Rating: 
Summary: An unusual friendship, welded by misfortune
Review: Elizabeth and Aisling's mothers were roomates in a convent school years ago. As many friendships go after being separated by geography and time it fades. However, during WW II, Elizabeth's mom Violet when faced with the dangers of England during the war, drew on this friendship when she asked her old friend Eileen from convent school now living in Ireland to shelter her daughter.
After 5 years together, Elizabeth and Aisling friendship grew strong, and the ties to Ireland from England were forged. This story follows the lives of these two young women and their families in their early years in the same household to their lives later separately as young woman. As in many of Maeve Binchy's other books she richly draws out the characters of these women and you feel they are old friends by the time you put down the book. What is to me typical of Maeve Binchy's books, is that the lives and situations are your average day types. You feel these are people you could see on the street or could live next door. However, being a part of their lives is compelling. You can see when they make mistakes and how they solve them, or make them worse. Better yet by the end of the book, you have a good idea how they will behave given the circumstance. Make no mistake though, her books are not boring. You get to the point you can't put them down, so involved you get in the lives of the characters.. Once again, a remarkably well done book. Interesting ending too.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: This was the first Maeve Binchy book I read and I loved it! I have read every book of her's (except the latest and will do so) and while there are some fluctuations in interesting stories and characters over the course of her many books over the years I believe this book is truly one of her best. We get drawn in by the well-rounded characters and interesting stories Ms. Binchy devises in this book and I plan to read it again. That is about the highest praise I can give a book-the desire to read it again a few years later when someone says, "Hey, have you read such-and-such" and I think to myself, "I've got to read that again, it was SO good".
Rating: 
Summary: Ehhh.....
Review: This novel is captivating and very well written, but the conclusion ruined it in my opinion. It was unnecessarily confusing and depressing. I would highly recommend Tara Road, Scarlet Feather, The Copper Beech, Circle of Friends, and most of all The Glass Lake. While these all contain sad elements, they are comforting in a way that Light a Penny Candle is not. I am an avid reader of Maeve Binchy and can state with confidence that most of her work is much more satisfying than this particular novel.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is excellent, I could not put it down. Another amazing accomplishment for the equally amazing Maeve Binchy. Also an accurate and sympathetic of a child coming of age during and after WWII. I highly recommend this book!!
Rating: 
Summary: Best of Binchy
Review: If you are a Maeve Binchy fan this is her at her BEST.
Rating:
Summary: A Tale of Friendship
Review: I gather this is the first novel written by Binchy, more than 20 years ago, and only now I had the chance of purchasing and reading it. Well, our beloved Irish author was born with a genuine storyteller's knack then, because her first novel is as good as any more recent one such as "Tara Road" - sometimes we can notice slight improvements in some writers throughout the years, but not Binchy, she had a perfect start and never disappointed us since then. "Light a Penny Candle" tells us the story of two girls from two different families and backgrounds who are brought together due to historical circumstances and become very good friends, the best ones. They'll go through difficult times, but they have each other, so they can overcome anything. It's a good idea to have a handkerchief or a box of tissues near you, you'll need them specially in the beginning chapters. After the main characters have grown up you expect them to be stronger - maybe the hankerchiefs and tissues won't be necessary at later stages - but you'll never lose interest in the series of events.
The story is neatly organized into four parts from 1940 until 1960. The more recent edition from Signet also brings an excerpt of "Scarlet Feather", her latest novel before "Quentins". That is very nice indeed, because after savouring "Light a Penny Candle" you have this extra appetizer as well. I read somewhere that Binchy has "an army of fans" - lovely metaphor. I'm sure she does, and down here in Brazil I've got to say that I am the General of her South American army.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This book is great. All I want from a book is an easy, enjoyable read before I go to sleep at night. I don't want books about serial killers or murderers or something I need a dictionary with to understand words. This book fits the bill perfectly. The characters are fascinating and interesting and you can't help but get involved in their story. They aren't wealthy or famous ... just living their lives and going through things you more often than not can relate to in some way. Recommend this Maeve Bincy novel highly (also check out Tara Road - that novel is fabulous!)
Rating:
Summary: Story of enduring friendship
Review: After reading several Maeve Binchy books, I came upon this one which is her first full-length novel to be published. It is the story of Elizabeth White, a shy young 10-year-old English girl, who is sent to her mother's school chum in Ireland in order to keep her from the dangers of World War II. The Irish O'Connors are the direct opposite of the English Whites. Whereas Elizabeth is an only child, her chum and counterpart Aisling shares the house with a rollicking set of brothers and sisters. Elizabeth's parents are formal and strangely aloof, while Aisling's are loud, demonstrative and loving. At the end of the war, Elizabeth returns to her cold parents, but she keeps up a correspondance with Aisling. As they grow up, the young women endure unhappy love affairs, illness in their families, and unfulfilled dreams, yet they are always free to confide in and support one another. Binchy describes life in a rollicking Irish family with loving detail and creates characters which the reader grows to love. The other side to that is the Irish melancholy which is also an important part of her writing, so the reader needs to be prepared for both.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointing book
Review: I found this book quite interesting in the beginning and then about half way through, or after Aisling's wedding, it began to bog down. By the end, which I thought was too quick and far fetched, I had lost interest. It seems that she didn't know how to end it so tacked on a few pages to wind it up.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I've read other Maeve Binchy books ("Scarlet Feather" and "Evening Class" were my favorites) and found them very enjoyable. This one started out good but gradually deteriorated. It just didn't have any direction and really fizzled out at the end. In my opinion it was really disappointing.
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