The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate

The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate
ISBN: 9781414386881
Trade Paperback

Synopsis: When Iola Anne Poole, an old-timer on Hatteras Island, passes away in her bed at ninety-one, the struggling young mother in Iola's 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 lesson in faith, observations on love, and one final lesson that could change everything.

My review: This was my first book by Lisa. The reason I read this book is not only because it sounded good but I got picked to be a part of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Book for Lisa's second book in this series The Story Keeper and I figured I better get the first book done before I started the second book. What is the Sisterhood you ask? Well let me tell you about it. It is multiple groups of five ladies each starting with the big sister who reads the book make notes in it then pass it on to the next sister in the group to do the same thing until all five of us have read it. To me this sounded like a great idea to meet other ladies, hear/see their thoughts on the book and just a lot of fun.

I can not say enough good things about this book. In all the books I have read in my life I can't say that one has touched me as much as this one. There was something about this book and the story that just pulls you in. Not only is this book have a great story but there is a message behind the story. To me that message was to stop and think about life and remember to be grateful for what you have. I found myself wanting to know more about Tandi's past and learning more about Iola. You find yourself wanting to help Tandi make things better and hoping she finds happiness. Not only does Tandi grow in this book but so does her daughter Zoey, it is hard for them to learn to live a good life after what they have been through. When Tandi's sister Gina shows up I want to throw her out immediately, I did not care for her or Tandi's boyfriend Ross. When Tandi ends up at Sandy's Seashell Shop there may just be a light at the end of the tunnel for her. I enjoyed reading about the sisterhood of the seashell shop. I am starting the next book in this series tonight and can't wait to see what happens next.