“The Prayer Box” by Lisa Wingate
I have chosen “The Prayer Box” by Lisa Wingate as my first book review. This story is about Tandi Reese, who has moved into a cottage on an old Southern estate with her two children. Her daughter is rebelling and her son is looking for somewhere to belong. Their lives have been turmoil and Tandi hasn’t ever been the mom they needed. Tandi came to the Outer Banks because her childhood memories built there with her grandparents gave her a feeling of safety. It was the only place she felt she belonged and wanted to be.
In an effort to make money to support her family, she agrees to clean out the estate after the lady of the house, Iola, is found dead. While she is in the house, she finds Iola’s letters to her Father from her youth to her death. The story is her journey with finding significance in some of the most seemingly insignificant ways. The letters build a new hope Tandi has never had for her and her children’s lives.
Book Review
This book touched my heart. It was written in such a way with so much imagery and emotion that it takes you into the story and it makes you feel like you’re with Tandi and those she meets on Hatteras Island. She has so many quotable dialogue that I found myself trying to put them to memory because they applied so much to my life as well. This is a beautiful story of a life never known and misunderstood as well as one of a life thrown away. It is a poignant story of redemption told with such simplicity yet so much depth. Tandi and Iola’s stories are about belief that life matters and faith makes you strong.
~ Joanna Lynn
