Customer Reviews

Here Burns My Candle: A Novel

5 star:		(105)
4 star:		(77)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"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.

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.

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 ([...])

I don't think I've ever taken as long to finish a novel since Mrs. Higgs' Thorn In My Heart series 5 years ago (and I've read hundreds of books in the last 5 years!). Since the day I received Candle, I have picked it up two or three times a day to read...but I can only get through a few pages at a time before I've got to put it away, take a deep breath and put it out of my mind so I can be the mom and wife I need to be. I have been overwhelmed with the emotions it has brought to the surface---it has definitely been a bittersweet experience! While the parallels to the Ruth and Naomi story are evident and powerful, causing the married reader to contemplate with purpose the state of her own relationship with her in-laws, it's the second story line regarding the unfaithfulness of a spouse that is most gripping to me.

I think a lot of us Christians are scared to admit that we or a spouse has been unfaithful. It can be difficult to know how to respond when we find that our spouse has been living a life of adultery. God tells us to forgive, to stay, to rebuild; others tell us we are well within our rights to leave. Everything hurts so bad and the last thing we want to be is vulnerable.

Mrs. Higgs gives the hurt spouse an excellent example to follow in the character of the story's heroine. Rather than being a doormat and a weakling, as some would describe a woman who remains with an unfaithful husband, she embodies true forgiveness and faithfulness. A woman does not always have to leave her husband and "show him who's boss" in this situation; the hurt character in Candle comes across as one of the strongest and most Godly examples I've seen.

I hope that other readers will come away with the same renewed character that I have. This story brings hope to those who've been hurt and reminds us that none of us is innocent of sin---all of us have fallen short. If God can forgive us from the thousands of sins we'll commit in our lifetime then shouldn't we attempt to do the same for those we love?

Okay, so I haven't written a book review before when I am still 54 pages into a 454 page book. Please don't judge.:

I chose this book because I own several of the author's children's books. They are awesome! The stories are wonderful and I love sharing them with my children every year.

That being said, this book has been a little challenging for me. I am just now starting to get into it a little bit. The author, Liz Curtis Higgs, it appears has done extensive research. Set in 18th century Scotland, the author has taken the story of Ruth from the Bible, and retold it only in a different setting and time period.

The beginning of the book was a little distasteful as the husband of the Ruth character is unfaithful to her and not just with one woman. He has a huge problem. There is enough detail for the text to almost be considered offensive. I would have preferred the author have taken a different route with this. As I pondered what to say for the review, I realized that in the actual text of the Bible there are stories of people who were unfaithful, David for one. I don't think there is as much steamy detail though for minds to feed upon in the Bible.

I am still working on the novel. I haven't totally put it down. I hope the author redeems herself throughout the rest of the text. I did skip ahead and read the last couple of pages, which was much more uplifting.

One last thing; this novel is so well researched it appears that anyone who is enjoys History will probably enjoy this. Some of the language spoken is conducive to the time period and location. I am assuming that the events that are occurring within the pages are also reminiscent to those during 18th century Scotland. If you like historical fiction, and the story of Ruth, this might be the book for you. If you can read a sample somewhere online before you pick up the book.

*Disclaimer Notice: I received this book as part of a free books for bloggers program from Waterbrook Multnomah. I was not required to give a favorable review. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Secrets can destroy a person, a reputation, and a family. The members of the Kerr family all have secrets that can destroy the ones they love. Lady Elisabeth Kerr hides her beliefs. Her husband hides his affairs. Her mother-in-law hides her money and her guilt. When their secrets begin to come out, will they be able to find the forgiveness and redemption they all desperately need? Set in eighteenth-century Scotland at the height of a revolution, this novel explores the transformation that comes when the light of the world comes into a dark heart.

I enjoyed this book. I'm not usually a huge fan of books set in Scotland (I think I have to focus too much on the dialect to truly enjoy the story, which I know would be easy if I read more stories set here.) But, this story intrigued me. This book contains everything from romance to family loyalty, including standing up for one's beliefs, forgiveness, and even the ills of a society that focuses on titles and appearances. Fans of Christian historical fiction will enjoy this book and will see parallels to the Biblical story of Ruth, who is one of my favorite Bible characters.

The end of the book is merely a beginning for the second one, and I look forward to reading it.

I received this book from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Initially I was captured by the setting of the book which takes place in 18th century Scotland. I also enjoyed the author's use of spelling to give a feel of a Scottish accent to the reader. It intrigued me to learn a little more of the history of Scotland and the Jacobite Rising.

The book is meant to be Christian literature, and roughly mirrors the story of Naomi and Ruth. However, I don't necessarily agree with the religious beliefs of the church of England, so some of the ideas need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Also, I felt that the story spent quite a but of time expanding upon Lord Kerr's marital unfaithfullness which was un-necessary. I did enjoy the character growth and faithfullness of Lady Elisabeth Kerr. She is a character that is absolutely loyal and loving to her family. The character's struggle to know God more is one I'm sure many people have dealt with internally. Howeverm, I extremely dislike reading stories of marital unfaithfullness, and it is for this reason that I probably wouldn't recommend the book to a friend.

I loved, loved, loved this book. Only Liz Curtis Higgs could take the story of Ruth and Naomi and turn it into a captivating Scottish tale. My heart broke time and again for Elizabeth, and I longed for her to discover love and happiness. The prose is rich, letting the reader see and smell old Edinburgh. I've been waiting impatiently for the arrival of the "rest of the story" in the sequel.

My favorite fiction is historical and this author is very good at it. Not only does she have a wonderful way of making history come alive (without being boring) but she has a splendid way of developing her characters. This is a Christian writer that would appeal to all religions (or the not religious) It is just a very good historical read that happened to get it's outline from the book of Ruth in the Old Testament. For those of us who are fans of Liz, this book will not disappoint. For those historical fiction fans who have never read her books, start here, and be in for a treat!

I knew when I read that Liz Higgs was writing this book that it was going to be good. I've read and enjoyed her other novels based in Scotland, and was happy to pre-order this one so I could get it as soon as it was available. As usual, Higgs does not disappoint! She is a master storyteller, grounding her work solidly in history while creating characters who are so real you feel they become your friends (or enemies, depending on their role in the tale). Her use of Scottish dialect is well-balanced, helping to develop the sense of time and place without seeming unnatural or overdone (a glossary at the end will prove helpful to those who are not familiar with the dialect). I love the way she describes the setting so clearly that I could imagine myself walking the streets of 18th century Scotland. The Christian message of the book is conveyed gently and lovingly, without becoming preachy. My only regret was that I could not bear to put it down and therefore finished it far too quickly. Now I must wait a year to see how the tale continues in the next book. I highly recommend Here Burns My Candle. This book, as any penned by Liz Curtis Higgs, is bound to be a true "blissin'" indeed to its readers.