Lark Rise to Candleford facts for kids
Lark Rise to Candleford is a set of three books, also called a trilogy. These books are like a true story mixed with fiction, based on the author's own life. They are set in the English countryside during the late 1800s.
The books were written by Flora Thompson. They were first published together as one trilogy in 1945. Before that, the stories came out as separate books: Lark Rise (1939), Over to Candleford (1941), and Candleford Green (1943).
The stories take place in three different places: a small group of houses called a hamlet, a nearby village, and the closest town. These places are in Oxfordshire, England. Flora Thompson's own childhood experiences inspired the stories. The books show what village life was like throughout the different seasons of the year.
Plays Based on the Books
The Lark Rise to Candleford books were turned into two plays. A television writer and playwright named Keith Dewhurst adapted them. The plays were called Lark Rise and Candleford. They were performed in London at the National Theatre in 1978 and 1979.
Dewhurst chose just two special days for the plays. Lark Rise shows the first day of harvest. Candleford shows the first hunt of the new year, on a winter's day in January. The plays help the audience understand a way of life that was very connected to the land. This way of life is very different from how most people live today. A theatre critic named Michael Billington from The Guardian newspaper said the plays could make people "wiser and happier."
Television Series
The BBC made a television series based on the books. It had ten parts and starred actress Dawn French and other actors. The show first aired in the UK on BBC One on January 13, 2008.
