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33 pages 1 hour read

Cold Comfort Farm

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1932

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Book Brief

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Stella Gibbons

Cold Comfort Farm

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1932
Book Details
Pages

136

Format

Novel • Fiction

Setting

Sussex, England • 1930s

Publication Year

1932

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

16-18 years

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Super Short Summary

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons is a comic parody of rural romances, following 20-year-old Flora Poste who, after being orphaned, moves to Cold Comfort Farm to live with distant relatives. Flora, decisive and orderly, arrives to find a dysfunctional family and sets out to organize their lives pragmatically, ultimately helping them achieve their desires and restoring order to the farm.

Humorous

Bittersweet

Playful

Nostalgic

Reviews & Readership

4.0

57,771 ratings

69%

Loved it

23%

Mixed feelings

9%

Not a fan

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Review Roundup

Stella Gibbons' Cold Comfort Farm is widely praised for its sharp satire and humor, as well as its clever critique of rural melodrama. Readers appreciate the memorable characters and witty narrative. However, some find the humor too dry or the plot slow-paced. Overall, it is celebrated as a classic in comedic literature.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Cold Comfort Farm?

Readers who appreciate witty satire and pastoral parodies will enjoy Stella Gibbons' Cold Comfort Farm. Similar to fans of Evelyn Waugh's Scoop and P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves series, this novel appeals to those who delight in humorous takes on rural life and social conventions. It combines sharp humor with charmingly eccentric characters.

4.0

57,771 ratings

69%

Loved it

23%

Mixed feelings

9%

Not a fan

Character List

Flora Poste

A pragmatic and tidy young London socialite who, after being orphaned and left with little money, goes to live with her relatives, the Starkadders, on Cold Comfort Farm. Her common sense and desire for order drive her efforts to improve the chaotic lives of her relatives.

A reclusive elderly woman who holds sway over the Starkadder family with fear and tradition, using her supposed childhood trauma as a means to maintain control.

The handsome, womanizing younger son of Judith and Amos Starkadder, who delights in being adored by his female relatives and harbors a passion for film.

The youngest of the Starkadder children, known for her beauty and eccentricity, who is influenced by Flora to adopt more refined manners and grace.

The morose and intense mother of the three Starkadder children, who has a complicated relationship with her son Seth.

The patriarch involved in running the family farm but is more passionate about preaching fire and brimstone sermons, often leaving familial responsibilities secondary to his religious fervor.

The pragmatic eldest child of Amos and Judith, whose main ambition is to inherit the family farm and who eventually sees Flora as a valuable ally.

The loyal and lifelong servant of the Starkadder family, deeply attached to the farm animals under his care, particularly the cows.

Book Details
Pages

136

Format

Novel • Fiction

Setting

Sussex, England • 1930s

Publication Year

1932

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

16-18 years

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