Call number
FIC THO
Collection
Publication
David R. Godine, Publisher (2008), Edition: First Godine Edition, 556 pages
Description
The story of three closely-related Oxfordshire communities -- a hamlet, a village, and a town -- and the memorable cast of characters who people them. Based on Thompson's own experiences as a child and young woman, it is keenly observed and beautifully narrated, quiet and evocative.
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member atimco
Lark Rise to Candleford, originally published as three separate works in 1939–1943, is part autobiography, part historical documentary, and part social commentary. Other reviewers have described it as a novel (or rather, three novels), but I'm not sure I'd classify it as such. Flora Thompson sets
And yet it isn't a story in the strict sense, which is why I don't think of it as a novel. Thompson gives her readers chapter after chapter of basic facts about what life was like for the agricultural laborers of the time. There is no villain, unless it be the ever-present poverty these country people faced. We follow the men to the fields and get a sense of their day-to-day lives and relationships. But the majority of the narrative is spent on the women, tracing out their struggles, describing their homes, discussing their love of fashion and gossip, and telling anecdotes of the more colorful or virtuous among them. At first I was a bit restless with the lack of plot, but as I continued to read I found myself drawn into the lives of the people Thompson describes, and I was left with an incredible amount of respect for their hardihood and endurance.
I suppose one could argue that the plot is loosely that of a coming-of-age novel, set against a backdrop that refuses to stay behind the characters. But I get the impression that it was more important to Thompson to capture her time and place with accuracy than to tell her own story. Her story comes in, of course, but usually only as a means to further elucidate her setting. This changes somewhat in the later sections, but I'm not sure I've read anything before that has quite this level of authorial detachment when the author is herself a character on the pages. The writing, by the way, is simply lovely.
Other works kept coming to mind as I read: L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables for the character sketches and small-community gossip (and foreshadowings of World War I in Montgomery's later books); James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small (and the rest) for its reverent handling of a rustic, long-past way of life and its humor; and, most of all, Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn which also features a sensitive young girl living in a poor community and observing it with both eyes wide open. Both Francie and Laura have similar family structures, with a generally absent father, hardworking and attractive mother, and favored younger brother who gets on with their surroundings rather better than his older sister. Both girls snatch at whatever scraps of education and books they can get (unlike the other children), and become both a product of and an outsider to their communities.
The social commentary comes in with Thompson's lively disdain for modern psychology and all the ailments it has invented. As I happen to agree with her on this point, I found it quite refreshing to read her observations on how the principle of supply creating demand applies to physical and psychological ills. She also presents a very realistic view of the nature of humanity, demonstrating children's innate savagery (though implying that it can be cured with education). It's clear Thompson has little patience with what she sees as our absurdly over-protective approach to parenting today. She casts herself as a case study, giving several examples throughout the book of her own emotional resilience (and she was a sensitive child, too). One such instance is when she stumbles on a field where a bull was engaged in the act of "justifying his existence." Little Laura slips away before the men see her—and, as she pointedly notes, with absolutely no psychological scars engraved upon her soul.
Thompson is very reticent about her own religious beliefs, but goes into great depth concerning those of the country people. There were one or two comments about the historicity of the Bible ("that Jonah story takes a lot of swallowing") and the fact that it was only the older, less educated country people who still believed in the biblical miracles. There was also implicit praise of a preacher who never said anything that could make anyone uncomfortable. As with the rest of the subjects Thompson explores, all is viewed through a lens of forty years' experience and historical hindsight. Indeed, it is the fear of loss and the desire to preserve, in some form, a way of life that is gone forever that seems to be Thompson's primary motive in writing.
Overall, this was an excellent read and I enjoyed the immersion in the historical period very much.
