The Prayer Box

GIVEAWAY

RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!

WINGATE, LISA
THE PRAYER BOX

When Iola Anne Poole, an old-timer on Hatteras Island, passes away in her bed at ninety-one, the struggling young mother in her rental cottage, Tandi Jo Reese, finds herself charged with the task of cleaning out Iola's rambling Victorian house. Running from a messy, dangerous past, Tandi never expects to find more than a temporary hiding place within Iola's walls, but everything changes with the discovery of eighty-one carefully decorated prayer boxes, one for each year, spanning Iola's youth to her last days. Hidden in the boxes is the story of a lifetime, written on random bits of paper -- the hopes and wishes, fears and thoughts of an unassuming but complex woman, passing through the seasons of an extraordinary unsung life filled with journeys of faith, observations on love, and one final lesson that could change everything for Tandi.

My Review:

published in 2013
My thanks to my public library for providing me with the audio version of this book.

I'm kinda gobsmacked right now, searching for words to express all my mixed emotions over this book. Stunned. Awestruck. Furious. Fuming. Melty-hearted. Goosebumped. Exasperated...you name it, I felt it as I immersed myself in this story.

Lisa Wingate has such an exquisite writing style. So beautifully descriptive that you feel like you are living every excruciating second along side the characters. And I think listening to the audio version enhanced my 'reading' experience. I especially loved Iola Anne's voice which we get through her written prayers.

And then there's Tandi. Oy. True confession -- I didn't like her for about half of the book! I almost couldn't continue with the story because I found her so unrelatable! But -- and here's where real writing talent comes in to play -- Wingate wooed me with her words and the way she slowly allows Tandi's backstory to unfold. I got to the point where I still didn't like the choices she was making but I could understand why she acted the way she did. And then I began to wonder what business I had judging her anyway. lol Nothing like a real-life lesson on grace in the middle of a novel!

 Iola Anne's simple, heartfelt prayers are a kind of ethereal thread that binds this story together. That woman's simple faith worked a change in both Tandi and me! And there comes a point were past and present collide and -- whoosh -- amazing grace!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Prayer Box, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca.  If you add your email to comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced Sunday December 30 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!