Prayers for Sale

by Sandra Dallas
3 Stars
Historical Fiction
Setting: Breckenridge, Colorado
305 pages
Published 2009

Ellie's Review
This is my second book I've read by Sandra Dallas, and both novels had the themes of female bonding, quilting, and a newcomer wanting acceptance.  Prayers for Sale is based on life in the mining town of Breckenridge, Colorado (called Middle Swan in the book) in 1936.  I found this aspect of history quite interesting since I tend to think of Breckenridge and other towns in Summit County as ski resorts with expensive real estate.  Life in the high country was quite rough for the miners who established the towns, and I enjoyed hearing about the life from a woman’s perspective.  The main character, Hennie, is a great story teller and provides a broad picture of the town and the times by sharing her numerous stories of herself and others.  This was a enjoyable, quick read.

Book Summary
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.

Unbroken

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resiliance, and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand
5 Stars
WWII, Nonfiction: Memoir
Setting: USA, Japan
473pages
Published 2010

Ellie's Review
While I enjoy historical fiction because it’s an interesting way to learn, Unbroken astonished me with true facts of the World War II experience of Louis Zamperini.  His story is so astonishing that fiction would not have been as fascinating.  Across the globe from the Nazis, Zamperini’s World War II service was in the Pacific fighting the Japanese.  I learned so much about this part of the world during WWII and realized I had previously focused on Europe.  Zamperini is an incredible man who was described quite aptly by my friend as someone who possesses the “Viktor Frankl gene” to stay strong and survive under horrendous circumstances.  The first 90 pages of the book were a bit slow for me, but once Zamperini’s plane went down in the ocean I was enthralled.  While I am horrified at the cruelty of the Japanese prison guards during WWII, I am inspired by Zamperini and others' ability to survive.

Book Summary
On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood.  Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared.  It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane's bombardier, who was struggling to a lift raft and pulling himself aboard.  So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant's name was Louis Zamperini.  In boyhood, he'd been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails.  As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile.  But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to the doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater.  Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion.  His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit.  Telling an unforgettable story of a man's journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

I used the discussion questions on Lit Lovers for my book club.

I made the cupcakes on the right to snack on while we discussed this amazing book.  On top of the blue wave frosting were gummy fish, life savers (powered sugar mini donuts with licorice), buoys (two spice drops skewered with a toothpick), and shark fins (Thin Mint cookies cut and dipped in gray frosting).  These brought some nice humor into an otherwise serious conversation!