Show More
out to recount rural life in England's 1880s and 1890s, and, incidentally, her own childhood. But she distances herself from the narrative by telling it in the third person and calling her character "Laura"—and anyways, Laura's story is secondary to that of Lark Rise and the surrounding areas.And yet it isn't a story in the strict sense, which is why I don't think of it as a novel. Thompson gives her readers chapter after chapter of basic facts about what life was like for the agricultural laborers of the time. There is no villain, unless it be the ever-present poverty these country people faced. We follow the men to the fields and get a sense of their day-to-day lives and relationships. But the majority of the narrative is spent on the women, tracing out their struggles, describing their homes, discussing their love of fashion and gossip, and telling anecdotes of the more colorful or virtuous among them. At first I was a bit restless with the lack of plot, but as I continued to read I found myself drawn into the lives of the people Thompson describes, and I was left with an incredible amount of respect for their hardihood and endurance.
I suppose one could argue that the plot is loosely that of a coming-of-age novel, set against a backdrop that refuses to stay behind the characters. But I get the impression that it was more important to Thompson to capture her time and place with accuracy than to tell her own story. Her story comes in, of course, but usually only as a means to further elucidate her setting. This changes somewhat in the later sections, but I'm not sure I've read anything before that has quite this level of authorial detachment when the author is herself a character on the pages. The writing, by the way, is simply lovely.
Other works kept coming to mind as I read: L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables for the character sketches and small-community gossip (and foreshadowings of World War I in Montgomery's later books); James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small (and the rest) for its reverent handling of a rustic, long-past way of life and its humor; and, most of all, Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn which also features a sensitive young girl living in a poor community and observing it with both eyes wide open. Both Francie and Laura have similar family structures, with a generally absent father, hardworking and attractive mother, and favored younger brother who gets on with their surroundings rather better than his older sister. Both girls snatch at whatever scraps of education and books they can get (unlike the other children), and become both a product of and an outsider to their communities.
The social commentary comes in with Thompson's lively disdain for modern psychology and all the ailments it has invented. As I happen to agree with her on this point, I found it quite refreshing to read her observations on how the principle of supply creating demand applies to physical and psychological ills. She also presents a very realistic view of the nature of humanity, demonstrating children's innate savagery (though implying that it can be cured with education). It's clear Thompson has little patience with what she sees as our absurdly over-protective approach to parenting today. She casts herself as a case study, giving several examples throughout the book of her own emotional resilience (and she was a sensitive child, too). One such instance is when she stumbles on a field where a bull was engaged in the act of "justifying his existence." Little Laura slips away before the men see her—and, as she pointedly notes, with absolutely no psychological scars engraved upon her soul.
Thompson is very reticent about her own religious beliefs, but goes into great depth concerning those of the country people. There were one or two comments about the historicity of the Bible ("that Jonah story takes a lot of swallowing") and the fact that it was only the older, less educated country people who still believed in the biblical miracles. There was also implicit praise of a preacher who never said anything that could make anyone uncomfortable. As with the rest of the subjects Thompson explores, all is viewed through a lens of forty years' experience and historical hindsight. Indeed, it is the fear of loss and the desire to preserve, in some form, a way of life that is gone forever that seems to be Thompson's primary motive in writing.
Overall, this was an excellent read and I enjoyed the immersion in the historical period very much.
Show Less
LibraryThing member herfancy
I picked up this book because I had found the BBC production of "Lark Rise to Candleford" so very endearing. The book is quite different from the series, however, but has a very similar tone.
Whilst the show is episodic and has a loose overarching storyline which underpins each season, the book
It is very good writing indeed which can hold my attention for 537 pages when those pages are filled with description and anecdotes.
I soaked up every word as it delved into the history of everyday life of the 1880's to 1890's told through the autobiographical lens of Laura. Whilst many historical books present facts and details as found through second-hand evidence, this is history as someone actually experienced it and remembered it with fondness. You learn of what games children played, what men and women did for their own amusement and entertainment, the societal attitudes and structure in the rural villages of England, fashion, what people ate and how it was served up, the importance of the pig, and much, much more detail.
It was a lovely saunter through a time before industrialisation and a memoir I am sure to revisit when I long for simpler times.
Whilst the show is episodic and has a loose overarching storyline which underpins each season, the book
Show More
itself is almost entirely lacking in plot.It is very good writing indeed which can hold my attention for 537 pages when those pages are filled with description and anecdotes.
