Customer Reviews

I Wish I Had a Red Dress

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I Wish I Had A Red Dress is Pearl Cleage's sequel to her best-selling debut novel What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day. Looks Like Crazy was Ava & Eddie's story but in Red Dress, Cleage's focuses on Ava's widowed sister, Joyce Mitchell. Cleage's takes readers back to Idlewild, Michigan which was once a popular resort community for affluent African Americans but is now decaying, however, the ordinary folks who live there are still working to overcome dysfunction and reclaim their lives.

Joyce, continues to work at the center she founded The Sewing Circus and Community Truth Center(which has been affectionately dubbed "The Circus") as a social worker counseling young black women, many of whom are the product of single parent homes and many of whom are single mothers. Although Joyce has her work, her family, her friends and her town...who does she have to take care of her intimately and passionately as only a lover can do? Five years after Mitch's tragic accident, time is still standing still in the romance department for Joyce. While she has her memories, daydreams and self-pleasures none of those can take the place of a muscular, hard, dark and handsome African American male. Joyce knows that something is missing and that sometimes you really need the real thang...but sometimes Joyce is just afraid. Afterall, her father passed when she was sixteen, her mother committed suicide on her wedding night a year later, her son got hit by a car walking home from school when he was six and her daughter didn't make it to her first birthday. After all the other tragedies, Mitch was always the one constant in her life and now he was gone. Opening her heart and chancing love was an endeavor that Joyce wasn't sure she was ready or willing to undertake at 40something.

As the story opens, Joyce has to put thoughts about relationships, love, desires and her personal needs on hold, because first, she must meet with state legislatures to secure their votes to fund the proposal she worked on the last three months regarding "The Circus" program. While Joyce is busy focusing on the girls and funding, her friends, Bill and Sister are busy playing matchmaker. Over dinner, Sister introduces Joyce to Nate Anderson who has just moved to the area to work at the local high school as a guidance counselor. Nate is a sensitive, understanding and supportive gentlemen and he touches emotions in Joyce that have long been suppressed but as fate would have it... there's much drama with the babydaddy of one of Joyce's girls that keeps Joyce from focusing on self and backing away from Nate. Will Nate be there to weather the emotional/mental storm with her and help her to realize that decent and loving African American males still exist and that if she lets her guards down and opens her heart she might just have a recent to purchase and wear that daring little red dress?

Pearl Cleage has once again created a storyline with remarkable and memorable characters, however, readers looking for Ava might feel a little slighted as I Wish I Had a Red Dress is truly Joyce's story. In fact, I was a little disappointed that Ava wasn't given more presence in Red Dress and was only mentioned in passing. I like Joyce...she's the responsible, stable, older sista who's on a mission to help the less fortunate...all good qualities...but I missed the feistiness and wit of Ava. On an up note, as with "Crazy", Cleage's writing once again inspires and enlightens as she shows us that life is about taking chances, taking risks, embracing the past but letting go, moving forward and embracing life. Fans of What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day will enjoy this sequel from Pearl Cleage as she takes us back to Idlewild once again.

I just finished reading Pearl Cleage's, I Wish I Had a Red Dress, which happens to be a continuation of What looks like Crazy on an ordinary day. What a powerful, surprisingly shocking and beauitfully woven story centered around Idlewild, Michigan. This book shines a spotlight on Joyce Mitchell the older sister of Ava and introduces us to people like Nate, Nikki, Tomika, Shelia, Sister and Bill, The Smitherman twins and the infamous Lattimore family. I was delighted that Pearl dedicated a book to Joyce and allowed her to share more of herself with us. It was a gratifying and wonderful book to read and well worth sharing with others. Joyce is a strong and remarkable woman, with so much to give and offer others and she does just that. The story is even laced with some comedy so, it's not too deep and heavy for you. While reading it I found myself rethinking various key moments in my own lifetime. Or as Oprah says, those light blub moments. This book has a liitle something, something for everyone and it's sure to be a book you won't soon forget. Happy reading and thanks Pearl for another delightful, life-changing and powerful read.

