This review is the Author’s opinion, the author does not claim anything stated here as fact. If you disagree with anything written in this article please do not hesitate to sound of in the comments down below. However, please keep in mind that the author is not liable for any information stated in this post. It is purely opinion. I would guess that the phrase derives from the days when such candles probably would have cost a penny to buy, and I am assuming (I hasten to add that I don't know) that it means to commemorate someone (something?) For character portrayal, I would give this book five stars. But this long family saga seemed like an endless soap opera that presented one bleak dilemma after another. It was exhausting. In Catholic churches it is indeed the practice to light a candle as a form of prayer for the souls of the dead in Purgatory. (There are some Protestant churches which do it too, I believe.) I am not aware that there has ever been any price-range on these; all those I have ever seen have beent the same size, and there is no set price - one can pay as much or as little as one likes. I won't go into the details of the book itself - other reviewers have done so. This is the first Maeve Binchy book I've read where I finished it and felt rather unsatisfied. I have become accustomed to (and a fan of) the way she spins a tale, weaves together the details, and above all exercises the patience to do the story justice.

I was pretty disappointed in this book overall. It starts off well, and I was at first enjoying it a lot. But though the writing has energy and drive, the themes never are really given their due, the characters are introduced and barely slip out of a form character for the rest of the novel (which is meant to be 20 years of their lives), there isn't really any consequences to their actions, and I felt like the whole things was a bit shallow.

The setting (which is the duration and aftermath of World War II) is made incredibly realistic and immediate through the inclusion of small details and their effect on the character’s lives and psyche. Each character is affected by the events around them and the actions of other characters making the whole feel much more cohesive and interesting. Binchy also does not shy away from controversial topics of the time such as Irish resentment of Britain etc. and that lends a sort of gravity to her work. Things That Were Meh

This is really important: on the first burn, always burn for 3 – 4 hours to ensure an even melt pool. Evacuated from Blitz-battered London, the shy Elizabeth White is sent to stay with the O'Connor family in Kilgarret, Ireland, where she strikes up an unlikely friendship with the lively, boisterous Aisling O'Connor.Maeve Binchy accurately takes us on a journey that is cleverly real and quite easily have happened. No Comments Christine Green, Maeve Binchy’s agent, explains why her favourite is the first novel, Light a Penny Candle. My candles are all hand poured in small batches in the confines of my kitchen. As a result, my house always smells joyously perfumed.