Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
St. Martin's Griffin (2010), Edition: Reprint, 352 pages
Description
Set in the high country of Colorado during the Depression, this is the story of an unforgettable friendship between two women--eighty-six-year-old Hennie Comfort and seventeen-year-old Nit Spindle--and the deepest hardships and darkest secrets they shared with each other.
Media reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Despite a few surprise coincidences, the book offers little suspense, yet readers will be glad Dallas's likable heroines get their happy endings. Forgiveness and redemption are the themes of this gentle novel about hardscrabble lives.
Booklist
Like the lives narrated, this novel, by the author of Tallgrass (2007), runs the gamut of heartache, hardship, and happiness as Dallas skillfully weaves past into present and surprises everyone at the end. Fans of Lee Smith (Fair and Tender Ladies, 1988), Sue Monk Kidd (The Secret Life of Bees,
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2002), and Kaye Gibbons (Charms for the Easy Life, 2003), will love this book. Show Less
Publishers Weekly
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.
User reviews
LibraryThing member SamSattler
Eighty-six-year-old Hennie Comfort is starting to feel old. She knows it is time to start spending at least the winter months at her daughter’s home in the milder climate of Fort Madison, Iowa, rather than in her own home high in the Rockies where she has spent most of the last seventy winters.
Hennie is wise enough to know that once she settles in Iowa she might have neither the health nor the energy needed to return to the Colorado high country. She finds the possibility that her new, more static, lifestyle might speed her aging process, or stifle her will to remain active, to be a depressing one because she is not ready to say “deep enough” to Middle Swan. It is the unexpected appearance of seventeen-year-old Nit Spindle, who hopes to start a new life with her young husband in Middle Swan, that gives Hennie a new sense of purpose as she prepares herself to leave the town.
The two first meet when Nit stops to ponder the “Prayers for Sale” signed attached to the fence in front of Hennie’s house. Not realizing that the sign is a sentimental joke, the young woman offers Hennie her last nickel for a prayer. Hennie refuses the money, offers to say the prayer for nothing, and invites Nit inside where the two women begin to forge the remarkable bond both will come to cherish. On the one hand,
Hennie, who arrived in Middle Swan at about the same age as Nit, sees much of herself in Nit Spindle and she remembers full well how difficult it was for her to fit into such a strange new place. On the other, Nit, desperately lonely and far from her Kentucky home for the first time in her life, senses in Hennie the kindness of someone willing to help ease her into her new life.
"Prayers for Sale" is the story of a deep friendship between two very different women. One of them is old enough to have lost family during the Civil War, and the other has come of age more than sixty years later during America’s Great Depression. Hennie Comfort is a born storyteller and, to Nit, it seems that she has accumulated a never ending supply of fascinating stories during her long life. It is through Hennie’s stories and advice that Nit learns the skills needed to thrive in her new environment, and telling the stories gives Hennie the sense that she is completing the circle she began some seventy years earlier when she climbed out of the wagon that brought her to Middle Swan.
Sandra Dallas has created two memorable characters in Hennie Comfort and Nit Spindle – she even manages to surround them with a circle of women the reader will remember for a long time. But what make "Prayers for Sale" special are the stories through which Hennie Comfort reveals her life story a little at a time, right up to the present day when she is finally ready to say “deep enough” to her old life. I will not soon forget Hennie Comfort, her mountain lore, or her stories, and I suspect that Nit Spindle and her husband held Hennie’s memory close for the rest of their lives. "Prayers for Sale" is a very fine character-driven novel.
Rated at: 4.0
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Middle Swan, Colorado, is a gold mining town and, considering the depth of the Depression, its residents are happy to have the steady work, dangerous though that work might be. Hennie is wise enough to know that once she settles in Iowa she might have neither the health nor the energy needed to return to the Colorado high country. She finds the possibility that her new, more static, lifestyle might speed her aging process, or stifle her will to remain active, to be a depressing one because she is not ready to say “deep enough” to Middle Swan. It is the unexpected appearance of seventeen-year-old Nit Spindle, who hopes to start a new life with her young husband in Middle Swan, that gives Hennie a new sense of purpose as she prepares herself to leave the town.
