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Carolina Heirlooms #1
The Prayer Box
ECPA 2014 Christian Book Award Finalist!
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 from 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.
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 from 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.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published August 16, 2013
5007 people are currently reading
34632 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Wingate
57 books13.5k followersLisa Wingate is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Before We Were Yours, which remained on the bestseller list for over two years. Her award-winning works have been selected for state and community One Book reads, have been published in over forty languages, and have appeared on bestseller lists worldwide. The group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa and six others as recipients of the National Civics Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. She lives in Texas and Colorado with her family and her deceptively cute little teddy bear of a dog, Huckleberry. Find her at www.lisawingate.com, on Facebook at LisaWingateAuthorPage, or on Instagram @author_lisa_wingate
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,369 reviews
July 5, 2014
I am not free with five-star reviews. But when a novel leaves me teary-eyed and feeling a step closer to heaven there is nothing to do but hurry out and tell the world HERE is a book worth your time. I love stories that let me come along as characters who are at rock bottom slowly find their way back into the light. Add in a wonderful, old house in need of saving and I'm almost guaranteed to be a fan. But Lisa gave me so much more than a lovely story and rich characters--she gave me her heart. It's a brave writer who pours that much heart and soul onto the page and I'm so glad Lisa had the courage to do it.
My favorite moment: "Forgive me, Father, for asking for another day yet, and another beyond that, when this one is so very beautiful. We, in our humanness, cannot help but foolishly desire eternity in this life."
Seems like there's a Bible verse about God setting eternity in our hearts. And Lisa captured what that means perfectly.
My favorite moment: "Forgive me, Father, for asking for another day yet, and another beyond that, when this one is so very beautiful. We, in our humanness, cannot help but foolishly desire eternity in this life."
Seems like there's a Bible verse about God setting eternity in our hearts. And Lisa captured what that means perfectly.
February 10, 2018
I first gave the book 4.5 stars, but I realized how much I enjoyed the book as I was retelling the plot of the book to my mother. It's just such a wonderful feel-good book. The kind that leaves you happy when you have finished reading it.
The Prayer Box is the first book in the Carolina Heirlooms series. There are also a couple of novellas you can read. I've read the last book in this series; The Sea Keeper's Daughters before I read this one and I was so enthralled by the book that I wanted to read the previous books in the trilogy.
Tandi Jo Reese has fled her old life and arrived on the Hatteras Island with her two children where she is renting a cottage that belongs to Iola Anne Poole. When Iola Anne Poole dies is Tandi worried that she wouldn't be allowed to stay at the cottage and she has no job and not much money left to support herself and her children. But she is lucky and she gets to stay if she cleans out Iola Anne Poole's house. There she discovers prayer boxes filled with letters that tell Iola Anne Poole life. While she reads the letters she discovers a new side to Iola Anne Poole that no one knows about and at the same time Tandi herself change. She get's a job and suddenly life seems a lot brighter...
I loved this story because you got to follow Tandi as she transforms from the wreck she was when she came to Hatteras Island to a new stronger person that's not controlled by the past. She is not a very good mother and she has a new boyfriend that isn't much better than the one she left behind in her old life. But reading the letters and making new friends slowly turns her life around.
I enjoy reading books that have a parallel storyline and this was one especially good. It manages to not cross the line to become too saccharine. I was annoyed with Tandi's boyfriend Ross and Gina, Tandi's sister, but they played their roles in the story. They had to be there to make her realize that she could turn her life around and not be the person she was before. I was really proud of Tandi towards the end of the book.
I wrote in my review for The Sea Keeper's Daughters that you can read the books as stand-alone, but I would personally recommend you to read them from the beginning, because Tandi has a small part in The Sea Keeper's Daughters (don't know yet if she's in the second book) and it's probably more fun to read them in the right order.
The Prayer Box is the first book in the Carolina Heirlooms series. There are also a couple of novellas you can read. I've read the last book in this series; The Sea Keeper's Daughters before I read this one and I was so enthralled by the book that I wanted to read the previous books in the trilogy.
