Cold Comfort Farm

by Stella Gibbons

254 pages

English language

Published Jan. 5, 1964 by Dial Press.

OCLC Number:: 996691

(19 reviews)

When sensible, sophisticated Flora Poste is orphaned at nineteen, she decides her only choice is to descend upon relatives in deepest Sussex. At the aptly named Cold Comfort Farm, she meets the doomed Starkadders: cousin Judith, heaving with remorse for unspoken wickedness; Amos, preaching fire and damnation; their sons, lustful Seth and despairing Reuben; child of nature Elfine; and crazed old Aunt Ada Doom, who has kept to her bedroom for the last twenty years. But Flora loves nothing better than to organize other people. Armed with common sense and a strong will, she resolves to take each of the family in hand. A hilarious and merciless parody of rural melodramas, Cold Comfort Farm (1932) is one of the best-loved comic novels of all time.

32 editions

Andrew (andrewspink@mastadon.green) reviewed Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

Review of 'Cold Comfort Farm' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I have fond memories of listening to a BBC Radio 4 adaptation of 'Cold Comfort Farm' in the 80s and so when the book was mentioned in a quiz the other day and that memory popped to the surface, I eagerly checked out if I could find a cheap copy online. When I read it, it was a mixture of pleasure and disappointment. It was not so incredibly funny as I remembered, but on the other hand, I did get its references much better. Since the broadcast in the 80s I've become a great fan of Hardy and enjoyed Stella Gibbons making fun of him as well as various other classic authors that either I didn't know well enough 35 years ago or that the BBC glossed over. Having said that, when it comes to it, the book is, unfortunately, dated.

Didactylos reviewed Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

Review of 'Cold Comfort Farm' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I first came across this as a BBC production back in the 70's? So eventually got round to reading it.

A missed opportunity or two here, I understand the satirical nature of the piece, but feel it's wasted by being too tidy and too quickly sorted. The whole bunch of characters at Cold Comfort Farm are brilliant and really some are dealt with by Flora's magic wand rapidly and as if no effort is required.

Some great comic money's in there, but she is far too much the deus ex machina for my liking.