Light a Penny Candle

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Summary: End of U.S. version differs from original version!!!
Review: I was surprised finding out that the ending of the U.S. version is slightly different from the one I bought in Ireland eight years ago. It seems to me as if it has been "americanized", but without spoiling the contents, I can't really say anything. Some things have been rearranged, others added. This only refers to the last 10 pages or so. I would consider the (original) Irish end to be better, by the way.

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Summary: My new favorite!
Review: Everytime I read a Binchy book, it becomes my new instant favorite. I have read nine of her novels and this one ranks in the top three (along with The Glass Lake and Circle of Friends). The ending is quite a shocker; it didn't really jive with the way Elizabeth's personality is portrayed. However, I devoured every last page, and once I have read the rest of Maeve Binchy's books, I will definitely go back to this one.

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Summary: A Disappointed Fan
Review: I enjoy Maeve Binchy's books; her style, wit and warmth usually dazzle me, but I felt the ending to LAPC (the entire last quarter of the book) was not in sync with the rest of the book. And if the ending does not satisfy the journey, why should I read it again?

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Summary: A Fantastic Beginning; A Fairly Lousy End
Review: I have very mixed impressions of this book. In the first parts, Binchy's style of writing gives insight to the thoughts and feelings of the many characters. I could strongly identify with Elizabeth and Aisling and rather liked them. But towards the end of the novel, the writing became weak and choppy as if Binchy was trying to end it quickly, without the same insight and detail of the beginning. And in the end, certain actions of Elizabeth and Aisling seemed to make little sense with their personalities. I give the beginning of the book a huge 5 stars and the end, 2 or 3.

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Summary: All my daughters will read this before they marry!
Review: Great, great, great book. I loved it, and will encourage anyone thinking of marraige to read it before taking the step. A real eye-opener.

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Summary: Disappointing
Review: As my first Binchy book, this was recommended to me as the best and I was disappointed. I did like the first half better than the second. By the end of the book the girls were so selfish and self-involved. If one more character told Elizabeth how magnificent she was I was ready to stop reading. And how easily they let Johnny use them both. How about a little self respect, girls. And how convenient for them that their husbands ended up as they did (I don't want to spoil the plot for others by saying what did happen to them). Sorry, but I don't understand the appeal of these two characters.

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Summary: Maeve Binchy's Best!
Review: Light A Penny Candle beautifully explores the way of life of the Irish and of the English in a particular era. I laughed, I cried, and I wished the book still went on. Binchy's writing draws you into the complexity of Aisling's and Elizabeth's life, that you don't want to be taken away from it. The part that was most touching was when Aisling and Elizabeth went home to see Aisling's dying mother. It was a real tear-jerker! It made me feel as if it was someone in my family

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Summary: Excellent! I can read it again and again (and I will) !!
Review: This book was one of the best books that I have read. I was enthralled and found it very difficult to put it down even for a moment. The women and their lives are so real. It took me to a different time and a different world. So wonderfully written that I felt I was was with these women feeling their triumphs and pain and sorrow. I laughed and I cried. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an escape. A chance to visit a different era. I look forward to reading it again and again.

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Summary: Fullfilling and comparable with "Gone With the Wind"
Review: This novel was recommended to me by my grandmother and a few of my friends. I had no doubt that it would be good, because I have enjoyed many other books by Maeve Binchy. I never expected it to effect me as deeply as it did. It is so absolutely complete, with war, peace, love, hatred, marriage, divorce, murder, insanity, friendship, respect, birth, disease, and death. You become so utterly attached to the wonderful characters, that each moment of joy for them is a moment of joy for you, and likewise, each moment of pain felt by them is painfully felt by you. I was so proud of the way the two main characters, Aisling and Elizabeth, took control of their lives and defeated all odds. I believe they should be models for all women! The most wonderful thing was their friendship - they stood by each other through thick and thin! I have never read a book that moved me as deeply as this one, but I do find it to be very similar to "Gone With the Wind." Both "Light a Penny Candle" and "Gone With the Wind" were led by bold women who made it through times of trouble (in both cases war and many other challenges) and nothing ever brought them down. I never wanted it to end!

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Summary: WARNING: BINCHY BOOKS ARE ADDICTIVE
Review: Forget drugs or alcohol, if you need escapism Binchy books are the best way to go. They'll take you away to small Irish towns where the trials and tribulations of daily life are deliciously inviting. It's so easy to get wrapped up in Binchy's world, that any complexities of our stressful '90's North American lifestlyes melt away in one paragraph. 'Light a Penny Candle' was my first Binchy book, and I've got to say still the best. Have you ever grown up and/or had a best friend? Well, that's the only pre-requisite you'll need to enjoy this book. Like anything addictive, once you've had one Binchy you've got to have more. We especially recommend: 'Firefly Summer', 'The Glass Lake', and her latest 'Evening Class'. And although we know it's Binchy sacrilidge to say, we still think 'Circle of Friends' is better as a movie. So if you don't like reading, but for some unknown reason you're browsing through Amazon and read this, Rent It.