The two first meet when Nit stops to ponder the “Prayers for Sale” signed attached to the fence in front of Hennie’s house. Not realizing that the sign is a sentimental joke, the young woman offers Hennie her last nickel for a prayer. Hennie refuses the money, offers to say the prayer for nothing, and invites Nit inside where the two women begin to forge the remarkable bond both will come to cherish. On the one hand,
Hennie, who arrived in Middle Swan at about the same age as Nit, sees much of herself in Nit Spindle and she remembers full well how difficult it was for her to fit into such a strange new place. On the other, Nit, desperately lonely and far from her Kentucky home for the first time in her life, senses in Hennie the kindness of someone willing to help ease her into her new life.
"Prayers for Sale" is the story of a deep friendship between two very different women. One of them is old enough to have lost family during the Civil War, and the other has come of age more than sixty years later during America’s Great Depression. Hennie Comfort is a born storyteller and, to Nit, it seems that she has accumulated a never ending supply of fascinating stories during her long life. It is through Hennie’s stories and advice that Nit learns the skills needed to thrive in her new environment, and telling the stories gives Hennie the sense that she is completing the circle she began some seventy years earlier when she climbed out of the wagon that brought her to Middle Swan.
Sandra Dallas has created two memorable characters in Hennie Comfort and Nit Spindle – she even manages to surround them with a circle of women the reader will remember for a long time. But what make "Prayers for Sale" special are the stories through which Hennie Comfort reveals her life story a little at a time, right up to the present day when she is finally ready to say “deep enough” to her old life. I will not soon forget Hennie Comfort, her mountain lore, or her stories, and I suspect that Nit Spindle and her husband held Hennie’s memory close for the rest of their lives. "Prayers for Sale" is a very fine character-driven novel.
Rated at: 4.0
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LibraryThing member jo-jo
Have you ever been lucky enough to be able to sit down with a few of the elderly folks in your family, and just sit back and let them reminisce about the good old days? I certainly have, and I have treasured every moment of it. That is what this book was like for me, sitting down at the kitchen
Hennie is about eighty six years old and lives in an old mining town in the mountains of Colorado. Hennie's husband died years before and her daughter is concerned that living alone is just too dangerous for Hennie. Mae, Hennie's daughter, finally persuades her that it is time for her to leave the mountains she loves to live with her in Iowa. Hennie doesn't develop hard feelings over this, but admits that it is the most sensible thing to do. Throughout this novel Hennie prepares herself for her departure of Middle Swan, the mining town that has become just as much a part of her, as she is a part of the town, not knowing if she will ever be able to return.
As Hennie is getting all of her affairs in order before she leaves Middle Swan, she realizes there are a few things that the Lord wants her to take care of before she goes. One is to share her precious stories that were obtained through years of living in that mining town and another was to help out her new neighbor Nit by introducing her to some of the ladies in the area. Her final task is to face a secret that she has been running away from her entire life.
Hennie decides to take Nit under her wing because she remembers herself what it was like to be a new gal in a mining town. It would get awful lonely if you waited around for one of those ladies to reach out to you. She finds that they both have a love of quilting, so Hennie uses that as an opportunity to spend time together and even share long forgotten stories. Hennie can tell that Nit honestly enjoys listening to her old tales and actually hungers to hear more. I loved this part of the book, because I think by sharing these stories with the new generation helps to keep the memories and legacy alive long after our loved ones are gone.
If you have been to the mountains in Colorado you know how beautiful the area actually is. Dallas conveys this beauty in her writing as she also paints a picture of how hard life must have been in the mining towns. To think that when women kissed their husbands good-bye in the mornings it could have been the last kiss they shared. It was a dangerous and hard life and women were grateful when they heard their husband walking through that front door in the evenings.
