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A Christmas Candle
It is 1939 and all over Britain children are being evacuated from cities and other places of danger to stay in the country which to them is as strange and frightening as a landing on Mars. Eve Armstrong and her little brother are going to take refuge on a quiet farm in Devonshire when Eve sees on the platform outside the railways compartment in which she is travelling, a crowd of children, mostly shabbily dressed. But one boy – Johnny Durrell – in a smart school uniform pulls a face at Eve through the glass and shouts abuse. Later, Eve discovers that Johnny Durrell is living at the next farm to the one to which she has been sent. The two become fast friends and share experiences until Connie from Liverpool appears on the scene. The two girls both want Johnny, but Johnny is indifferent to girls and simply wants to join in the war effort as soon as he is old enough and can become a spitfire pilot . . .
304 pages, Hardcover
Published December 1, 2017
36 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Katie Flynn
100 books218 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Katie Flynn was born in Norwich and attended Norwich High School, where she was extremely happy and extremely undistinguished. Published at the tender age of eight, in Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories, she joined a Writers’ Circle as an adult, publishing short stories, articles, etc; only turning to novels in 1971 because the postal strike cut off her main source of income!
At first she wrote under several different names – Judith Saxton, Judy Turner, Lydia Balmain, Judith Arden – but her Katie Flynn books were a delight to write and proved far more popular than she had dreamed. She has now published nearly ninety novels, twenty-seven of which are Flynns. Her most recent titles are: Lost Days of Summer and Christmas Wishes.
Katie Flynn was born in Norwich and attended Norwich High School, where she was extremely happy and extremely undistinguished. Published at the tender age of eight, in Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories, she joined a Writers’ Circle as an adult, publishing short stories, articles, etc; only turning to novels in 1971 because the postal strike cut off her main source of income!
At first she wrote under several different names – Judith Saxton, Judy Turner, Lydia Balmain, Judith Arden – but her Katie Flynn books were a delight to write and proved far more popular than she had dreamed. She has now published nearly ninety novels, twenty-seven of which are Flynns. Her most recent titles are: Lost Days of Summer and Christmas Wishes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 23, 2017
This is a pleasant read by Katie Flynn. It was passed on to me by my mom, who proclaimed it to be a "really good one". I felt it had all the right ingredients but I was a little disappointed that for me it didn't live up to all that promise, in fact in places I found it a little flat. The story centres on a young girl called Eve who goes to live on a farm in Devon at the outbreak of war. She loves the farm and its residents and comes to think of the place as home. Although it's called A Christmas Candle and has a very Christmassy cover it hardly mentions Christmas.
October 3, 2017
As of previous books of Katie Flynn there are a great mix of characters and details, but the story really didn't seem to flow as well as previous stories, which made this very difficult to read, but perseverance prevailed and the story did improve. But personally not as good as previous Katie Flynn books that I have read.
December 16, 2017
A delight to read
Oh I so loved this book. The story is focused on evie and brother Chrissie evacuated out during war times to the farm. Happy times sad times with wonderful memories for evie to treasure. A beautiful story with a delightful ending that put tears in my eyes
Oh I so loved this book. The story is focused on evie and brother Chrissie evacuated out during war times to the farm. Happy times sad times with wonderful memories for evie to treasure. A beautiful story with a delightful ending that put tears in my eyes
November 16, 2017
I really enjoyed this book but I just felt it was slightly unfinished or maybe a bit rushed at the end. Christmas is only mentioned briefly in the story so the title is unrelated to the book , however its a very enjoyable read and I will be rereading it!
November 18, 2017
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Struggled to get into this book! Kept putting it down. Very disappointed.
Struggled to get into this book! Kept putting it down. Very disappointed.
December 10, 2017
lovely story of a young girl Eve an evacuee during ww2. my only criticism is there was nothing christmassy in it apart from the title!
December 23, 2020
During wartime children were shipped off everywhere for their own safety, away from big cities.
It's 1939 and Eve and Chrissie her little brother are sent to Drake's farm in Devon.
There they find a wonderful way of life, far removed from the casual dismissiveness of their career minded mother.
But then Connie Hale arrives and sparks jealousy between Eve and her new found friend Johnny Durrell.
Rivalry abounds but also good times and other good friends as we learn of the lives of other lovable characters on the farm.
Their fates are all bound up through the war but which girl will ultimately win Johnny?
A wonderful Wartime tale that will definitely appeal to the period novel fans out there.
It's 1939 and Eve and Chrissie her little brother are sent to Drake's farm in Devon.