Tandi Jo Reese has fled her old life and arrived on the Hatteras Island with her two children where she is renting a cottage that belongs to Iola Anne Poole. When Iola Anne Poole dies is Tandi worried that she wouldn't be allowed to stay at the cottage and she has no job and not much money left to support herself and her children. But she is lucky and she gets to stay if she cleans out Iola Anne Poole's house. There she discovers prayer boxes filled with letters that tell Iola Anne Poole life. While she reads the letters she discovers a new side to Iola Anne Poole that no one knows about and at the same time Tandi herself change. She get's a job and suddenly life seems a lot brighter...
I loved this story because you got to follow Tandi as she transforms from the wreck she was when she came to Hatteras Island to a new stronger person that's not controlled by the past. She is not a very good mother and she has a new boyfriend that isn't much better than the one she left behind in her old life. But reading the letters and making new friends slowly turns her life around.
I enjoy reading books that have a parallel storyline and this was one especially good. It manages to not cross the line to become too saccharine. I was annoyed with Tandi's boyfriend Ross and Gina, Tandi's sister, but they played their roles in the story. They had to be there to make her realize that she could turn her life around and not be the person she was before. I was really proud of Tandi towards the end of the book.
I wrote in my review for The Sea Keeper's Daughters that you can read the books as stand-alone, but I would personally recommend you to read them from the beginning, because Tandi has a small part in The Sea Keeper's Daughters (don't know yet if she's in the second book) and it's probably more fun to read them in the right order.
February 22, 2022
Started out slow. By the end the action and drama hit. It was so good! Good overcomes all else.
September 20, 2013
Once again I find myself wishing for the ability to give a book half-stars. I would give this one 3 1/2 stars. And once, again, I find myself a bit conflicted about a book. While I really did enjoy reading this book, it wasn't /isn't without its issues.
I struggled with Tandi. She was so spineless, and yet at the same time, had enough courage to get out of a bad situation and off of her painkillers. She was such a frustration to me that at times I wasn't sure I wanted to continue reading about her. And no, I didn't think she was very well developed - just a "being" being tossed to and fro with no will. Yet, at crunch time she became a pretty perfect mother practically overnight. Hmmm, don't think so.
The plot was pretty predictable. Not anything extraordinary. But - and to me this is an important point: the writing more than makes up for everything else. There were long passages where I wanted to make note, to remember, to write down somewhere and return to. Ms. Wingate does have a lovely way with words. The writing is clean and uplifting, the kind that makes you want to read every word and not skim even a bit in case you might miss something. Even though the message is a bit preachy and heavy-handed. I don't remember her other books being that way. Still, though, well worth my time.
I always look forward to the next offering from Ms. Wingate. Once in a while the book is more of a "miss" than a "hit" but generally always enjoyable.
Interestingly enough, just the other day the prequel novella was a free Kindle book. Life is full of interesting coincidences, isn't it?
I struggled with Tandi. She was so spineless, and yet at the same time, had enough courage to get out of a bad situation and off of her painkillers. She was such a frustration to me that at times I wasn't sure I wanted to continue reading about her. And no, I didn't think she was very well developed - just a "being" being tossed to and fro with no will. Yet, at crunch time she became a pretty perfect mother practically overnight. Hmmm, don't think so.
The plot was pretty predictable. Not anything extraordinary. But - and to me this is an important point: the writing more than makes up for everything else. There were long passages where I wanted to make note, to remember, to write down somewhere and return to. Ms. Wingate does have a lovely way with words. The writing is clean and uplifting, the kind that makes you want to read every word and not skim even a bit in case you might miss something. Even though the message is a bit preachy and heavy-handed. I don't remember her other books being that way. Still, though, well worth my time.
I always look forward to the next offering from Ms. Wingate. Once in a while the book is more of a "miss" than a "hit" but generally always enjoyable.
Interestingly enough, just the other day the prequel novella was a free Kindle book. Life is full of interesting coincidences, isn't it?
September 25, 2013
This book took some time for me to get into but once I did, it was amazing.
Tandi was a wounded woman who had recently broken free to become independent. At first I found myself upset with her because I expected more from her as a mother. But as the story went on, I discovered the root of her vulnerability—this was her first time being independent and she was trying to find her footing. She eventually grew into a strong, admirable woman, beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. I applaud Lisa in the manner she paced Tandi’s personality development. Her emotional responses were duely appropriate for each circumstance as the story went along.
