Customer Reviews

The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The first half of The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow reads like a slice of life in a small town in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. It's full of quirky characters with names like Studebaker Kowalski and Personal Best. It's star citizen, Agnes Sparrow, is a 700 pound woman who prays miracles for her neighbors. Their attempts to honor her are quite humorous, even though she tries to give God the glory.

The narrative is cute and funny, but I began thinking the story could have been told in a lot less space. Then, halfway through the book, the events and people began to change. It starts to feel like a completely different book. Magnin surprises the reader with a series of unexpected events that change the direction of the story. As they play out, she develops several layers of complex themes. The book becomes a parable about idolatry, a treatise on group think, a lesson on faith and a personal narrative about betrayal. This is a book that would generate interesting discussions in a high school English class. Like all good literature, it provokes thought without pronouncing explicit truths. In spite of this it does have a satisfying ending, with a hint of "happily ever after."

Pros: Wonderful characters and a great setting. Deep themes that leave you pondering.

Cons: The sudden shift in the plot may deter the reader who enjoyed the first half of the book. The characters' views about prayer are more superstition than religion. The local church is important to the story, but the minister offers weak spiritual leadership.

The original review was posted on Pix-N-Pens ([...]).

This is quite possibly one of the odder books I have reviewed this year. Right off the bat, in the first chapter I am caught off guard. The central character in the book is Agnes Sparrow (as the title indicates) and we meet her immediately through the eyes of her sister, Griselda, the narrator. We see how she is the primary caregiver for Agnes who is 700 lbs and can't get around on her own. In the opening pages Agnes declares to Griselda that she will no longer leave their house, its just too hard. It was touching to see the dedication Griselda has for her sister, she was young when she decided that she would make Agnes her priority in life because she was so tired of people making fun of her and she wanted to be there for her.

The whole town reveres Agnes because she spends all day everyday in front of her living room window with her notebook praying for the people of the town. Miracles have happened and people attribute it to Agnes. Of course she hates that attention and tries to relay that it is God answering the prayers, not anything she is doing. Much of the beginning of the book is commotion over the townspeople wanting to erect a sign on the interstate that proclaims, "Brights Pond - Home of Agnes Sparrow". They also want a statue in the middle of town. She wants none of it and it is up to Griselda to stop it from happening.

The town characters are so well done - what a kooky cast to support Griselda and Agnes! Cora, Zeb and Vidalia are their closest friends while Eugene is a royal pain in the butt and Stu and Boris are Agnes' biggest fans and are the ones trying to get the sign up and the statue erected. Hezekiah comes into the picture after he hears about Agnes' miracle working powers in another town and he comes to find Agnes and get his miracle.

Hezekiah stumbles onto one of Agnes' secrets all while hiding some secrets of his own. This is where the book got off track for me. It's like all of a sudden it goes from being a cozy little character book to trying to be all things to all people... mystery, murder, suspense... and it lost its charm.

The funny thing is that when the book ended I was crying for the characters because they really did click with me... it was just that the story itself never seemed to find its niche. I know from experience though that many people will probably love this book, it just wasn't up my alley.

If the title weren't enough to pique my interest, the characters drew me in almost immediately. They're quirky, well-portrayed, and remind me all too well of the people from the small town where I grew up--that is, except for Agnes Sparrow. She's unique, to say the least. The plot is well-developed and guaranteed to keep the reader guessing. All in all, it's a quick, fun read that conveys a message. If you get to know Agnes and the townspeople around her, you won't soon forget them.

This is a book I regretted reading. Yes, the characters were interesting, and the idea of a fat woman devoted to prayer seems cool, but I got tired of a town who idolized her and fed her food addiction. She fed their addiction to being prayed for rather than going to God for their own needs, and her sister enabled the whole cycle to keep going. Was this codependent or what?

The story just got more and more depressing until I wondered what the whole point was... and I'm supposed to feel uplifted when after all the crap that happens, she decides to go to a nursing home so her sister can have a life? Give me a break.

I wish the author would have made this book thought provoking as well as funny--something that motivated people into dependence on God or something... I wish I had those hours back I spent reading this, honestly.

The first 2/3 of the book about put me to sleep but I just kept reading.

If you like the Mitford series by Jan Karon or the Miss Read series, the first part of this book will appeal to you from a very slow paced, nothing happening but a pleasant little town leads its pleasant little life. Throw in a bit of Flannery O'Connor in the last third of the book, it shakes you up a bit and there you have Prayers of Agnes Sparrow.

The characters are more complex than I originally thought and for that Joyce Magnin kept my attention.

Agnes is a selfish, self absorbed character who comes across as very 'nice' and Christian, and very devoted to praying for the town and for individuals. She, to me, is a real study in the passive aggressive sort of character. Her sister, Griselda, is a martyr in a bad way and all the while she thinks she's being a good Christian.

I would recommend this book for its surprising character sketches, but a lot of the book is tediously plodding.

Sometimes I let a book sit too long on my Kindle and forget what it is about. No cover to look at without going back to Amazon to read about it. So I read it "blind". I think this was the best way to read this book. The less you know about it ahead of time, the easier it is to just let it unfold. Some of the reviewers emphasize how funny it is, but object to it getting darker later. Others compare it to Mitford or Phillip Gulley. I don't see a clear parallel. Others obsess on Agnes being fat or her mistreatment by the town. It is all that and none of that. The story of Agnes is a simple story of faith. How we use it and abuse it. How it isn't magic; it isn't formulaic. It is a story of how we all muddle along as best we can with whatever wisdom and faith we can find along the way. The book doesn't completely satisfy. The first half is different in tone than the second half. It is neither as light or as dark as it seems. Kind of like life, I guess. I think it will mean more to people who are familiar with a culture, a community where prayer is generally accepted and not particularly exotic.

