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Loading... Cold Comfort Farm (1932)by Stella Gibbons
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A delightful witty tale (set in the "near future" when written in 1932) of the efforts of Flora Poste (poverty-stricken in a genteel sort of way) to civilize her earthy eccentric cousins, the Starkadders of Cold Comfort Farm, Sussex, where she has decided to live after her parents died leaving her a meager income of 100 pounds a year. Not only must she deal with a slew of Biblically named male cousins (whose wives stay in the village to avoid the wrath of Aunt Ada Doom), but there are the animals---a bull named Big Business, and cows called Aimless, Feckless, Pointless and Graceless, one of whom is always misplacing a hoof or a leg. Daft, altogether. I enjoyed it a lot. Reviewed in 2009 Cold Comfort Farm is, as one friend described, "a wonderfully snippy takeoff of rural-England novels full of steaming middens and dripping thatches, and what happens when a plucky young heroine decides to fix things up; a bit like what might happen if Austen's Emma visited some of Thomas Hardy's characters." That said, it's been a long time since I've been this happy to be done with a book! My friend's thoughts above sum up the book perfectly, and it's probably a great read if one is in the mood for that. Apparently, I was NOT in the mood for that this week and the book ended up being irritating. It could be, also, that the characters reminded me too much of my own rural family. Ha! Still, I'm happy to have completed one more book from the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list. But, like several others I've read from that list, I probably could have died without reading this one. Belongs to SeriesBelongs to Publisher SeriesHas the adaptationIs abridged inIs a parody ofInspiredHas as a student's study guideAwardsNotable Lists
Strong of will and slender of ankle, 20-year-old orphan Flora Poste is blessed with every virtue save that of being able to earn her own living. Casting around for suitable relatives with whom she can make her home, Flora alights on the mysterious Starkadders and, ignoring the horrified shrieks of her friends, heads down to darkest Sussex. There she is confronted by an exceptionally odd cast of characters: grief-stricken Judith, fervently religious Amos, the lusty, smouldering Seth, wild and mysterious Elfine and, of course, the invisible tyrant Great Aunt Ada Doom, who saw something nasty in the woodshed. Many would be overcome by the simmering passions of the Starkadder family, but not Flora. All they need is a little organising. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.912Literature English English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1901-1945LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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It wasn't a waste of time, exactly, but it was far from a satisfying read.
3.25 stars ( )