I picked up this book in the library, not familiar with the
author, and wow! Pearl Cleage can write! She not only tells
a good story, but she honors her craft. I loved lines like this:
"She was watching Nik get into her car and drive off toward the
danger just like they always do in the horror movies; gripping the wheel, gritting her teeth and swearing she doesn't believe in ghosts." Cleage is a WRITER.
Cleage's heroine, a teacher-turned-social worker, combines sex with sensibility. The book is less about plot than about character; the heroine can get a little preachy about feminism but that's who she is, and it's not the same old story.
The use of film as a learning tool is very real -- made me
want to rent some of those videos myself.
Reminded me of May Sarton, with a lot more bite, deeper characterization and much, much better writing.
"Red dress" reaches way beyond an African-American audience
and deserves to become another best-seller for the author.

I began reading this book as if it were a sequal to Cleage's first book, "What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day" as the main character of this book Joyce was also one of the prominant character of 'Ordinary Day'. This book totally stands alone. It does make reference to a few characters from 'Ordinary Day' but you do not have to have read 'Ordinary Day' to totally enjoy this book.

Joyce Mitchelle has been a widow for five years and has totally
thrown herself into her work with teens and young girls in a group called the "The Sewing Circus". Since Joyce's husband, Mitch, died she has not dared to embark on an intimate relationship feeling as this would be a betrayal to her beloved Mitch. She has even simplified her life to the point she only wears black clothes so she doesn't have to think about color coordinating.

Nate Anderson takes the position as the new vice principle of the one and only high school in the town of Idlewild, Wisconsin. He is divorced, very tall, very bald, and very handsome.

Nate meets Joyce through mutual acquaintances, and they become fast friends and a formidable yet needed force in Joyces life. Nate even makes Joyce dream of wearing a daring red dress.

Cleage has spun a cast of characters that are so true to life that they make you want to meander into the pages and just slap a few, and hug a few of them.

If you liked IT LOOKS LIKE CRAZY ON AN ORDINARY DAY, you will LOVE Pearl Cleage's second novel, I WISH I HAD A RED DRESS!

This novel re-introduces Joyce Mitchell, one of the characters from Cleage's previous novel, as well as some of the members of her "free" women's community group, affectionately known as "The Circus". All of the characters come alive through Cleage's wonderful story-telling style--so much so that the reader wants to know what happens to them long after the last page is turned.

The characters also relate such memorable messages as: "Confession, without closure, is just whining"; "Anybody can learn anything, once they quit pretending that they already know it"; "If you can't admit it, you probably ought to quit it"; and "If you want to make God laugh, make plans".

In addition to running "The Circus" and helping its all-female membership deal with issues such as motherhood, education, abusive relationships, and career choices, Joyce must examine her own feelings regarding the blossoming of a romantic relationship with the newest member of her small Idlewild, Michigan community, after surviving five years of widowhood.

I WISH I HAD A RED DRESS has all of the wit, humor, and excellent plot development that can be expected from a Pearl Cleage novel, and it will hold the reader's attention from the first page to the last.

"I Wish I had a Red Dress" is an excellent form of "look within" reading. I purchased the audio version of this novel and was touched by the depth of the characters. Ms. Cleage does a wonderful job of exhibiting the desires of young women and single mothers to create their own happiness and successes through adversity. The concept of being a "free woman" provides the avenue of being true to oneself, others and their community. The "Circle" of friends demonstrated honesty, tolerance and respect amongst each others. Ms. Cleage also brought to light how an individual can be there for someone else and tend to forget about their own needs and desires such as "Ms. J." Yes, I too, love to wear black because of the sleek sophisticated lines I associate with the color black. And I too love to wear that "red dress" which enlightens my soul and those around me. There were many other issues exhibited through Ms. Cleage's writing such as the ability to speak one's opinion among friends, no matter how different and remain true friends and to have a meaningful relationship with a black man without sacrificing yourself.
I recommend this writing not only because it is well-written but also because it will touch your mind and soul. It may awaken a desire to become active in our communities, with our young men and women or to pursue a dream hidden behind a cloud. "I Wish I Had A Red Dress" definitely sparked my determination to pursue, attain and maintain balance and happiness in my life and my family's life.

