Candles

You know those times when the electricity goes out and you have to get out the flashlights and/or the candles? Well, I hadn't ever really thought about what it would be like to live without electricity and to depend on candles for light, long-term, until I read the book Here Burns My Candle.
I must admit, this isn't really my favorite style of book, so my expertise in this area is definitely lacking.
This book by Liz Curtis Higgs portrays an upper-class, family in Scotland during a tumultuous time of revolt. The family consists of a Dowager (a widow whose husband was titled...Lord, Baron, etc.) and her two sons, Donald and Andrew, and their wives, Elizabeth and Janet, respectively.
The book focuses mainly on Elizabeth, who is from a completely different social status, and the development of her relationship with the Dowager. It is meant to be related to the story of Ruth, although this book does not go any further than the 18th verse of the first chapter of Ruth.
While the book was, in my opinion, longer than it needed to be and didn't cover much of the book of Ruth, it did give an interesting portrayal of what life was like in the society of the time, set in 18th century Scotland.
While it was not a book I would normally pick out, I did not dread reading it each time I picked it up. Rather, I found myself getting caught up in the story, going through the ups and downs, mostly downs, of the family.
Speaking of downs, the book was somewhat depressing. Many things in the family's life were falling apart, but it was encouraging to see the faith and hope of Elizabeth through all of the hard things she and her family were going through. It was also encouraging to see the changes in the Dowager, including her return to faith in God.
This book is definitely meant for a certain portion of people. I would recommend it to somebody if they generally read similar books. It is a good enough book for the type of book it is, but honestly, it is not my type of book.
If you would like a copy of this book, you can find it here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400070015.
Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2nPMBA_rgM to see a trailer for Here Burns My Candle.
This book was provided free for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.