What I loved most about this story was the manner Lisa crafted Paul. He had no dramatic entrance into the story (or Tandi’s life), and he was no typical hero—tall, dark and handsome. His sense of fashion always made me laugh. There was nothing drop-dead-gorgeous about it. The best part is, all these didn’t stop his sweet, nice and generous character from shining through the pages. I thought that was excellent craftmanship.
The plot was great and the story structure was solid. Secondary characters were introduced at just the right time, and none unnecessarily littered any scenes.
Something I found pleasantly unique about this story was how Iola’s left-behind letters were such a blessing and source of healing to not only Tandi and her family, but also her entire community, despite what they thought of her. This story drew out these classic lessons:
1. It doesn’t matter how silent you believe your life may be. Even after you’re gone God can still use you to have great impact.
2. Do not worry about what people think of you. Trust God’s way and His Truth because in the end, His Truth will always vindicate you, either in this life or in the next.
3. The worst thing you could ever do to yourself is to pay attention to rumors. Never ever judge a matter from a distance.
I must say this: this story is not so much about romance. The author was probably more interested in showing healing and growth in a broken person, and how God restored self-worth and other good things to that person, even making her a blessing to her community. It is a sweet story and will most likely leave you reflective. I recommend it.
Tandi was a wounded woman who had recently broken free to become independent. At first I found myself upset with her because I expected more from her as a mother. But as the story went on, I discovered the root of her vulnerability—this was her first time being independent and she was trying to find her footing. She eventually grew into a strong, admirable woman, beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. I applaud Lisa in the manner she paced Tandi’s personality development. Her emotional responses were duely appropriate for each circumstance as the story went along.
What I loved most about this story was the manner Lisa crafted Paul. He had no dramatic entrance into the story (or Tandi’s life), and he was no typical hero—tall, dark and handsome. His sense of fashion always made me laugh. There was nothing drop-dead-gorgeous about it. The best part is, all these didn’t stop his sweet, nice and generous character from shining through the pages. I thought that was excellent craftmanship.
The plot was great and the story structure was solid. Secondary characters were introduced at just the right time, and none unnecessarily littered any scenes.
Something I found pleasantly unique about this story was how Iola’s left-behind letters were such a blessing and source of healing to not only Tandi and her family, but also her entire community, despite what they thought of her. This story drew out these classic lessons:
1. It doesn’t matter how silent you believe your life may be. Even after you’re gone God can still use you to have great impact.
2. Do not worry about what people think of you. Trust God’s way and His Truth because in the end, His Truth will always vindicate you, either in this life or in the next.
3. The worst thing you could ever do to yourself is to pay attention to rumors. Never ever judge a matter from a distance.
I must say this: this story is not so much about romance. The author was probably more interested in showing healing and growth in a broken person, and how God restored self-worth and other good things to that person, even making her a blessing to her community. It is a sweet story and will most likely leave you reflective. I recommend it.
May 1, 2020
I am DNFing this one. It's way too homespun and twee for me. Between "Meemaw and Pap pap" and her descriptions of everything around her in the present, the past, in her head, and everywhere else, I can't take it.
I was listening to the audiobook and I don't like the narrator, either. Perhaps I'm not giving the book enough of a chance, but my sense of urgency right now won't let me spend more time on this.
I was listening to the audiobook and I don't like the narrator, either. Perhaps I'm not giving the book enough of a chance, but my sense of urgency right now won't let me spend more time on this.
June 2, 2014
Tandi Jo Reese, along with her two children, is fleeing from an abusive husband. She is also breaking her drug addition, fostered by her husband. She ends up in the Outer Banks, the one place of happy memories spent with her beloved grandfather. When her elderly landlady, Iola Ann Poole, dies she agrees to clean out the house in exchange for free rent for the small guest cottage. When Tandi discover's Iola's letters to God, she must examine her own life. Her childhood was one of neglect and disfunction. She had her now teenage daughter when she herself was but a teen. Tandi has not been a good mother, her daughter too often caring for her nine year old brother. Through the letters Iola wrote, Tandi discovers a chance for grace, forgiveness and faith. I love Iola and how she choose to do and see good in all situations. With Iola's guidance offered in her letters, and the embrace of the townspeople, Tandi discovers the woman she wants to be.
