Prayers for Sale

by Sandra Dallas

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. Hennie notices the young woman loitering near the old sign outside of her house that promises "Prayers For Sale". Hennie doesn't sell prayers, never has, but there's something about the young woman that she's drawn to. The harsh conditions of life that each have endured create an instant bond and an unlikely friendship is formed, one in which the deepest of hardships are shared and the darkest of secrets are confessed. 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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Historical, Adult Fiction, Friendship, Audiobook

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 14, 1997

About the author

Award-winning author SANDRA DALLAS was dubbed “a quintessential American voice” by Jane Smiley, in Vogue Magazine. Sandra’s novels with their themes of loyalty, friendship, and human dignity have been translated into a dozen foreign languages and have been optioned for films.

A journalism graduate of the University of Denver, Sandra began her writing career as a reporter with Business Week. A staff member for twenty-five years (and the magazine’s first female bureau chief,) she covered the Rocky Mountain region, writing about everything from penny-stock scandals to hard-rock mining, western energy development to contemporary polygamy. Many of her experiences have been incorporated into her novels.

While a reporter, she began writing the first of ten nonfiction books. They include Sacred Paint, which won the National Cowboy Hall of Fame Western Heritage Wrangler Award, and The Quilt That Walked to Golden, recipient of the Independent Publishers Assn. Benjamin Franklin Award.

Turning to fiction in 1990, Sandra has published eight novels, including Prayers For Sale. Sandra is the recipient of the Women Writing the West Willa Award for New Mercies, and two-time winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award, for The Chili Queen and Tallgrass. In addition, she was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award, the Mountain and Plains Booksellers Assn. Award, and a four-time finalist for the Women Writing the West Willa Award.

The mother of two daughters—Dana is an attorney in New Orleans and Povy is a photographer in Golden, Colorado—Sandra lives in Denver with her husband, Bob.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/sandra...

Reviews

[Valerie Totten · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book took me a long time to read. It wasn’t a book that you would stay up all night to read to get to the next chapter. I would read a chapter here and there. After reading it I wasn’t inspired by the tragic one after the other stories about her life. I must admit that after reading the first couple chapters, I didn’t think I could finish the book. The author, Sandra Dallas, uses way too much shock value when she writes. I found it hard reading about the loss of Hennie’s family, the death of her husbands Billy and Jake, the tragic death of her daughter, miscarriages, the drinking, gambling, abusing of women, murder of a baby, graphic death of the man working the dredge, prostitution, etc. etc. I was glad at the end there was finally forgiveness and happiness for both Hennie and Abrahm.
Now for the positive parts of the book!! I thought that Hennie was a strong woman with a lot of character. She would have to be because she has endured and seen a lot. I thought it was quite ironic/symbolic that her last name was Comfort. Maybe her prayers for sale brought “comfort” to all who wanted them. I also liked Hennie’s friendship with Nit. I think there is a lot to be said about building bonds between the old and young.
I also enjoyed the quilting aspect and metaphors in the book. I liked how she finally mended the ripped quilt after her baby’s death. It shows that their can be healing after forgiveness.
Last but not least, I am grateful I live today and didn’t have to endure and see the things described in this book.

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!!

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm usually able to get through a book fairly quickly... but this one just kind of stumped me. I couldn't get into it. I know there were so many people who liked this one... but I just wasn't a fan.

I think part of my problem was that I just didn't like Hennie. She's telling Nit these stories to help her adjust to living in her new home... but the stories are DEPRESSING!! "This woman left her husband and that father killed his own baby and this person died and that baby died and this person committed suicide ..." DEPRESSING!!! And Nit loves these stories and says several times that they help her to "heal". I'm not sure how stories like that would help anyone heal! I probably would have thrown myself off the mountain listening to Hennie tell her doom and gloom stories. It made me just a tad crazy...

That being said... I did like the ending. I did like how things pulled together and worked out. Just not enough to make the rest of the book REALLY enjoyable for me...

