Title: Here Burns My Candle Author: Liz Curtis Higgs
Genre: Christian historical fiction
Page Count: 454
Why I read it: blog tour for the publisher
Grade: C
Synopsis:
Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a keeper of secrets. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she honors the auld ways, even as doubts and fears stir deep within her.
Her husband, Lord Donald, has secrets of his own, well hidden from the household, yet whispered among the town gossips.
His mother, the dowager Lady Marjory, hides gold beneath her floor and guilt inside her heart. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons, Marjory’s many regrets, buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, continue to plague her.
One by one the Kerr family secrets begin to surface, even as bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh in September 1745, intent on capturing the crown.
A timeless story of love and betrayal, loss and redemption, flickering against the vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century Scotland, Here Burns My Candle illumines the dark side of human nature, even as hope, the brightest of tapers, lights the way home.
My review:
You know how sometimes you're in the mood for a fast-paced, edge of your seat novel, and sometimes you want something a little quieter--a little more reflective? Here Burns My Candle is the latter. It deals a lot with character growth, and that's really the meat of the story.
There was a smattering of Scottish words throughout (with a glossary in the back, in case you have trouble figuring out what the words mean), and to be honest, that's not really my thing. It distracts me and pulls me out of the story. But I've read other reviews where the readers felt that it added to the story, so it's definitely a personal preference thing.
The religion in this one isn't overwhelming, and I think the book could be enjoyed by a person who is not religious. On the other hand, I think a religious person would really enjoy what religion IS in there. The story is somewhat of a retelling of Ruth and Naomi's story in the Bible. I guess the nice thing about this story is that it could be enjoyed by anyone, and different people will get different things out of it, as with any good book.
I would recommend this to fans of historical fiction and Christian fiction.
This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. To find out more information about this book, click here.
Would you like to win a free copy of Here Burns My Candle? I've got one up for grabs! To enter, just leave a comment here. You must be a follower of this blog to enter (that way I can easily contact you if you win). This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, and will end on April 2nd.
3 comments:
I'd like to be entered. =)
I really like the cover, so pretty. The story sounds interesting as well, great review!
Hi! You found me in the blog hop and now I found you! I would like to mention that you did a great review. It's nice that you highlighted the Scottish words. I've read other novels that do that too...well, not Scottish. But Spanish, italian, french and latin. Oh, and German too. I agree with you - the effect of those words depends on the personal preference. For me, well, I study european languages and I'm naturally interested in them, it adds spice to the novel. It's great to see someone reviewing a christian historical fiction book!
I'd like to enter! Sounds interesting. :)
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