Love this quote from one of Iola's letters: "Father, help these young people to see. Help them to show the world that our greatness is not in things we do for ourselves, but in things we do for others. In power that channels itself into kindness, in a hand outstretched in love. Be with these determined students. Help them to believe, when the naysayers come, that you make all things possible."
Love this quote from one of Iola's letters: "Father, help these young people to see. Help them to show the world that our greatness is not in things we do for ourselves, but in things we do for others. In power that channels itself into kindness, in a hand outstretched in love. Be with these determined students. Help them to believe, when the naysayers come, that you make all things possible."
January 22, 2023
The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate
3 1/2 🌟”s
The storyline definitely started out slow but eventually picked up at a good pace. I did enjoy reading the book but have to say it wasn’t one of Lisa Wingate’s best written stories.
3 1/2 🌟”s
The storyline definitely started out slow but eventually picked up at a good pace. I did enjoy reading the book but have to say it wasn’t one of Lisa Wingate’s best written stories.
June 14, 2018
I wanted to love this book... After falling in love with Before We Were Yours, I did a bit of research and found this collection from the same author. With insanely high reviews backing up my decision, I thought it would be fun to dive into this series. It took me two months to finish reading The Prayer Box. I was unimpressed with the flow of the story, the lackluster story line, and the dull characters. The story line was too simple for the length of the book, and I never once became lost in the pages of this novel. I will not be reading anymore books from this collection, and I was truly disappointed in the quality of this book.
August 2, 2013
THE PRAYER BOX
By Lisa Wingate
I will never be able to look at a cute little box again and think just cute. In my mind and heart, it will hold precious memories. Tandi Jo had been given just such a box when she was a young girl, but over the years it had been lost as she was tossed from family, to foster homes and sometimes to her beloved grandparents. The little box had meant so much to her. Her life almost destroyed many times over, Tandi brings her children to the Outer Banks, running yet again from someone seeking to destroy her.
In the little cottage, beside the large old Victorian, Tandi and her two children have to learn to be a family again. Running out of money for rent, for food and gas, Tandi needs to find a job. When the church next door offers her the job of going through the old Victorian and cleaning it up Tandi says yes. Going through the kitchen, she finds food that will keep the hunger away. Going through a bedroom closet, she finds boxes and boxes of letters that feed her soul. Though Iola Anne has passed, her letters reach a part of Tandi that no one has ever reached before.
The island and its inhabitants soon become a safe haven for Tandi and her children, just as it did for Iola Anne…except Iola was almost a recluse. She was a recluse and no one on the island ever suspected or saw her big heart of love…or the secret she had to hide.
In so many ways, on this island love comes full circle. Like the pebble thrown into the pond, the ripples just keep going until they reach the shores of home. This book opens up places you don’t realize are hidden within yourself. Open the first page and find your treasure….
By Lisa Wingate
I will never be able to look at a cute little box again and think just cute. In my mind and heart, it will hold precious memories. Tandi Jo had been given just such a box when she was a young girl, but over the years it had been lost as she was tossed from family, to foster homes and sometimes to her beloved grandparents. The little box had meant so much to her. Her life almost destroyed many times over, Tandi brings her children to the Outer Banks, running yet again from someone seeking to destroy her.
In the little cottage, beside the large old Victorian, Tandi and her two children have to learn to be a family again. Running out of money for rent, for food and gas, Tandi needs to find a job. When the church next door offers her the job of going through the old Victorian and cleaning it up Tandi says yes. Going through the kitchen, she finds food that will keep the hunger away. Going through a bedroom closet, she finds boxes and boxes of letters that feed her soul. Though Iola Anne has passed, her letters reach a part of Tandi that no one has ever reached before.
The island and its inhabitants soon become a safe haven for Tandi and her children, just as it did for Iola Anne…except Iola was almost a recluse. She was a recluse and no one on the island ever suspected or saw her big heart of love…or the secret she had to hide.
In so many ways, on this island love comes full circle. Like the pebble thrown into the pond, the ripples just keep going until they reach the shores of home. This book opens up places you don’t realize are hidden within yourself. Open the first page and find your treasure….
