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    The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder
    The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder
    The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

    Written by Rebecca Wells

    Narrated by Judith Ivey

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

     “Rebecca Wells has done it again….A new book full of Southern charm and unique characters…impossible to put down.”
    —Houston Chronicle


    “Wells weaves that magic spell again.”
    —New Orleans Times-Picayune

     

    For Ya-Ya fans everywhere, New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Wells returns with The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder. The creator of the literary sensations Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Little Altars Everywhere, and Ya-Yas in Bloom delivers an unforgettable new stand-alone novel about the pull of first love, the power of home, and everyday magic. No matter if you already adore the Ya-Yas or haven’t yet entered the miraculous world of Rebecca Wells, you are going to love—and never forget—Calla Lily Ponder.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 7, 2009
    ISBN9780061961496
    The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder
    Author

    Rebecca Wells

    Writer, actor, and playwright Rebecca Wells is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Ya-Yas in Bloom, Little Altars Everywhere, and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which was made into a feature film. A native of Louisiana, she now lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest.

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    Reviews for The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

    3.5/5

    35 ratings24 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I absolutely love "Little Altars Everywhere", Wells's first book. I was really looking forward to this book, and while it was good, it wasn't as great as I'd hoped. The last fifty pages or so seemed rushed and not very well thought out, and the ending was entirely too pat. I did really like Calla Lily Ponder, the main character, more than I thought I would. I envy Wells' ability to write about convincing female relationships. I wonder if she has a lot of really good female friends, since all of her books are focused on relationships between women.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Wonderful story told so artistically. Colorful characters that you grow fond of. I loved the rhythm of the writing and emotion of the words. I loved the Catholic verse and background interwoven with the sacredness of the Earth and her gifts. Beautiful story in an intriguing setting of the Old South with so much feeling. I wish there was a sequel!
    • 5/5
      I loved this story! I could not help but fall in love with Calla Lily Ponder and all the friends and family she had. My heart broke with hers (more than once). I loved that she was true to herself and followed her dreams and her heart. This is the first book that I have read by Rebecca Wells, but it is surely not going to be the last!
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. It's a little sappy, maybe even a little stereotypical South, but I loved it. The story follows Calla Lily Ponder through her life...heartache, happiness, bitterness. The tone reminded me a little of Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, which is one of my favorites. Just beware! This book will make you cry (at least twice and for many pages!).
    • 3/5
      I did not know, until reading other reviews of “Crowning Glory” that Rebecca Wells was suffering from Lyme disease while writing this book. I cannot imagine trying to create and edit a novel while battling a debilitating illness.It helps to explain, I think, what was missing for me in “The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder”. Unfair as it may be to compare this book to “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”, I cannot help but think back to that day about 15 (?) years ago that I was sitting in my car listening to Ms. Wells on the radio as she read a passage from that amazing book aloud. Not only were the words breathtaking, but the passion in her voice filled my car and my senses.That passion and energy is in her current book for only brief flashes. The plot just kind of clicks along, sometimes not making much sense, and even at moments that are high (and low) points of Calla’s life, most of the emotion stays on the page and does not transfer to the reader. But there are still flashes of that voice…and those kept me going.“The sun shone down, my mother’s hands touched my head, and her fingers lathered love into me. Never has my hair been so soft. Sometimes I still wash my hair in rainwater, to remember.”And “I watched as she leaned into him for strength. I saw that pain is part of beauty – that inside of all that music, all that love, all the moonlight and sunlight, are shafts of pain, and we are meant to bear it all.”I love to go to the South in books. I am not from there and don’t have an ounce of Southern in me. But through some of my favorite authors, including Wells, I can visit there; exist for a short while amidst the heat and the smells of bougainvillea, barbeque and gumbo. And meet the characters of Southern fiction.“Miz Lizbeth preferred an old-style bubble dryer that I kept in the salon for my older clients. The older clients also loved their Aqua Net. No self-respecting Louisiana woman of a certain age felt that her hair was truly “done” without a good shellacking of Aqua Net.”That’s the voice I wanted to hear. I hope more than anything that Ms. Wells recovers her strength and vitality. In the meantime, I will continue to buy her books and read her words; taking short trips to the land of Ya-Yas and Calla Lilys.
    • 4/5