I Wish I Had A Red Dress is a nice follow up to Ms. Cleage's previous novel. Joyce is a young widower juggling her career mentoring young women. She also has a budding romance after a 5 year period of being alone. In my opinion, the book addresses the difficulty of women and men to hear and respect each other;s opinion. This is evident by the dialogue Joyce has with her best friend's husband Bill as well as her interaction with the newcomer, Nate. It is definitely evident in the interactions between the young women at the Sewing Circus and their various boyfriends/lovers. The book also examines how young women define their independence and sexuality. The young women Joyce helps are encouraged to redefine themselves as free women and to review their lives and their relationships with men. My only critique of the book is that some reference should've been made to Joyce's sister Ava, the main protagonist of the previous book. How can Joyce talk about all the people and characters in her town and totally ignore her sister Ava's whereabouts? Despite that minor flaw, this new novel stands on its own. Ms. Cleage's writing style is straightforward and refreshing and I highly recommend this new book.

Calling all free women, or those that want to be free. What is a free woman? A free woman is a woman that is independent and self-sufficient. She can raise her children; she can seek higher and further; and most importantly, she can take care of herself and her own, through a host of skills that 'The Circus' will teach.

The Red Dress, symbolizes the strength and independence for which women strive. The reader will watch Joyce and many young women as they search for their red dress.

Joyce Mitchell who we first met in 'What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day', is back. She continues to work at 'The Circus' teaching young women how to live and be free. Joyce is a strong woman in search of more for herself. The reader will follow Joyce as she raises the standard for young women and herself. We will watch Joyce as she interacts with her core group of friends in Idlewood. We will experience Joyce's emotions when she meets a man ~ the first since her beloved Mitch passed away years ago.

With a group of likeable, and sometimes quirky characters, the reader will become engrossed in Joyce's daily life. Joyce is a stong and intelligent woman. I would have liked to see her character developed more, I know Joyce has an even greater story to be told.

Congrats to Pearl Cleage for creating this dynamic novel. I would recommend that you read both, "What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day" and "I Wish I Had A Red Dress."

Pearl Cleage is truly amazing. Her writing is so genuine and her ideas so prolific I'm in awe. She's also one fantastic storyteller. Cleage is what I call a "Gentle Feminist" she believes in women learning to think for themselves and becoming independent but unlike most staunch feminist she wants the boys along for the ride. She loves men (we have that in common) and knows women cannot survive without them nor should we try.

I Wish I had a Red Dress is a testament to her philosophy. If your not interested in the messages you will still enjoy the story. Joyce is the older sister from "What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day". She's a widow and resident social activist in a little black town called Idlewild. Joyce's husband was the love of her life, it's been years since his death and she is
still grieving. Nate Anderson , a former cop, and newcomer to Idlewild has taken a job as a counselor at the local high school, he too wants to make a difference in the lives of young people. Of course they meet and Nate is one of those guys people should warn you about, so you don't stare. He is big! I'm talking 6'8" and big and as far as Joyce is concerned absolutely gorgeous. At one point while talking about Nate, Joyce says "he laughs and shakes his big ole head" and I'm thinking only Cleage could make that sexy. He's not perfect or flawless, but he's wonderful just the same. Can these two socially aware, beautiful people find love? Of course they can but this is Cleage and not a romance novel, so a zillion things are going to transpire between point A and B and if you're not careful you may learn something from each of them.

"I Wish I Had a Red Dress" is a delightfully haunting, and more importantly, well-written book. With her lyrical, but to the point, writing, Ms. Cleage delivers poignant material for discussion groups. "I Wish I Had a Red Dress" is ideally suited for young women (teen-aged and up), not necessarily as a read-alone book, but one whose issues should be discussed in a group. I'd suggest this book for any group that is involved with women,young and old, who need to learn about respecting themselves first. "I Wish I Had a Red Dress" is also a good read for older women who may, at some point in their, life also wished for a red dress.