February 21, 2015
ugh, I just couldn't make myself read anymore of this book. I can't stand that kind of female character. She's on the run from an abusive past...yet she already has another looser boyfriend. Whatever.... I never even got to the part of the story I thought I would like....life's too short to read books I don't like...
August 14, 2024
A good "summer reading" book. I wasn't as overwhelmed as with "Tending Roses" but I enjoyed this story more and more as it went on. Lisa Wingates writing really flows and I had the feeling that I wasn't reading "The Prayer Box" as much as I was absorbing it.
The ending was beautifully written and I was full--satisfied.
The ending was beautifully written and I was full--satisfied.
April 5, 2021
This is my in-person book group’s April title. This is not a book I would have chosen to read. I am not a fan of inspirational fiction for the same reasons I disliked this book. It was smaltzie, predictable and not credible. There was the requisite sweet romance, family reconciliation and spontaneous appearance of a community of amazing support. The good characters have no significant flaws and the bad characters have no significant virtues. The author was irritatingly repetitive. For the reader who wants a story that will engage the heart instead of the head, who wants to be affirmed in a sense of the goodness of God and of people, of happy endings that foster steadfast hope, this book may hold great appeal. 1.5 stars
October 18, 2017
A beautifully poignant story THE PRAYER BOX by Lisa Wingate, with a past from one wrong man to another and a controlling one she managed to escape from, as she makes her way to the Outer Banks. (would recommend reading “The Seaglass Sisters- a novella), prior to “The Prayer Box”.
Tandi has no job and no means to support herself and her children and she is trying desperately to start over. She has escaped taking pills to drown her problems from Texas and wants to be a good mother and be a better person.
She managed to find a guest cottage and then the landlord (an elderly woman-Iola Anne – so inspiring and so want her to be my grandmother) dies. Tandi agrees to help clean the house in trade for living in the cottage.
However, Tandi finds letters which began to change her life. The letters give her a glimpse into a world where people share and give without expecting anything in return. She learns about this incredible woman and how her presence affected so many in the town.
She begins to find strangers who become friends, opening their hearts and their lives to her. She has to break her old habits and connections and love unconditionally and allow people into her world, who have her best interest at heart.
This was my first book by Lisa and look forward to reading more! I listened to the audible version and Xe Sands (one of my favorites) was excellent in her performance as was ideal for the older lady and the younger woman voices.
I love the multi-generations of wisdom and the beautiful words which were portrayed through the letters and prayers of the past as a guide to the future.
A book of forgiveness, grace, second chances, and wisdom.
Tandi has no job and no means to support herself and her children and she is trying desperately to start over. She has escaped taking pills to drown her problems from Texas and wants to be a good mother and be a better person.
She managed to find a guest cottage and then the landlord (an elderly woman-Iola Anne – so inspiring and so want her to be my grandmother) dies. Tandi agrees to help clean the house in trade for living in the cottage.
However, Tandi finds letters which began to change her life. The letters give her a glimpse into a world where people share and give without expecting anything in return. She learns about this incredible woman and how her presence affected so many in the town.
She begins to find strangers who become friends, opening their hearts and their lives to her. She has to break her old habits and connections and love unconditionally and allow people into her world, who have her best interest at heart.
This was my first book by Lisa and look forward to reading more! I listened to the audible version and Xe Sands (one of my favorites) was excellent in her performance as was ideal for the older lady and the younger woman voices.
I love the multi-generations of wisdom and the beautiful words which were portrayed through the letters and prayers of the past as a guide to the future.
A book of forgiveness, grace, second chances, and wisdom.
November 2, 2016
4.5 stars, very touching and meaningful tale. Minus a half star because I felt like a couple of storylines weren't fully completed (like the one with her sister). Overall though, excellent book and very worthwhile read.
Readers will delight in this gorgeously written, true gem of a novel. Wingate has a way with phrasing that makes one stop and savor certain passages because they are incredibly meaningful — not only to the telling of the tale, but to the reader’s own life. Realistic characters and a saga of life, love and rebuilding make a gorgeous treat.
