HERE BURNS MY CANDLE

The author’s knowledge of eighteenth-century Scotland is indisputable. Her latest novel is rich with historical detail that generates a believable story. The saga of the Kerr family is set in Edinburgh during the political turmoil of the Jacobite Rebellion. However, the novel does not translate well to audio. Although Higgs herself performs the reading, her distinctively American accent can’t convey a true sense of the setting, despite her knowledge of the characters and the action of the story. She reads clearly but does not provide different voices for the characters and is not able to fully voice the Gaelic words in the text. These weaknesses get in the way of enjoying the story. R.F. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2010]