Painted Dresses: A Novel (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Painted Dresses is both wise and witty, full of living, breathing people, rather than cardboard characters. I'm sure I went to high school with Gaylen, dated Braden, partied with Delia, and ran away from Freddy–that's how convincingly they leaped off the page. Amusing at one turn, sobering the next, Painted Dresses captures life in all its messy glory. A wonderful novel from a uniquely gifted storyteller.”
–Liz Curtis Higgs, best-selling author of Grace in Thine Eyes

“Gaylen is the responsible sister; Delia the impulsive younger. With only parentage in common, and a vague but troubling memory, the two find themselves thrown together, chasing clues to their childhood angst while staying two steps ahead of a hired killer. Patricia Hickman writes from the heart. I could not put it down.”
–Lawana Blackwell, author of The Gresham Chronicles

“With engaging characters–quirky, flawed, but endearing–a vivid sense of place, and a wonderfully droll, tell-it-like-it-is narrator in Gaylen Boatwright, Painted Dresses is the ideal book to lose yourself in on a rainy–or any–day.”
–Naeem Murr, author of The Boy, The Genius of the Sea, and The Perfect Man

“Don’t miss Painted Dresses! Through Patricia’s pen pours passion and playfulness. The energy in her writing alone will sweep you off your weary feet and into an adventure that you won’t soon forget!”
–Patsy Clairmont, author of I Second That Emotion

"I can still see those painted dresses in my mind…sensing the hidden pain behind the layers of paint. As usual, Patricia does an artful job of developing realistic characters, transporting them to those somber places where it’s not always easy to travel.”
–Melody Carlson, author of The Other Side of Darkness, Finding Alice, and Crystal Lies

“Award-winning author Hickman weaves a wonderful tale of women who have triumphed over adversity in this sensitive, caring, heartfelt story. It's a story readers will remember long after they have finished the book.
Summary: Gaylen Syler-Boatwright heads to her late Aunt Amity's house to get her life back on track. She discovers a gallery of dresses in frames with the names of her relatives on them and hits the road with her sister to find some of them. Gaylen discovers long-buried family secrets and, through the grace of God, learns the hardest lesson of all -- to forgive and move into the future with a clean slate.”
–Patsy Glans, Romantic Times

Product Description

In this story of sisterhood and unexpected paths, Gaylen Syler-Boatwright flees her unraveling marriage to take refuge in a mountain cottage owned by her deceased aunt. Burdened with looking after her adult sister, Delia, she is shocked to find a trail of family secrets hidden within her aunt’s odd collection of framed, painted dresses. With Delia, who attracts trouble as a daily occupation, Gaylen embarks on a road trip that throws the unlikely pair together on a journey to painful understanding and delightful revelations.

Steeped in Hickman’s trademark humor, her spare writing voice, and the bittersweet pathos of the South, Painted Dresses powerfully captures a woman’s desperate longing to uncover a hidden, broken life and discover the liberty of living authentically, even when the things exposed are shrouded in shame.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (July 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400071992
• ISBN-13: 978-1400071999
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #568,545 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good novel about the value of family and the power of truth, July 23, 2008

By	Christina Lockstein "http://christysbookblog.... (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Painted Dresses by Patricia Hickman is a story of one woman's search for her place in her family her marriage, and her world. Gaylen arrives home to organize her father's funeral and take care of his effects, but ends up on the lam with sister Delia and delivering a series of painted dresses made by Aunt Amity. Delia is troubled; it's never clear if she suffers from some kind of mental condition or is just off. She shoots her boyfriend's wife after a confrontation and is not at all remorseful. Gaylen grabs Delia and runs. She's running herself from a broken marriage and the damage she did to her husband's aircraft business by crashing a plane. When visiting deceased Aunt Amity's cottage, they discover that she had made paintings of several different dresses, and each is marked with the intended recipient's name. With no better plan in mind, the two sisters deliver the paintings, picking up bits and pieces of family history on the way. Gaylen is incredibly difficult to understand. Her actions are always reactions, and she has trouble trying not to control Delia. The hidden truths she discovers about her parents and her own history are devastating. The opening chapters are cloudy and distant; it feels almost like the characters are in a dream. When the truth about the past is revealed, the story suddenly becomes much clearer and moves quickly. It's a powerful story, but honestly but Gaylen and Delia were difficult to relate to. It was hard to care about Gaylen's marriage when both she and her husband acted like immature brats. It's a good book with some rough spots.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Painted Dresses, July 20, 2008

By	N. Stephens "cappy60" (Laguna Niguel, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Heart wrenching and suspenseful at the same time. This semi autobiography is a eye opener and warning to all that may suspect or have suspicions about their childhood.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Soul Offering, January 8, 2009

By	Brenda Smith (Quebec, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Remember the old woman who secretly gives a penny offering and the Master tells his followers her reward is greater than all the rest? This is the lesson that comes to mind after reading Patricia Hickman's novel, Painted Dresses. Out of the harshness of life, Patricia offers us a penny, all she has, and it is precious. Painted Dresses reminded me of Barbara Kingslover's earlier novels like Bean Trees, and later, Prodigal Summer. I read Painted Dresses last summer with a friend and we discussed it on one of our walks. We both liked it, though it deals with difficult themes--family wanting to take care of each other, not knowing how, but wanting to. It is the story of two damaged sisters, Gaylan and Delia, and how one learns to cope while the other does not. It's about setting judgment aside in search of truth and compassion. Painted Dresses is about the clothes we wear underneath it all that stain our souls. This is a great read.

Bren Smith