When Tandi Reese escapes an abusive relationship in Texas, she moves to a guest house on an estate in the Outer Banks with her two children. Tandi has never been a responsible parent, and she hasn’t changed her ways much since the move. When Iola Anne Poole, their elderly landlady, dies, Tandi is given the responsibility of helping to clear out the house. She discovers multiple boxes of letters — prayers Iola wrote to God over the past 80 years. Tandi learns a great deal about herself and the direction in which she wants to head while reading about Iola’s life.
https://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-re...
Readers will delight in this gorgeously written, true gem of a novel. Wingate has a way with phrasing that makes one stop and savor certain passages because they are incredibly meaningful — not only to the telling of the tale, but to the reader’s own life. Realistic characters and a saga of life, love and rebuilding make a gorgeous treat.
When Tandi Reese escapes an abusive relationship in Texas, she moves to a guest house on an estate in the Outer Banks with her two children. Tandi has never been a responsible parent, and she hasn’t changed her ways much since the move. When Iola Anne Poole, their elderly landlady, dies, Tandi is given the responsibility of helping to clear out the house. She discovers multiple boxes of letters — prayers Iola wrote to God over the past 80 years. Tandi learns a great deal about herself and the direction in which she wants to head while reading about Iola’s life.
https://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-re...
July 16, 2015
Rich characters are what appealed to me most about The Prayer Box. The main character Tandi comes across as very real. She wants to be a better person, but doesn't always make the best choices. A secondary character is Iola. The reader gets to know Iola through her letters and her story adds depth to the novel. The novel is full of a caring cast of characters and a few losers as well. All of them come across as so realistic. My heart went out to Tandi's son JT.
I really liked how the novel ended. No epilogue to tie a bow on how everything ends. For this story, I like that the ending is left to the reader's imagination.
Well done contemporary fiction novel. I recommend The Prayer Box for fans of Robin Lee Hatcher.
I really liked how the novel ended. No epilogue to tie a bow on how everything ends. For this story, I like that the ending is left to the reader's imagination.
Well done contemporary fiction novel. I recommend The Prayer Box for fans of Robin Lee Hatcher.
April 3, 2017
Meh. Got 80 pages in and this is the plot in a nutshell.
33 year old single mom, running from a past, has bad taste in men, screws up life, God and good people around her help her get on the right road, HEA, the end.
I'm not big on "women's fiction" where it takes the MC almost 300 pages to realize she left a bad situation and just ran back into the same dam thing, hurting her kids in the process. I don't like realism like that is THAT real, followed by a fluffy happy ending.
Two stars. It's not written badly, but it's not for me. If you like women's fiction, you'll probably like this.
33 year old single mom, running from a past, has bad taste in men, screws up life, God and good people around her help her get on the right road, HEA, the end.
I'm not big on "women's fiction" where it takes the MC almost 300 pages to realize she left a bad situation and just ran back into the same dam thing, hurting her kids in the process. I don't like realism like that is THAT real, followed by a fluffy happy ending.
Two stars. It's not written badly, but it's not for me. If you like women's fiction, you'll probably like this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2013
The top three words that come to mind upon finishing this book? Beautiful, beautiful and ... beautiful.
OK, that was one word, but one so true about this story that it deserved to be repeated three times.
With a gift for crafting a story that digs into how a person's past can shape their view of themselves and of hope itself, Lisa Wingate never disappoints to deliver a first-class novel. The Prayer Box is just that sort of book. Through Tandi's eyes, we experience the life of a very real woman, shadowed by her past — a past that was pretty messed up by the adults of her childhood. Having spent most of her adult life moving from wrong man to "wronger" man and bad choice to worse choice, Tandi grasps on to one solitary memory of happiness and peace from her childhood and steals away from Texas — and a controlling, unethical man — to the Outer Banks.
When her elderly landlord dies, Tandi unexpectedly finds employment sorting through the woman's belongings. As Tandi immerses herself in the letters found in Iola Anne's once-palatial home, change begins within her heart; a change that reflects into her life and the lives around her. Iola's letters allow Tandi a glimpse into a world where people give without expecting anything in return, love knowing they are bound to be hurt, and work hard to safeguard the things that are beautiful and true in the world.
Although the story may lean more toward women's fiction than contemporary romance, romance is most definitely present--in both negative and positive forms. As Tandi realizes who she was, is, and can become, she finally begins to recognize the difference between being some hot guy's glorified arm candy and being cherished by an unusual, and unusually wonderful, man.