There they find a wonderful way of life, far removed from the casual dismissiveness of their career minded mother.
But then Connie Hale arrives and sparks jealousy between Eve and her new found friend Johnny Durrell.
Rivalry abounds but also good times and other good friends as we learn of the lives of other lovable characters on the farm.
Their fates are all bound up through the war but which girl will ultimately win Johnny?
A wonderful Wartime tale that will definitely appeal to the period novel fans out there.
December 31, 2017
I felt the same with this I started it but didn't finish it, I have never been like this with one of Katie Flynns books been reading her books many many years. was disappointed with this
Felt like the story was slow from the beginning. Only a 2 rating for this normally I rate Katie's book a 5 star always.
Felt like the story was slow from the beginning. Only a 2 rating for this normally I rate Katie's book a 5 star always.
December 27, 2019
An easy Christmas read. Bit predictable.
January 5, 2024
A Christmas Candle centres around an adult Eve revisiting memories of Drakes Farm where she spent time as an evacuee working the land and building relationships with the other children also evacuated from London. This was well written, the writing style was easy to read, the characters were enjoyable to learn about, but the story fell flat about two thirds into the book. It’s not about Christmas at all, so I’m confused as to why the title. However, the ending was perfect, tied up the story nicely with a bow, not exactly a happy ending but a very good one.
January 27, 2018
nice easy read
December 21, 2017
Katie Flynn (2017) A CHRISTMAS CANDLE
London. Arrow Books
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 4 out of 5 stars
Penguin Books write, "Will she find love in her wartime home? 1939. All over Britain children are being evacuated, and Eve Armstrong is headed for Devon. As the train pulls out of London she takes a last look at the crowded platform, the shabbily dressed evacuees, and a rude little boy sticking his tongue out. She’s looking forward to a change of scene. And at first Eve is happier than ever at Drake’s Farm. Not even her daily chores dampen her spirits. It’s a different world that invites fresh starts, and so when Eve runs into the boy from the station, Johnny Durrell, they call a truce and soon become firm friends. The war might be a distant reality, but the arrival of new evacuee Connie Hale makes every day a battle. Connie is lazy, stuck up and spiteful – and Johnny’s new best friend. As the conflict grows and Eve with it, will she fight for Johnny or concede defeat?"
This is one of those wartime books I always see at Tesco. Never read one before.
And, I liked this I did. Would I read another? Yes. Though this is a fictional story, you will know that it could so easily be a true story with all that went on here in Blighty during WWII - the reality of that time is unimaginable to me. Found the big sister/little brother kinship between Eve and Chrissie to be the sweetest thing. Really good, poignant nostalgic story this is.
#KatieFlynn #AChristmasCandle #KatieFlynnAChristmasCandle #Christmas #MerryChristmas #Xmas #Santa #SantaClaus #FatherChristmas
London. Arrow Books
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 4 out of 5 stars
Penguin Books write, "Will she find love in her wartime home? 1939. All over Britain children are being evacuated, and Eve Armstrong is headed for Devon. As the train pulls out of London she takes a last look at the crowded platform, the shabbily dressed evacuees, and a rude little boy sticking his tongue out. She’s looking forward to a change of scene. And at first Eve is happier than ever at Drake’s Farm. Not even her daily chores dampen her spirits. It’s a different world that invites fresh starts, and so when Eve runs into the boy from the station, Johnny Durrell, they call a truce and soon become firm friends. The war might be a distant reality, but the arrival of new evacuee Connie Hale makes every day a battle. Connie is lazy, stuck up and spiteful – and Johnny’s new best friend. As the conflict grows and Eve with it, will she fight for Johnny or concede defeat?"
This is one of those wartime books I always see at Tesco. Never read one before.
And, I liked this I did. Would I read another? Yes. Though this is a fictional story, you will know that it could so easily be a true story with all that went on here in Blighty during WWII - the reality of that time is unimaginable to me. Found the big sister/little brother kinship between Eve and Chrissie to be the sweetest thing. Really good, poignant nostalgic story this is.
#KatieFlynn #AChristmasCandle #KatieFlynnAChristmasCandle #Christmas #MerryChristmas #Xmas #Santa #SantaClaus #FatherChristmas
January 5, 2018
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was a little disappointed with this book, the title had no relevance to the storyline. It wasn’t based around Christmas and there was no mention of a candle. I thought the characters were likeable but the story was just a little slow and not a great deal happened. This is one of my favourite authors and I have read all of her books and this is not good!
