The Christmas Candle
In a small English town, where all is quiet with no trouble,
Is set a story which endears faith and prayer,
In comes an angel to visit an elderly couple,
Not always but at Christmas time of the year.
Author: Max Lucado has written around 80 books. His name has graced the New York Bestsellers list more than once. His books are mainly based on religion, God, trust, and faith.
Story: Candle maker Edward Haddington and his wife Bea are in their 70s. They live in a little village called Gladstone where not much action happens. But people eagerly wait for the Christmas time when a mysterious angel visits this couple on Christmas Eve and touches one of Edward’s candles. This candle is said to have miraculous powers and can apparently grant the wish of the person who lights it and prays! This miracle occurs across generations in the Haddington family.
Reverend Richmond has been newly appointed to minister the affairs of the village church. He, a person of facts, is appalled at the idea that a miraculous candle can grant wishes. This leads to a strained relationship between him and the villagers. He is staunchly of the opinion that almighty is the most powerful of all and has deep belief in the Bible. He believes God will never single out just one person who has the candle and ignore the rest.
As the day of the angel’s visit approaches, people throng to Edward’s home and beg him to hand over the candle to them since each one feels he/she is the neediest of all. Whom will Edward choose as the receiver?
On the much awaited night, the angel does visit and touch a candle. However, Edward, in his excitement, stumbles over the candles and they all get mixed up. What will befall in the village now?
My Opinion: This is not a book preaching religion. It stays focussed on prayer and faith till the very end. This is the first thing I admired. The language is simple and the flow is consistent. One can easily read the little book of 186 pages in a single sitting. It does not have many words in a single page meaning the margins on either side of the prose are quite huge.
However, the mystery of the angel stays a mystery till the very end.
So the genre of the book would still be ‘fantasy’ though I would love to put it under the ‘faith’ genre. It is a predictable book so the attempt to create a mystery with the candles getting jumbled is not too successful.
All in all, a feel-good kind of Christmas read, as it helps to plunge into the holiday season! Merry Christmas to all readers!