Expect both smiles and tears as you read this beautiful novel, but do read it. You won't be sorry.
(this review originally appeared at USA Today's Happy Ever After blog)
OK, that was one word, but one so true about this story that it deserved to be repeated three times.
With a gift for crafting a story that digs into how a person's past can shape their view of themselves and of hope itself, Lisa Wingate never disappoints to deliver a first-class novel. The Prayer Box is just that sort of book. Through Tandi's eyes, we experience the life of a very real woman, shadowed by her past — a past that was pretty messed up by the adults of her childhood. Having spent most of her adult life moving from wrong man to "wronger" man and bad choice to worse choice, Tandi grasps on to one solitary memory of happiness and peace from her childhood and steals away from Texas — and a controlling, unethical man — to the Outer Banks.
When her elderly landlord dies, Tandi unexpectedly finds employment sorting through the woman's belongings. As Tandi immerses herself in the letters found in Iola Anne's once-palatial home, change begins within her heart; a change that reflects into her life and the lives around her. Iola's letters allow Tandi a glimpse into a world where people give without expecting anything in return, love knowing they are bound to be hurt, and work hard to safeguard the things that are beautiful and true in the world.
Although the story may lean more toward women's fiction than contemporary romance, romance is most definitely present--in both negative and positive forms. As Tandi realizes who she was, is, and can become, she finally begins to recognize the difference between being some hot guy's glorified arm candy and being cherished by an unusual, and unusually wonderful, man.
Expect both smiles and tears as you read this beautiful novel, but do read it. You won't be sorry.
(this review originally appeared at USA Today's Happy Ever After blog)
July 26, 2020
While I enjoyed the story, some plot threads were left unresolved. I hope that the sequel(s) will wrap everything up better.
August 24, 2015
I tried. I really did. But it was a sort of YA novel with maybe a ghost and then it developed into what I believe is called a Christian novel. I could see the protagonist had had some bad times and I just knew she was going to rise above it all and be a good mother at last. But even though tht locale recalled some nice vacations on the Outer Banks, the unimaginative writing style just didn't make me want to stick with it to the end.
February 5, 2017
Heavy handed and preachy as well as wildly unbelievable. Oh, and need I mention I HATED Tandy? Dreck, complete and total dreck. I would have not finished, or to be honest went past page 5, had this not been for book club.
August 17, 2022
This book was all over place. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure where it was going. However, If finish strong in the end.
August 2, 2017
Tandi, having financial problems, is willing to take on most any job to support her two children after leaving an emotionally abusive relationship. Living in a cottage on the estate of a woman who just died, she is asked to clean out the mansion in order to get a reduction in rent. While going through Iola's things Tandi finds boxes of letters written for years and begins to read them. They appear to be letters to Iola's father, but as she continues to read she sees they're actually prayers to God. These letters change her life.
I'm so glad I read this. Beautifully written and so thought provoking.
Highly recommend!
I'm so glad I read this. Beautifully written and so thought provoking.
Highly recommend!
December 26, 2017
I got 40% through and then realized I was dreading having to read it, and I was already skimming. The idea of quitting seemed like relief. Predictable, fluffy, I felt like I'd read it before because it was nothing unique about it.
December 28, 2018
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!
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!
September 8, 2013
I have mixed feelings about this book. Some parts were riveting and I identified with the heroine, Tandi. Other times the book seemed to drag a bit and I found myself skimming. It's definitely women's fiction and not a romance. I don't mind stories where there are things tied to the past. I remember going to an attic once when a friend of my parents bought an old Victorian house and finding a lot of cool stuff in there from the 1800s. That part of the story was good. I also liked the interaction between her and the new friend who had terrible fashion sense. He wasn't the type of guy she went for, but was a good friend. It's probably the only healthy relationship she had.
I found it interesting that in some ways her childhood repeated itself. Her daughter seemed frustrated with her absence just like she was frustrated as a child by her mother constantly abandoning her to go out and have a good time. Her childhood seemed pretty tragic. I didn't care for her sister or the man Tandi was dating, Ross. He seemed pretty stuck on himself and manipulative, just like the guy she married before, only not as severe. Anyway, some parts of the story were riveting and others, not so much. The pace is slower than I usually read, but the author has a great writing voice and fabulous skills with word usage. People who tend to enjoy women's fiction will love this book.
