Title: Little Altars Everywhere
Author: Rebecca Wells
Publication Date: 1996
Page Count: 224
From Goodreads.com"Author Rebecca Wells alternates between setting her short stories in the 1960s, when Siddalee Walker, daughter of Vivi, is growing up, and the early 1990s, when Sidda is grown and dealing with the consequences of her turbulent childhood. It is the prequel to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Each chapter is narrated by a different person."
My Review:
This was a okay book. However, I did feel kind of depressed reading how dysfunctional the family was as a whole. It didn't impress me as much as it's sequel The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
Wells, in my opinion, made a poor choice telling this story for multiple vantage points. It made it feel like none of the characters fully developed. I have read many books that do this well, but I don't believe this was a success. I wish it had been different, and it made the story choppy and inaccessible to me as a reader.
Like a previous review, I Love You Like a Tomato, this book was based in seemingly the same time about very similar to the same subject matter. A mom who treats her children poorly. Very depressing when you get right down to it.
I also don't feel like Wells stayed true to who the characters were in the second book. If they were to be like they were in Altars, then I don't think YaYas would have had the success it did. The mother Viviane, was unlikable and depressing.
I wouldn't reccommend picking up this book, unless you want to be disapporinted.
Overall Rating: 4/10
Next Review: Leipua of Love by Senitila McKinley