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the main characters, Hennie and Nit. And I loved the way the story unfolded and then, how the back-story of Hennie's life was perfectly stitched into place. This was true storytelling from page one to the end.

Dallas has a wonderful talent for creating a sense of place. I could smell the mountain air, taste the fresh raspberries, and hear the biting winter winds howl.

[Cranky Commentary (Melinda) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hennie, an old woman who lived most of her life in a mountain mining town in 1936, takes a newcomer, a young bride named Nit under her wing. Hennie is a storyteller, and loves telling her stories of the townspeople and her own life to Nit.

At first I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was like being back in time. The surroundings, the clothing, the food, and even the way the characters talked seemed authentic. There is also much talk amongst the women about quilting, which I enjoyed.

At about 50%, the stories just began to wear thin. There was no real plot. There was just talk, and the plot was only a slow journey through life. As the reader gets to know the characters, there is, of course, an interest about how things would finally turn out for them. This interest just wasn’t strong enough to captivate this reader.

As quaint and soothing as this book was to read, I think it just needed a little more “zip”. Maybe I would have loved this had it been a shorter book.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book ambled along at country pace, but I really liked it. It didn't really seem like a story though. It was more of someone telling a lot of stories. It was about relationships and how sometimes we have to reach outside of ourselves, not only to offer our gifts to others, but to also be touched by the gifts of others.

I have been working on my genealogy for a long time. And I have had conversations with my grandma and with my husband's grandma (who are both now deceased) to hear their stories and this book reminded me of those cherished moments. I also liked how the author pieced the stories together to create another story.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hennie Comfort is 86 years old and living in Middle Swan, Colorado, a mining town high up in the mountains. Her daughter Mae wants her to leave the harsh Colorado winters and to come live with her in Iowa. "Mae was right, Hennie admitted to herself. If she fell, the snow would cover her up, and nobody would know where she was until she melted out in the spring."

Hennie really doesn’t want to leave her home and friends in Middle Swan, a place she’s lived in for 70 years. She arrived there at 16 at the end of the Civil War, still grieving the loss of her husband and baby daughter. Her childhood friend Martha had moved there with her husband and had told his best friend Jake all about Hennie. Both men are working mining gold. Jake sends a letter to Hennie along with a picture of himself and says he would like to marry here if she’s willing. With nothing but her grief and memories to keep her in Tennessee, Hennie sells her land, packs her things and moves to Colorado. She finds Jake to her liking and settles down into a long and happy marriage.

Most of the story is set in 1936 and is told in flashbacks to Nit, a 17 year old woman who has just moved to Middle Swan with her husband Dick. Hennie first sees Nit standing outside her fence one winter day, reading her small sign that says “Prayers for Sale”. Nit says to Hennie, “It says Prayers for Sale. I’m asking how much do you charge, and is it more if you’re in need than if you’re wanting just a little favor? Do sinners pay more than the righteous? And what if the Lord doesn’t answer? Do you get your money back?" Nit asks Hennie to pray for her baby that was stillborn. Hennie knows the heartbreak of losing a baby. She takes the girl, who admits she is terribly lonesome, under her wing and helps her settle into the life of a mountain woman married to a gold miner. Hennie becomes more like a mother than a friend to Nit. Their shared love for quilting and storytelling brings them closer.

Hennie is a wonderfully nurturing person and a good friend to those in need. She has a kind and gentle way of giving to people the things they need yet can’t afford. She gives them in a way that lets them feel they are doing her a favor by taking the items and not accepting charity. Such was the way she gave a warm winter coat to Nit and fur lined gloves for Dick, saying they had once belonged to Mae and Jake and she no longer had any use for them. Of course all the gifts she gave were always new and had never belonged to anyone previously. Her friend Tom told Hennie that if she added up all the coats of Mae’s that she had ordered from the catalog to give to needy women over the years, Mae would have had a coat for every day of the month. I think there were probably many people over the years who would not have survived living in Middle Swan, physically or emotionally, were it not for Hennie’s kindness and generosity. I think a person would be hard pressed to find a better friend than Hennie Comfort.