      I listened to this book while going to a dog show, naturally. The book follows the young life of Calla Lily Ponder, a girl from rural Louisiana. While it doesn't fall into the category of "great books of the twenty-first century", it's a fun read and great for whiling away miles in the car. By turns funny and sad, I laughed and cried my way down the highway. Calla ends up being a beautician who has gifted hands. A great beach blanket read.
    • 5/5
      It took a little bit of time to get into -- and then I could not put it down. Calla Lily Ponder is a fascinating character, and much more real and wonderful than the Ya-Yas. Highly, highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      This book could have been titled The Flowering of a Southern Belle. Calla Lily Ponder narrates her history by gathering the sprigs of her life in rural Louisiana from age eight in 1961 until she reaps a nearly improbable ending as a 31-year-old in 1984. Within her two-decade bouquet of budding and blooming into full womanhood, Calla endures parental attachment and loss, adolescent attraction and loss, and marital bliss and loss. But not to worry, no one can nip this flower in the bud.The Moon Lady, La Luna, serves as an emcee/narrator for the prologue and epilogue to this tale. Meanwhile, many references, reprises and prayers to the moon goddess cultivate the story with a type of spiritual guidance and benevolence. This medium sometimes may suggest the naturalistic, Wicca-dance of the quartet we might have met in the Ya Ya Sisterhood. But this charming novel focuses on the La Lunettes, a trio of lifelong BFFs: Calla, Sukey, and Reneé.“The Crowning Glory” has a Biblical roots: 1 Corinthians 11:14-15 reads: “Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.” The verse may explain why Calla keeps her long locks into her 30s. Nevertheless, I prefer Proverbs 16:31: “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.” Regardless of its germination, The Crowning Glory title serves multiple ironic purposes as a beauty salon brand, tendril references to hair and morality, as well as the gathered splendor Calla’s lifelong achievements.There are perhaps too many minutiae in cosmetology, its practices and products. Then, too, there is an awful plentitude of food descriptions and clothing details. But that’s a woman writer’s touch, I guess. Verging on the tedious, these details do coronate the rites of passage of a Southern flower who survives the peacenik ‘60s and the free-love ’70s. Colorful depictions of Louisiana life are delightfully picturesque, almost rooting the reader dockside on the La Luna River.This was extremely pleasurable reading, although the denouement is a distracting weed. So, I think I’ll take my long white hair to the salon for a shampoo and massage from a healing-hands operator who’ll blow away the conclusion’s wrinkle.
    • 4/5
      I didn't expect to enjoy this book...not enough espionage, shooting and it is fiction! But I got sucked in with the elements of the southern "girlfriend" culture, something I have envied but never had. I have seen it at work, but never been privileged to be part of it. Cute story beginning in the 1970s and extending to the 1980s about Calla Lily, a girl raised in the country of LA. Cute with good detail to the culture of the time.
    • 3/5
      Calla Lily Ponder knew she had a gift with her hands - she wanted to use them to caress people's troubles away. With dreams of becoming a beautician like her mother, Calla grew up in 1960's Louisiana. With the social unrest ripping through the Southern U.S. during this time, people's troubles were larger than Calla's hands. Her coming of age tale is the heart of Rebecca Wells' latest book, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder.Through Calla's eyes, the reader learns about La Luna, Louisiana, a small town that is a bit like any other, with colorful characters, landmarks and societal goings-on. Calla witnesses racial discrimination and experiences her first love. But when heartbreak takes its course, Calla leaves her beloved hometown and moves to New Orleans. There, the reader is treated to this bigger-than-life city through the wonderment of a young woman. Calla experiences loss and heartbreak, but she always returns to love.The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder was a nice, light read - more suited for the poolside or the beach - definitely not a deeply intellectual novel. Wells' writing style was easy though her depictions of the American South seemed a bit stereotypical. Still, if you like escapist fiction or chick lit, Calla Lily is worth a read.
    • 3/5
      Not profound, and a rather "simple" book, this still is an enjoyable read with endearing characters. Lots of descriptive detail of Louisiana life and lore.
    • 2/5
      I wanted to like this book, but I eventually grew weary of it. The word "cloying" kept recurring to me as I read it - it was just too syrupy and too stereotypically southern for me. The emotions seemed superficial, contrived and "too precious". I actually remember having the same feelings about Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, although I liked it better, so this will be my last effort at a book by this author.
    • 4/5
      I listened to this book while going to a dog show, naturally. The book follows the young life of Calla Lily Ponder, a girl from rural Louisiana. While it doesn't fall into the category of "great books of the twenty-first century", it's a fun read and great for whiling away miles in the car. By turns funny and sad, I laughed and cried my way down the highway. Calla ends up being a beautician who has gifted hands. A great beach blanket read.
    • 5/5
      My heart was in my throats and tears ran down my cheeks many times during this story for good and for sad. That to me means the author did her job in getting me invested in her characters.
    • 3/5
      Enjoyable book - a quick easy read. If you liked Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood, you will definitely like this book.
    • 5/5
