Anyone else finished reading Prayers for Sale?
I loved it. When I read the preview in the jacket cover, I thought "hmm, not really my type of book." Ha, I was wrong. Shows you not to judge a book by its cover, yes? I'm recommending this book to everyone.
*Mild spoilers*
First, I loved the characters that Dallas created. They felt real to me and their struggles and emotions felt real, too. The way she wrote the book, with all her knowledge of mining and the regional dialect was fantastic. I couldn't help but root for Hennie and want her to get her 'happy ending'. I definitely cried when she told the story about Billy and Sarah ... and I definitely cheered when she accepted Tom's marriage proposal. I loved Hennie's wit and sense of fairness. She's my kind of lady!
I thought a book where one woman just tells a bunch of stories would be kind of random... kind of like Cats, where there's just some random songs and no real storyline... but I was wrong. The stories blended well together to tell the story of Hennie's life. The way she wanted some of her stories and wisdom to live on when she was gone was great. Isn't that the way it should be? People of an older generation should tell stories, re-count their history to those of a younger generation. I know my family spent hours with my grandpa in his last few years, recording all his stories of WW2 and the Great Depression. If stories aren't preserved, then when that generation of people dies, the stories and history go with them. I love that this book made that point (subtly).
Aaaah, so many good things. I really enjoyed this book. I'm certainly glad it was recommended to me. Anyone else have any thoughts? I know there's more I wanted to say, but my brain seems to be malfunctioning...
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2 comments:
I was the same way, thinking I wouldn't like the book. But, I too really enjoyed it. Hennie's stories had a lot of interesting twists that I wasn't expecting, but I loved them. Her life was so rich! I too was thrilled when she accepted the proposal, her life goes on!!! Good choice!
I really liked the book too. I enjoyed how the stories of Hennie's life all tied together and how they were able to help Nit heal, move on, and feel like she belonged.
I also really liked all of the mining references. I grew up in a town founded by gold miners and built on mine tailings. So I was familiar with a lot of the terms. I've even seen old glory holes. So that aspect of the book was fun for me.
I was surprised at the end. I kept trying to figure out Hennie's last secret. I never guessed what it really was. But I liked the point that she made - forgiveness lifts burdens, whether we need to forgive or be forgiven. There's no need to go through life carrying that weight.
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