Life definitely sounded hard in Middle Swan, especially during winter. Hennie says winter lasted 7 months. The conditions were harsh, some of the work the men had to do on the gold mining dredge was extremely dangerous, and a woman with children was suddenly dealt a very bad hand if her husband was killed in an accident. There was no such thing as OSHA or worker’s compensation back then. The employer did nothing more than pay for the coffin if a man was killed on the job, leaving his family completely destitute. Life was rough on all in those situations.

I loved so many of the unique expressions the characters used. One of my favorites was “tap ‘er light” that Hennie used with Tom and others to say farewell. I wondered where the expression came from. Was it a Colorado expression or one that was just used in mining towns? I googled it and found my answer. The phrase comes from the practice of setting explosives which miners had to pack into holes drilled in the rock face, carefully tapping them with a hammer. Hit the charge too hard, or miss and strike a spark off the rock, and BOOM! Today the phrase means, “take it easy,” or “be careful and have a good day.” The other one I liked was “you’ve got it pretty good here”, the phrase everyone always used as a compliment when entering someone’s house.

Prayers for Sale is a wonderful story about friendship and community. I loved this book and give it 5 stars. I looking forward to reading more books from this author. This was my sixth Sandra Dallas book and definitely my favorite. I'm planning on reading Tallgrass next.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this kind of book: meaty yet enjoyable, enthralling, historically-based, with rich and endearing characters and a few twists, ie. just plain good story-telling.
Hennie, the main character is herself a great story-teller with a wealth of interesting, harrowing, sometimes humorous, tender, wise, and wonderful stories to tell. She is also a quilter and believes "A quilt circle's like a crazy quilt. You got all kinds in it. Some members are the big pieces of velvet or brocade, show-offish, while others are bitty scraps of used goods, hoping you don't notice them. But without each and every one, the quilt would fall apart."
The story line brings Nit Spindle, a 17-year-old newcomer to the small Colorado mining town, to 86-year-old Hennie's door where an old sign on the fence reads"Prayers for Sale" carved when she was "so happy that she had prayers for sale, since there was nothing to ask for." An instant friendship is formed through which they share the hardships, happy and trying conditions, memories and life's lessons, including courage, resiliency, hope and forgiveness each woman has learned.

A lovely, sweet and satisfying book.

[Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hennie Comfort is 86 years old and living in a mining town high in the mountains above Denver. She's one of the most senior residents there, and she knows everyone's stories.

When a young couple arrive, Hennie takes the wife, Nit, under her wing. They quilt together and Hennie tells story after story after story as a way to orient the young women to people in the town and about life at such a high altitude. In the process, both women gain perspective and grow closer and find a degree of healing for the losses they have experienced.

Dallas takes a very masculine place from Colorado's history and brings into view the women who lived in mining towns: wives (some very young, some old, some old before their time), common law wives, dance hall girls, comfort women. They had to find ways to feed and clothe their families, ways to cope when their men gambled, drank, ran around, hit them or left. And the novel shows how women in these towns offered each other support at crucial times, despite some palpable conflicts.

But even though the novel depicts real hardships, the mature protagonist is strong, wise, skilled, self-reliant, grounded and hopeful.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sandra Dallas' novel takes its title from a sign on Hennie Comfort's fence, carved when she was "so happy that she had prayers for sale, since there was nothing to ask for." Hennie is an 86-year-old twice-widowed woman living in a small mining town called Middle Swan, Colorado, during the Great Depression.

The "prayers for sale" sign brings Nit Spindle, a 17-year-old newlywed girl, to Hennie's door, requesting a prayer for her stillborn daughter Effie. The two women become fast friends, and Hennie shares her many stories of life during the Civil War and in the little mining town with Nit as the two work on quilting projects or pick berries together.

The book is filled with both laughter- and tear-inducing stories of the people of Middle Swan, told through Hennie's observations. Dallas' writing is engaging and her characters well-drawn. By the end of the book, readers will feel like they have made a group of interesting new friends.