      Rebecca Wells writes such fabulous characters. This one is a true gem; I cried, and I laughed. This was so enjoyable; I hated for it to be over!
    • 2/5
      You know those conversations you sometimes have with people where they tell in great length and detail some incident they experienced, and you're waiting excitedly for the climax but it never really comes? For me, Rebecca Wells' The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder was one of those conversations. There are climaxes, of sorts, in the book but they are so Pollyanna-ized and mired in minutia that I was frequently left underwhelmed and uninterested. There just didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason as to why Wells included some of the details she did. Usually authors will put in some obscure detail as foreshadowing, or will, at the very least, connect the dots later on. Wells did not do this. I found myself at loose ends, wondering when everything was going to come together.What does come together is so predictable and sappy that I felt like I had been tricked into reading a Harlequin romance novel. This novel has some redeeming qualities, at times, but they were, in my opinion, overshadowed by discontinuity, minutia, irrelevance, and smarmy sentimentality that felt contrived. I had hoped for so much more.
    • 2/5
      Easy reading simple story. I grew attached to Calla Lily and enjoyed following her through her ups, downs, attachments, tragedys, loves. It evoked laughter and tears and I guess that could be considered success.
    • 3/5
      A beautiful story about love, loss, and forgiveness. Not profoundly poignant or thought provoking, the narrative may come across as rather bland at times, but it will make a good, light, poolside read. What makes the book shine is the beautiful nature of the Calla Lily, and her community of loving and protective family and friends - despite her ups and downs, you wouldn't mind being her. A lovely, surreal dreamworld.
    • 2/5
      According to the book flap, the book is about "friendship, tragedy, triumph, loss and love". It certainly is. It's about the life of a woman, Calla Lily Ponder, growing up, going through life, facing obstacles and triumphing over them. As a woman myself, it's always interesting to read about woman's lives, whether they are fictional, or biographical, because you seem to have, or want to be able to connect with them. However, this book didn't do it for me. I found myself not connecting with Calla and her life, primarily because I grew tired very quickly (and grew more weary throughout the book), how the story conveniently and unrealistically resolves the many unfortunate situations that happen in her life. The outlook to all the circumstances seems too "positive" (if that's even possible!), and the feelings that the characters portray and express seem too superficial, and hence unbelievable and unrealistic. I read through the book just to finish it, rather than to enjoy her experiences growing up. This is unfortunate, because I really wanted to like this book.
    • 4/5
      From Your Blog...The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells is a beautiful tale of love and its many forms. The novel, narrated by Calla Lily Ponder, begins in La Luna, Louisiana and the reader learns about various adventures and life-changing events that transpire through Calla Lily's childhood and adolescence. After high school she moves to New Orleans and another chapter of her life begins. Calla Lily takes the reader through over two decades of her life, during the most profound moments and those that take her breath away, and always with the two constants, La Luna and M'Dear. Wells weaves together an almost lyrical tale of a young girl named after a flower, brought up by open and loving parents, who chose to follow her own path. "The Rules of Life According to M'Dear" were not only my favourite part of the novel, but also profoundly brilliant in the sheer simplicity of them. With the exception of M'Dear and Calla Lily, I did not truly feel as though I knew the characters. While referred to often, there was a certain lack of depth to the characters, as though the events themselves were the focal point and considering the powerful messages carried throughout The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder, I do believe the events are indeed the focal point. Each section Calla Lily shares with the reader holds a life lesson, culminating into a series of lessons one must learn and never forget, much like M'Dear's "Rules of Life". I would not hesitate to recommend this novel, especially to discussion groups.
    • 2/5
      The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder is about a girl, Calla, growing up in Louisiana. It's a story of love, family, and friendship.It was hard to like this book for two main reasons. One, I didn't like Calla, Maybe I was comparing her to Vivi or something, but Vivi was a much better character. Where was the vivaciousness of the Ya-Ya's. Everybody loved Calla in La Luna, she could do no wrong.Two, I had to control my eye Rolls while reading about the moon lady, and all that sappy drivel. I almost couldn't finish it." When the sky and everything around looks dark, and you feel lost and alone, the Moon Lady is still there, watching over you, whispering: 'What do you need from me now, little darling, what do you need from me now?'"(insert eye roll)There were some memorable moments in the story like when the little black boy goes skating at the skating rink. It had glimpses of good, but not to many. If you like books about the South, and sappy writing I would definitely recommend you give this a try. It's just not my cup of tea.
    • 3/5
      While TCGCLP is not quite as engaging as the Yaya books, the main character is impossible not to love, and her personal adventures and steady growth as a person make for a nice weekend read.
    • 2/5
      A bit predictable and not a funny as "Divine Secrets", but still an enjoyable summer read.