Editions

Light A Penny Candle

Light A Penny Candle

  • Her classic debut bestseller

'Maeve Binchy! I love her stories and have since Light a Penny Candle.' TOM HANKS
_____________________
A FRIENDSHIP NOTHING COULD DESTROY

Evacuated from Blitz-battered London, the shy Elizabeth White is sent to stay with the O'Connor family in Kilgarret, Ireland, where she strikes up an unlikely friendship with the lively, boisterous Aisling O'Connor.

Neither of them were to know it would become the most important friendship of their lives. Their bond is unshakeable, enduring over turbulent years of change and chaos, joy and sorrow, soaring dreams - and searing betrayals . . .

With warmth, wit and great compassion, Maeve Binchy tells a magnificent story of two women, bound together in a friendship that nothing could tear apart - not even the man who threatened to come between them forever.
_____________________
'What better books to raise the spirits than the gentle, insightful Irish tales of Maeve Binchy'? HELLO! Magazine

'Wonderfully warm and involving' KATIE FFORDE

'If any author can help you survive lockdown, it's Binchy' DAILY MAIL

'I find myself yearning for the rain-soaked watercolour writing of Maeve Binchy' JENNY COLGAN, GUARDIAN Best Comfort Reads

'Binchy's novels are never less than entertaining' SUNDAY TIMES

Reviews

  • 'The ideal doorstopper to occupy long, dark evenings’

    Daily Mail

  • She was just so aware of everyday people, and when I read her first book, Light a Penny Candle, I swore I knew every character in the book. I have read and re-read most of her books. I could not pick one, just all Maeve Binchy. She helps me switch off!

    Veronica McSwiney, Irish Independent

  • Maeve Binchy has a gimlet eye for the seething cauldron of emotions which lies beneath the surface of everyday life

    Irish Independent

  • An adept storyteller with a sharp eye for social nuances and a pleasing affection for her characters

    Sunday Times

  • A thoroughly enjoyable and readable book

    The Times

More from this Author

View all View all
View all View all

About the Author

Maeve Binchy

Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin, and went to school at the Holy Child Convent in Killiney. She took a history degree at UCD and taught in various girls' schools, writing travel articles in the long summer holidays. In 1969 she joined the Irish Times and for many years she was based in London writing humorous columns from all over the world. She is the author of five collections of short stories as well as twelve novels including Circle of Friends, The Copper Beech, Tara Road, Evening Class and The Glass Lake. Maeve Binchy died on 30 July 2012. She is survived by her husband, the writer Gordon Snell.

Maeve Binchy

Our Use of Cookies

We use cookies on this site to enable certain parts of the site to function and to collect information about your use of the site so that we can improve our visitors’ experience. For more on our cookies and changing your settings click here

Our Use of Cookies

We use cookies on this site to enable certain parts of the site to function and to collect information about your use of the site so that we can improve our visitors’ experience.

For more on our cookies and changing your settings click here

Strictly Necessary

Strictly Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions. See More.

Analytics

Analytics cookies help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. These cookies may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. See More.

Preferences & Features

Preference and Feature cookies allow our website to remember choices you make, such as your language preferences and any customisations you make to pages on our website during your visit. See More.

Targeting / Advertising

Targeting cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you and your interests. They perform functions like preventing the same content from reappearing, ensuring ads are displayed and, in some cases, selecting content based on your interests. See More.