≡ PDF Gratis Here Burns My Candle A Novel Here Burns My Candle Series Liz Curtis Higgs 9781400070015 Books

Here Burns My Candle A Novel Here Burns My Candle Series Liz Curtis Higgs 9781400070015 Books

Download As PDF : Here Burns My Candle A Novel Here Burns My Candle Series Liz Curtis Higgs 9781400070015 Books

Here Burns My Candle A Novel Here Burns My Candle Series Liz Curtis Higgs 9781400070015 Books

I was really excited about reading this book, since it's the story of Ruth & Naomi from the Bible, set in Scotland in the 1700's. Two of my favorite things...Taking a story from the Bible & putting it in a different time period. And a historical novel. But I was disappointed with how slow the beginning of the book was. By chapter 21, I felt like I was still pushing through & I almost gave up. It had not held my attention at all like I hoped. One thing I think that made it hard to read was the Scottish dialect. I like that Curtis Higgs, used it, but it's was not easy to follow. Also I don't have very much knowledge of Scottish history. It would have helped if I did. Even though those were very important parts of the story, I could have done without them.

The things I really did enjoy were the immense attention to detail. How the homes were built. The way they were dressed. It was like you were right there watching the story unfold. The second half of the book was much more captivating. The story takes you on a journey of a widowed mother & a young wife who love the men in their lives. The questioning of God's plan, his unfailing love & the hope only found in Him.

I look forward to reading the second book in the series to see where this adventure takes me.


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Here Burns My Candle A Novel Here Burns My Candle Series Liz Curtis Higgs 9781400070015 Books Reviews

It's been four years since Liz Curtis Higgs' last novel set in the Lowlands of Scotland; four years of anxiously awaiting her next work. And after reading Here Burns My Candle I have to say it did not disappoint and was worth the wait. In her inimitable style, Higgs takes another familiar Bible story -- this time the Book of Ruth -- and retells it set in 18th century Scotland.

The book is infused with Scottish culture of that time, creating a strong sense of the time and place. Higgs' style is interesting in that she doesn't use descriptive passages to evoke the setting or even the people. Rather, she is like a painter who creates a picture by dabbing little brushstrokes here and there, here and there, until gradually the picture emerges. The reader gradually develops a vision of what the characters and places look like by the little descriptive bits Higgs constantly works into her narrative and her dialog.

Her style of developing her storyline could be called episodic, I suppose. That is, the book is broken into many short chapters, with each chapter essentially telling a scene. But within each chapter/scene much can happen, as the characters' thoughts, words and actions are generally not focused on a specific episodic issue, but often wander all over the place. In the hands of a less skilled writer this could all add up to a disastrous novel, and even as I'm writing this I realize it sounds like it would be poor reading. However, Higgs makes it work wonderfully well; such is the skill of a gifted storyteller.

There are several scenes that don't seem to move the plot along at all, but seem to be there simply as a way to share many of the habits and traditions peculiar to Scotland in the 18th century. They don't detract or distract from the story, but unobtrusively add flavor to the book. Similarly, Higgs' use of the occasional Scottish dialect seemed far less frequent and distracting in this book than in her previous works. Although there is a glossary provided in the back, if you're like me and find that flipping back to check a word takes away from the reading experience you should still be fine; it's pretty easy to determine the meaning of the words just from the context in which they're used.

Higgs' re-telling of the Book of Ruth doesn't seem to parallel the Biblical account quite as tightly as did her previous books; for instance, Elisabeth's/Ruth's separate identity from Marjory's/Naomi's is more of a philosophical and class distinction than a geographic one (and certainly not an ethnic one as in the Bible). As this book only covers the first few verses of the Book of Ruth, ending at the point where Marjory/Naomi leaves Edinburgh/Moab for Selkirkshire/Israel, Higgs has obviously done a lot of fleshing out of the Biblical story. It was engaging and well done, and all of the conflicts and inner struggles of the main characters were handled in such a way that they felt authentic. For example, Marjory's feelings towards Elisabeth go from disdain to sympathy to suspicion and mistrust to love and devotion; Higgs managed to navigate all of these without making it for one moment feel forced or contrived. I found myself engaged with the story, caring about the characters and wanting to know what would happen next. Yes, having read the Bible I know what was ultimately going to happen, but I wanted to see how Higgs was going to tell it!

I am not giving the book 5 stars because, as good as it was, it didn't have that certain emotional pull that the best books must have. Although I felt for Elisabeth, I didn't ache for her the way I did for, say, Liana in Thorn In My Heart. This book is obviously setting the stage for the next one, which I don't want to miss! I want to know about Elisabeth/Ruth meeting her Boaz, the man who will truly love her as her first husband did not. Oooooh, that promises to be good......
Lady Elisabeth Kerr may have married into a family with different beliefs than her own, but she still holds tightly to the beliefs her own mother held and taught her. She worships in secret, careful that her husband and new family do not discover that she doesn't believe as they do.

Lady Kerr isn't the only one hiding secrets. Although she refuses to believe the rumors, her husband Lord Donald has strayed ~ more than once. She just isn't able to accept his betrayal.

When the rebel army captures their town of Edinburgh in 1745, families and friends are divided as they have to decide where their loyalties lie ~ to the current ruler or to the invading ruler. Lady Kerr and her family find themselves facing dark moments and deep losses and she soon discovers that although her god cannot rescue her, there is a God who can.

My Thoughts

A few years ago I was introduced to Liz Curtis Higgs and I fell in love with her writing. Here Burns My Candle is another book that will find a permanent niche on my bookshelves. Set in Scotland during the year 1745, this story is a more modern retelling of the story of Ruth and Naomi.

While I knew many of the events that were going to happen {based on the Biblical story}, I was completely pulled into the story and still hoping things would be different. Higgs weaves an intricate story of love lost, love regained and ultimately of hope in difficult times.

The end of the book came too quickly, so be thankful there is an amazing sequel to the book ~ run and grab that one as well.
I was really excited about reading this book, since it's the story of Ruth & Naomi from the Bible, set in Scotland in the 1700's. Two of my favorite things...Taking a story from the Bible & putting it in a different time period. And a historical novel. But I was disappointed with how slow the beginning of the book was. By chapter 21, I felt like I was still pushing through & I almost gave up. It had not held my attention at all like I hoped. One thing I think that made it hard to read was the Scottish dialect. I like that Curtis Higgs, used it, but it's was not easy to follow. Also I don't have very much knowledge of Scottish history. It would have helped if I did. Even though those were very important parts of the story, I could have done without them.

The things I really did enjoy were the immense attention to detail. How the homes were built. The way they were dressed. It was like you were right there watching the story unfold. The second half of the book was much more captivating. The story takes you on a journey of a widowed mother & a young wife who love the men in their lives. The questioning of God's plan, his unfailing love & the hope only found in Him.

I look forward to reading the second book in the series to see where this adventure takes me.