''Over to Candleford'' is a 1941

semi-autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel is a form of novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The literary technique is distinguished from an autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction. Bec ...

by the English author

Flora Thompson Flora Jane Thompson (née Timms; 5 December 1876 – 21 May 1947) was an English novelist and poet best known for her semi-autobiographical trilogy about the English countryside, ''Lark Rise to Candleford''. Early life and family Thompson ...

. In 1945 the book was republished as part of the trilogy ''

Lark Rise to Candleford ''Lark Rise to Candleford'' is a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels by Flora Thompson about the countryside of north-east Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England, at the end of the 19th century. The stories were previously published se ...

'', comprising the novels ''

Lark Rise ''Lark Rise'' is a 1939 semi-autobiographical novel by the English author Flora Thompson. It was illustrated by Lynton Lamb. In 1945, the book was republished as part of the trilogy ''Lark Rise to Candleford'', comprising the novels ''Lark Ri ...

'' (1939), ''Over to Candleford'' (1941), and ''

Candleford Green ''Candleford Green'' is a 1943 semi-autobiographical novel by the English author Flora Thompson. The village of the title is partly modelled on the Oxfordshire village of Fringford. In 1945 the book was republished as part of the trilogy ''Lar ...

'' (1943).

Plot

The novel follows the childhood of Laura Timmins in the small rural northern

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

hamlet of Lark Rise and the surrounding countryside. It is a study of her family and relatives in the nearby market town of Candleford (based chiefly on

Buckingham Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of Central Milton Keynes, sou ...

Critical analysis

Laura represents the author

herself, born Flora Timms. According to

Richard Mabey Richard Thomas Mabey (born 20 February 1941) is a writer and broadcaster, chiefly on the relations between nature and culture. Education Mabey was educated at three independent schools, all in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. The first was at Roth ...

in his 2014 book ''Dreams of the Good Life'', in this novel Laura's role is subtly changing from sharp observer of village life to someone reflecting on the rites of passage to adulthood, a novelist in embryo.

References

Novels by Flora Thompson 1941 British novels Novels set in Oxfordshire Novels set in Buckinghamshire Oxford University Press books {{1940s-autobio-novel-stub

Plot

Critical analysis

See also

References