The Touch [Hardcover]

Patricia Hickman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2002 | Series: Life Changed By God's Touch

While her father desperately searches for her, a troubled young wife and mother searches for the safety and spiritual transformation that can only be found in the healing touch of Christ. A modern-day parable inspired by the Ron DiCianni painting.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Sydney Oliver is on the run from an abusive husband, but shame and pride prevent her from reaching out to her father, a pastor in an upscale Florida community. Instead, she and her two small children land in a prostitute-filled motel in New Orleans. Meanwhile, her father, Wade Jenkins, searches desperately for her. Eventually humbled by circumstances beyond their control, Sydney and Wade find and forgive each other. Based on a contemporary painting by Ron Dicianni that depicts a young woman in jeans touching the hem of Christ, this is a flat interpretation of the New Testament story. Hackneyed devices such as Wade's being reduced to becoming a vagabond after he's mugged and a hooker with a heart of gold strain the plot. Beverly Bush Smith's Wings of a Dove is a more convincing exploration of a woman whose faith is tested by an abusive marriage. Purchase for comprehensive collections and where the author of Sandpebbles is in demand.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers (July 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0842340173
• ISBN-13: 978-0842340175
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,138,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patricia Hickman, M.F.A., is an award-winning author of fiction and non-fiction whose work has been praised by critics and readers alike. Patricia first studied creative writing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and then went on to do graduate studies in creative writing at Queens University. She writes for major publishers and is currently at work on her eighteen book, a novel set in the North Carolina Piedmont. Her next novel,The Pirate Queen, will release Summer 2010, a story that takes readers journeying from suburban Lake Norman, NC to the sailing villages of the Outer Banks. She has served as a writing professor at UNCC and taught in writing workshops across the country offering her popular "Creating Characters-Giving Story People Life" workshops and courses on fiction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable Read, September 14, 2010

By 

Melissa Bowers "Anxious for Nothing" (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Touch (Hardcover)

Even though it's not Christmas, I picked up Patricia Hickman's holiday-season novella, The Touch, because I've read and enjoyed many of her other books. The story is based on a picture by Ron DiCianni, which is a modern depiction of the biblical account of the sick woman who touched the hem of Jesus' robe and was healed.

In this story, Sydney, a young mother of two, is on the run from her abusive husband. She feels she has no one to turn to, since her father Wade, a pastor, "had never been able to embrace all of her, but rather just the presentable parts, the ones that looked good to his church." To survive, Sydney works as a maid in a seedy motel and befriends one of the prostitutes who live and work there, while attempting to shield her children from the sleazy atmosphere. (By the way, the details of the prostitution operation are not at all explicit.)

Sydney's parents receive a vague indication that all is not well with their daughter. Although for a time Wade tries to ignore his feelings of guilt and concern, he eventually decides to go after her, but he must endure some painful and humbling experiences on the way.

Something I found odd about this book is that it seems to have two protagonists. I still have no idea if the main character is supposed to be Sydney or Wade. I understand that the story is about both of them, but I felt a bit yanked back and forth between scenes.

While I don't feel that this story is Hickman's best work, it is an enjoyable read, full of vivid descriptions of characters and circumstances, natural-sounding dialogue, and a touch of humor. The ending is satisfying without being unrealistically perfect.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Book, December 23, 2003

By 

lor369 - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Touch (Hardcover)

The Touch was a book about a young woman on the run, with her 2 children, from an abusive husband. She tries to reach her
father, then becomes afraid to ask him for help because of standards that she saw her father putting on her (her father was a preacher). The father then looks for his daughter and grandkids and they are all reunited.

I liked the humor in the book. Being on the run from an abusive husband is serious business, but the humor did lighten up
the husband. I liked the bantering between Isabella and Wade (the preacher father), Wade passing out in the mall, the church
catching on fire, Wade being roped into marrying a couple at the airport, etc.

I know that this book was meant to be a shorter novel. However, it would have been nice for the book to be expanded another
100 pages. It would have been interesting to find out more about the abusive husband, Sydney's childhood, and the
reconciliation between Sydney and her father. Also, I thought that there was too much stuff at the beginning of the book
about Wade trying to decide whether or not to find Sydney and Wade trying to get out of the church, but not enough towards
the end of the book about Sydney's and Wade's reconciliation.

All in all, this was a pretty good book about grace and forgiveness. Patricia Hickman is a wonderful writer. I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful little book with a big message, December 22, 2002

By 

Soozie4Him (Chicago suburbs) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Touch (Hardcover)

I've been on a fiction kick lately - first Gideon's Gift, then The Lullaby, and now The Touch! This book will take you only a couple of hours to read, but there is SO much there! The book was inspired by the picture painted by Ron DiCianni which depicts the woman who touches the hem of Jesus' cloak and is healed.

A young woman is fleeing an abusive marriage with her two young children. She lives in a sleazy motel, being a housekeeper there in order to have a place to live. Meanwhile, her father is dealing with issues of his own. The way it all comes together is beautiful.

This was my first book by Patricia Hickman and I will definitely be looking for more.