4 out of 4 stars
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R.A Winter’s romantic novel, Painted Girl, is the second book in her Kiowa In Love series. The first book focused on Little Sparrow; Karen while this one tells the story of Sarah; Painted Girl.
Sarah (Painted Girl) wishes to marry Jack RedHorse, but Grandfather has other plans. While Painted Girl finds herself through her pottery and work with clay, RedHorse goes off to become great warrior, and Grandfather must come to terms with the circumstances of his own past to move forward to the future of the tribe. Painted Girl and RedHorse need to discover their Inner Indian, and Grandfather thinks he knows how to help them along their journey, and to each other. But as always, his plans don’t work out the way he expected.
I had previously read R.A’s novel Little Sparrow and instantly fell in love with the cast of characters and R.A’s writing style. I quickly jumped at the chance to read Painted Girl’s story. Before I get into the story, I had to comment on the beauty of the cover art. It is strikingly beautiful with the brown background and slash of red across the woman’s face. The look in her eyes is siren-like, drawing readers into her story.
“It is good to know your heritage so well. You need to know where you are from before you go somewhere.” This line spoken by Grandfather is a strong example of one theme found in the series: honoring one’s heritage. In Little Sparrow, R.A introduced a lot of the Kiowa culture, I am happy to see that continues in Painted Girl, complete with snippets of the language. In this novel we see Grandfather trying different ways to remind his grandchildren of their heritage, hoping to help them find their way back to their Indian ways.The author accomplishes this through his “hunting” trips with RedHorse, or his discussions with Painted Girl about accepting her name as Painted Girl rather than Sarah. There are a lot of quotes throughout the novel that make the reader think, not only about what the Grandfather is saying but how that reflects and applies to their own culture and heritage.
This novel is as much about Grandfather and it is about Painted Girl and RedHorse. Grandfather is such an important part of the Kiowa in Love series that it is nice to get a deeper look into his past. Readers realize why adhering to the Kiowa traditions are so important to Grandfather. As Grandfather faces his fears and accepts his past, readers see him transforming into a stronger elder. At the same time, we can see Painted Girl beginning to transform into the woman she is suppose to become. as she learns to accept her new Indian name. RedHorse is the character that struggles the most with his inner Indian, and discovering who he is and not who he wants to be. RA does a wonderful job bringing it all together. While there are three separate stories, RA weaves them all together in a way that bring everything full circle.
I love all the minor details the author includes to get the point across. In a scene where Grandfather is talking to RedHorse about the spiritual aspect of their heritage, R.A includes a prayer from a Lakota Indian elder. This adds depth to the story, one that not only shows Grandfather’s reverence for Kiowa spirituality, but also the spirituality and traditions of other Native American tribes. The romance in this novel is not the typical “romance” style. Throughout the novel we see RedHorse attempting to court Painted Girl (and failing completely). There is a relationship between them that R.A builds throughout the story. They don’t immediately jump into bed together or even kiss. With the theme of knowing one’s heritage, there is also the theme of learning to love oneself before loving another.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story. With this book, you get a little of everything from romance to fighting. I happily give Painted Girl a 4 out of 4 because it was a fantastic novel to read with things interweave that makes you think about your own heritage. It leaves you wanting more from this Kiowa tribe.
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Painted Girl, A Kiowa in Love
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