Cold Comfort Farm

by Stella Gibbons

Many reviews declare that this novel is hilarious. I'm just not getting it. Slightly humorous, maybe. Not hilarious. Not in the tradition of Wodehouse.

Having said that, CCF is a novel unlike anything I've read lately. It is the story of Flora Poste, a nineteen-year-old who has been educated in all sorts of subjects, except how to get a job and live independently. Additionally, she is a busybody with a superiority complex.

When both of her parents die, and she's left with a pathetic allowance, Flora decides that she simply must impose on some relatives. And that is how she gets to Cold Comfort Farm, the home of the Starkadder side of the family.

Egad! What else can I say? These people are weird. And it is up to Flora (at least in her opinion) to improve their lives. You just know that hilarity will ensue.

It's short and sort of cute, and it does have a happy ending. But I still don't understand all of the enthusiasm for this novel.

6/2/08