Light a Penny Candle

One of the few books I would willingly pick up to re - read!!
Read this if you can!!!


Irish life   November 10, 2002
 12 out of 14 found this review helpful

This book reminds me so well of the many holidays - especially Christmasses - that I have spent in Ireland. The descriptions of rural family life are brilliant, and as a solitary English girl whose best friend is the oldest of 7 Irish children, I found the relationship between Elizabeth and Aisling totally convincing. When I first visited Ireland - many years ago now - I was overwhelmed by the difference of it all, the Catholicism, the huge families, the social networks which (as a child of suburban London) I had never experienced. I still love Ireland, and this novel was full of the reasons why. It does deal with issues - domestic violence, divorce, alcoholism - which dispel the myth of Ireland as a utopian paradise, but it still manages to be a really good story, and one which you don't want to end - is there a sequel? I would love to know what happened to the girls in the end.


Unmissable   August 14, 2001
 5 out of 10 found this review helpful

This book shows Binchy at her best. It's warm loving characters make it impossible not to become deeply involved in their lives. I was mortified to read the last few pages, it was like losing a group of friends. The book is fantastic and you will not be able to put it down from the first page.