robinsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I had really hoped to love this book, and while it was a good story and kept me reading, it was a little annoying in places and also a little melodramatic and shmaltzy! And the excessive use of exclamation marks got a little annoying! But if you liked the Ya-Ya Sisterhood books, give this one a try! Maybe the !!! won't bug you as much as they did me!
nanaboo's review against another edition
3.0
About 2 dozen mild-moderate swear words. Some mildly descriptive sex. At the beginning, it seemed poorly written, but once the story sucked me in I stopped noticing.
jaclynday's review against another edition
3.0
I love Rebecca Wells’ writing. The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is one of a few books that I can read over and over again and still enjoy. Having never lived in Louisiana, I don’t know how accurate her depictions of the area are…but nevertheless, I was sucked in from the first page. I had high expectations for The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder having enjoyed Wells’ other books, and happily, there were traces of Wells throughout it.
But, unfortunately, I have to echo what some other reviewers have said about it which is that it’s haphazard, devoid of plot and careless with character development. The book is enjoyable, but as much as it is entertaining, it’s also equal parts frustrating and flawed. To be honest, I think the problems in this book could have been solved with a more thorough edit. It feels like a first draft in many ways—like Wells wanted to get absolutely everything down before sifting through and deciding what should stay or go. But…everything stayed. Some characters are introduced, then disappear…others come into the main character’s life and are seemingly important people to her, but never become more than a passing fancy to the reader. It’s frustrating.
This coming-of-age novel about a girl growing up in a small Louisiana town could have been so much more than it was, and there are occasional glimmers of this. To be fair, Wells’ writing doesn’t disappoint. She’s got a unique way with dialogue in particular that I’ve always enjoyed. I just wish the overall package hadn’t felt so unrefined and clunky.
But, unfortunately, I have to echo what some other reviewers have said about it which is that it’s haphazard, devoid of plot and careless with character development. The book is enjoyable, but as much as it is entertaining, it’s also equal parts frustrating and flawed. To be honest, I think the problems in this book could have been solved with a more thorough edit. It feels like a first draft in many ways—like Wells wanted to get absolutely everything down before sifting through and deciding what should stay or go. But…everything stayed. Some characters are introduced, then disappear…others come into the main character’s life and are seemingly important people to her, but never become more than a passing fancy to the reader. It’s frustrating.
This coming-of-age novel about a girl growing up in a small Louisiana town could have been so much more than it was, and there are occasional glimmers of this. To be fair, Wells’ writing doesn’t disappoint. She’s got a unique way with dialogue in particular that I’ve always enjoyed. I just wish the overall package hadn’t felt so unrefined and clunky.
tarshly's review against another edition
1.0
Wow. Unrelatable, stock characters... Slow, messy storytelling... Overselling of southern "charm." I regret finishing his book.
tmobil's review against another edition
4.0
from the author of the divine secrets of the ya - ya sisterhood...which always makes me a little skeptical. there aren't many writers whose words can keep me entertained indefinitely, and the more prolific an author becomes, the more i know at some point they will break my heart.
this recommend came from an old high school friend, and since southern lit wrapped it's polite little tentacles around me my freshman year of college, i have a hard time turning a blind eye to a recommend falling in this genre. i'm glad i didn't read the reviews first, or i would have been talked out of it, feeling sure that this would be the heartbreak moment. but THAT would have been a terrible shame. this would have to rank at the top of my last 10 reads.
i LOVE the voice of the south. i don't necessarily love personally spending a week in july in new orleans, but i do love reading about it. and i understand. when wells describes the landscape of louisiana - geographically, climatologically, and demographically - i get it, and that draws me in to the story. the reviews, which i read after, were in large part terrible - in one case even citing the author's battle with lyme disease as the probable cause for this disaster of a book. and i honestly don't know what they are talking about. this was a read i just fell into. i don't know why, but i can't get this analogy of lazy rivers (found at various water parks across the country) out of my head.
it took me a little bit of time to settle in to the tube, get comfortable, and force myself to relax. but only a little bit. next thing i knew i was head back, arms out, butt in the water, completely unaware of anything happening outside my little circle of silence. and by the time the ride came to an end, i was wishing the ride guy (i'm sure that is the technically correct term, if not the politically correct one) would let me just stay on and go around again.
this recommend came from an old high school friend, and since southern lit wrapped it's polite little tentacles around me my freshman year of college, i have a hard time turning a blind eye to a recommend falling in this genre. i'm glad i didn't read the reviews first, or i would have been talked out of it, feeling sure that this would be the heartbreak moment. but THAT would have been a terrible shame. this would have to rank at the top of my last 10 reads.
i LOVE the voice of the south. i don't necessarily love personally spending a week in july in new orleans, but i do love reading about it. and i understand. when wells describes the landscape of louisiana - geographically, climatologically, and demographically - i get it, and that draws me in to the story. the reviews, which i read after, were in large part terrible - in one case even citing the author's battle with lyme disease as the probable cause for this disaster of a book. and i honestly don't know what they are talking about. this was a read i just fell into. i don't know why, but i can't get this analogy of lazy rivers (found at various water parks across the country) out of my head.
it took me a little bit of time to settle in to the tube, get comfortable, and force myself to relax. but only a little bit. next thing i knew i was head back, arms out, butt in the water, completely unaware of anything happening outside my little circle of silence. and by the time the ride came to an end, i was wishing the ride guy (i'm sure that is the technically correct term, if not the politically correct one) would let me just stay on and go around again.
debs_shelves's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. Calla Lily was an interesting character. Knowing a few folks from Louisiana, I could relate some of them to the folks in this book.
It was a good book, some happy, some sad. Quite a few things made me laugh!
It was a good book, some happy, some sad. Quite a few things made me laugh!
patlibrary89's review against another edition
5.0
Claudia gave me this book and I loved it probably 2012??
brancrisp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5