Here Burns My Candle

WaterBrook Mulnomah recently updated their Blogging for Books program.  And let me tell you, it is now fabulous!  Not that it wasn't fabulous before, but it's just extra fabulous now.  It is one of the more user-friendly programs available, offering great technical assistance and really encouraging its bloggers to write quality reviews...which shouldn't be too difficult when you're reading quality books!  If you haven't visited their new page, do so now.  Right now.  Stop reading and click on this link.  After you've checked out their amazing program, come back and read my review of Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs.

I'm not sure how I've never read a book by Liz Curtis Higgs, considering how I seem to see them everywhere and have only heard good things about her writing.  At any rate, I decided to remedy the situation and recently finished Here Burns My Candle, a retelling of the story of Ruth- set in 18th century Scotland.  Not only is Ruth already one of my favourite books of the entire Bible, but I think that if done properly, retelling biblical themes and stories in modern or different eras can really reach an audience that may not ever have expressed interest in the Bible.  Take one look at Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and you'll understand that the Lord can use books like that and Here Burns My Candle to grasp the hearts of people and draw them near to himself and his Word.

I read Here Burns My Candle in two days- and it only took me that long because I had to put it down to go to work, eat, and sleep (although I did forgo some sleep just to read a few more chapters).  The author does an amazing job of setting the scene of Edinburgh as bonny Prince Charlie and his army begin vying for the English throne.  The character development was astutely done; they felt like real people with flaws and imperfections and temperaments and the ability to change.  Truly, I started the story immediately disliking a particular character, but by the end, I was rooting for her like I was her biggest fan.

The story focuses on the Kerr family, Scottish nobility with secrets to hide.  One by one, the secrets begin to surface, and the family is forced to make a difficult decision between following their hearts and following what is safe.  Though the reader may not recognize the similarity to the book for Ruth at the beginning, when you turn the final page you truly begin to grasp the beginning of the story...because the end of the book is not the end of the story.  The Kerr women continue their journey of love, sorrow, and redemption in Mine is the Night.  I cannot wait to get my hands on that one!

Click here to read an excerpt of Here Burns My Candle.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”