Candle in the Darkness: (Dramatic Civil War-Era Fiction) (Refiner's Fire)

This a is about the Civil War and the people who lived through it. It is about the slaves and slavery. It is about keeping to your beliefs even if you fear imprisonment or death. A young woman who abhors slavery works behind the scenes of war to help the slaves even when she is found to be a traitor to the confederacy. It explained the different points of view when it came to slaves, something I had never been aware of. Excellent book!

I felt like the story could have been developed better. I loved the relationship of the main character with her slaves, but I found the plot a bit far fetched and unrealistic.

I very much enjoyed this series and have shared them with others.

Excellent Novel. So very sad that people lose their joy...Jesus first, others next and yourself last! This shows selflessness which is the best lesson.

Candle in the Darkness by Lynn Austin is Book 1 of her Refiner's Fire Series. It is probably the best book I've read in a couple of years. It's strongly Christian yet not preachy. This is historical fiction but not pedantic. It is amazingly written and researched.The setting is in the time of the U.S. Civil War in Richmond, Virginia. This book will delight you—whichever side of the Civil War you identify with. This is by far the best Civil War story I've ever read.Caroline Fletcher is a lovely young woman who lives on a plantation in Richmond. Her parents are delighted to be having a new baby, but sadly, the baby boy dies shortly after birth. Her father doesn't understand his daughter and has a difficult time communicating with her, though he loves her dearly. Caroline's closest friends are her mammy, Tessie, who's about fifteen years older than she is, servant Eli, her father's manservant Gilbert, and Grady, Tessie's little boy.As a young teen, Caroline gets acquainted with her cousins. A visit to Hilltop, her aunt and uncle's plantation, is an eye-opener for her. These people treat slaves as if they were animals. Caroline gets busy helping sick slave children and ends up sick herself.Caroline's mother is expecting again. After a long labor, the baby is stillborn, and shortly afterwards, Caroline's mother takes her own life. Caroline's father is desolate. Her Aunt Martha comes for the funeral and invites Caroline to go back to Philadelphia with her. There, Caroline meets the Reverend Nathaniel Greene, who heads up an anti-slavery group in the north. They become friends. In the meantime, she seeks comfort and friendship from her cousin Robert, who adores her. He's her savior at social events.After some time, Caroline returns home and meets a most infuriating man with blue eyes—and one of the handsomest faces she ever saw. Oh, how he makes her mad. She never wants to see him again. Of course, she does, and they argue every time they're thrown together. Soon, she realizes he is Sally's brother, a member of the notable St. John family. She can hardly believe it, and her feelings for this man are beginning to change.Caroline is also growing in her faith. Her convictions are the same, but she is learning to follow God—no matter what dangers she faces. Her spiritual mentor is Eli, the pastor of the slave church.In order not to spoil the story, I'll let you read Candle in the Darkness for yourself. It is awesome. Whether you are black or white, whether your ancestors fought on one side or the other, you will love this book. I only wish all historical fiction was this good!Candle in the Darkness contains one "white lie" that's not corrected, non-graphic descriptions of war casualties, a storyline about master-slave sexual abuse, and implied adulterous relationships. There are no explicit scenes or details. I would recommend this book to older teens and adults.

Could not put this book down. Also I learned so much about the Civil War. This author is incredibly brilliant.