(Review based on advance reader copy with three-chapter audiobook sampler.)

[Christine Rebbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having read and enjoyed this author's "True Sisters" so much, I got a couple of her earlier books out of the library. This one centers around an 86-year-old widow living in a small mining town in the mountains of Colorado in 1936, and flashes back to her coming West in a covered wagon after the death of her first husband in the Civil War. Over the course of a summer and autumn, Hennie tells her life story to her new young neighbor Nit Spindle (what a name...), and what a story it is! If you've had any interest in pioneers, you will love this. If you've had any interest in quilting, you will also love this! Nowhere on the book jacket is there any mention of the part that quilting plays in these women's lives, and I think if there had been, more people might pick it up to read -- especially all those Jennifer Chiaverini fans (the Elk Creek Quilt Club series). I feel like the cover picture was designed to appeal to those who'd read "The Memory Keeper's Daughter", but this is a much warmer, happier story. I will definitely be reading more by Sandra Dallas.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a current best-seller, and it's easy to see why. It is set in the Colorado mountains during the mining boom of the early 20th century (apparently loosely based on the history of Breckenridge). It's a story of friendship between an old woman, long-time resident of the town about to be forced to move out, and a young woman just arriving. The old woman has a lifetime of stories to tell - some tender and loving, some brutal and heart-rending. The young woman has her own secrets. The two women bond over quilt-making and household tasks, while we learn about the mining efforts going on around them. There's quite a bit of mention of the "hookhouse" (brothel) in the town, but never any explicit descriptions of what goes on there - fortunately. But there are some more graphic descriptions of violence and suffering. And, if you're so inclined, a number of Kleenex moments.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

After newcomer Nit notices Hennie's "Prayers for Sale" sign, the two women form a friendship despite their 69 year age difference. Hennie has lived in the small mountain town for decades and warmly welcomes Nit to the community by sharing the town's most important tales with her in the hopes they won't be forgotten.

Besides learning how Mount Silverheels was named, I'm disappointed to say that this book was not worth my time. The unlikely friendship formed between Hennie and Nit was sweet but overall, Hennie's stories felt random, unconnected, and uninteresting.

Westering Women (4 stars) and A Quilt for Christmas (4 stars) remain my favorites by this author.

Location: Middle Swan, Colorado

[Amy Salamon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Just terrible. I would ban this book if I could, and not because of the actual content. It’s because the writing is so simplistic, it upset any semblance of literary-ness (I’m so upset, I can’t think of actual words).

[Full disclosure: I was specifically looking for a light and quick read. I guess I got one, although I’ve read light reads that didn’t insult my intelligence like this.)

My main complaint is Dallas left nothing to the imagination. Anything that had a semblance of symbolism, metaphor, culture, or local flavor, she had to explain in 6th grade language. Sometimes she’d take an entire paragraph to explain how a quilt is like life – made up of different colors and patches and worked on by many hands, yada, yada. Sandra Dallas, I want to figure things out myself. I’m pretty smart and I’m capable of it. The symbolism and story itself is much more pleasant, enjoyable, and surprising when I can make my own discoveries. It’s like receiving a gigantic wrapped present and finding tiny diamond earrings inside.

Grating characteristic #2: The main character was so flat, I think she’d been run over several times by covered wagons and later pounded into a pancake. I think the only reason she existed was to tell a string of unamusing stories about townfolk past and present. I didn’t care about her; I couldn’t identify or sympathize with anything about her. And again, we’re not told much about her. All she does is quilt and tell stories. She tells about her past, but for some reason, I JUST DON’T CARE. Again, I think this is probably because Dallas just TELLS you – doesn’t SHOW you anything. Sandra, show – not tell. We’ll catch on, unless your audience is a cat.