I was a little disappointed with this book, the title had no relevance to the storyline. It wasn’t based around Christmas and there was no mention of a candle. I thought the characters were likeable but the story was just a little slow and not a great deal happened. This is one of my favourite authors and I have read all of her books and this is not good!
October 20, 2017
This book follows the lives of some evacuees that end up at Drake Farm run by Auntie Bess and Uncle Reg. Once the war ends the children have spent more of their life there then in the homes they'd come from. Over 60 years later Eve one of the main characters reminisces her time spent at the farm, and you get a small peek into what happened to her afterwards. I would have liked to have learnt a little more about her life on leaving Drake Farm, but it was a very enjoyable read.
October 29, 2017
I really enjoyed this book I was about a group of children who left there homes because if the war and they ended living on this fram called drake fram and they lived with the land girls who helped on the fram they was all friends and they all helped each other with milking cows and the harvest and the called Evie liked the boy called Jonny but he seemed to like this other girl Connie so would Evie fight for the man she loved or would she let him go
January 16, 2018
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.
This book was quite slow to start and I have absolutely no idea what the relevance of the title to the book was. Christmas was not mentioned once in the book. However it was very easy to read and the storyline was overall enjoyable, I don’t think it was as good as some of Flynn’s other books but still worth a read.
This book was quite slow to start and I have absolutely no idea what the relevance of the title to the book was. Christmas was not mentioned once in the book. However it was very easy to read and the storyline was overall enjoyable, I don’t think it was as good as some of Flynn’s other books but still worth a read.
September 29, 2017
Special days
Like all of Katie Flynn's books this one does not let you Down. Full of wonderful characters and a story to match.. a must read book.
Like all of Katie Flynn's books this one does not let you Down. Full of wonderful characters and a story to match.. a must read book.
October 1, 2017
Good book
Found this book a little hard to get into but when I did it was very good. Lots of different characters. Well worth a read****
Found this book a little hard to get into but when I did it was very good. Lots of different characters. Well worth a read****
December 31, 2017
Excellent book with A GOOD STORY LINE ...I always love this author's books and find them difficult to put down.. this story certainly lives up to her usual superb writing ability.
April 22, 2018
Warm tale of life on a farm for landgirls and evacuees, i enjoyed it especially the warmth that the family showed to outsiders coming into their home at war time.
April 26, 2018
This is a book filled with emotions. A Christmas Candle, by Katie Flynn, is a heartwarming book with many adventures that the characters face.
The setting takes place on a farm in Devonshire, UK during the war in 1939. The main character, Eve Armstrong, has been forced to move from her hometown along with her little brother and mother, in hopes to find a better place or to get to Plymouth where her father is. The three of them arrive at Drake’s Farm, where they will take refuge until they are able to make their way safely to Eve’s father. The farm is a typical english farm with a cozy house and many animals that Eve and her little brother just adore. Eve’s mother, however, doesn’t enjoy the stay as she is from and upper class town and wants to remain that way; she will not stand for using a toilet outside and sleeping in a small room with a bunch of other farm girls and refugees. With her fancy things being a priority in her life, Eve’s mother decides it would be best for her to travel by herself to Plymouth and find her way to her husband and leave Eve and her brother here at Drake’s Farm to live with the owner and the farm girls. Eve decides that this is a wonderful idea; she would get to help o the farm and make new friends and even go to school at the local village. When she was first travelling here on the train she noticed a boy who was making fun and pulling faces at her, which Eve was not impressed by. In turned out that the boy, Johnny Durrell, lives close to the farm and even attends the same school. Eve also meets a new girl to the farm, Connie, from Liverpool, who is stuck up and won’t help with any of the farm chores. She and Eve quickly become enemies as Eve believes there is no way to be friendly with her. However the worst part is that both Eve and Connie like Johnny, so rivalry between the two girls continues thought the book.
The author did a good job on capturing the picture of rivalry, friendship and love in A Christmas Candle. It was a bit hard to get into as the beginning, especially, was very slow. Although very descriptive, I would not choose to read again as I found it somewhat boring at times. The type of person who likes slow moving yet emotional books would definitely get into this book. For myself though, it was not my favourite book to read.
