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Original poster

Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

66 replies

holymary · 25/02/2011 16:07

Our book group are reading this at the moment...and I think it is dreadful! I really hate it....dislike Flora and her patronising righteousness and the 'stereotypical yokel' portrayal of the cousins. Yet, so many people have recommended it on MN and it has pretty good reviews on Amazon.

Would love to know what other people think!

OP posts:
mrspear · 25/02/2011 16:08

Lookup when it was written then you may "get it"

sethstarkaddersmackerel · 25/02/2011 16:17

it's a parody, that is the point.
she is taking the piss out of overwritten 'rural primitive' books that were popular then, like Precious Bane and Wolf Solent, so the yokel portrayals are a joke. Flora is a sort of joke too, based on the idea of taking a very sensible person and dropping them into this insane chaotic farm environment.

I love it, I think it is genius. DH and I had a passage read out at our wedding Smile

Thandeka · 25/02/2011 16:19

My fave book too- I love it.

Original poster
holymary · 25/02/2011 16:20

mrs spear - Oh I know when it was written, and see it's a parody, but even so, I just don't get why so many people rave about it!
WHich bit Sethstarkaddersmackerel did you have read out?

OP posts:
sethstarkaddersmackerel · 25/02/2011 16:21

at the end when Charles comes in his plane and he and Flora fly off into the sunset together.

Original poster
holymary · 25/02/2011 16:23

Now tht I can understand!

OP posts:
MrsMcCave · 25/02/2011 16:24

I have just realised that I am Grin even thinking about that book. Don't take it so seriously! Must read it again. Didn't Stella Gibbons write others?

ZCompton · 25/02/2011 17:13

I love Cold Comfort Farm. So so funny

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 25/02/2011 17:15

Oh I love this book, haven't read it for ages!

'Oh Charles, you do have heavenly teeth' has to be one of the best lines ever! Grin

steamedtreaclesponge · 25/02/2011 17:16

It's one of my favourites too! I love the piss-taking descriptions that she marks with asterisks as passages of especial literary interest Grin

sethstarkaddersmackerel · 25/02/2011 17:16

My favourite line is ''Seth, my son, do you want to break my heart?'
'Yes' said Seth, with elemental simplicity.'

ILikeToMoveItMoveIt · 25/02/2011 17:16

I'm with you, I just don't get the attraction.

I understand it's a parody etc etc, but I still didn't find it funny.

Most of our Book Group loved it though.

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 25/02/2011 17:18

holymary - Rufus Sewell played Seth in the adaptation that was done some years ago, it might help if you visualise him while you're reading Wink

GentleOtter · 25/02/2011 17:23

I love Cold Comfort Farm and you can almost smell the characters and feel the intense issues they all have.

pirateparty · 25/02/2011 17:30

I really enjoyed it as did most of our book group, but the context is important (as everyone says and I realise you know holymary).

I love the idea of 'something nasty in the woodshed'...

Sorry no great literary comments!

Did anyone see the Kate Beckinsale/ Stephen Fry adaptation in the 90's? I keep meaning to search it out on Amazon (I know, I know never as good as the book etc etc I'll be thrown off MN etc) - but still - anyone seen it and recommend it? I think it looks like a good Sunday afternoon watch...

sethstarkaddersmackerel · 25/02/2011 17:36

the casting is great (except for Fry as Mr Mybug IMO) and there are one or two moments that are just WRONG, like some of the overwrought descriptions being read out by Flora as if part of the novel she is writing (Hmm) and it is inevitably a bit rushed, but overall it is not bad.

weblette · 25/02/2011 17:41

Adore adore this book

AlmaMartyr · 25/02/2011 17:59

I love Cold Comfort Farm, one of my favourite books. I've heard that it was partly written as a parody of the books of Eden Philpotts, who was very popular at the time and very fond of those stereotypes (not read any of his stuff though so can't comment). I love the 90s adaptation too, although agree it's not perfect. Rufus Sewell as Seth is spot on IMO - actually I keep meaning to tell Sethstarkaddersmum how much I love her name but haven't got round to it before!

sethstarkaddersmackerel · 25/02/2011 18:01

Thank you AlmaMartyr Smile. JudithStarkadder had already been taken but then I thought, well, she would have referred to herself on here as SethsMum wouldn't she?!

pirateparty · 25/02/2011 18:13

Thanks - will def search it out then, and a spare Sunday afternoon - will make dh take ds out for a run about and plead pregnancy exhaustion!

hocuspontas · 25/02/2011 18:14

I love it. I'm so annoyed it's £6.99 to download. I was looking forward to it being my first book on my kindle.

elkiedee · 25/02/2011 18:15

I enjoyed Cold Comfort Farm. Stella Gibbons wrote lots of books but hardly any of the others have been kept in print. don't bother with the sequel Conference at CCF if you come across it though - my library had a copy and it's very disappointing. I do recommend Nightingale Wood, reprinted in Virago Modern Classics a couple of years ago. I understand Vintage is reprinting some more of her work in the next year or so.

sharbie · 25/02/2011 18:19

its on you tube pirate Grin it was fab.op the book is a comedy.i want to go on a date with seth.cinema perhaps??

sethstarkaddersmackerel · 25/02/2011 18:26

he'll shag you beneath the sukebind Grin

sharbie · 25/02/2011 18:28

of course he will Grin