Following the death of her parents, the sensible and urbanely refined Flora Poste moves to Sussex to live with her eccentric relatives, the Starkadders, at the decaying Cold Comfort Farm. She finds a household paralyzed by archaic melodrama, dominated by the reclusive Aunt Ada Doom and haunted by mysterious past grievances. Flora systematically applies modern common sense and organizational skills to dismantle her relatives' rural miseries. She manipulates the brooding Seth, the frantic Elfine, and the fire-and-brimstone preacher Amos into pursuing practical, contemporary lives that lead them away from the farm’s gloomy traditions.
Readers who enjoy sharp satire of rural gothic literature and Victorian melodrama value this book for its wit and its rejection of romanticized hardship. It appeals to those who appreciate a protagonist who favors logic over theatrical emotion. The reader walks away with a parody of the "loam and lovechild" genre, seeing how domestic efficiency and a firm social hand can overcome entrenched family dysfunction. The text provides a humorous contrast between intellectual sophistication and the stubborn, earthy absurdity of traditional country life.
Clear-cut; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1932
- Language
- EN