I found it interesting that in some ways her childhood repeated itself. Her daughter seemed frustrated with her absence just like she was frustrated as a child by her mother constantly abandoning her to go out and have a good time. Her childhood seemed pretty tragic. I didn't care for her sister or the man Tandi was dating, Ross. He seemed pretty stuck on himself and manipulative, just like the guy she married before, only not as severe. Anyway, some parts of the story were riveting and others, not so much. The pace is slower than I usually read, but the author has a great writing voice and fabulous skills with word usage. People who tend to enjoy women's fiction will love this book.
July 31, 2017
I had a slow start getting into the book. Once I reached about 1/3 of the way in I was able to get into it more and enjoyed the second half of the book. I gave it 4 stars for how long it took me to get really engrossed but it did all come together. I read the second half in one afternoon.
May 30, 2020
A pretty good book- for me, I had to be in the " mood" for this type of read.
August 17, 2013
One generation should teach the next. Sometimes that teaching isn’t done in the traditional form of speaking and sometimes those words come to us in the form of letters never immediately intended to affect our lives.
Words are so powerful. I’m constantly in awe of the potency they can have echoing down through the ages. Tandi has so much growing up to do in “The Prayer Box”. I couldn’t help but be a bit frustrated with her at times, but to watch her mature and change into the woman she is called to be was a great part of the story. Done with subtlety and yet depth so you couldn’t help but watch her blossom and deepen.
I really loved the letters shared throughout the entire book. It was the strong reason I choose to review the book and they didn’t disappoint. They add a dimension to the story that takes the reader from the past to the present and back again.
Characters are compelling and interesting and the story flows with a sense of interest for this reader. If anything, the story itself might have been a bit drawn out and overlong, but the telling in and of itself is enjoyable and fulfilling.
This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers for my copy to review.
Words are so powerful. I’m constantly in awe of the potency they can have echoing down through the ages. Tandi has so much growing up to do in “The Prayer Box”. I couldn’t help but be a bit frustrated with her at times, but to watch her mature and change into the woman she is called to be was a great part of the story. Done with subtlety and yet depth so you couldn’t help but watch her blossom and deepen.
I really loved the letters shared throughout the entire book. It was the strong reason I choose to review the book and they didn’t disappoint. They add a dimension to the story that takes the reader from the past to the present and back again.
Characters are compelling and interesting and the story flows with a sense of interest for this reader. If anything, the story itself might have been a bit drawn out and overlong, but the telling in and of itself is enjoyable and fulfilling.
This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers for my copy to review.
November 22, 2017
This actually ended up being a touching story. However, I've read so many suspense stories lately and, because of that, I just couldn't bring myself to devote the time I should have to read this story in a day or two. Usually every spare minute I have I'm grabbing the book I'm engrossed in, but I always kept finding something else to do instead.
My first problem with the book was that I detested the main character -- a mom who had neglected her children for many years while she fed her narcotic addiction and allowed herself to continuously be manipulated by self-serving, bullying men at the expense of the needs of her children. As expected, she redeemed herself somewhat in the end, but it was a bit late in the picture for me.
The real story was found in the letters in the prayer box. Iola was a mixed race woman who lived alone and was scorned by most of the occupants of Hatteras Island. Upon her death, it is discovered that within her lonely house lived a woman of extraordinary kindness and compassion for others. The letters to her "father" were heartfelt and moving.
A bit predictable, this book does hold the story of forgiveness and new beginnings and is worthy of reading.
My first problem with the book was that I detested the main character -- a mom who had neglected her children for many years while she fed her narcotic addiction and allowed herself to continuously be manipulated by self-serving, bullying men at the expense of the needs of her children. As expected, she redeemed herself somewhat in the end, but it was a bit late in the picture for me.
The real story was found in the letters in the prayer box. Iola was a mixed race woman who lived alone and was scorned by most of the occupants of Hatteras Island. Upon her death, it is discovered that within her lonely house lived a woman of extraordinary kindness and compassion for others. The letters to her "father" were heartfelt and moving.
A bit predictable, this book does hold the story of forgiveness and new beginnings and is worthy of reading.
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