The Prayer Box PB (Carolina Heirlooms Novel) Paperback – 1 Sept. 2013

I loved this book. Very well written, deeply thoughtful and some really good twists and turns. I so admire Iola and learned some wonderful life lessons. Highly recommended.

What a wonderful story, a young mother runs from her abusive husband with her stroppy teenage daughter and her young son, she doesn't know how she will support them and herself. She finds a welcome in the small town and is able to find work, she learns through the letters of an old lady who has recently died that she is loved and valued, and she gradually learns to make better choices for herself and her family.Yes this is a romance, but that takes a lesser role in the story which focusses instead on friendship, mutual support and the story of Iola who was an unseen influence for good in the town and indeed in Tandi's life. It is not at all a preachy book and I recommend it highly.

Tandi runs away from a drug-filled abusive relationship with her two children and arrives in the seaside community of Hettera she knew as a child. Soon after she arrives her landlady dies and she is given the task of sorting out the large house.This is a beautiful book about a damaged individual growing into a self-confident one with the help of a loving local community who take her in without judging her. Most of all though she learns about the life of Iola her landlady through the prayers she left behind.It shows how we are all valued and loved by God and that He is a God of seconc chances even when we mess up.I did find it a little long at times and the end was somewhat abrupt but overall a good read

A great story. I shall be looking out for more of Lisa Wingate's stories. I had great difficulty putting it down once I started it. I would recommend it highly as suitable for all age groups. Like all good books I will be returning to it again in the future. It is well written, the story flows well, the characters are credible and it keeps your interest right up to the last page. God bless you.

This was a joy to read from the start

I absolutely loved this book and will recommend it to anyone in need of a positive approach to the complexities of life. A contemporary story, everyday yet unique problems, showing what really matters and how it's worth fighting for.

The author has a vibrant style, a little rambling at times but captivating on the whole.

This book caught my imagination straight away. As recent bad weather and storms are in the news, it seemed the perfect backdrop to Lisa Wingate's book. The characters were believable and vivid in my mind. It was difficult to put it down!! I loved it and can't wait for her next book!!

This is a great book! I picked it to read after reading Before We Were Yours, which I absolutely loved.This is the story of a reclusive woman's life as seen through her prayer letters, and how those prayers changed the life of a troubled and struggling young woman, against the backdrop of a small town on the Outer Banks.Having read these two books by Lisa Wingate, I'm now on a mission to read every one of her other books! She's a fantastic storyteller!

The Prayer Box – Prayer Box Series #1Lisa WingateI downloaded this eBook when my favorite author, Jen Turano, posted about it on her FB page. I tucked it away to be read later, and later finally came this weekend. I finished the book in tears (Oh, the Mulberry Girl!) and can’t wait to read the novella, The Tidewater Sisters – Postlude to the Prayer Box.I generally read Christian Historical Fiction, but this was a free download, Jen recommended it, and there was a great video from the author under the paperback version posted on C B D. So I gave it try. I am so glad I did.The book really took off around Ch. 4 when we begin learning about the elderly Iola Anne Poole and her letters. I had never heard of prayer boxes before this. They are a place to tuck your prayers into, and let your cares go. This book so beautifully describes them, and although Iola is fictional, she is someone I wish I could know. I have tried journaling before, and tend to do it most when I am going through great turmoil, and then stop when things are good. I would hate for someone to just read those someday and think my whole life was turmoil. Maybe a prayer box would be good for me.Tandi is a broken young woman with two kids, who finally had the strength to leave a controlling marriage. She has returned to her childhood hometown where her grandparents occasionally were able to bestow love to her and her sister Gina. She hopes to lay low and start fresh. Little does she know that small town people tend to notice, and this small town intends to help her. She is renting a cottage from the elderly Iola Anne Poole, who lives in a historic Victorian home next door.She has a new boyfriend, Ross who seems to care about her. I prefer not to include spoilers about him. Her 9 year-old son, J.T., seems to making an impression on the locals and his teacher, Paul Chastain has taken a real liking to him and his helping grow his interest in science. Paul wears outrageous Hawaiian shirts, proving once again you cannot judge a book by its cover. Tandi’s 14 year-old daughter Zoey has fallen in with the wrong crowd, and it will take some time and the love of the community to help her out of it.Iola also had a difficult life. I believe she was born in the 1920s. Her father was white and her mother was a black servant. Sometime after her father died, the patriarch of the home she lived in, Mr. Benoit had married a woman who did not approve of her and insisted she be sent away to a missionary school. She prayed and prayed to be returned home. God molded this young girl into someone so beautiful who would have such a passion for His people around her, and even far from her. It was amazing. She never sought recognition, but quietly served. So quietly that the people of her community made up lies about her which spread all throughout the town so much that many people believed them. That part was sad.There is a delightful reference to banana beignets. Unfortunately the author did not include the recipe, but I did my own internet search and look forward to trying them. I found one on Taste of Home magazine, from a lady in VA, which would be close enough to the region of the story set in Hatteras, NC and The Outer Banks. If it does not get deleted, I am including the link here: W w w tasteofhome dot com /recipes/banana-beignet-bites/printThere is also an ugly black cat in the book who adds great fun to the story. In this book he has no name. Maybe in the next one?Sandy is the owner of Sandy’s Seashell Shop. She is included in the book at the request of the author’s own Aunt Sandy who offered up much input about what her shop should look like. The character is spunky and kind, generous and protective. I definitely enjoyed her and would love to go sit, have a cup of tea, and gab in her shop with the Shell Shop Sisters. I believe her story starts in the novella, The Seaglass Sisters, prelude to The Prayer Box.The only thing that did not add to the story for me was the overabundance of ocean themed metaphors, that were sometimes so over-the-top I had to re-read them trying to understand them. But, maybe that’s just me.I recommend this book, but have your tissues ready!4.5 out of 5 starsAlso included: Discussion Questions for Reading Groups© 2013 Tyndale House385 PagesI downloaded this eBook from Amazon for free and offer my honest opinion for no compensation.Read: 8/8,9&10/2014Reviewed: 8/10/2014

It's nothing life changing but it was a good read and it was free so that was fine. It was written well and I would recommend it as a light read.

I really enjoyed this book. Very well done. I thought it might be more religious, but it was not. It was about the life of a person with children and daily challenges (like most of us) and the house she was asked to empty and her findings. It was well done. I am known for liking "comfort books" - which means no one gets killed, stabbed, burnt with cigarettes, etc. Challenges are great to see resolved - cruelty is not for my reading.

I loved this book, and it has encouraged me to get my own prayer box. A beautiful book, showing issues many people face. Well worth reading.