Description
By: Regina Victoria Hunt
A Candle For Our Lady by Regina Victoria Hunt is a moving and beautifully written novel that explores themes of faith, friendship, and courage. The story follows the lives of four young girls who attend a Catholic boarding school in the 1950s. As they navigate the challenges of adolescence, they form a deep bond over their shared devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Hunt does a fantastic job of capturing the complexities of teenage friendship and the struggles of coming of age in a restrictive and often oppressive environment. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and readers will find themselves rooting for them as they face various obstacles and uncertainties.
One of the highlights of the novel is the evocative and vivid descriptions of the school’s traditions and rituals. Hunt’s prose is lyrical and immersive, drawing readers into the world of the girls and allowing them to experience the beauty and significance of their faith firsthand.
Overall, A Candle For Our Lady is a poignant and compelling read that will resonate with readers of all ages. It is a story of love, loss, and redemption, and a testament to the power of friendship and faith in even the darkest of times. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction and coming-of-age stories.
Book Description:
Dark times for British Catholics hung over England in the days of King Henry VIII. Henry, influenced by the hated Thomas Cromwell, fell into opposition with them, suppressing them, and closing religious houses. In that period a famous shrine, erected centuries earlier at Walsingham and dedicated to our Lady, drew people from far and near for it was a favorite place of pilgrimage and the site of many miracles.
On their grandmother’s and uncle’s farm, far removed from this scene of persecution, were Jemmy Reynolds and his sister Joan. For a long time they had been promised the chance to make the pilgrimage to Walsingham, and now at last they were going. Their biggest problem was to find a suitable offering to our Lady, and Joan came upon the idea of presenting a great, fine candle. And so they set out upon a thrilling journey which eventually brings Jem face to face with the crafty Cromwell and King Henry himself.
What happens when they meet a cunning stranger on the way to the shrine and later when Jem attempts to rescue a friend from Cromwell’s power are some of the exciting developments that make A Candle For Our Lady interesting and fast moving. True history and authentic background are woven into this story which provides a taste of the struggles English Catholics knew in a time when cruelty and greed ruled the land.
