Candle in the Darkness

This book really caught me by surprise. In the early stages I thought it was just going to be another silly romance - girl meets boy, they hate each other, fall in love despite themselves, and bingo, happy ever after, despite the war. But it turned out to be far deeper than this. The author painted a very grim picture of the war, and caused me to think deeply about the nature of freedom and why we value it so highly. The freedom to make basic choices about our lives is precious. We have many freedoms here in Australia and we should never take them for granted.

As I write this by candlelight, Union troops have my beloved city of Richmond under siege. The hall clock tells me that it is well past midnight, but I am unable to sleep. I no longer know what tomorrow will bring, nor do I know when my arrest will come--but I'm now quite certain that it will come. In order to explain her actions during the war, Caroline Fletcher, the abolitionist daughter of a Richmond slave owner, reflects on the years preceding the war and the events and people who influenced the development of her abolitionist convictions.

I was moved to tears at several points in the book, yet I couldn't shake the impression that the characters weren't realistic. They seem more the product of wishful thinking than drawn from show more history. Caroline was too good to be true. Her thoughts and actions seem to reflect how we would all like to think we would have felt and acted had we lived in that era. The moral issues Caroline faced were clear-cut when they should have been ambiguous. Like a lot of Christian fiction, it appeals to the emotions rather than to the mind. It was engrossing while I read it, but I don't think it will leave a lasting impression. show less

This might be one of my top favorite of all time. There were so many beautiful storylines and messages throughout the chapters that were meaningful, deep, and thought provoking. I was very skeptical of the cheesy romance at the beginning, but because of the complexity of the character development, we actually got to see them mature, change, and then challenge each other.

The Civil War forced some Southerners eventually to analyze what they were fighting for. Were they fighting to retain their right to govern themselves by seceding from the Union, or were they fighting for slavery.

In this faith-themed historical fiction, Caroline, our protagonist has been brought up in the lap of luxury, her family's slaves at the ready to do her bidding. When her mother dies, she is sent to Philadephia to live with her aunt and uncle for a couple of years. Her stay in the North brings her into contact with an abolitionist who helps strengthen her own views against slavery. She returns to Richmond, with the intention of persuading Southerners to free their slaves. Her views are, of course, unpopular among even her own show more relatives, and dangerous when war breaks out and Richmond leaves the Union.

It wasn't long before Caroline's eyes were open to the horrific conditions that most Southern slaves lived in and the often inhumane treatment of some slave-owners, a contrast to the relative kindness her family showed towards the slaves they owned, save for her long-held refusal to believe in her father's affection for one of their slaves.

But will her convictions be strong enough to lead her to stand up for what she truly believes in? To set in motion that which could betray the South and those she loves who fight for the South, while helping free the slaves? Woven throughout the story is the question of faith... how passages in the Bible were misrepresented or ignored to serve the slave-owners and how a slave who secretly learned to read taught other slaves that God would not abandon them and that if they had faith, they would be freed.

My favorite line in the book .... [Slaves] are not a cause, they are people! show less

Caroline Fletcher is the daughter of a wealthy slave-holding family from Richmond, Virginia, and she has been raised to believe that slavery is ordained by God and acceptable. However, an incident involving one of the family's slaves when she is 12 years old causes her to start questioning those beliefs. When she is sent to Philadelphia for a few years at the age of 16 to stay with her Northern relatives to attend school, she gets caught up in the abolitionists movement, and her eyes are fully opened to the cruelty and injustice of slavery.

Upon returning home to Richmond, she wants to do her part to see slavery ended, especially for the men and woman who have lovingly cared for her and her family. She is willing to risk her future, even show more her life, to make things right, but at the same time, her father, cousins, and fiance are all fighting for the Confederacy to preserve their way of life. Caroline is torn between doing what she believes is right, and loyalty to her family.

This was a long story, but well told and very gripping. The last few chapters had me almost holding my breath wondering what would become of Caroline. I highly recommend this one if you enjoy historical fiction from the Civil War era. show less

Caroline Fletcher is such a relatable character, written so that everyone feels her happiness, her anxiety, her anguish. No matter how distant the situation is from present day, readers will find themselves swept away by this civil war tale.

I read Candle in the Darkness over a year ago yet vividly remember how it touched my heart. I immediately passed it on to my sister-in-law who asked if I had a good book for her to read. The main character, Caroline, raised in the South to believe slavery was a basic part of life is challenged in her long held belief. This may be one of the best stories of that time period revealing the depth of deception people had towards ownership of slaves. I don't want to spoil the book for you. I would encourage to read Candle in the Darkness. You will be moved!