Harriet Klausner's Review Archive
The four Ya-Yas sisters Vivi, Teensy, Caro and Necie met in 1930 Louisiana as little girls. They were a hand full as individuals so filled with zest and prankishness, but as a quartet though very young they ruled their world. Over the years they married, had children, but remained the Ya-Yas whether they fought with nuns or rained the next generation of "Petites Ya-Yas".
Others their age kept out of their exclusive club like nasty jealous Myrtis detested the fearsome foursome. Her loathing leads to her even more resentful emotionally deranged daughter Edythe kidnapping Necie's three-year-old granddaughter, Rosalyn. No one messes with the septuagenarian granny Ya-Yas who are coming to rescue one of their own.
The first part of the book consists of interesting vignettes from the salad days of the Ya-Yas though not linear in nature, but just as fun to follow. The tale does a 180 spin with Edythe narrating how much she hates and envies the Ya-Yas, who she desperately wanted to join but did not fit in. Edythe never seems real as she has one emotion: animosity. The story leaps again to 1994 and the kidnapping. Though lacking continuity as if three novellas were combined into one book, fans will enjoy YA-YAS IN BLOOM especially the escapades of the early years.