If you want to become fully engulfed in the raging of the Civil War--the battle that was fought not only physically, but also morally, sit awhile by Caroline and read her story.Having done a good bit of Civil War research on my own, I found "Candle in the Darkness" to be fascinating and well-researched. The story itself seemed a little slow at times because Austin was very thorough to explain the history of what was happening during that time. It actually made me think of books written by Ballentyne or Henty, because it wasn't just fiction, but educational.There were some mentions of how men treated the women slaves, but no scenes happened. The romance didn't stand out to me much--but that could have been because I was more fascinated with the whole historical aspect. Yes, there was romance. There were some kisses, some mentions of longing to be a wife and what it entailed. I would say that the content is more appropriate for older readers rather than the young, conservative reader--just because some of the things mentioned may lead to questions.I can't say that I fully agreed with the stand that the main character took. It was fascinating to read, her motives were very believable, but I tend to think that the Civil War was more than just rooted in slavery and the confederates' desire for states' rights more than just the right to own slaves, but that is my personal opinion. It's just that reading this book presents the idea that slavery was THE issue of the Civil War...The spiritual content--seriously, best for last. I was highly, highly impressed! God and His Word was sprinkled throughout the entire book!! There were some amazing, strong Christian characters and they knew God's Word and used God's Word. This was, beyond any doubt, a Christian book. I found it spiritually edifying. I especially liked Eli (who wouldn't?). He was amazing and said some very thought-provoking things.I also loved the very realistic battle with fear. The characters portrayed were VERY real with very real "flesh" and that was amazing to read.As a writer, I found some things to wrinkle my nose at -- Austin's style was more of the "telling" where she summarized a lot of things. I prefer action as it leads the story forward a little better, but that's my critical viewpoint. ;) I didn't always feel like I was able to fully embrace Caroline. Sometimes, her raw emotion was very riveting, but other times, I had no clue how Caroline viewed something.But yeah... as a reader I give this book an overall five star review. I recommend it for any older readers--especially those who love the Civil War.A couple of quotes:“Most folks won’t change their mind unless they have a change of heart first.”“Faith don’t come in a bushel basket, Missy. It come one step at a time. Decide to trust Him for one little thing today, and before you know it, you find out He’s so trustworthy you be putting your whole life in His hands.”

I'm not sure that it is the right word to use but I did enjoy this book. Set around the time of the American Civil War it is a great analysis of the morality of owning slaves. The heroine has been brought up with slaves but begins to question the ethics of it at a very young age when she sees the little boy she has always played with dragged away from his mother and his home to be sold. As she grows and matures, her convictions grow with her but to voice them can be dangerous.As the Civil War rages around them, she is led to the conclusion that the war needs to end as soon as possible to avoid wasting more lives, but also that the Unionists need to win as they have pledged to abolish slavery. All of this is despite the fact that the people she loves are fighting in the Confederate army, and she agonises over the fact that her actions may be putting them at further risk. To this end she takes steps which place her in grave danger, but she is dismayed to learn that her efforts seem to have been in vain. It is her wise, older slave Eli who teaches her that she can only do what she is able to and may not see the effects of her actions. He reminds her of the parallels to her situation in the Bible, comparing her at times to Esther, Rahab and Joshua. Above all he teaches her not to trust her feelings but to trust God for everything, even when all seems lost. As her betrayal is discovered and she is expecting imminent arrest, she writes down all that has happened and her reasons for doing what she has done - this is no spoiler as that is how the story starts - and that written evidence is what brings conclusion to the story.This was an absorbing tale of courage and tenacity in the face of adversity which I wanted to know the end of but didn't want the book to end.

this is not my usual type of book but I was pleasantly surprised. This is about a woman from the south who doesnt agree with slavery although she has been raised on a plantation. When the civil war comes she is torn by loyalty to her friends and family and by her conviction that slavery is wrong.The questions this book raises make for some interesting debates - how far would you go for your convictions? Where does your loyalty to your family begin or end? Is it OK to do nothing?While this is not Gone With the Wind it still has merit. There is a lot of passages about praying and relying on the Lord for guidance. Oh and a fair bit of romance - but its not really sugary!

What a wonderful story of love and loyalty.The analogies between what God has done for us as sinners and what Caroline did for her slaves are truly thought provoking.I have learned so much from this story about how slaves were treated and how awful it must have been for them.I can understand now how they must have felt but many of them were true to not only their masters but most importantly their heavenly father.This belief in Him made the difference and He rewarded them with their freedom although they already knew the most important kind of freedom--freedom from a lost eternity.Lynn is a very fine author and for me it wasn't just another book to read it has given me a deeper insight into how we must remember that God is always in control working out His purposes for those who love Him.

This is the first book I read by this author and I'm definitely going to look at their other books. I loved the history behind the story and the romance and tragedy. This book brought you into the war and made you see and feel the way the world use to be. I loved the romance between many of the characters. This book made me smile laugh and cry. This book is worth reading

This was well written with character development right through to the end, as events challenged the world's the characters lived in. Was amazing to have such an interesting in depth book from free. I knew little about the American civil war and the challenges it placed on Christian people. There are some brief gory bits very delicately handled that are needed to emphasis the appallingly waste of life and liberty. Highly recommend for everyone wanting a good read. For Christians it is thought provoking as to who has first call on your loyalty: family; friends; country or God.