I appreciate the hard work and research that Sandra Dallas put into this novel. Before reading this book I had no idea that a dredge boat for gold mining actually existed. There are actually dredge boats used for excavating purposes today, but during the mining periods working on the dredge boats was one of the most dangerous professions available. I really enjoyed this book, and you will find yourself befriending Hennie if you read it yourself.
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table with a cup of coffee, a piece of freshly baked raspberry pie, just listening to Hennie tell her stories from her years of mountain life.Hennie is about eighty six years old and lives in an old mining town in the mountains of Colorado. Hennie's husband died years before and her daughter is concerned that living alone is just too dangerous for Hennie. Mae, Hennie's daughter, finally persuades her that it is time for her to leave the mountains she loves to live with her in Iowa. Hennie doesn't develop hard feelings over this, but admits that it is the most sensible thing to do. Throughout this novel Hennie prepares herself for her departure of Middle Swan, the mining town that has become just as much a part of her, as she is a part of the town, not knowing if she will ever be able to return.
As Hennie is getting all of her affairs in order before she leaves Middle Swan, she realizes there are a few things that the Lord wants her to take care of before she goes. One is to share her precious stories that were obtained through years of living in that mining town and another was to help out her new neighbor Nit by introducing her to some of the ladies in the area. Her final task is to face a secret that she has been running away from her entire life.
Hennie decides to take Nit under her wing because she remembers herself what it was like to be a new gal in a mining town. It would get awful lonely if you waited around for one of those ladies to reach out to you. She finds that they both have a love of quilting, so Hennie uses that as an opportunity to spend time together and even share long forgotten stories. Hennie can tell that Nit honestly enjoys listening to her old tales and actually hungers to hear more. I loved this part of the book, because I think by sharing these stories with the new generation helps to keep the memories and legacy alive long after our loved ones are gone.
If you have been to the mountains in Colorado you know how beautiful the area actually is. Dallas conveys this beauty in her writing as she also paints a picture of how hard life must have been in the mining towns. To think that when women kissed their husbands good-bye in the mornings it could have been the last kiss they shared. It was a dangerous and hard life and women were grateful when they heard their husband walking through that front door in the evenings.
I appreciate the hard work and research that Sandra Dallas put into this novel. Before reading this book I had no idea that a dredge boat for gold mining actually existed. There are actually dredge boats used for excavating purposes today, but during the mining periods working on the dredge boats was one of the most dangerous professions available. I really enjoyed this book, and you will find yourself befriending Hennie if you read it yourself.
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LibraryThing member milibrarian
Hennie is 86 years old and has survived 2 husbands. Her daughter wants her to leave Middle Swan, Colorado and move in with her family in Iowa, but first Hennie must tie up the loose ends at home and know that God will answer her prayers for her neighbors. The sign outside her house says "Prayers
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for Sale" but the prayers are free even though Hennie refuses to attend church services. She has befriended a young wife who is expecting a child after a stillbirth and wants to see her safely through the pregnancy; Nit, her husband Dick, and their unborn child are the subject of most of her prayers. Hennie also reveals her own history through the tales she passes on to Nit. A wonderfully satisfying story about the importance of love and forgiveness. Show Less
LibraryThing member A2JC4life
This is some of the best fiction I've read in a very long time.
Old Hennie Comfort and young Nit Spindle become good friends after Nit purchases a prayer from Hennie. In this Depression-era mining town, they need each other. Although Hennie's generous and unflagging spirit are a blessing to everyone
The characters here are believable - and lovable - and the struggles of a mountain mining town come to life. The grammar is better than average (even for a professionally-edited and -published book). Better yet, it's clean! (Some of the themes are mature, though, so I wouldn't recommend it for a child, despite it's "cleanness.")
Old Hennie Comfort and young Nit Spindle become good friends after Nit purchases a prayer from Hennie. In this Depression-era mining town, they need each other. Although Hennie's generous and unflagging spirit are a blessing to everyone
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around her, she has "ghosts" of her own. Follow the growth of both women in this well-written historical novel.The characters here are believable - and lovable - and the struggles of a mountain mining town come to life. The grammar is better than average (even for a professionally-edited and -published book). Better yet, it's clean! (Some of the themes are mature, though, so I wouldn't recommend it for a child, despite it's "cleanness.")