I soaked up every word as it delved into the history of everyday life of the 1880's to 1890's told through the autobiographical lens of Laura. Whilst many historical books present facts and details as found through second-hand evidence, this is history as someone actually experienced it and remembered it with fondness. You learn of what games children played, what men and women did for their own amusement and entertainment, the societal attitudes and structure in the rural villages of England, fashion, what people ate and how it was served up, the importance of the pig, and much, much more detail.
It was a lovely saunter through a time before industrialisation and a memoir I am sure to revisit when I long for simpler times.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
This memoir was a real treat to read. Originally written as three books and published together as one volume in 1945. We follow the life of Laura, a young girl living in rural England in the 1880’s. Her descriptions of daily life, flora and fauna, schooling, games and songs of the times are so
Laura spends her childhood in the small hamlet of Lark Rise and then is sent to a larger village called Candleford to live with the postmistress and train under her. She goes on carefully giving us details of village life and the characters that live there.
I would highly recommend this memorial to Victorian rural England to anyone with an interest in history, or who has an appreciation of the simple things in life. For me this book rated 5 stars.
Show More
detailed that this book gives us a clear picture of a way of life that has long vanished. I have read a lot of books set in this time period, but what I found most fascinating about Lark Rise to Candleford was that this book was like a time capsule that chronicles the daily lives of farm workers, craftsmen and servants who were the backbone of England.Laura spends her childhood in the small hamlet of Lark Rise and then is sent to a larger village called Candleford to live with the postmistress and train under her. She goes on carefully giving us details of village life and the characters that live there.
I would highly recommend this memorial to Victorian rural England to anyone with an interest in history, or who has an appreciation of the simple things in life. For me this book rated 5 stars.
Show Less
LibraryThing member hobbitprincess
I first saw the PBS show and was intrigued enough to read the book. It is a good book, sweet and unexciting, but still good. It is actually less a story than a description of hamlet and country life in England in the late 1800s. The story is supposedly largely autobiographical, told mainly through
Show More
the observations of Laura. You really do get a feel of what life must have been like then. Show Less
LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
Like Little House on the Prairie but with more textual awareness of poverty, class, and sexism. Also, it's set in rural Victorian England. Otherwise, just like, complete with grand tales of killing the pig and stories about getting dresses muddy on the miles-long walk to school.
LibraryThing member lahochstetler
Written in the 1940s, this semi-fictional account of hte Oxfordshire villages Lark Rise and Candleford looks back at the 1880s, a time of transition in the ENglish countryside. Work, social relationships, home life, schooling- all of these things changed in the last years of the 19th c. THompson
Show More
examines these changes through the story of Laura, a girl who comes of age in the 1880s and 90s. But truly, in this work Laura's story takes a back seat to description. Thompson is clearly using this book to capture a lost world, and the book includes whole chapters describing the countryside and the traditions of its people. The writing is almost anthropological. While the description is interesting, and it is a very easy read, I found myself longing for more plot, more discussion of what happened to Laura. I also found that the book seemed to romanticize what must have been, by all accounts, grinding poverty. That said, the descriptions THompson offers are engaging and vibrant, and the book is a quick, and dare I say, relaxing, read. Show Less
LibraryThing member JudyL
The author grew up in an Oxfordshire community in Victorian England. A detailed picture of the hardship and poverty in the village, as well as the warmth and industry of the people. A memory of better times, before the enclosures impoverished the poor villsger.
LibraryThing member RMMee
A wonderful work - the best descriptions of rural working-class poverty in the late 19th century that I have seen. Easily readable. I just wish it could have gone on further. For those who come to it after seeing the TV series, you may be disappointed.
LibraryThing member JudithProctor
Flora Thompson grew up in the late 1800s in a tiny hamlet in the middle of nowhere. Her life was one of daily repetition where almost nothing changed and grinding poverty. Yet, perhaps because she learned to read at a very early age, she has an eye for detail that observes her childhood world
A book that might have been boring in other hands becomes a fascinating account of the minutiae of the daily lives of the villagers and a reminder how many of our ancestors would have lived not so very far in the past.
It's also a telling indictment of the Enclosure Acts. The only villagers who had any money were the older ones who had managed to put money aside while they were still had enough money to be able to save some. The loss of the common land made the difference between being merely poor and living on the edge of destitution.
