The Prayer Box (A Carolina Heirlooms Novel)

...with warmth, light, hope, and a promise. Lisa Wingate has moved to first place in the category of favorite authors. She has such a way with words, God gave her the gift to write, to be an author and with this book she has made that gift mine. A gift given to anyone who reads The Prayer Box. I began reading this book last night not knowing how the story would draw me in, how the characters would become almost real, how Ms. Wingate would wrap me up with those letters, Iola's life. At 2:00am I wanted to write a recommendation for this book, to let you know how I felt at that moment...safe and loved and secure...the letters reminding me again what faith can do when that faith is in my Father. The descriptions of life on the island created a clear image of water, earth, village, and the people lucky enough to live there. But then we are shown that island life isn't what we see in our dreams. Those lucky enough to make a living on any island are not immune to the struggles and worries we face. That reality doesn't occur in my daydreams. This novel is written around the inevitable storms and hurricanes that anyone living on an island fears. The water damage or destruction of homes and businesses. Communication with the mainland cut off, no way to travel on or off the island because of damage to bridges. Loss of life. Yet we still build there, move there, daydream of making a life on an island understanding that hurricane can happen at any time. Every place has its dangers. Preparation, knowledge, and hard work along with islanders ready to help where and when needed will get you through every time. This book tells the tale of a woman who lived most of her life on the small island in a home that survived every storm, hurricane and flood waters Mother Nature sent their way. Tourists make up the majority of income for the businesses in the village but during the off season they can catch up on what happened to who, how everyone is doing, until everyone knows everything about each other, whether you want them to or not. But for Iola Anne, an old lady who stays in her home, the rare visitor being the UPS driver, delivery of groceries, or someone to mow the lawn. Assumptions made long ago with no effort made to verify, known but left I corrected by Iola led to Iola dying alone in the house. No one to notice her absence, no one to check on her but a newcomer to the island renting a small cottage located on Iola's property. We get to know the renter and her two children, the life she lived that she struggled to overcome. We get to know other villagers, their businesses and struggles to repair hurricane damages before the tourist season opens. But most of all we get to know Iola as a child, the life she lived because of who she was didn't define who she became. In her letters to her Father, letters stored in prayer boxes that give us glimpses of 80 years of her life. No one really knows who we are, they know only what we want them to see. We can't hide ourselves from everyone all the time...during times of stress and pressure our masks can crack giving a glimpse of our true selves to anyone looking beyond our surface. Iola's mask never slipped, successfully hiding her true self from the rest of the town. But in her case that mask hid goodness, kindness, and faith from a daughter for her Father. Faith and assurance that helped the islanders survive as well as many others who she happened to notice or hear about. I will end by saying this is a book full of highlighted pages, passages that I will be reading over many times because of how they make me feel. I never wanted the book to end because it meant the end of Iola's letters. Letters I didn't think much about when I started the book. If Lisa Wingate could publish a book that contained the rest of the letters (yes...all 80 years worth!) I would never want for anything again. This book satisfies me that much, fills all those empty places. I cannot recommend it enough.

A friend recommended this book and it was SO GOOD! I didn't want the story to end. The author pulls you into the pages. I'll be re-reading this one!

The first quarter of the book I found myself restless with reading and harder to get into the story. I almost considered reading another book instead, but I decided to press on because I read such good reviews about it. As I continued to read more of the book, I became more engaged in it and eager to read. By the end of the book, I was so enthralled in the story, that I didn't want to put it down and I was even able to block out noise around me as I was engulfed in the story. It was as if I was feeling the characters and being apart of the story. The ending was so touching, I felt a mixture of happiness and sweet sadness. I loved the story line and how we were able to read the letters/prayers from Iola Anne and her history. The letters were very inspirational, expressing love, patience, peace, and faith in her Father, our God. It was great to see Tandi (the main character) feeling affected by the letters and learning positive values in life through Iola Anne. I guess it makes sense too, to feel anger and disgust for the "bad guys" in a story, because, well, I disliked very much Ross and Gina. And I felt love for the "good guys", Sandy and Paul. Tandi was trying to make new in her life, just as the town of Fairhope was mending the damage after multiple storms. This quote from Iola Anne's letters seem to describe the storyline of "recovery after a storm": "Dawn comes after the darkness, and with it the promise that what has been torn by the sea is not lost. All of life is breaking and mending, clipping and stitching, gathering tatters and sewing seams. All of life is quilted from the scraps of what once was and is no more - the places we have been, the memories we have made, the people we have known, that which has been long loved but has grown threadbare over time and can be worn no longer. We keep only pieces. All colors, all shapes, all sizes. All waiting to be stitched into the pattern only you can see. In the quiet after the storm, I hear you whisper, 'Daughter, do not linger where you are. Take up your needle and your thread, and go see to the mending...' "

