Published 1982 / Length 600 pages
In this charming novel from one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, themes of friendship, loneliness and honesty are sympathetically explored. Beginning in 1940 and spanning twenty years, Light a Penny Candle describes the childhood, adolescence and adulthood of Elizabeth White, a timid English girl, and Aisling O’Connor, a fiery and confident Irish lass, who are brought together when Elizabeth is sent to live with the O’Connors in Kilgarret for the duration of the Second World War. A lifelong friendship flourishes between the two, and as we follow the twists and turns of their stories against a backdrop of shifting social change, Binchy sheds light on the impact of life choices and how decisions may come back to haunt us. Narrated with humour as well as poignancy, it is a book about the things we don’t say; the importance and limitations of family; the hurt and hope of relationships. It conveys an enduring faith in friendship, even after all other convictions have faded away.
‘Like so much of Maeve’s output, Candle was regarded as unworthy of serious critical attention, even though several scenes in the novel … are Dickensian in their pathos.’ – The Independent
• Think about the characters in the book. How do they change over the course of the novel? Are all the characters fully rounded, or does Binchy occasionally rely on stereotypes?
• ‘It was going to be one long act from now to the very end.’ This quotation could summarize the source of most major dilemmas in the novel. In what ways are the characters duplicitous to themselves and each other?
• To what extent is Light a Penny Candle a social commentary juxtaposing emotional, spiritual and financial poverty and wealth? What conclusions does it draw?
• The novel is firmly grounded in the social mores of the 1950s and 1960s. Does the story have impact only in this setting, or are its concerns still relevant in the modern day?
• There are a number of clear parallels in the narrative. Is this true to life or a literary construct? Can we help repeating the mistakes of others?
• Binchy is one of Ireland’s most successful novelists, having sold over 40 million copies of her books in thirty languages worldwide.
• Light a Penny Candle was rejected four times by publishers – but Binchy eventually sold it for a £53,000 advance: the highest price ever paid in Britain for a debut novel at that time. It remained in the top ten for fifty-three weeks.
• Sense and Sensibility by JANE AUSTEN – features a friendship between two sisters with contrasting temperaments.
• On Chesil Beach by IAN MCEWAN – a just-married young couple struggle to communicate in 1962.
• The Pact by JODI PICOULT (see here) – two lifelong friends who will do anything for each other … with fatal consequences.