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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A winner by Liz, March 22, 2010
This review is from: Here Burns My Candle: A Novel (Paperback)
"Here Burns My Candle" was a wonderful combination of the book of Ruth and a fictional story set in Scotland. Liz told the story of Ruth and Naomi in a way which brought their story to life. It was obvious Liz did a great deal of research, Biblical as well as historical. For me, this helped the book become more alive.
At times Liz used Scottish dialect in order to enhance the story. I will warn you, you will have to use the glossary which was thankfully put in at the end of the book. The book is long, over 450 pages, and at times, it could get a little slow.
In the end, it's a powerful story about a widowed mother in law, her two sons and their wives. There is war, there is worship of a pagan God, there is questioning of God's plan and purpose. There is conflict, yet in the end, God's love rules supreme. If you like Liz Curtis Higg's books, you will certainly like this one.
This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Here Burns My Candle, April 6, 2010
This review is from: Here Burns My Candle: A Novel (Paperback)
This is the first novel I have read by Liz Curtis Higgs. Here Burns My Candle is the story of a Lowlander family in 1745. Lady Marjory Kerr has taken up residence in Edinburgh, along with her two sons and their wives.
She and her hand-picked daughter-in-law, Janet, love to participate in all that the upper society has to offer. The death of her husband has left her fairly well off with income from lands around a country estate. That was his love; hers was the city life and all it had to offer. While keeping her gold hidden under her chamber floor, in her heart she hides the guilt she feels from urging her husband to keep them in a fashionable residence in the city. Her sons can do no wrong: she spoils them and their wives, providing them the money to live on and a place of residence.
Lady Elizabeth Kerr, on the other hand, married Lord Donald Kerr out of love. She is a Highlander by birth and therefore from a different social level. She is an expert seamstress and busies herself much of the time with beautiful stitchery. She is not as enamored of social standing as are her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. She is kind hearted and humble. She secretly worships the moon as taught by her family, though she dutifully attends church services with the Kerrs. Unbeknownst to herself and the rest of the family, her husband has secrets of his own.
Here Burns My Candle is rich with description. At one point I felt like I should make scones and have tea! I liked the way the characters developed through adversity, and how they came to know or come back to the one, true God. Well-researched Scottish history made me think I should dig into a history book on my own.
Love, betrayal, loss, redemption; all rolled into one satisfying novel.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Faithful Love, July 6, 2010
This review is from: Here Burns My Candle: A Novel (Paperback)
The second half of Here Burns My Candle is full of suspense and unexpected heartbreak. Through it, two women, Elisabeth and her mother-in-law, Marjorie, learn to trust God and love each other. God speaks to them through His word, then patiently waits for them to respond in the midst of trials.
Unfortunately the reader has to be patient too, because the first half of the book moves very slowly. Higgs creates a real picture of 16th century Edinburgh in the midst of the Jacobite rebellion. We meet Marjorie, who loves only her sons and her gold, and Elisabeth, who is having a crisis of faith. We also meet Marjorie's sons and her other daughter-in-law, all of whom have their own issues. But they are very interesting people leading very boring lives. Even when the sons join the Jacobite campaign, we are left behind, watching Marjorie still hoarding her gold and Elisabeth still questioning her faith. The only suspense I felt was wondering what would happen when Bonnie Prince Charlie lost his attempt to win the British throne for his exiled father.
In fact, the real story starts when the Prince's campaign heats up. From that point, the two protagonists face one trial after another. Many of them are personal, but the climax of the story hinges on Charlie's defeat. The growth of the two women through the unexpected plot twists produces a heart wrenching story.
My favorite part of the book was when I realized that it is the retelling of a well loved Bible story. I'm a little dense and didn't get it until almost the end. I'm sure you will recognize it much sooner than I did. Here Burns My Candle, is in fact, just the beginning of the story, so look for the next book which will tell the more familiar part of it.
Pros: Very well written story of God's patience and provision. The historical world of Edinburgh and the Jacobite rebellion are absorbing and you'll identify with the characters' flaws and strengths.
Cons: The book has a very slow start.
The original review was published on Pix-N-Pens ([...])
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