• The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

  • By: Rebecca Wells
  • Narrated by: Judith Ivey
  • Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (420 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder  By  cover art

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

By: Rebecca Wells
Narrated by: Judith Ivey
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.19

Buy for $25.19

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

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.

Publisher's summary

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

Critic reviews

"The novel is chock-full of Southern charm and sassy wisdom." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    231
  • 4 Stars
    107
  • 3 Stars
    55
  • 2 Stars
    19
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    203
  • 4 Stars
    37
  • 3 Stars
    23
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    174
  • 4 Stars
    52
  • 3 Stars
    31
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A great read by Judith Ivey

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful!

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Fabulous!

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!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not the YaYas

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A winner by Wells

I have loved all the books by Rebecca Wells, and this book is no exception. Really a nice story, very touching, and Judith Ivey doesn't just read it, she PERFORMS the book. Great listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Entertaining but...

The book started out strong and I didn't want to stop listening, however has it went on, I got the feeling that Calla Lily was a little pious. I actually stopped listening for a couple of days as I felt her "wonderfulness" became too much. Other than that and wishing the ending had been stronger, for the most part the story was entertaining and teh narration was spot on!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superior

Calla Lily Ponder is a character you'll never forget. It is a book you can savor, and relish as you experience La Luna. The narrator did and excellent job with the dialect of the south. I may just listen to this one again!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved the narration

The characters voices and the story were both great!! I found the Louisiana accent very calming while listening to the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Enchanting

Fans of Rebecca Wells will not be disappointed with the Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder. Very well read and interpreted. The characters came to life and left me wanting more. Delightful!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Classic Rebecca Wells

Sweet, authentic and another wonderful story rooted in the Deep South, told only as Rebecca Wells can tell it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful