Prayers For Saleby Sandra Dallas
Published 2009 St. Martin's Press
Genre: Adult Lit
Pages: 305
From Goodreads:Hennie Comfort is eighty-six and has lived in the mountains of Middle Swan, Colorado since before it was Colorado. Nit Spindle is just seventeen and newly married. She and her husband have just moved to the high country in search of work. It's 1936 and the depression has ravaged the country and Nit and her husband have suffered greatly. Sandra Dallas has created an unforgettable tale of a friendship between two women, one with surprising twists and turns, and one that is ultimately a revelation of the finest parts of the human spirit.
My Thoughts:
The sun was warm on Hennie's bones, and she was not anxious to leave. "Can you stand another story?" "I can. I wouldn't like it half so well in Middle Swan if it wasn't for you and your stories." p. 190-191
The stories, that is what draws you into this wonderful book. The stories that are weaved into present day and links you to the past. Hennie is eighty-seven years old and she's experienced pretty much everything life can throw at a person: husband dying in the Civil War, brutality at the hands of a cruel man, losing her only child, living in harsh conditions, becoming a widow for the second time. She posts a sign on her fence out front that says, "Prayers for Sale." There's a story behind this sign...and one that I'm not going to tell you, but this sign is what brings Nit, a young, newlywed girl to her front door. From that chance meeting you get to watch as their friendship grows and how living life in the high country of the Rocky Mountains can forge relationships that last forever. This is definitely a character driven book. I loved Hennie by the time I came to the end, she's one tough cookie and she will stay with me for some time. Once I started this book I couldn't put it down. It made me think back to my childhood when my Grandpa Bill would get out his harmonica and start blowing on that thing, singing, and bringing all us grandkids to his feet. From there he would start telling his own stories; driving a Model A car when he was eleven, running moonshine in Kentucky, being wild with his buddies, how he met my Grandma and took her to the outdoor picture show. I loved it when he shared these treasures with us, they fascinated me and the memory of them will stay forever. Storytelling needs to be a tradition that is handed down to the next generation. So, if you're looking for good old fashioned story telling....then look no further, because this book fits the bill. I'm new to the author, Sandra Dallas, and Kaye of Pudgy Penguin Perusals assures me that Dallas is a great author. She was so enthusiastic about her that I've requested Tallgrass already from the library!!!! I feel pretty confident about Kaye's recommendation...because I loved this book!!
She'd had a good life, Hennie reflected, but there were things left for her to do before she went below. The girl Nit needed help if she was to become a mountain woman. Hennie had a lifetime of stories she wanted to tell one more time. p. 107
If you've reviewed this book let me know and I'll add your link!
