A witty portrait of rural England in the early twentieth century, the "Penguin Classics" edition of Stella Gibbons' "Cold Comfort Farm" is introduced by Lynne Truss, author of "Eats, Shoots and Leaves". When sensible, sophisticated Flora Poste is orphaned at nineteen, she decides her only choice is [...]
Robert Poste's child is back at Cold Comfort Farm. But all is not well. Flora finds the farm transformed into a twee haven filled with Toby jugs and peasant pottery, and rooms labeled'Quiete Retreate' and 'Greate laundrie'. It is, Flora winces, 'exactly like being locked in the Victoria and Albert M[...]
Gladys and Annie Barnes are impoverished sisters who have seen better times. They live in a modest cottage in the backstreets of Highate with Mr Fisher, a mild but eccentric old man living secretively in the attic above them. Their quiet lives are thrown into confusion when a new landlord takes over[...]
Margaret Steggles, a plain bookish girl whose mother has told her that she is 'not the type that attracts men'. What she lacks for in looks she makes up for with a romantic nature and cultural aspirations - she goes to concerts at the National Gallery and is a devotee of the modern drama.[...]
In St Alberics, Hertfordshire, stands a newly built family home: Sunglades. Its seven rooms house Kenneth and Constance Fielding, middle-aged bachelor and spinster, along with Kenneth's old flame, an industrious Balkan exile, a young economist and the Fieldings' raffish father. Together they attempt[...]
My American follows the lives and loves of Amy Lee and Robert Vorst: from a chance childhood meeting to the comic, tragic and romantic trysts that follow. A baker's daughter, Amy has dreams of becoming a writer, whilst Robert is destined to be a doctor. Later, embarking on a lecture tour, Amy is rem[...]
In the years after World War Two, Nell Sely, child of the forgotten generation, wanders blind through 1950s bohemian London, smoke-filled jazz clubs and bittersweet coffee bars in search of romantic idyll, delving into the dark backstreets of squalid yet splendid London.[...]
The Tower Guesthouse lies nestled between the beech woods of Buckinghamshire. It is run by the unlikely partnership of balmy Miss Padsoe and young, cockney Miss Baker - divided by class and age, they are determined to dislike each other. Through their tale and the interwoven tribulations of two youn[...]
On the dunes west of Bruges, two-year-old Ydette is found wrapped in a blanket and taken back to live in a small grocer's shop. Opposite the shop live the wealthy van Roeslaere family and their son, Adriaan, a spoilt boy, plagued by ugliness. With overtones of Beauty and the Beast, their romance mat[...]
Set on the eve of World War II in a resort on the east coast of England, The Rich House follows the love affairs of six young people and their intertwined adorations. Encircling their lives is Archibald Early, a once-famous actor, his housekeeper and his grandson Ted. These three tip the balance, an[...]
Thrown out of her long-established office job, Miss Christine Smith takes up a new role as housekeeper for a group of middle-aged artists. Charmed by a previous mystical experience, her spirituality is nurtured further by the tenants, who seem stuck in their own personal lull. Written in the 1960s, [...]
You're dreading Christmas with your in-laws. You've got a cold coming on. You're worried you've forgotten to buy a gift for somebody. Apply this book to the affected area. You should soon feel like your cheeful self again. Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm will remind you that Christmas is a magical ti[...]
When a well-educated young socialite in 1930s England is left orphaned and unable to support herself at age twenty-two, she moves in with her eccentric relatives on their farm. Reissue.[...]
A sly and satirical fairytale by the author of "Cold Comfort Farm"
Unavailable for decades, Stella Gibbons's "Nightingale Wood" is a delightfully modern romance ripe for rediscovery by the many fans of "Cold Comfort Farm."
Poor, lovely Viola has been left penniless and alone after her late[...]
Available for the first time since its original publication more than fifty years ago, "Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm" is a charming collection whose hilarious title story features Christmas dinner with the Starkadders before Flora's arrival. With Adam playing Santa while draped in Mrs. Starkadders[...]
"We are not like other folk, maybe, but there have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farmâ¦"
Sensible, sophisticated Flora Poste has been expensively educated to do everything but earn a living. When she is orphaned at twenty, she decides her only option is to descend on relati[...]
? Quite simply one of the funniest satirical novels of the last century.?
?Nancy Pearl, NPR's "Morning Edition"
THE DELIRIOUSLY ENTERTAINING "Cold Comfort Farm" is ?very probably the funniest book ever written? ("The Sunday Times," London)?a hilarious parody of D. H. Lawrence's and Thomas Har[...]