Beautiful sorry of redemption and hope. Love Lisa Wingate's novels. I absolutely love Lisa Wingate’s novels! I started with Tending Roses and have read and enjoyed each and every one of her books. I enjoy Lisa’s writing style, character development, unique story lines and the fact that there is always personal growth, reconciliation and redemption in her novels. Lisa always finds an interesting premise, location or historical reference that leads me to do further research on the topic presented. I also like that her books are written in series which gives me an opportunity to get to know the characters better as the story lines develop and to see how they are progressing or what they are up to once they aren’t the focal point of the current story. While I don’t always like the personalities of the characters (I’m sure that’s Lisa’s intent) at the onset, I do grow to love them and understand and appreciate their individual challenges and personalities as the story unfolds. I have sometimes felt uncomfortable as I was being taught lessons I needed to learn about how others might be challenged or struggling in their lives and the scenarios are realistic enough that you can certainly apply them to real life situations. At the end of the book, I am always loath to leave them and feel as if they are real people that I’ve grown to know and care about. I have been inspired by Lisa’s wisdom, challenged to become a better person, laughed, cried and fallen in love with the people and localities she writes about. I feel I am a better person for having read these books and always appreciate the measure of grace she brings to her writing. Each book leaves a great impression on me and my heart is full for a long time after the last page is turned. It is important to me that Lisa somehow manages to do all of this without feeling the need to use graphic language or sex scenes as I do not find that these add anything to a story. Don’t think that her books aren’t entertaining! Lisa adds wit to go along with the wisdom! There is always a little bit of romance, too! I hope you will take the time to pick up one of Lisa’s books. You won’t be disappointed.

This book grabbed my attention very quickly and I could not put it down once I started reading it! The descriptions of the scenes and characters is amazing and the words paint a beautiful picture. I have been recommending this book to everyone!

Great book with the added bonus of 2 stories, blended nicely together as you read Iola Poole's letter's from the past and follow Tandi Reese's life in the present. Both stories are compelling and interesting in their own unique way, but the way they work together in the book is amazing. Tandi is a down on her luck single-mom whose life has been a whole lot of heartache. She's on the run from an abusive husband and flat-broke. Her kids are used to fending for themselves for the most part and their relationship with Tandi is shallow at best. You can feel the despair and desperation in her situation right from the beginning. Iola Poole was a lovely woman who didn't understand many wrongs that had been done to her throughout her life. She was sent away from her home and family at a young age to live at a Catholic home for orphans and overheard some ladies call her an "anathema" which means curse or something to be shunned. It took many years before she'd realize why they would say that about her, and even afterwards the sting of rejection from her own family would be something she carried. Hiding her true identity of who she was from her neighbors, and even her husband for a time, was something she bore alone. However, she found solace in her letters, written to Father, that she placed in prayer boxes. Those prayer boxes are the treasure that Tandi will find, years later, and slowly begin to piece together Iola's secret. What Tandi discovers is an amazing woman, with a great capacity to give, anonymously, to meet the needs of those in her community and beyond. Even when many treated her poorly because they did not understand her true heritage, she never stopped praying and giving generously, even up to her death. What happens and how it all pulls together makes for a great story. Tandi learns a lot of hard lessons along the way, but with the help of some people who treat her compassionately and genuinely care about her well-being, she grows stronger and is able to stand on her own two feet. An excellent read that will grab you and engross you throughout the entire book!