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LibraryThing member Copperskye
This is a sweet and gentle story of the developing friendship between two women, one at the beginning of her life and the other reaching the end. It takes place in 1936, in a remote Colorado mining town. Through the stories the women tell, we learn of their lives and experiences. There are some
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interesting historical tidbits included and the author‘s notes tell us that Middle Swan is based on early Breckenridge. It’s easy to picture that lovely town in its youthful, pre-ski heyday. I’ve read all of Sandra Dallas’ novels and have never been disappointed. She weaves together quick, entertaining stories of strong, likable women. And this time, she’s even managed to incorporate some characters from her earlier books. Show Less
LibraryThing member szferris
i wanted to like the book. and i had moments of enjoyment....but for me....this book as short as it was....seemed to drag bit....a great idea for a lifetime movie...or a network of the like. but probably works better as an MOW rather than a book.
LibraryThing member maryolson
Great fiction story as Hennie Comfort looks back on her long life in a Colorado mining town. She helps a young wife, Nit Spindler, adjust to life in the town, entertains her with stories, and encourages her quilting skill.
LibraryThing member larestout
I liked the time period and the setting of this story. There were sections of it that I really enjoyed reading and others that dragged. It was a quick read,with a very predictable story line.
LibraryThing member Quiltinfun06
This was a very interesting book not only because I am a quilter but it told a lovely story. The main characters Hennie and Nit become fast friends. Hennie is 86 and Nit is very young and a new member to the Swan community. Based at a dregding camp in Colorado things could not be more rural and
Hennie's stories span the 70 years of her life on the Swan and some events before she got there. Her one secret awaits to be shared before Hennie leaves her home. Who does she tell? Nit.
I really enjoyed this book and its tales and I especially loved the depiction of the the quilting bonds shared by the woman/quilters.
I intend to recommend this book to my quilting buddies and anyone who enjoys a good stor.
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basic. Hard working men who risk their lives daily on the dredge come home to equally hard working homemakers. Hennie befriends the newcomer Nit and the two become instant friends bound together by their love of quilts. While sharing quilting time Hennie share her life stories with Nit. Nit has found a mother figure and friend who makes living in such dire circumstances bearable. Hennie's stories span the 70 years of her life on the Swan and some events before she got there. Her one secret awaits to be shared before Hennie leaves her home. Who does she tell? Nit.
I really enjoyed this book and its tales and I especially loved the depiction of the the quilting bonds shared by the woman/quilters.
I intend to recommend this book to my quilting buddies and anyone who enjoys a good stor.
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LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
The way that Sandra Dallas captures a place and time just warms me. This book is full of colloquialisms and wonderful stories and life lived with hope and with pragmatism. Ms. Dallas creates women who are so appealing - strong, tender, wise, certainly not perfect - but nonetheless women you'd want
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as friends. Living in the Denver area I found this novel particularly appealing, dealing as it does with the mining that was so much a part of the early years of Colorado statehood. Show Less
LibraryThing member khiemstra631
I've liked every book I have read written by Sandra Dallas, and this one was no exception. It's the life story of Hennie Comfort, an 86-year-old woman, who lives on the backbone of the Rockies. It's gold mining country in the late 1930's. Hennie befriends newcomer to town, Nit, and proceeds to tell
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her stories from the span of her life. These stories are full of unexpected twists and turns. It's a delightful book that will not disappoint. Show Less
LibraryThing member SteveRambach
Don't read it unless you want to sit and read something mindless. If you want nothingness this is a great choice for you!!!
