Sensible, sophisticated 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 descend on relatives, the doomed Starkadders at the aptly named, Cold Comfort Farm.

There is Judith in a scarlet shawl, heaving with remorse for an unspoken wickedness; raving old Ada Doom, who once saw something nasty in the woodshed; lustful Seth and despairing Reuben, Judith's two sons; and there is Amos, preaching fire and damnation to one and all. As the sukebind flowers, Flora takes each of the family in hand and brings order to their chaos.

I've spent a good many years hearing my mum tell me that I'm just like Flora Poste. Recently her insistence that I read Cold Comfort Farm and find this out for myself has become more urgent. I caved, and asked her to get me a copy from the library, and last week it arrived. For some reason I'd thought that this was by George Elliot, or some other hard, scary literature person, and was comforted by the friendly modern art cover and an author called Stella. I'm looking forward to seeing how like Flora I really am!

June 21st 2003
Up to Page 44

I got pretty sick last week and while I was ill in bed my mum read to me, like she used to do when I was little. Even though I was feeling grim this book made me laugh...a lot! I loved the authors blatant attempt to do 'a Dickins', giving her characters utterly descriptive names. The best example is Flora's best friend, Mrs. Mary Smiling *shakes head and laughs*. Each time a new person was introduced I had to brace myself for the giggles to follow.

I'm not entirely certain I'm going to love the book as much as my mum clearly does, but it's funny and sharp-witted. My only complaint to date was the entirely too lengthy descriptive narrative of the farm. It felt as though the author wanted us to be able to make blueprints from it after wards. It past over me in a haze, though it's purpose was to show what a ridiculous place the farm is. All it did was send me to sleep (literally).

I'm looking forward to Flora meeting the Starkadders, and putting them firmly in their place...oh Lord, she is like me!

July 19th 2003

Unfortunately the library wanted this book back before I had finished it. Such is life. I've put it on my read list, but really it's incomplete and I hope to get another copy in the not too distant future and finish what I've started. I enjoyed the humour, but wasn't totally into the wordiness of the descriptions. This is the kinds of book I really have to be in the right mood to want to deal with, and it just hit me at the wrong time.