I want to start by saying that I am a woman of faith but have become ever so weary (and wary) of the wave of "christian" fiction that has been released in droves the past few years. Most of it is either trite, formulaic, unoriginal, preachy, etc. It has become a big deal for me when I find an inspirational book (because ultimately that is what a "christian" book should do--inspire people) that is beautifully written and properly edited. The Prayer Box is all that and ever so much more. I was pulled into the world Ms. Wingate created right from the start. I WANTED to be in Tandi's world and was truly hoping against hope that she could be the person she always hoped she would be. The way Iola's story was told filled me with such love and admiration for her as a person and real sorrow for the wounds and injustices inflicted upon her. I was inspired by her simple and heartfelt letters to her beloved father. I was moved and inspired by her selfless acts of love and concern for the very people and community that shunned (and even reviled) her. Thinking on her beautiful spirit and lonely, anonymous death broke my heart. I wonder how many Iola's I have missed--we all have missed--in our busy, insulated, unmindful lives? This book was a rare treat and I am ever so grateful for the author's gift of storytelling. I didn't want the book to end because I felt so very connected to the entire cast of characters. There are people whose redemption is still in the future--what is to come of them? I so hope there will be more books from the outer banks and Ms. Wingate. It's a real joy to have loved every page of this book and been inspired AND challenged by so many of them. I have printed several excerpts from the book and put them in my journal to reflect on as they speak to where I am in life's voyage. I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this story.

Finish Time: 6ish nights. Another book that got me through my move. And a great one to do so. This book had it all and was really a great read and as I started writing my review – realized it would be only my 2nd 5 bone review of the year! I really liked it! Meet Tandi. A newly single mom, running away from an awful past with her 2 kids, not knowing where her next paycheck is coming from, just trying to get by and figure out who she is. She rents a cottage in on Hatteras Island (which sounds beautiful!), quickly goes through what money she received from her divorce, and scrambles to figure out what is next. The cottage or bungalow, as a few call it, is owned by a woman, Iola Anne Poole, who we never meet in person in the book, but really the story is just as much about her as it is Tandi. Tandi never met her landlord, but when she needed her one day, she ventured over to the “main house” on her property, where Iola lives, only to find her passed away. Panicked and afraid of what will happen next, Tandi does the right thing and calls the police, but it was a weird struggle for me whether to trust her or not. Throughout the book we learn more about Tandi’s past, and it comes to make sense, but I could never tell if she would do the right thing, or had the right intentions. She does have a big heart, but she is also getting pretty desperate, so who knows what that will drive someone to do. So it took me some time to trust her (not that I have to trust my main characters) but I guess as any relationship, that was all part of it and I felt made for a great story. In fear of losing her house and on edge, Tandi is approached by the church, who has taken control of the property, to clean it out in exchange for staying in her bungalow. And as she starts sorting through Iola’s things, she discovers more than she bargained for, but in a good way. Iola didn’t have the best reputation on Hatteras Island, most thought she deceived an old man into getting control of her estate. But like most rumors, no one had all the details, and Tandi made it her mission (after much thought) to bring out Iola’s story. Which was truly fascinating. Oh and I should probably mention the prayer boxes in the title. That is how Tandi learned everything about Iola. From a young age, not having a confidant, Iola begins writing letters to her father, which Tandi learned (a bit slower than I did) is the Almighty Father in heaven, so they are not letters, but prayers. Through joy and tears, Tandi is transported into Iola’s past and learns so much more about this woman who had an amazingly big heart, but preferred to remain in the background. I’ve already rambled on a lot and feel I haven’t even touched the story. Throw in a (not so appreciative) boyfriend, a terrifying ex-husband, nosy townspeople, her sister, that cute dorky guy from church, her kids, a sea shell stop, the handy-woman hidden inside her, and an open heart for the Lord, really this story had it all. Really it does. You won’t be disappointed – check it out!

I love this book. Lisa Wingate’s exquisite prose drew me in from the first paragraph as she paints in delicate watercolours this brief period of time in the life of Tandi Jo. I love the complexity of the characters and the myriad little surprises throughout the book. This is a story of redemption, of forgiveness, and of faith. I loved Tandi Jo’s transformation as she immersed herself in Iola’s secrets. Her new faith was tested time and time again, and that realism enhanced my appreciation. This is a book I will read again and again. The Prayer Box is worthy of five stars, and that is what I award it.

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.

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 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.

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.