The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder Audiobook By Rebecca Wells cover art

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

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The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

By: Rebecca Wells
Narrated by: Judith Ivey
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About this listen

Known for her beloved Ya-Ya books ( Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Little Altars Everywhere, and Ya-Yas in Bloom), Rebecca Wells has helped women name, claim, and celebrate their shared sisterhood for over a decade.

Now Wells debuts an entirely new cast of characters in this shining stand-alone novel about the pull of first love, the power of life, and the human heart's vast capacity for healing.

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder is the sweet, sexy, funny journey of Calla Lily's life set in Wells's expanding fictional Louisiana landscape. In the small river town of La Luna, Calla bursts into being, a force of nature as luminous as the flower she is named for. Under the loving light of the Moon Lady, the feminine force that will guide and protect her throughout her life, Calla enjoys a blissful childhood - until it is cut short. Her mother, M'Dear, a woman of rapture and love, teaches Calla compassion, and passes on to her the art of healing through the humble womanly art of "fixing hair". At her mother's side, Calla further learns that this same touch of hands on the human body can quiet her own soul.

It is also on the banks of the La Luna River that Calla encounters sweet, succulent first love, with a boy named Tuck. But when Tuck leaves Calla with a broken heart, she transforms hurt into inspiration and heads for the wild and colorful city of New Orleans to study at L'Académie de Beauté de Crescent.

In that extravagant big river city, she finds her destiny - and comes to understand fully the power of her "healing hands" to change lives and soothe pain, including her own. When Tuck reappears years later, he presents her with an offer that is colored by the memories of lost love. But who knows how Cally Lily, a "daughter of the Moon Lady", will respond?

©2009 Rebecca Wells (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers
Contemporary Contemporary Romance Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Romance Women's Fiction Heartfelt Feel-Good Funny
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Editorial reviews

Bouncy, chirpy, and brave, Calla Lily Ponder faces life's joys and tragedies in the '50s and '60s in La Luna, Louisiana, with help from her hairdresser mother, M'Dear; her best friends, Renee and Sukey; and a delightful cast of the wise and likable characters Wells (Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood) is known for. Judith Ivey's performance is a pure joy - sweet, hopeful, and tender. Her interpretations are completely winning, whether she's describing terrible instances of racism or offering M'Dear's down-home wisdom. Ivey makes it easy to believe in Calla Lily's messages from "The Moon Lady" or the effects of her miraculous healing hands. Ivey's accents ring true, her characters have substance, her voice is lovely, and her timing is perfect. An audio gem.

Critic reviews

"The novel is chock-full of Southern charm and sassy wisdom." ( Publishers Weekly)
Rich Characters • Touching Storyline • Authentic Southern Accents • Emotional Depth • Colorful Descriptions
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Judith Ivey brings all the characters to life in an amazing performance. Not as sassy as the Ya-Ya's, but more "homespun" like Fannie Flagg's stories.
Having been to New Orleans before, the story takes the reader to many popular attractions I enjoyed revisiting.
I would definitely seek out more Judith Ivey reads and will continue to read Rebecca Wells without considering other reviewers' comments.

A great read by Judith Ivey

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This was a great listen. I am a true Southerner, born and raised and lived in the South all my life. The story was so true to the South and the narration was the best southern accent I have ever heard on audible books by not being phony or over-exaggerated.

Wonderful!

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What did you love best about The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder?

Just a wonderful story that brought back wonderful childhood memories for me!

What did you like best about this story?

The description of everything was Great, made me feel like I was there!

Have you listened to any of Judith Ivey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no not yet

Who was the most memorable character of The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder and why?

Calla & her girlfriends

Any additional comments?

Wish there was a part 2 to pick-up where this story ended! It needs to continue!

Absolutely Fabulous!

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Well it was too much to expect. Enjoyable southern story but I was hoping for one I would love and want to re-read/listen over and over

Not the YaYas

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Laughed and cried listening to this wonderful story! I thought it was great and want more.

Great.

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I liked it. I've always enjoyed her books.
However in parts of the book...it dragged. I had to fast forward. Also, I really didn't like the voices that narrator used for the male characters.

It good book...Good Author

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I kind of wished I read the hard copy instead of listening to it as an audiobook. the story begins with calla lily as a small girl, so the first few hours you have to endure a narrator with a mature woman's voice trying to talk like a little girl. the effect is pretty annoying.

it gets better after calla becomes a teenager.

the story is good though, which is why I gave it 3 stars. I encourage people to listen to a sample before they buy!

good story, didn't like narrator

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This book, was a beautiful story. I enjoyed it tremendously. Hope Rebecca Wells is writing another book.

Calla Lily Ponder

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Ms. Ivey gave an excellent performance, but they missed an edit and at one point you can hear her say “sorry” then repeat the sentence. I loved this fun little story, but thought I’d mention that mistake. Not a huge deal, but I got a chuckle out of that.

Excellent performance, but...

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Great Funny Book hopes she writes a sequel! Just as good as her Ya Ya

Rebecca Wells

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