LibraryThing member ccqdesigns
Hennie Comfort was a strong woman who lived most of her 86 years in the high country of Colorado in a rough mining town. She developed the ability to quilt and tell the stories of the town and its people. They aren't always pretty and they aren't always that exciting, but neither is life in a
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mining town in the late 1800's and early 1900's. I found this book extremely interesting, realistic and charming. Hennie's time to pass on her stories and guardianship of the town had come and it was both painful and joyful. This is a delightful book in a quiet and thoughtful way. Show Less
LibraryThing member lizhawk
Very nice, compelling story of friendship between Hennie, who, at 86, contemplates leaving Middle Swan to live with her daughter, and Nit, the newly-wed newcomer. As their friendship deepens, Hennie shares her stories of people and the passage of time in that hard rock, hard luck area.
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Entertaining, interesting and surprisingly touching. Show Less
LibraryThing member punxsygal
Hennie Comfort has spent seventy years of her life living in the mining town of Middle Swan high up in the Rocky Mountains. She moved there shortly after the Civil War and now it is the time of the Great Depression. Nit Spindle is seventeen, married and newly arrived in town. Young Nit notices the
This was a lovely novel of love earned, friendship shared, and redemption found. It made me want to pick up a needle at Hennie’s quilt frame and bask in the warmth of friendship.
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old sign on Hennie’s fence that reads “Prayers for Sale” and Nit wants to buy one. The two are drawn to each other and into a fast friendship as Nit learns how to adapt to her new home from the many tales that Hennie has to share. This was a lovely novel of love earned, friendship shared, and redemption found. It made me want to pick up a needle at Hennie’s quilt frame and bask in the warmth of friendship.
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LibraryThing member rphalliburton
This was a great book. I read it in one sitting. This story covers friendships, abuse, murder, love, and forgiveness.
The author really knows how to describe the characters so that you feel you know them. I would recommend this book to anyone.
The author really knows how to describe the characters so that you feel you know them. I would recommend this book to anyone.
LibraryThing member MooseMom
Sweet, gentle story filled with strong emotion. Loved the language.
LibraryThing member Conlee2
This is the second book written by Sandra Dallas that I have read. When I started this story, I didn't want to put it down. I became very close to the characters in this book and I didn't want the book to end.
LibraryThing member justablondemoment
Wonderful story. One of those books that make you keep turning the pages even though the clock has long since said it's time to stop and go to bed. No complaints on this one. It is my first Sandra Dallas book and am looking forward to reading more from her.
Characters are so lovable and real. While
Characters are so lovable and real. While
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reading I felt at times I was right there with Nit (the young girl that Hattie takes under her wing) learning about life in the way only a grandmotherly type can teach through her story-telling. The stories themselves were based off Hattie's life and those around her in a small mining town which Nit had just moved to. Kept me going page after page looking forward to another Hattie story. Highly recommend!! Show Less
LibraryThing member Kimaoverstreet
From Prayers for Sale's first few pages, I was hooked! The rest of the book did not disappoint. This story of Hennie, an aging widow, and Nit, a newly relocated teen bride; their mining town; their friends; and their quilting is charming. Sandra Dallas uses historical detail to show the harsh
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reality of life in a mining town during the Great Depression, interlaced the sort of stories known to women in all times and places. I will definitely be recommending Prayers for Sale to my friends! Show Less
LibraryThing member bremmd
A wonderful story of the life of a great story teller. In a 1936 Colorado mining town we meet Hennie Comfort and Nit Spindle. When Nit stops in front of Hennie's house to read her "Prayers for Sale" and asking to buy a prayer. Well, of course, Mrs. Comfort doesn't really sell prayers but odd
There are many secrets and sorrows that unfold in this quick read (maybe quick because I couldn't put it down). But there's lots of joy and humor as well. There are a remarkable cast of characters in Middle Swan and in the many stories Hennie tells. Stretching from the Civil War to the end of the depression Hennie's stories are the stories of a country grows and changes over the course of a lifetime.
I can't wait to read more by Sandra Dallas if the rest of her books are as engaging as this.
