. I will say it is well written, the author takes great care in letting you into the lives of her characters and tells intriguing stories from each person's perspective. You learn who each person thinks they are through their own eyes as well as who they are through the eyes of their family in the parts of their stories that overlap.
The content was interesting at first but definitely took a turn for the ick. I found this family to be sad, and it was incredibly gut-wrenching to read about some of the disgusting things their mother put them through. Picking up book 2 now, so I'm curious if I will have the same reaction to these characters so many others had prior to reading this novel...only time will tell.

I loved The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, so I was very excited to pick up this book and continue reading into these characters lives. While parts of this novel were heavy, I still appreciate how the author writes in such a raw manner, not afraid to depict what can be happening behind closed doors in an “idyllic” family. This book was heavy- showing the good, the bad, and the ugly- while still being witty and insightful. It reminded me that while things may look one way on the outside, you don’t always know what’s happening on the inside. As always the author knows how to transport me back in time to a different place.

"All I did that semester was read. I read Lanterns on the Levee by William Alexander Percy. All about the Great Flood of 1927. Man, that Mississippi broke free and flooded 26,000 square miles of land, drove about 700,000 people from their homes, and killed 214. I listened to Randy Newman's Good Old Boys album about a thousand times, listened to him sing "Louisiana." That song still breaks my heart into slivers on the floor. I read and re-read Moviegoer, by Walker Percy..."

"I have one rule for myself these days: Don't hit the baby. It means: Don't hurt the baby that is me, Don't beat up on the little one who is learning to hold and comfort, the one I'm trying to love no matter how raggedy she looks. It's sort of a code, a shorthand for the heart...You can read all the books and spend a small fortune on therapy, but that one sentence just about covers it all."

Sad and Funny

As I read about each of the characters, I think I understand them. By the end of the book, I realize I don’t understand them at all. Nor would I ever want to trade places with any of them. The book is about love, sadness and disappointment . Vivi should have never married or have children after her loss of her true love. She was a child abuser who thought telling her children she loved them after the abuse would do anything but confuse them. It seems that everyone needed alcohol to numb or drown their sorrows. Vivian poisoned everyone who’d life she touched except the Ya-Yas. By the end of this and the second book, I think I will not read the next one in the series because I’m so blue, and yet, I search for the next one after a few hours or days, hoping to find something in Vivi to redeem her. We’ll see.

Ugh, this book was perfect. The Southern lingo, the accents, the summer scenery—it all felt so familiar and warm. And it was also dark and complicated, and my heart broke separately for each Walker child. But I thought the book was a poignant reminder that our pasts can hold multiple truths and that we can either grow from or be destroyed by them.

Little Altars everywhere is a series of short stories that come from different people in the Walker family and the black couple that worked for them. It was interesting to see each person's perspective of the family and what they were dealing with. Sometimes the book made me laugh so hard, especially the first story about the camp. Later the book was very sad and sometimes alarming. It made me wish I could help make things better some how but of course no one could. Some people have sad lives and they just have to live through the sadness they created for themselves. Unfortunately, the usually involves children who don't deserve it. The story illustrates what I've seen to be true though, how some of those children can begin to see how mixed up their parents are and learn to accept them and love them anyway but also make some corrections for their own lives. People can learn from suffering and grow through it.

This one gives a closer look at Sidda & Vivi's nuclear family, and I loved it just as much as "Divine Secrets". Reading this book in public always turned heads, because I'd crack up laughing, or gasp angrily, or burst out in tears, or do all three.

Certainly not a perfect book but I really do love the way Rebecca Wells tells stories

had a harder time getting "into" this than the Ya Ya Sisterhood -- the constant change of narrator was jarring at first. But once I got used to it, hearing the same story line from different character perspectives was enlightening.

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!