I just finished reading tonight while my sheets tumbled in the dryer on "wrinkle care" waiting for me to unload them and make up the bed. My husband finally gave in and made the bed himself. He's sleeping soundly and I'm typing away.

I laughed out loud when I encountered examples of Joyce Magnin's wit... the Digman Funeral Home on the dead-end street, Al Capone the thieving mutt, and Personal Best. Who would have ever thought to have the sign makers paint "Agnes Swallow"... but at least, as the characters said, it was another bird name.

As I made my way through the first half of the book I kept thinking something extraordinary was about to happen in Bright's Pond. Possibly it would involve the drifter, the policewoman, or our favorite prayer warrior... but the book just kept trudging along as life continued on for the townspeople, and especially for Griselda, Agnes's devoted sister.

As other reviewers have noted, the second half of the book turned off the pleasant, though quirky, country road we were traveling and took us into some dark, scary woods where people judge and gossip and even kill.

I appreciate all of the questions that The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow made me ask myself, and the conclusion that seems to follow: life really is just messy, and the Christian life is lived out by messy people who have encountered the grace of Jesus Christ.

This book is worth your read... enjoy Magnin's plays on words and be sure to stop and ponder the questions at the back of the book when you're done.

The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow by Joyce Magnin is a masterful novel about the power of unconfessed sin. Griselda has devoted her life to taking care of her obese sister, Agnes. Agnes has devoted her life to taking care of the town of Bright's Pond. Her prayers have become so famous for bringing miracles in the small town that its residents are preparing to erect a sign outside city limits advertising it as the "Home of Agnes Sparrow." But Agnes has never wanted publicity, and no matter how hard she tries, they refuse to see the answered prayers as the work of God, but instead of as the acts of Agnes. When a new man moves to town looking for a miracle from Agnes, the town will be forever changed. Magnin has created in Bright's Pond a vibrant and fascinating small town. She never reverts to stereotypes, although there is plenty of quirkiness. Griselda's character is really the heart of the novel, and the character feels frustration, betrayal, outrage, and hope right along with her due to Magnin's wonderful portrayal. The story takes a distinctly unexpected turn giving it added depth and heart. Magnin is definitely a writer I have put on my must read list.

Solid, engaging writing and strong characters bring added readability to one of the more unique story lines I've read this year. A seven-hundred pound woman prays for her town. It's all she can do since she is housebound due to her size and medical conditions. The townspeople benefit from those prayers -- several healings take place and Agnes becomes a hero and a vending machine for blessings. Her neighbors bring a never ending supply of food and Agnes eats and prays and eats and prays.

But underneath the safety of her layers of insulation lies a secret that changes everything.

This story is thought-provoking. Many Christians and religious folks have a tendency to idolize servants rather than the God who gives power and bestows blessings. We also tend toward judging those who are different or have experiences different from ours. And then the biggest question of all...how can a woman so grossly entrenched in the sin of gluttony be a woman whose prayers are answered so abundantly?

There are times when I read a book and then wrestle with how to rate it. For me, this is one of those books. When I first say this book available as a free Kindle book, I was a bit hesitant to order it. I really wasn't sure if it would be able to hold my interest or not. But I did finally decide to order it.

The first half of the book is a slice of small town Americana. The townspeople of Bright's Pond are quirky, but strangely likeable at the same time. With the exception of Eugene Shrapnel. I found him simply annoying. But so did the people of Bright's Pond. No one really took him seriously. There were times when I found myself laughing out loud. I found the reaction to Ivy's dog particularly funny. However, there were times when the characters in this book seemed contrived and almost cartoonish. There were times when it seemed like the characters lacked depth. For example, Agnes was the selfish, fat lady. That is pretty much all we learn about her. Eugene is just a cranky, mean, old man. Reverend Speedwell is a fire and brimstone preacher.

I also didn't see the whole story with Hezekiah coming. It took the book in a completely different direction and didn't mesh at all with the first part of the book. The first part of the book is light-hearted and fun, the second part is much more dark. As this storyline developed, I found myself liking the book less and less.

I also found it somewhat disturbing the way that prayer is portrayed in this book. Prayer is treated more like a magic charm. Say the right words, pull the level, and boom, out pops your miracle. That is not how God operates. I was also surprised at how quickly the townspeople turned on Agnes after she is no longer able to give them what they want. First they elevate her almost the level of a god (wanting to build a sign and a statue in her honor), but when she can no longer give the people what they want, they turn on her. None of the townspeople really treat Agnes like a person. They treat her like a vending machine. A vending machine is useful enough, but only an insane person would claim to love a vending machine. The townspeople seem unwilling to accept "no" as an answer to prayer. The townspeople also go out of their way to make fun of Agnes. But ironically, I found it difficult as a reader to have much sympathy for Agnes. The more I read this book, the less I liked Agnes. The person I really felt sympathy for was Agnes' sister Griselda. But Griselda was also a martyr in some senses. Her whole life centers around taking care of Agnes.

I don't know if I would recommend this book to others or not. I also don't think I will be reading future books by this author.