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The Light a Candle Society

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The Light a Candle Society

By: Ruth Hogan
Narrated by: Mark Elstob
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About this listen

All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle

George McGlory—recent widower, part-time librarian, pub quiz enthusiast and lover of loud shirts witnesses a public health funeral and is deeply moved by the sight of the lonely coffin with no flowers and no mourners in attendance.

He joins forces with Elena, a florist, Edwin, an undertaker, Sid, the owner of a bric-a-brac and second-hand furniture emporium, and Roxy his library colleague to form The Light a Candle Society and banish lonely funerals for good.

As they honour the dead together, George reflects on his own life and the rifts within his family. Can he find the courage and humility to face the demons of his past and repair his broken relationships before it's too late?

©2025 Ruth Hogan (P)2025 W. F. Howes Ltd Contemporary Family Life Friendship Genre Fiction Heartfelt Feel-Good
All stars
Most relevant
All the characters are interesting. I couldn’t wait to find out the background story of each one. I didn’t know anything about this subject so found it intriguing from start to finish.

Lovely poignant thought provoking story

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I really enjoyed this book as it particularly resonated with me as a retired social worker. During my career I attended many local authority funerals and was often responsible for arranging them too. Usually for clients who had no living family or who had fallen out with family due to their chronic mental health issues or substance misuse.

I always wanted to be there so they would have someone who they knew sending them off to their next journey.

Heartwarming

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Another super listen from Ruth Hogan. This book had everything, engaging characters , a very different theme both heartwarming and uplifting. It also had some romance plus interesting thought provoking elements of the right to choose your own death and mental illness support amongst others. All addressed in a gentle way. Masterful storytelling I can’t wait for the next book!

Heartwarming and uplifting

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Loved the story which was written beautifully. Characters had great depth. An easy listen. Would recommend.

Unique storyline

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I am currently working my way through Ruth Hogan books but this is my favourite. It took a while to settle in to this but I love the way she wove seemingly unrelated stories together in such a beautiful and heart warming way. The wonderfully written characters came alive with the fabulous performance from Mark Elston and I found myself listening every chance I could whilst not wanting it end. It is not often you find a book with a unique story line but this will stay with me for a long time.

lovely, unique, heartwarming

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