Prayers of Agnes Sparrow

July 6, 2009
Quirk abounds in this tale of two sisters, Agnes and Griselda Sparrow. The titular Agnes forswears leaving home when she tips the scale at 600 pounds, and stays put and prays. When what seem to be miracles—healings from serious illnesses—occur, the residents of the small Pennsylvania town of Bright’s Pond naturally attribute them to Agnes. Agnes’s putative power attracts a stranger in need of an unstated miracle, and the plot thickens from there. To pull off such a quirky novel, the characters need to be vividly etched, the writing consistently clever and the plotting persuasive on its own terms. Magnin partly succeeds: she meets the clever quotient, but on the whole the book is uneven. Some of the explanations that account for characters’ decisions aren’t persuasive; some dark plot twists threaten to overwhelm the quirkiness; and the pacing of the first half of the book is slow. Still, Magnin will please those who like their faith fiction with a twist, even if not everything served at the town’s Full Moon Cafe can be swallowed.

Starred review from September 1, 2009
This unusual first novel introduces two quirky sisters who live in their family's funeral home in the town of Bright's Pond, PA. Griselda Sparrow is protective of the overweight (as in 600 pounds) and often-taunted Agnes. One day, however, Agnes decides to confine herself to their home and devote herself to praying for the townspeople. When her prayers start to produce miracles, the town takes noticea development that only complicates the sisters' lives. VERDICT This delightfully eccentric tale, with its colorful characters who pull at the heartstrings, will stay with readers long after they finish it.

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