Over to Candleford

By: Flora Thompson

Narrated by: Karen Cass

In the little hamlet of Lark Rise times are changing and Laura is growing up. Although she must attend the nearby village school, she would far rather read and make up stories in her head.

Real-life excitement comes, however, when she and her beloved younger brother Edmund are allowed to walk on their own to the grand market town of Candleford to stay with their relatives one summer. There, Laura discovers the joys of the shops, the ways of boy-talk with her cousins and the secret world of 'Bookworms Ltd' with her Uncle Tom, before an offer arrives that will determine her future.

©1941 Flora Thompson (P)2019 Soundings

Great as autobiographical sketches.

More of a series of memories and details of life at that time and place than an actual story. Similar to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s work. If you love the show, be aware that Dorcas Lane doesn’t come into the story until Chapter 12 of this book - she isn’t in book 1 at all - and Laura doesn’t go to live in Candleford until the last 5 minutes of the book. (She just visits relatives there previously.)

Swept Away to English Countryside.

I’ve watched the BBC series, and I thoroughly enjoyed this more detailed glimpse into English country life. I sped up the narrative one notch as it seemed slow. Hearing this leaves me feeling I’ve learned a bit of my own English history that I would have missed. It’s wonderful to imagine my family back in a place like Candleford. I think American pioneer history must have been much the same!

Peaceful & Cozy

This is a lovely story of peaceful cozy country Lives of another time. Love the books and series

Karen Cass is an excellent narrator and very easy to listen. I mostly enjoyed this audiobook. What I did it like was that ....

I enjoyed this audiobook mostly but couldn’t help comparing it to the Larkrise to Candleford series that was done for TV. THAT was excellent and the characters came to life and are very memorable. The audiobook mostly has the narrator speaking and telling the stories—not the characters acting them out. It was a series of pleasant stories with no plot. I was very disappointed in this. It was also very short. They should have included all three audiobooks for that price.

This is pure contentment and delight to listen to such a book

The reader had wonderful tone and accent, the tale was exquisite and reminds me of my mother