A Selection of Barnes & Noble Recommends
On a cold, snowy evening, a young woman lingers in front of a
house pondering a sign that reads, “Prayers for Sale.” Inside,
an elderly widow, Hennie Comfort, watches and wonders before
stepping outside to greet her reluctant visitor. So begins this
engrossing tale of a wise older woman with a lifetime of stories
to tell, and a 17-year-old with prayers that need answers. Set
in 1930s Colorado, it’s a novel in which the drama, humor, and
passions of one very full life are stitched, with love
and understanding, into the fabric of another.
Eighty-six-year-old Hennie has lived in Middle
Swan, a gold-mining town in the Rockies, since
before Colorado was a state. Nit has recently arrived
in town with her husband and her grief, reminding
Hennie of her own youthful hopes and sorrows.
Finding common ground in their Southern
heritage and a love of quilting, an unlikely
friendship blossoms as Hennie captivates Nit with
vivid memories that reach back to the mid-1800s.
“There’s something about stitching together,”
Hennie confides, “that draws a woman out.”
As they sew, Hennie recounts her childhood in Tennessee and
her tragic marriage to her sweetheart Billy, soon to be lost to the
Civil War. She relives the death of their only child and her journey,
by wagon train, across the country to start life anew with a man
she’d never met. She recalls the unexpected blessing she
discovered upon her arrival in Middle Swan and describes the
lively cast of gamblers and moonshiners, quilters and “soiled
doves” she has come to know. Summoning the feelings,
dreams, and satisfactions of Hennie’s years of experience as a
woman, mother, and wife, these stirring yarns serve as a healing
balm for the lonely, anxious Nit -- and help her piece together a
new beginning for her own family.
Just as Hennie’s tales weave a many-hued cloak of mountain
wisdom for the benefit of her young friend, so Sandra
Dallas creates for us -- through a deft blend of historical
detail, authentic voices, quilting lore, and, last but not least,
emotional truths -- a vibrant quilt of heartbreaking incident and
heartwarming compassion.
About the Author
Prayers for Sale is Sandra Dallas’s eighth novel. Her debut, Buster’s
Midnight Café, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers
selection; the Los Angeles Times Book Review called it “country music
between covers.” Her subsequent works of fiction include The
Persian Pickle Club, The Diary of Mattie Spenser, Alice’s Tulips, The Chili
Queen, New Mercies, and Tallgrass. Mastering the period detail and ambiance of historical settings from the Civil War
through World War II, Dallas has introduced readers
of her bestselling books to an unforgettable series
of women who know how to harvest friendship --
and happiness -- in the fields of hardship. Fellow
novelist Jane Smiley has rightly called Dallas’s
“a quintessential American voice.”
Born on a farm in Virginia, Dallas grew up immersed
in history, thanks, she says, to her mother. “After
we moved to Denver in 1945, Mom made sure we
saw inside the seedy old Windsor Hotel on Larimer
Street. So I suppose it’s not surprising that the past
is more interesting to me than the present or the
future.” A veteran journalist who spent many years
as the Denver bureau chief for Business Week, Dallas employed her seasoned skills at researching to provide the historical background
and create the authentic characters that give such substance to the
world of Prayers for Sale.
Sandra Dallas currently lives with her husband in Denver. In
addition to her novels, she has written numerous works of nonfiction,
including The Quilt That Walked to Golden, an account of
how mountain women, from the Overland Trail to contemporary
Colorado, have recorded their lives in patchwork heirlooms.
From Our Booksellers
Sandra Dallas takes us back to a time when we knew and cared about the ones
around us, and reminds us of what community really means.
--Patricia Rogala, Birmingham, AL
A delightful story of an unlikely friendship between two women of very
different generations. A perfect read for those who enjoyed The Guernsey
Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
--Margie Turkett, Annapolis, MD
Like her quilts, Hennie’s story is pieced together with the many and varied
threads of her life story. And all of it is done with love! --Dorothy Newmark, Freehold, NJ
Hennie has sass. She can look at her life and be happy with the choices she
has made, but at 86, she still has the desire to do more than quietly retire. --Sue Gerth, Cedar Rapids, IA
From Reviewers
This satisfying novel will immediately draw readers into Hennie and
Nit’s lives, and the unexpected twists will keep them hooked through
to the bittersweet denouement. --Publishers Weekly
Like the lives narrated, this novel, by the author of Tallgrass, runs the
gamut of heartache, hardship, and happiness. --Booklist
Forgiveness and redemption are the themes of this gentle novel about
hardscrabble lives. --Kirkus Reviews
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.
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.
![Prayers for Sale: A Novel](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.10.4)
Prayers for Sale: A Novel
![Prayers for Sale: A Novel](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.10.4)
Prayers for Sale: A Novel
FREE
with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940172096167 |
---|---|
Publisher: | Macmillan Audio |
Publication date: | 04/14/2009 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
Sales rank: | 1,125,815 |
Videos
![](/static/img/products/pdp/default_vid_image.gif)