Show More
slightly from the outside. A book that might have been boring in other hands becomes a fascinating account of the minutiae of the daily lives of the villagers and a reminder how many of our ancestors would have lived not so very far in the past.
It's also a telling indictment of the Enclosure Acts. The only villagers who had any money were the older ones who had managed to put money aside while they were still had enough money to be able to save some. The loss of the common land made the difference between being merely poor and living on the edge of destitution.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mahallett
lark rise 1939 over to Candleford 1941 Candleford green 1943
LibraryThing member lozzer
The author provides a vivid and emotional narrative of her Oxfordshire upbringing. This book serves as a poignant reminder of life in rural england in the late 19th Century - a way of life to which we will never return.
LibraryThing member yukon92
If you expect the book to be like the well-known series on PBS - you will be disappointed. Only some of the main characters appear in the book. The book was good to read, except that it seemed somewhat disconnected. I guess if you have never watched the TV series, you might enjoy it more.
LibraryThing member Pmaurer
This was written more in the style of a journal, than a work of fiction.it provided the background for the TV series, but not the story. Lark rise describes the habits and living rhythms of the hamlet. Over to candle ford described the people in more depth. Candleford Green describes Laura's life
I enjoyed the background material on the series, but none of the books filled me in on the episodes I missed.
Show More
at the Post Office. I enjoyed the background material on the series, but none of the books filled me in on the episodes I missed.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ablueidol
Brilliant depiction of world long gone even in the 1940's when it was written. She captures the reality of rural poverty and working class life in a late Victorian world. The poor are shown for what they are... you and me surviving with the best hand we are played. I saw on of the popular 30
Show More
days... programmes last year in which a American middle class couple tried to live on the income of the poor and of course failed especially when hit by medical bills. It of course missed the point completely that poverty is only survivable with family and social networks. This books shows how this worked in in the 1890's in rural england. Show Less
LibraryThing member maelinor
Superb rendition though abridged of life on the land in England in the middle of the 19th century. Well written and atmospheric.
LibraryThing member Pondlife
This contains three books: Lark Rise, Over to Candleford and Candleford Green.
The books are autobiographical, but are written in the third person with "Laura" being the author.
I found the first book, Lark Rise, the most interesting of the three. This is the best description of 19th century rural
I didn't find the second and third books quite as good as the first. Especially the third book, which seemed to run out of steam towards the end.
The books are autobiographical, but are written in the third person with "Laura" being the author.
I found the first book, Lark Rise, the most interesting of the three. This is the best description of 19th century rural
Show More
life I've read, and I learned a lot of interesting facts about the environment and people of that time.I didn't find the second and third books quite as good as the first. Especially the third book, which seemed to run out of steam towards the end.
Show Less
LibraryThing member camelama
Since I thought the dramatization of Lark Rise was fun, I figured the book should be good. And it was! But it is NOT the dramatization. It's not really a story - it's a personal view of the history of village/hamlet life in England in the late 1800s. It does have bits and pieces of "Laura"'s life
Show More
(which is somewhat representative of Flora's own life). I still loved it, and recommend it, but if you want only a story that's just like the dramatzation ... you might be disappointed. Show Less
LibraryThing member bibliothecarivs
What a lovely story. Through the trials of 2020, this book, along with the BBC TV adaption of it, simultaneously let my mind escape to another time and place and kept me grounded. I've never read anything like it- a sturdy but delicately carved social history of rural England in the final decades
Show More
of the nineteenth century with a lacquer of fiction applied to it. One reason I picked it up was to learn about the world in which master craftsman Thomas Hardy fashioned Tess and Jude. I would recommended it equally to readers of history and historical fiction. Show Less
LibraryThing member librisissimo
It was well-written, but not interesting enough to me to read all of the trilogy (only finished part 1).
However, for people interested in the time and place, it would be a good read.
(copied from Part 1: Lark Rise).
However, for people interested in the time and place, it would be a good read.
(copied from Part 1: Lark Rise).
Pages
556
ISBN
1567923631 / 9781567923636