The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow by Joyce Magnin

Men look at her with desire instead of derision, and the catering business that was once a hobby begins to take off in earnest.

As her size plummets, her horizons expand. Down but determined, Loretta opts for weight loss surgery.

The final indignity comes when her loser husband, Lyman, leaves her for another woman.

Until one day, Loretta realizes she's had enough-enough of her mama's sugarcoated putdowns and of feeling unattractive, and enough of being called 'Bubbles' when she blows her saxophone at Ziggy's club. The results show all too clearly on her 5'4', 280-pound frame. Loretta Crawford grew up in a family where lives are small and appetites are big, and where the cure for what ails you can usually be found in a plate of hot biscuits or a slice of rich pound cake. In his beguiling and powerful new novel, the award-winning author of Dancing in the Lowcountry serves up a story of friendship, Southern food, dreams, and determination. After some tense days, the townsfolk, Griselda, and Agnes decide they all need to find their way back to the true source of the miracles-God. Agnes has been praying to atone for a sin committed when she was a child. How could Agnes allow such evil in their midst? Didn’t she know? Well, the prayers of Agnes Sparrow have more to do with Agnes than God. The truth of Agnes’s odd motivation comes out when the town reels after the murder of a beloved community member. Griselda’s petitions are shot down and the sign plans press forward until a stranger comes to town looking for his miracle from Agnes. The rural residents of Bright’s Pond are so enamored with Agnes they plan to have a sign erected on the interstate that reads, “Welcome to Bright’s Pond, Home of Agnes Sparrow.” This is something Agnes doesn’t want and sends Griselda to fight city hall. Agnes Sparrow prays and when Agnes prays things happen, including major miracles of the cancer, ulcer-healing variety along with various minor miracles not the least of which is the recovery of lost objects and a prize-winning pumpkin. No longer able or willing to leave her home, where she is cared for by her long-suffering sister Griselda, Agnes has committed her life to the one thing she can do-besides eat. The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow is the story of an unusual woman, Agnes Sparrow. The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow Joyce Magnin Sensitive Subjects: Resources for Teens.

The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow by Joyce Magnin