Mailbag time. “When is the next series of the BBC series Lark Rise to Candleford going to be on? Also, in your answer could you please include links to some classic novels that are nicely priced on Amazon.” asks Kate Middleton.
Well, Kate, the bad news is that there isn’t going to be a next series. The fourth series was the last. If you want to read Flora Thompson’s original books (Lark Rise, Over To Candleford and Candleford Green), then there a few editions of the collected trilogy to choose from. We prefer the gorgeous Lark Rise to Candleford – 2011 Oxford Hardback Edition (pictured right). The cover promises the original wood engravings (which are nice) but the main benefits over the paperback editions is that the Oxford is nicely typeset and you’re not going to crack the spine. It’s a book to keep and pass down. Penguin’s Lark Rise to Candleford – 2008 TV Tie-In Edition and Lark Rise to Candleford – 2008 Modern Classics Edition appear to simply be reprints of the 70s edition.
Lark Rise was semi-autobiographical, and Flora Thompson did write further books, including Still Glides The Stream and Heatherley.
If you’re going to read those though, we definitely recommend that you read the original Flora Thompson Lark Rise trilogy first
Why? Well, the simple truth is that the BBC TV series took a number of liberties with the source material, fleshing out other characters – in some cases characters who warranted only a few paragraphs in the books became regulars. It can be quite a surprise, and effectively the TV Laura’s experiences are different to the book Laura so the sequels may not carry on the way you might think.
The writer responsible for the TV Lark Rise was Bill Gallagher. His next project for the BBC is set at around the same time as Lark Rise, and is again based on a book.
The Ladies’ Paradise is therefore the next Lark Rise. Again Gallagher will be using the existing story as the core, but weaving weekly episodes and new characters around this plot. This time however, some more obvious liberties are being taken.
The original book of The Ladies’ Paradise is the French novel Au Bonheur des Dames by a chap called Émile Zola. It is about a fictional department store of the same name, and set in Paris. Mainly it focuses on one young lady who arrives in Paris and gets a job at the store. There’s romance, and a lot of retail technique. The BBC version will be set in a northern town.
If you’d like to read the book before the show airs in 2012, then you can take your pick from a number of translations over the years. The Ladies’ Paradise – Oxford World’s Classics is a good modern translation (pictured right). Alternatively, The Ladies’ Paradise – 1886 translation was actually authorised and approved by Émile Zola.
We must mention that this is actually book 11 of Zola’s 20-book Rougon-Macquart series – but don’t worry, you don’t need to have read the previous 10, and you don’t really need to read the books in any particular order. Which is good, because not all of them are classics – and as a result many of them aren’t available in translation. The Ladies’ Paradise is a fine jumping-on point. The Rougon-Macquart series is like a giant solo game of consequences, with Zola charting multiple generations of two families amidst changes in France.
The one book which would directly relates is Pot Luck, the preceding novel which addresses poverty in a Paris apartment building. Again, if you pretty much only like the sound of Ladies’ Paradise because you love Lark Rise to Candleford and perhaps also The Apprentice, you are best advised to dive straight into The Ladies’ Paradise.
I hope that answers your question, Kate! To recap, here are links to our two top tips:
Lark Rise to Candleford – 2011 Oxford Hardback
The Ladies’ Paradise – Oxford Worlds Classics
Enjoy!
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