Other than that, the other literary constructions were so amateurish. (The sour woman suddenly becomes compassionate when helping with an emergency birth! Not all stories have happy endings! Can the new girl find a friend in a lonely town? Maybe the husband who has a bad job will end up getting one offered out of the blue from someone who doesn’t know him. Hmmm, just maybe?) And this irritated me to no end: Dallas hints in the first chapter that there is some big looming secret that Hennie (main character) has to tie up before leaving Colorado for good (but we KNOOOOW that’s never going to happen because she loves it so much). So every chapter will be going right along in it’s lumbering way – not unlike a day-old calf just learning to walk – and all of a sudden, she’ll throw in a sentence like this. “They lived happily in their mountaintop home from then on. But Hennie had some unfinished business before she could expect the same.” And then left it at that. And who could have ever imagined that Dallas would string that along right to the last four pages? NOT ME.

It’s really a shame because I loved Tallgrass, one of Dallas’s earlier books. My next book better have some depth.

[Catharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again I wish for 1/2 stars, then I could give this book 3 1/2 stars. There were several things I really liked about this book: the themes; friendship, forgiveness, love, and faith. There aren't many books anymore that, without being preachy, have sort of an underlying religious current going on.
I enjoyed the characters, particularly Hennie, the main character. I loved that she was always looking to help someone. (Thus the Prayers for Sale--they didn't really cost money).
The book was set in Colorado during the Gold rush. I was unaware that after people had mined for gold, men came up with a faster, more dangerous way of getting gold out the earth. They would use dredging boats that would literally dig up the streams and rivers. People lived really hard lives back then, I don't think we have any idea how difficult life was. I thought the book would be more of a historical novel but it was really more of a character study.
I'm not sure there was anything I didn't like about the novel, but I wasn't sure how I liked the way the author "framed" the novel. Hennie was a storyteller, and she told her stories to another character, and by telling her stories, the plot was revealed. At first I didn't like the way it was in bits and pieces, but when I realized that the quilts that were made and talked about in the book, were also bits and pieces, sewn together to make a finished product, and that the lives in the book were kind of like that--trials and other incidents strewn together to form a life and a finished product. When I saw it that way, I saw that format as maybe a little more planned than I had thought at first. It was an interesting way to put a novel together.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a four star book with a five star ending. Wasn't sure what I thought of the first half, but by the end I was in love with it. The good woman that Hennie is and the care she takes of the younger generation is so heartwarming.
I would read this before, "True Sisters," or "Diary of Mattie Spenser." Just ordered it for the personal library.

I giggled when I read this line: 232
"People feel sorry for spinsters and widows, but there's more than one married woman that envies them."
Seeing woman take care of each other during hard times is always refreshing and beautiful.

The cover is a disgrace to the words inside. Whomever designed it missed the point of the book. It should have been a quilt not a dress!

I really think Sandra should write a book similar to this where an old woman describes each quilt with the story behind it. Wouldn't that be fun?
I wanted her to explain what, "tap er light," means, but I had to look it up on a miner's website. It means, take it easy.
I think this would make a great book for a book group.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read several books by this author before (Diary of Mattie Spencer. Alice's Tulips, The Chili Queen, The Persian Pickle Club) and like her way of telling a tale about a time past. The women in her books are realistic, with a strength like that which I see in many of the women of my acquaintance. We're not superheroes, just women who face the challenges, joys and grief that life throws our way, and keep going with the business of living our lives and loving our families. This was a gentle book. I loved the details about Colorado, mining and quilting. My mind has been rather frazzled, so a gentle story filled with stories itself, was just what I needed, though occasionally it was almost too slow for me and I wanted her to get a move on. Thanks for the recommendation (and loan of the book) Elizabeth. Check out some of her other books.

[Sandy Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her books are near impossible to put down! I just read 300 pages in less than 48 hours. She is a great storyteller with interesting characters. This book is set in a mountain town in the 1930's in Colorado. I have read about 4 or 5 of her books and they are all different, but engrossing.