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meeting is the beginning of a great friendship.There are many secrets and sorrows that unfold in this quick read (maybe quick because I couldn't put it down). But there's lots of joy and humor as well. There are a remarkable cast of characters in Middle Swan and in the many stories Hennie tells. Stretching from the Civil War to the end of the depression Hennie's stories are the stories of a country grows and changes over the course of a lifetime.
I can't wait to read more by Sandra Dallas if the rest of her books are as engaging as this.
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LibraryThing member MaryC22
A beautifully written historical fiction book about a woman who tells stories to a younger woman to help her through hard times. Dallas sets the story in a mining town in Colorado, but with ties to the east. The book comes full circle with a satisfying ending. Heartbreaking at times, it does not
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endulge in too much emotionalism. Strong women populate this powerful novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member aleahmarie
Hennie Comfort is hard pressed to leave the small mining town of Middle Swan, Colorado -- her home of over 70 years. But her daughter, Mae, can't stop worrying after her and Mrs. Comfort is finally convinced to join her daughter in Iowa. Mrs. Comfort is heart broken about leaving Middle Swan when
In her final year in Middle Swan Mrs. Comfort befriends a new resident to the mining town, a naive young wisp of a girl from Tennessee named Nit. Mrs. Comfort sees a lot of herself in Nit and the two become fast friends. 'Prayers for Sale' is told at an easy pace as Mrs. Comfort shares stories with Nit that are as colorful as the quilts she pieces together. A gentle read with enough surprises to keep you hooked until the end.
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she still has so many stories to share.In her final year in Middle Swan Mrs. Comfort befriends a new resident to the mining town, a naive young wisp of a girl from Tennessee named Nit. Mrs. Comfort sees a lot of herself in Nit and the two become fast friends. 'Prayers for Sale' is told at an easy pace as Mrs. Comfort shares stories with Nit that are as colorful as the quilts she pieces together. A gentle read with enough surprises to keep you hooked until the end.
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LibraryThing member frisbeesage
Sandra Dallas has a unique talent for writing griping and accurate historical western novels about strong, wise and courageous women. She is the Phillipa Gregory of western lit, educating us on western history even as she keeps us thoroughly engaged with her passionate story lines. Prayers For Sale
I don’t know any other author who can write so convincingly of strong, western women as Sandra Dallas can. She spares them no mercy, putting them through unimaginable hardships, but with their loyalty and friendships with each other they always survive in the end. I can’t read a Sandra Dallas book (and Prayers For Sale is no exception) without feeling like I’ve made new lifelong friendships myself by the end. These are women to be admired, not pitied, and you might even find a few men to like mixed in! At the end of Prayers For Sale I was left feeling satisfied, a little more educated, and like anything can be endured or accomplished.
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is the story of Hennie Comfort, eighty-six, and Nit Spindle, seventeen. These women are united by the harsh conditions of life in Middle Swan, a mining town in Colorado. Though the winter weather is bad enough, it is the tearing emotional dramas that these two very different women will help each other through.I don’t know any other author who can write so convincingly of strong, western women as Sandra Dallas can. She spares them no mercy, putting them through unimaginable hardships, but with their loyalty and friendships with each other they always survive in the end. I can’t read a Sandra Dallas book (and Prayers For Sale is no exception) without feeling like I’ve made new lifelong friendships myself by the end. These are women to be admired, not pitied, and you might even find a few men to like mixed in! At the end of Prayers For Sale I was left feeling satisfied, a little more educated, and like anything can be endured or accomplished.
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LibraryThing member nyiper
The audio cover had a picture of ...Hennie! This was, as the interview with the author mentioned at the end, a book of story telling/sharing, something quilters do---and that CDs makes perfect listening for quilters, or, for anything where your hands are working on a project. I liked it enough that
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I'm curious about her other novels. Show Less
Awards
Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (Winner — Historical Fiction — 2009)
RUSA CODES Reading List (Shortlist — Women's Fiction — 2010)
WILLA Literary Award (Finalist — Historical Fiction — 2010)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009
ISBN
0312385196 / 9780312385194