Prayers for Sale: a Great Read

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas is the perfect book to curl up under a blanket with a cold winter day. A few of my friends had recommended it, and I requested a copy from the publisher to review. As soon as I cracked it open, I was transported by Sandra Dallas to the mountains of Colorado in the 1930s to a little mountain town called Middle Swan on the heels of the Great Depression.

Dallas weaves her tale through the eyes of Hennie Comfort, an 86-year old independent spirit who has outlived two husbands and made her home in this tiny town with its punishing winters and its dazzling springs. Hennie takes newcomer Nit Spindle under her wing, and educates her about her new home with colorful tales about its past.

Regardless of their significant age gap, the two women bond over quilting. Hennie shows Nit the best spots to pick raspberries, introduces her to her quilting circle, and assists her in adjusting to life in the mining town. But amidst all this quaint domesticity, Hennie reveals a colorful past filled with prostitutes, murder, rape and war.
Nit even sums up, "Quilts are like lives. They're made up of a lot of little pieces. There's a difference. You can take out the pieces in a quilt. There's not anything you can do to change what you've done in life." Over carefully stitched patterns, secrets are shared and bonds are made.

With Hennie, Dallas has created one of those characters that stay with the reader long after finishing the book. Hennie is filled with with no-nonsense quotes spoken in an authentic dialect. She's constantly coming out with wise witticisms like, "Don't think too closely, when it's raining pudding, hold up your bowl." and, "She realized that morality was for folks with full bellies."

The tone of the entire book is so pleasant, so readable, that I felt as though I was huddled by the fire with Nit and Hennie as the wind howled outside, captivated by Hennie's tales. Prayers for Sale is a great read, a beautifully written story with memorable characters. It's actually coming out in paperback on Tuesday, reserve your copy at Amazon, PaperBackSwap, or your library today!