The setting takes place on a farm in Devonshire, UK during the war in 1939. The main character, Eve Armstrong, has been forced to move from her hometown along with her little brother and mother, in hopes to find a better place or to get to Plymouth where her father is. The three of them arrive at Drake’s Farm, where they will take refuge until they are able to make their way safely to Eve’s father. The farm is a typical english farm with a cozy house and many animals that Eve and her little brother just adore. Eve’s mother, however, doesn’t enjoy the stay as she is from and upper class town and wants to remain that way; she will not stand for using a toilet outside and sleeping in a small room with a bunch of other farm girls and refugees. With her fancy things being a priority in her life, Eve’s mother decides it would be best for her to travel by herself to Plymouth and find her way to her husband and leave Eve and her brother here at Drake’s Farm to live with the owner and the farm girls. Eve decides that this is a wonderful idea; she would get to help o the farm and make new friends and even go to school at the local village. When she was first travelling here on the train she noticed a boy who was making fun and pulling faces at her, which Eve was not impressed by. In turned out that the boy, Johnny Durrell, lives close to the farm and even attends the same school. Eve also meets a new girl to the farm, Connie, from Liverpool, who is stuck up and won’t help with any of the farm chores. She and Eve quickly become enemies as Eve believes there is no way to be friendly with her. However the worst part is that both Eve and Connie like Johnny, so rivalry between the two girls continues thought the book.
The author did a good job on capturing the picture of rivalry, friendship and love in A Christmas Candle. It was a bit hard to get into as the beginning, especially, was very slow. Although very descriptive, I would not choose to read again as I found it somewhat boring at times. The type of person who likes slow moving yet emotional books would definitely get into this book. For myself though, it was not my favourite book to read.
December 29, 2019
I usually like Katie Flynn books but this one was rather disappointing. This was a story about an evacuee called Eve and her brother Chrissie (odd name for a boy!) The plot encompassed the whole of the war years but never really mentioned Christmas, so the title was completely confusing! There were lots of sub plots which were never fleshed out, what happened to her parents? What happened to Lily and Hank? It would have been nice to know how Eve and Johnny finally got together, did Johnny ever admit he was taken in by Connie?? We had a whistle stop tour of Connie's life but not Eve's or Chrissie's, very odd! I felt that the book should have been about three times as long, so much was missing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2018
I struggled slightly with this book as I found it difficult to get into the story. I found I kept putting it down. It is not really a Christmas book as the title didn't really suit the book.
I have read other books by this author and have been immediately drawn into the story and have not been able to put them down but this didn't really happen with this book. It did get better after a slow start and was quite an enjoyable read. I liked the ending and great mix of characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have read other books by this author and have been immediately drawn into the story and have not been able to put them down but this didn't really happen with this book. It did get better after a slow start and was quite an enjoyable read. I liked the ending and great mix of characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 9, 2022
Read in a day. Could not put down literally. Got yo know all the delightful characters and loved each of them. Katie you brought romance and war romance and the evacuation of children to farms and the countryside to keep them safe. Eve was a lovely character and was so happy she married her first love but was sorry he died before they could both take a trip down memory lane at Drakes farm. Everyone needs an aunt Bessie in their lives and I wish I had one.
March 3, 2023
I enjoyed reading this book but like what most people are saying. The title has no relation to what happens in the book. I think christmas was mentioned once and we don't find out what happened to half the characters which was a major disappointment. I love when books go ahead in the future and you find out what happened to everyone but there was so many characters life stories that wasn't mentioned. She could have expanded on the book a bit more. It felt rushed near the end
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2020
like many children Eve had to be evacuated from Plymouth during the war. waiting for the train to go a little boy sticks his tongue out at her.
arriving in the country things are very different but she soon makes friends with some of the other evacuees but who was the rude boy?
when a new girl arrives who is a bully how will Eve cope
great book as always from Katie
arriving in the country things are very different but she soon makes friends with some of the other evacuees but who was the rude boy?
when a new girl arrives who is a bully how will Eve cope
great book as always from Katie
December 28, 2018
I read only half of this story because nothing much was happening with the characters and it was a very slow read. I also was hoping for a Christmas story but It was not a Christmas story at all. Overall disappointing and slow.
December 15, 2020
This was a nice read, much better than the other Katie Flynn book I read which I found quite boring and not at all exciting. I found it a little disjointed and the story doesn't quite match the blurb, but it was still an enjoyable read.
July 3, 2021
Not one of my favourite books by Kate Flynn
I found it very slow reading and very repetitive.
It wasn't a book that captivated me at all, but I did finish reading it as I don't like to give in. The ending or the last few pages was very imaginative and enjoyable but sorry about the rest .
I found it very slow reading and very repetitive.
It wasn't a book that captivated me at all, but I did finish reading it as I don't like to give in. The ending or the last few pages was very imaginative and enjoyable but sorry about the rest .
December 7, 2017
loved it but not my favourite by this author. im.normally totally gripped
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews