Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road

I read Don Miller's Blue Like Jazz about a year ago and really liked it. I read Searching for God Knows What last week and found it to be borderline depressing. I picked up Through Painted Deserts last night, and I couldn't put it down! This book is different from Miller's first two in that it is a continuous narrative and the chapters follow each other in chronological order. What this creates is a compelling story peppered with plenty of the thoughts and musings one comes to expect from Miller. You find yourself laughing at the situations and conversations throughout the book, but at the same time you are impressed with the somber spirituality of the journey. I don't camp, I hate the desert and truckstops, and car travel is my least show more favourite mode of transportation; despite all this I'm considering taking my own journey through the desert, if only to find the perspective on life that Miller was fortunate enough to gain. In my opinion, a must read for anyone! show less

Although I am no younger generation emergent church type person, this book is definitely to my taste. I enjoy pilgrimage books (like BLUE HIGHWAYS) like this. There must be something of the voyeur in me that enjoys a literal and figurative journey together with someone I don't know. I found MIller's descriptions and use of language really beautiful and inspiring. His questioning of his faith was honest, as were his answers. It made me wish I had gone on this kind of journey when I was much younger, so I would be further along in my life today. Or maybe that's a hang-over from being a part of the hippie generation! Even though I am 20 years older than the author, I appreciated his metaphors and learned from him. I originally read the show more book for my women's book club, but I have reread the book for the sheer pleasure of the reading. show less

I heard questionable things about this book, but I thoughroughly enjoyed it. Miller doesn't have quite as much spirituality in this book as compared with Blue Like Jazz, but at least it has a running story that captures you.

As with all authors there comes a time when even our favorites disappoint us and this is mine. Through Painted Deserts is Miller's version of a travelogue and as such is not bad but doesn't really go anywhere. To be honest most travelogues are not supposed to go anywhere, it is more about the journey than it is the destination, which Miller explores How and Why with his usual Christian snarkiness. Somewhere along the way this version has more whine than depth exploration and reminded me of a Philip Roth novel. By the way, in my opinion, Miller is the one person that could write a fabulous Roth style novel and out Roth Roth.
If you think this book sounds familiar, its original was Prayer and the Art of Volkswagen Maintenance, which had show more some marvelous bits in it. He cuts some material and added some new and release Painted Deserts. This would have been a better read and write if he'd kept the original and just added the additional excerpts. show less

It's not my favorite Donald Miller book, but it's awfully good. An "[b:On the Road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21E8H3D1JSL._SL75_.jpg|3355573]" for the new age, with a conscience.

Honest, entertaining, self-deprecating Donald Miller's story of his travels in a van and journey to faith during his early adulthood.

Relying on the metaphors of nature (e.g. light) and human experience (e.g. relationships), Miller offers poetic reflections on the God of all creation. "Through Painted Deserts" traces the journey (spiritual and otherwise) of Don and Paul as they travel in VW van from Houston to Oregon. One of my favorites: well told, profound, touching. A+