- Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: Penguin; New Ed edition (3 Sep 1998)
- Language Unknown
- ISBN-10: 0140274146
- ISBN-13: 978-0140274141
- Product Dimensions: 18 x 11.2 x 2.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 29,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
? Quite simply one of the funniest satirical novels of the last century.?
?Nancy Pearl, NPR's "Morning Edition"
? Delicious . . . "Cold Comfort Farm" has the sunniness of a P. G. Wodehouse and the comic aplomb of Evelyn Waugh's "Scoop".?
?"The Independent" (London)
?Nancy Pearl, NPR's "Morning Edition"
? Delicious . . . "Cold Comfort Farm" has the sunniness of a P. G. Wodehouse and the comic aplomb of Evelyn Waugh's "Scoop".?
?"The Independent" (London)
Product Description
A classic of its kind, a dazzling parody of the earthy, melodramatic novels of the period.
Flora Poste has been expensively educated to do everything but earn her own living. When she is orphaned at twenty, she decides her only option is to go and live with her relatives the Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm.
What relatives, though: Judith, alone in her grief; raving old Ada Doom, who once saw something nasty in the woodshed; Amos, called by God; Seth, smouldering with sex; and Elfine, whojust needs a little polish. Flora feels it incumbent upon her to bring order into the chaos. And she turns out to be remarkably good at it.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Published in 1932, this novel is a hysterically funny, tongue in cheek parody of the heavy handed, gloomy novels of some early twentieth century English writers who had previously been so popular. Tremendously successful when first published, "Cold Comfort Farm" caused quite a stir in its time.
The novel starts out innocuosly enough, when well educated Flora Poste finds herself orphaned at the age of twenty. Discovering that her father was not the wealthy man she believed him to be, she is resigned to the fate of having to live on a hundred pounds a year. Opting to live with relatives, rather than earn her bread, she seeks out a most unlikely set of relations, the odd Starkadder family who live in Howling, Sussex.
Therein begins what is certainly one of the funniest novels ever written. When Flora arrives in Howling, she meets her odd relatives, who live in neglected, ramshackle "Cold Comfort Farm", where they still wash the dishes with twigs, and have cows named Graceless, Pointless, Feckless, and Aimless. Headed by a seventy nine year old matriarch, Flora's aunt, Ada Doom Starkadder, who has not been right in the head since she "saw something nasty happen in the woodshed" nearly seventy years ago, they are a motley and strange crew indeed. Confronted with their dismal and gloomy existence, Flora sets about trying to put things to right.
Peppered with eccentric, memorable characters, this book will take the reader on a journey not easily forgotten. It is one that is sure to make the reader revisit this novel yet again, like an old friend who is missed too soon.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Cold Comfort Farm is a genuinely funny modern classic. Orphaned at 20 and with only £100 a year, Flora Poste kindly offers herself out to a collection of relatives and thus finds herself at Cold Comfort Farm - and there have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm! What follows is Flora's attempt to 'civilize' the inhabitants of the farm and organise their lives in a series of entertaining events. If Flora admires Jane Austen, there is certainly a touch of Emma Woodhouse about Flora! The ending is absolutely classic, and although we never find out what Ada Doom saw in the woodshed that was so nasty, or the wrong done to Robert Poste, Flora's father, or indeed if the goat survived, perhaps the imagination is best served by these remaining bizarre mysteries! The book and its varied inhabitants will stay with you long after you have finished reading it!
40 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Published in 1932, this novel is a hysterically funny, tongue in cheek parody of the heavy handed, gloomy novels of some early twentieth century English writers who had previously been so popular. Tremendously successful when first published, "Cold Comfort Farm" caused quite a stir in its time.
The novel starts out innocuously enough, when well-educated Flora Poste finds herself orphaned at the age of twenty. Discovering that her father was not the wealthy man she believed him to be, she is resigned to the fate of having to live on a hundred pounds a year. Opting to live with relatives, rather than earn her bread, she seeks out a most unlikely set of relations, the odd Starkadder family who live in Howling, Sussex.
Therein begins what is certainly one of the funniest novels ever written. When Flora arrives in Howling, she meets her odd relatives, who live in neglected, ramshackle "Cold Comfort Farm", where they still wash the dishes with twigs, and have cows named Graceless, Pointless, Feckless, and Aimless. Headed by a seventy nine year old matriarch, Flora's aunt, Ada Doom Starkadder, who has not been right in the head since she "saw something nasty happen in the woodshed" nearly seventy years ago, they are a motley and strange crew indeed. Confronted with their dismal and gloomy existence, Flora sets about trying to put things to right.
Peppered with eccentric, memorable characters, this book will take the reader on a journey not easily forgotten. It is one that is sure to make the reader revisit this novel yet again, like an old friend who is missed too soon.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Love in a Cold Climate. paperback
Than'k you.Arrived on time and in Ok condition. No complaints.Actaullly two books in one. 'The pursuit of Love. was also in this volume and so two for the price of one.
Published 29 days ago by TVW
Never arrived
the book was sent to france , with full post codes, but never arrived . I don't know what to think !! or who to blame , the french presumably..... john
Published 8 months ago by john guinea
Even better than going out a-mollocking
This is one of those books I love so much I've just finished re-reading it for the third time. It is laugh-out loud hilarious and despite being written in 1932 it feels in places... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Late night reader
Hardly hilarious, but definitely worth reading all the same
Hmm, what to make of this book? On the back of it, a critic from the Guardian proclaims it as 'very probably the funniest book ever written. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Hannah Dexter
funny fairy tale
Also watch the drama with Kate B., Joanna Lumley, and the rest. Even if you watch it first you'll still enjoy the read.
Published 9 months ago by Yo Landa Hoy
Cold Comfort Farm Tape
I LOVE this book and the taped version is extremly well read. Sadly imediatly when I received this copy and popped the first tape in the player, it broke. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Annie
Stands the test of time
This is a very funny book. Flora Poste sets about putting to rights Cold Comfort farm and its inhabitants, with considerable success. Read more
Published 11 months ago by JoTownhead
5 star sellers
I love sellers who wholly under-rate the quality of their books!
This book, rated "Acceptable" condition, was in extremely good condition. Read more
This book, rated "Acceptable" condition, was in extremely good condition. Read more
Published 12 months ago by soprano 1
side-splitting
I bought this book on a newspaper's recommendation, without knowing anything about it. It is the funniest book I have read in years: there is an array of eccentric characters and... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Donald Hughes
Watch the film instead
Read this book because someone suggested it for our Book Group. Oh dear, it's very dated.
A pastiche of a form of book no-one reads anymore, deliberately written badly... Read more
A pastiche of a form of book no-one reads anymore, deliberately written badly... Read more
Published 24 months ago by Michael D. Clayson
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