[LibraryCin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

It’s 1936 in a small gold mining town in the Colorado Rockies. 86-year old Hennie has lived here for 70 years. When a new young woman moves to town, Hennie befriends her, as she knows it will take time for most people to accept the newcomer to town, especially when they think her husband has taken a job away from a local. Hennie is one for telling stories, so she keeps Nit entertained with stories of her background when and why she moved from the South (as did Nit and her husband), and more about Hennie’s own life and stories about some of the happenings around town over the years. Unfortunately, Hennie’s daughter wants Hennie to move “down” (off the mountain), as she worries with Hennie living alone in a dangerous place.

I enjoyed this. There was a lot about quilting, which is something I have never done, but I bet people who do quilt would appreciate that in this book. Leaned a bit about gold mining, as well (one thing - I’d never heard of dredging; I guess I’ve read more about the gold rush and panning for gold). There was one unexpected turn at the end (I see other reviews tell me there was lots of (too much!) foreshadowing about something, but somehow I managed to miss that!). Overall, this was enjoyable.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS!!!! This book has meaning to me.

I finished this little gem a few days ago, but wanted to collect my thoughts about my review.
This was one of the last books that my Mother in Law read before her passing that she recommended to me (*more on the situation that made me smile at the end of the review).

This was one of those relaxed reads that makes you feel like you're visiting a friend every time you pick it up. Hennie Comfort, with her spunk and spirit, at 80 plus, was the reason for making me feel that way! She was an easy character to love. The stories that she shared with Nit were raw and true, and filled with so much emotion.

I always enjoy feel-good reads of friendship between older and younger women, like my Mother in Law and myself. There's respect and love woven into the relationship that is undeniable between both parties.

Throughout all that has been going on in the world (recently; daily, yearly) sometimes you need a good warm quilt, a cup of tea in a dainty cup and a good friend to relax with. Make PRAYERS FOR SALE that friend in a much needed quiet moment. You'll finish this book with a full heart and a smile!

*My Mother in Law passed away on March 18, 2016. She recommended and wanted me to read this book. I was almost done with the story and between pages 294 and 295 was a sliver of her hair.

[June Ahern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Widow Hennie Comfort is eighty and six years old and is faced with the fact that she is old - too old to be living alone in her mountain home in a mining town of Middle Swan, Colorado. Her only child, a daughter wants her mother to live with her in Iowa and Hennie is reluctant. Still, she knows that another winter in the mountains will be too hard on her, so she’s made up her mind at the end of the year to move-in with her daughter. It’s within that year the story, set in 1936 during the Great Depression, takes place.

A new young neighbor, Nit Spindle, skinny little thing sees Hennie’s sign, “Prayers for Sale” outside her house and asks for a special prayer. This is the beginning of the friendship between the 86 year old and 17 year old women.
Both have stories to share, but Hennie's stories are a history, a time of life no longer existing in the 1936’s. Hennie’s stories go back when she was a young bride during the Civil War and she, living in the South and how she came to live in Colorado – all told through stories while spending time with Nit. Within the stories Hennie is releasing past regrets, problems, mysteries and putting to rest as she prepares to leave her beloved home.

It is a beautifully written, very country home-style story. Since I love reading, I loved reading Henni’s stories and how they brought historical times as seen through a young woman’s experiences of great loss, and the realization she must be brave to move beyond them, and how, no matter what age we are, we still have dreams and memories that make up the entirety of who we are. The stories weave, like the quilts in the book, in and out and end up being one whole piece.

Nit is a lonely woman who also has experienced the same loss that Hennie did as a young woman, so the bond between the two is deep and they find they can share each others burdens over a quilting frame and story telling.

“There’s an awful lot of living in that quilt,” Nit says. And with Hennie the quilt is not finished. The ending is a surprise, not unpleasant, but it stitches together loose ends properly. Says Nit, “Now you’ve stared on another story,” to which Hennie replies, “Yes, I have.”

