Light a Penny Candle [Hardcover]

Maeve Binchy (Author)

Book Description

As a child, Elizabeth White was sent from her war-torn London home to a safer life in the small Irish town of Kilgarret. It was there, in the crowded, chaotic O'Connor household, that she met Aisling-who would become her very best friend, sharing her pet kitten and secretly teaching her the intricacies of Catholicism. Aisling's boldness brought Elizabeth out of her proper shell; later, her support carried Elizabeth through the painful end of her parents' chilly marriage. In return, Elizabeth's friendship helped Aisling endure her own unsatisfying marriage to a raging alcoholic. Through the years, they always believed they could overcome any conflict, conquer any hardship. They believed they could survive anything, as long as they had each other. Now they're about to find out if they were right.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The chaos of World War II London sends preteen Elizabeth White to the safety of Ireland and into the lives of the much larger and emotional O'Connor family. The enduring friendship she finds with her counterpart, Aisling, forms the framework of this novel, offering clear contrasts between the two families and countries. The early chapters of Binchy's 1982 debut novel are engagingly humorous, filled with solid characterizations of these two very different but compatible adolescents. The girls sustain their friendship and distinct personalities through regular letters, but unfortunately they must grow up and the novel may strain under the conventionality of the genre and some inconsistency, perhaps due to Binchy's inexperience as an author at the time she wrote the original story. Her cousin Kate Binchy reads the book well, capturing the innocence, yearning, and growth of the girls. Recommended for larger fiction collections.
-Joyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Brilliant: a remarkable, panoramic and vastly entertaining novel.”
—Molly Keane, Irish Press --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568655223
• ISBN-13: 978-1568655222
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,370,478 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maeve Binchy is the author of numerous best-selling books, including Nights of Rain and Stars, Quentins, Scarlet Feather, Circle of Friends, and Tara Road, which was an Oprah's Book Club selection. She has written for Gourmet; O, The Oprah Magazine; Modern Maturity; and Good Housekeeping, among other publications. She and her husband, Gordon Snell, live in Dalkey, Ireland, and London.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fullfilling and comparable with "Gone With the Wind", April 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Light a Penny Candle (G K Hall Large Print Book Series) (Hardcover)

This novel was recommended to me by my grandmother and a few of my friends. I had no doubt that it would be good, because I have enjoyed many other books by Maeve Binchy. I never expected it to effect me as deeply as it did. It is so absolutely complete, with war, peace, love, hatred, marriage, divorce, murder, insanity, friendship, respect, birth, disease, and death. You become so utterly attached to the wonderful characters, that each moment of joy for them is a moment of joy for you, and likewise, each moment of pain felt by them is painfully felt by you.
I was so proud of the way the two main characters, Aisling and Elizabeth, took control of their lives and defeated all odds. I believe they should be models for all women! The most wonderful thing was their friendship - they stood by each other through thick and thin! I have never read a book that moved me as deeply as this one, but I do find it to be very similar to "Gone With the Wind." Both "Light a Penny Candle" and "Gone With the Wind" were led by bold women who made it through times of trouble (in both cases war and many other challenges) and nothing ever brought them down. I never wanted it to end!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book, January 10, 2003

By 

S. Smith "S. Smith" (CA/NY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Light a Penny Candle (Mass Market Paperback)

This was the first Maeve Binchy book I read and I loved it! I have read every book of her's (except the latest and will do so) and while there are some fluctuations in interesting stories and characters over the course of her many books over the years I believe this book is truly one of her best.

We get drawn in by the well-rounded characters and interesting stories Ms. Binchy devises in this book and I plan to read it again. That is about the highest praise I can give a book-the desire to read it again a few years later when someone says, "Hey, have you read such-and-such" and I think to myself, "I've got to read that again, it was SO good".

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing end (don't worry, I won't tell), February 14, 2004

By 

Amazonbombshell (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Light a Penny Candle (Mass Market Paperback)

As a big fan of Maeve Binchy's cozy, inviting stories that never stint on human emotion and yet always manage to keep their "homey" quality, I found LIGHT A PENNY CANDLE to be another good example of her work. It deals with choices, compromises, torn relationships, and family strife, but it's also a story about the incredible power of friendship. Right up until the end, it was a good read. The end itself, though, is disappointing. I won't give anything away, but don't expect Binchy's signature "I want more" ending. She usually leaves her characters without total closure, but THIS ending is something else. I had to knock the book down a star for it.