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I Wish I Had a Red Dress (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I WISH I HAD a red dress..." (more)
Key Phrases: The Circus, Super Bowl, Halle Berry (more...)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
Price: $13.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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I Wish I Had a Red Dress + What Looks LIke Crazy On an Ordinary Day + Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do: A Novel
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  • This item: I Wish I Had a Red Dress by Pearl Cleage

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

How do you follow up a debut that's a New York Times bestseller, an Oprah Book Club Selection that's still in the Amazon top 100 two years after publication? If you're canny like Cleage, author of What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, you write a sequel, of course. Returning to Idlewild, Mich., the setting of her first book, Cleage takes up the story of Joyce, big sister to Ava, who was the focus of the original and who is absent from this one, traveling the country with her husband, Eddie. Fortysomething Joyce, a dedicated social worker, has always tended to be an optimist, despite her overwhelmingly tragic life. Her mother committed suicide on her wedding night, her two children died young and her beloved husband drowned five years ago. She's since taken to wearing black, but now she feels ready to wear red again, hence the title. The opportunity to do so comes in the form of Nate Anderson, a new student counselor in town who sees in Joyce the romantic woman who's still beneath the surface. Meanwhile, there's a lot going on at the Sewing Circus, the space Joyce uses for social work. Inspirational, idealistic and spiritual, the book is also sometimes judgmental, and a decidedly "women good, men bad" tone occasionally creeps in; some readers may find this unappealing. The bulk of the book is more about .problem solving specifically, Joyce's efforts at helping young African-American women become "free women" than it is about romance. (July) Forecast: As with many of the follow-ups penned by the Oprah-anointed, this effort will disappoint more than please the acolytes who made the first novel such a huge success, perhaps affecting Cleage's sales down the road. Major ad/promo; 7-city author tour; audio from Harper Audio.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Library Journal

In her first novel, the New York Times best seller and Oprah's Book Club selection What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, Cleage treated her audience to the life-affirming story of Ava, an African American woman diagnosed with AIDS and still finding new beginnings. In this work, she shifts her focus to Ava's widowed sister, Joyce, a social worker who counsels young black women in a community center affectionately dubbed "The Circus." When the story begins, Joyce has just lost any hope of government funding for the Circus and is looking forward to a comforting dinner with her friends, Bill and Sister. Sister, however, in typical matchmaking mode, has invited another man. An unsuspecting high school counselor, Nate proves to be the tallest, sexiest man Joyce has ever met. He also happens to be sensitive and supportive and he values her autonomy. With humor and sparkling dialog, Cleage balances the dark, abusive relationships of Joyce's clients with the delightfully healthy love between Joyce and Nate and the strength of women's friendships. These three plot lines are successfully carried to a satisfying conclusion. Recommended for public libraries.
- Jennifer Baker, Seattle P.L.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (July 9, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0380804883
  • ISBN-13: 978-0380804887
  • Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #812,941 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #19 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > African American > Cleage, Pearl

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Pearl Cleage
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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First Sentence:
I WISH I HAD a red dress. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Circus, Super Bowl, Halle Berry, Dorothy Dandridge, Nate Anderson, Nia Long, Junior Lattimore, Sam Jackson, Sheila Lattimore, Ten Things, The Best Man, The Sewing Circus, Carmen Jones, San Francisco, Booty Call, Denzel Washington, Gregory Hines, Lake County, Lynette Smitherman, Set It Off, Tomika Jackson, African American, Angela Bassett, Anita Lattimore, Baldwin Road
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I Wish I Had a Red Dress
63% buy the item featured on this page:
I Wish I Had a Red Dress 3.9 out of 5 stars (88)
$13.95
What Looks LIke Crazy On an Ordinary Day
20% buy
What Looks LIke Crazy On an Ordinary Day 4.2 out of 5 stars (432)
$11.19
Babylon Sisters: A Novel
6% buy
Babylon Sisters: A Novel 4.3 out of 5 stars (29)
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Seen It All and Done the Rest: A Novel
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Seen It All and Done the Rest: A Novel 4.0 out of 5 stars (20)
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Customer Reviews

88 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (88 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and Enlightening...but I missed Ava!, July 14, 2001
By Yasmin Coleman (PENNSYLVANIA, USA) - See all my reviews
  
This review is from: I Wish I Had a Red Dress (Hardcover)
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.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful,Gratifying, Lively and a richly woven story, August 21, 2001
By Tolonda Westbrook (Houston,TX, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: I Wish I Had a Red Dress (Hardcover)
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.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful surprise!, December 22, 2001
This review is from: I Wish I Had a Red Dress (Hardcover)
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars I Wish I Had a Red Dress
I really enjoyed this book, it was thought provoking and stirred up a desire or need to do something more to contribute to the well being and encouragement of younger people,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nanagirl

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!!!
I enjoyed the characters and the pace of the book. Great continuation of What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day. Pearl Cleage never disappoints!!!
Published 2 months ago by FrenchFortyFine

2.0 out of 5 stars Not her best work clearly.
Very disappointed in this work by such a talented author. This was one of my book club selections and it was unanimous---not a good pick :-(
Published 15 months ago by KDub

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Cleage imagery....
"I Wish I Had a Red Dress" was written in the style of many of Cleage's other titles--a lead heroine who is so busy working tirelessly for the greater good, she hasn't made time... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Jennifer Barnes

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good Book
I really enjoyed this book, I read it in one sitting. I believe it to be even better than What Seems Ordinary. Enjoyable, witty and very entertaining.
Published on April 30, 2007 by Jacque Cartwright

1.0 out of 5 stars I Wish I Had A Red Dress
If this book was written by a caucasian it would be considered racist and separatist. I have an African American grandson and I hope he never reads books that encourage... Read more
Published on January 8, 2007 by Pamela Stevens

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Red Dress
This was a most enjoyable novel, I found it very interesting without drifting in to a great deal of self hate that quite a few authors indulge thier readers with. Read more
Published on January 5, 2007 by D. T. Jones

2.0 out of 5 stars Title is a misnomer. Spoonfeeder.
The title of this book makes you think you're about to read about a character that is attempting to feel a little more free - maybe adding some spice to the love life and other... Read more
Published on August 2, 2006 by Kita

2.0 out of 5 stars Appeared to be a Male Bashing Book.
I'm a fan of Pearl Cleage's work but I am not enjoying this book.

I'm 30 pages from the ending but couldn't wait to write a review. Read more
Published on July 7, 2006 by Tiffany

3.0 out of 5 stars Well Written But Unsatisfying
Pearl Cleage is an amazing writer, one of those that can draw the reader in right in the first sentence. Read more
Published on July 20, 2005 by Texan Teacher

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