I could see and hear Hennie easily. The language is of the time and place and at certain words, I had to stop to grasp what was being said. I like that! I enjoy learning period and location language.For a cozy plain and simple read, down to earth people, people who suffer, find joy in the small parts of life to do more than just survive, this is a good read. Highly recommended.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I found out it had one of the characters from The Diary of Mattie Spenser in it, and while it's not a sequel, per se, it does bring some closure to that storyline as well as introduce another collection of characters that jump right to life. While The Diary of Mattie Spenser was more engaging as a story, Prayers for Sale has a whole different feel to it that is very special. It is told as if one was sitting in a sewing circle (a quilting circle, to be more specific), listening to one another gossip and share stories. The young and new to the area learn from the older ladies and those who have been there for a long time. We learn the history and culture of the region by the little bits and pieces picked up as each new story is told and connected to the bigger picture, much as piecing together a crazy quilt, each piece its own history.

While I have a harder time as a reader connecting to short stories, the way they were connected to the lives of Hennie and Nit made me connect more to each of them as a woman, to the history they represented, but also to the importance of learning from those with more experience. No one should ever be discounted because of their age; their very age is what gives them the right to respect because we have no idea what wonders and pain they have seen in their lifetime.

While I do not relate to the quilting aspect as well, I definitely understand what it is to sit and chat over a cup of coffee, while making dinner or when doing some other project. My hands can't stay still even while watching TV, which is why I'm always crocheting a scarf or doing something else that feels productive in some manner. Women in the days of the Civil War or the Depression and in between did not sit idle, it simply wasn't in them. But they had a way of turning a work activity into a leisure, making profit out of something to connect them and relax their minds and bodies. It is an art that has, sadly, mostly been lost in today's world. It's nice to remember a time when ladies could sit around a fire, work with their hands and enjoy just connecting to one another.

[Georgia Herod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in 1936, with the Great Depression having taken its toll, Prayers for Sale is the story of a unique intergenerational friendship, forgiveness, healing. The central character, 86-year-old Hennie Comfort, has lived in Middle Swan, in the high country of the Rocky Mountains, since before CO became a state. When she first meets 17-year-old Nit Spindle, a newcomer whose husband has taken a job in the local gold mine, Hennie is drawn to the young, lonely, isolated girl who is grieving. The harsh conditions of life that each has endured help them to create an instant bond, and a friendship is born, one in which they share deepest hardships and confess darkest secrets. As the relationship begins, Nit shares that her infant daughter has died. In response, Hennie shares her suffering—her husband being dragged off to fight in the Civil War; hooligans coming in search of him because they thought he had gone AWOL; their attacking Hennie, resulting in the bizarre death of her young daughter.

In the silence following the telling of her story, Hennie says, “But time passes, and you find peace of a kind. You will too, Mrs. Spindle. That’s why I told you my story. You’ll wake up and go an hour without thinking about your baby. And one day, when you think of her, why, you’ll remember her sweetness, not her death.”

Nit said, “Your story heals me.”

Thus begins the relationship which grows from this healing place. Stories and quilting are significant activities in the novel. Surprises at the end that tie up all the loose ends! Interesting title! I highly recommend this book--and am looking forward to reading other work by Dallas.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

So after checking this out for the 3rd time to try to finish this book I can sum it up in a few good quotes from the book. It was a very slow read. I’m so happy I finally finished it. But I couldn’t just let this one go. The book was about an elderly lady living in a mining town helping others through their life. It was about how forgiveness heals your soul as well as the other person’s soul.

Very misleading title-Prayers for sale (a sign outside her home, the meaning behind it) - I was so happy that I had nothing else to pray for, “I’ve got prayers to sell”. No money will buy prayers I am happy to say them for free.

“God doesn’t’ put up with people that do meanness on and on and on” (Good point people do bad things and suffer from Karma)

“Quilts are like lives. They’re made up of a lot of little pieces”. (Yes and some pieces are not pretty and life is difficult but with the darkness comes the sunshine, it snows a lot in Colorado).

Oh and I had never heard of scripture cake before, and went online to find the recipe. Sounded interesting.

http://www.abetterhope.com/funpage.html

So That pretty much summed it up for me. It was an ok read, I’m glad it’s over. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have patience and time, so I included my favorite lessons from this book to save you the trouble if you don’t have time to read it.

