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The Light a Candle Society

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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
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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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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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This is a slow burn that gets you involved the more you listen to it. I found I was invested in the characters and what was happening to them, as well as the bigger story of what they were doing. Definitely had a couple of moments where I got a lump in my throat.
My only negative, and it’s very tiny, was one or two of the accents of guest characters were a tiny bit grating, it it wouldn’t be enough for me not to listen to the book again.

Another amazing Ruth Hogan story

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