Light a Penny Candle

Light a Penny Candle, by Maeve Binchy, brings us the intertwined stories of Elizabeth, a young English girl sent by her parents to refuge in Ireland during World War II's Blitz, and Aisling, an Irish girl of Elizabeth's age and the middle child of the large family that takes Elizabeth in. The two girls become best friends over the five years that Elizabeth spends with the family in Ireland, and indeed that family becomes much more her own than her real parents, who are ill-suited to each other and who end up divorcing after the war, practically unheard of at that time. Elizabeth falls in love with a rake, Johnny, and Aisling makes a huge mistake in marrying the son of a local wealthy family, who turns out to be a drunk. Each of them show more helps and supports the other through their different lives and ordeals, but they do not always agree about each other's choices.... I was surprised to learn that there was a Maeve Binchy novel that I hadn't found and read a couple of years ago, when I first discovered this Irish author's lovely work - surprised and pleased, as it's always a delight to encounter the lively and very realistic characters in her gentle, thoughtful and honest novels. This one, in fact, might be in my top three favourites of Binchy's work, which is high praise indeed. Recommended! show less

I had wondered if I had read this before - I had. I knew Elizabeth would get an abortion.

When I got to the part:

"Do you remember that Doctor Lynch years ago? I honestly do remember people said the it was his wife's fault because she was a sour-puss and she didn't give him a good home. She'd dead now but I'd like to go to the churchyard and dig her up and apologize to her for ever having thought that."

I knew I had read it before.

I didn't remember the ending & still enjoyed it.

a coming of age story about the incredible bond of friendship. To escape the chaos of London during World War II, young Elizabeth is sent to live with her mother's childhood friend Eileen O’Connor and her large and bustling family, in Kilgarret, Ireland.
Although the mothers were childhood friends, their relationship had become one-sided with Elizabeth's mother, Violet, rarely corresponding and Aisling's mother, Eileen, who through regular letters remembered their closeness. Violet, who was not happy in her own marriage, believes that even though Ireland is not as refined as London, it is a safe place for her daughter and provides the space for her to focus on herself.
Elizabeth quickly becomes fast friends with Aisling O’Connor, who show more is also ten years old. The novel follows these two girls as they grow into teenagers and young women. Aisling is outgoing and bold, while Elizabeth is quiet with all the manners of a well-bred child. Elizabeth is shown a caring, loving family and begins to feel part of a real family, as opposed to the cold environment of her parents' house. After the war ends and Elizabeth returns to London, her parents, who are ill-suited to each other, end up divorcing after the war not long after Elizabeth’s return home. Elizabeth stays to look after her father who is left a grumbling, introverted man after the divorce.
Elizabeth and Aisling’s friendship continues for decades. They remain in close contact through detailed letters, supporting each other, with each facing her own relationships, successes, and failures.
Elizabeth falls in love with a real plonker called Johnny (a non-committed womaniser ) while Aisling makes a huge mistake in marrying the son of a local wealthy family, who turns out to be an impotent drunkard. Each of them, from their respective countries helps and supports the other through their different lives and ordeals. Due to differing religious backgrounds, they do not always agree about each other's choices, but the bond of friendship keeps them in contact.
I was surprised that Aisling also fell into the love trap with Johnny and also became a somewhat ‘fun time gal’ with Henry’s (Elizabeth’s husband) workmate Simon.
I loved reading about the different family members of the O’Connor family and how their lives panned out. Overall, a very good read, and I am never disappointed with Maeve Binchy tales. show less

7/10
Maeve Binchy writes with an engaging voice, so the pages of this book flew by. Elizabeth and Aisling, the main characters, have both virtues and faults and are endearing and maddening in turn. The secondary characters are generally well drawn, though some are almost too stereotypical. My only complaint is that the end of the story falls flat. Newly married Simaon starts an affair with Aishling, who is now a recent widow and is also Johnny's lover. Elizabeth's husband Henry somehow turns into a clone of her father, behaves bizarrely, and then dies. Elizabeth's abortion is suddenly and dramatically revealed to Johnny, who got her pregnant but never knew. And within 20 pages, the book ends. Ugh!

This is a well-written and fast-moving novel about Aisling and Elizabeth, two ten-year-old girls thrown together by the war, who develop a lifelong friendship.

There are believable people, with both Ireland and England in the war years realistically portrayed. It's a long book - 600 pages - but I found it almost compulsive reading. However there is a rather depressing and unpleasant ending, meaning I didn't enjoy it as much as I had expected to. It would have been four stars without the final section.

I felt much the same on re-reading 17 years after the first time.

I have enjoyed every book I have read from this author. This was her first book and it is amazing.
The depth of the characters and the consistency throughout the story was outstanding.
For many today it would be hard to fathom that back only 70 years the level of silence and the amount of unpleasantness women were expected to endure in a marriage, and be blamed for is horrific. The Irish have definitely struggled to exit the 17century in regards to the power the church held over all aspects of there life.
Great book.

This is probably my most favorite Maeve Binchy book, maybe because it feels the most Irish, for some reason. I hadn't read it for several years and didn't recall that the Irish portions took place in Wicklow, a place I had the privilege to visit in 2001. That helped to bring it to life for me even more. The novel revolves around an Irish girl, Aisling, and an English girl, Elizabeth. They meet each other when Elizabeth is sent to Ireland to escape the London bombings in WWII, and they become lifelong friends. We follow each of them from 1940 to 1960, twenty years of friendship across the two countries.
**Reread in 2020 - just as good as ever**