[Tammy Stith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read a book by Sandra Dallas, but if all her books are like this style, I will
be buying all she has written.

I really fell into the story, I was pulled in from the 1st chapter.

Also I enjoy a good story teller and Hennie was one to put them out there. She befriends
a newbie to the mountains (a young grieving girl, Nit) and they bond instantly. Hennie and Nit have something in common, their (1st)child dyed at a very young age.
Hennie's 2nd daughter has insisted that Hennie cannot stay another winter by herself in the mountain and has asked her to move to Denver to live with her. Hennie doesn't want to leave the mountain place she has known for 60 years. Hennie has been widowed for more that 30 years but has a good friend Tom that has been there for her since the death of her husband Jake. Tom has a love for Hennie that she never knew, Tom asks her to travel the world with him and to marry him. Hennie says yes! But before she
leaves the mountain with Tom theres something she must due, she must forgive a man that had let her child die in a river, the very hardest part after all these years is to forgive this man, but she does and a whole lifes burden has been lifted. Hennie is ready leave the mountain and start a new life with Tom and travel the world she has always dreamed.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's 1936 and the Great Depression has taken its toll. ighty-six-year-old Hennie Comfort has lived in Middle Swan, CO - up in the high country of the snow-covered Rocky Mountains - since before it was Colorado. When she first meets 17-year old Nit Spindle, Hennie is drawn to the young grieving girl. Nit and her husband have come to this small mining town in search of work, but the loneliness and loss Nit feels are almost too much to bear. One day she notices an old sign that reads, "Prayers for Sale" in front of Hennie's house and takes out her last nickel.

This is the beginning of an unforgettable tale of friendship between two women and the secrets they've kept in order to survive in a rugged Colorado mining town, one with surprising twists and turns, and one that is ultimately a revelation of the finest parts of the human spirit.

I liked it. It was similar to the Guernsey Book in that there is a bond created within the community of women who look after and help one another. I could smell the home baking and cooking and see the tiny stitches in the quilts. I could hear the sound of the screeching of the "dredge" and feel the cold of the mountain wind and snow.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setting for this tale is 1936 in Middle Swan, Colorado, a small gold-mining town. Hennie Comfort is in her 80's and befriends a young, married girl, Nit Spindle, who has just moved to town with her husband. The two women have much in common & bond instantly. Hennie decides to take Nit under her wing & teach her what she needs to know to survive the harsh life that living in Middle Swan brings. Hennie shares her life story (and many other people's story) with Nit over the course of their friendship. Both women have suffered tremendous loss & are looking for ways to overcome. For the most part, Hennie has accepted her past but still has one major wound to heal, whereas Nit has to overcome her fear of something tragic happening in the future so that she can enjoy today. This is a sweet story of friendship and the things that bring women together. Hennie's stories don't always have a happy ending, but, as Nit tells her at one point "Your story heals me." This is a worthy story of tragedy, second chances, contentment and forgiveness.

[Ellie Revert · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG---I love this story! About Colorado mining country in 1936 era. An old lady shares her life and stories with a newcomer to town---Hennie and Nit. This story kept me up til I finished it--and now I'm sad that it's over.

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook. All day quilting bees, mountain hikes for raspberries, and the neighbor is a fantastic story teller. It's the first time I wished I lived in a book.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 *
Isn’t it interesting how people evaluate books differently. From the reviews many people think this is the best book Sandra Dallas has written. I have read 10 books by Sandra Dallas, and enjoyed them immensely. However, hands down, this is my least favorite. I think that is because it is essentially a book of short stories. (And I don’t like to read short stories! ) They are remanences of Hennie Comfort, an aged widow who has lived much of her life in a Colorado mining town. I do like the way Hennie takes newly arrived, Nit Spindle, a young bride, under her wing to help her settle. So if this is your first book by Dallas, don’t let it be your last!