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wealhtheow's review
3.0
A collection of short stories written and set pre-WWII. They are, perforce, very class conscious, with characters who behave as though they're in straitjackets made of conventionality. Some, like "The Little Christmas Tree" or "The Hoofer and the Lady," are quite sweet; people try to do the right thing and are gently, unobtrusively rewarded for it by making connections with other people who understand and appreciate them. Others are terrifyingly sad, like "Sisters," in which an older woman tries to help an unmarried mother and is destroyed by it. A great number of them are about being happy with what little one has, with being unambitious and (especially for women) pliant to convention. I found these dreadful and soul killing, and got quite depressed by the prospect of Gibbons' contemporaries reading them and thinking they were wise. I also quite enjoyed "The Murder Mark," an unconventional murder mystery, and the unrepentantly unserious characters in "Poor, Poor Black Sheep." To my surprise, I quite loathed the story I originally checked this book out for: "Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm" isn't funny, it's just a bundle of terrible people being terrible at each other, with a saccharine bit between Elfin and Dick Hawk-Monitor tacked on at the end. I think I was supposed to laugh at how awful everyone was, but they just seemed sad and poor.
bookwomble's review
3.0
This was my Christmas read for 2013. Despite a little initial disappointment that the book contains only two Christmas-themed stories, that feeling was ameliorated by the quality of the writing.
Mainly concerned with the doings of middle- to upper-class folks of the inter-war years, if there is a connecting motif between the stories it would seem to be that of redemption, perhaps making an Easter marketing more appropriate (though probably less lucrative).
These are quiet stories about people trying to find meaning in a world which seems fragile and shallow. More often than not they succeed, but Gibbons deftly avoids over-sentimentality, leaving the reader with the feeling that things actually might get better.
Mainly concerned with the doings of middle- to upper-class folks of the inter-war years, if there is a connecting motif between the stories it would seem to be that of redemption, perhaps making an Easter marketing more appropriate (though probably less lucrative).
These are quiet stories about people trying to find meaning in a world which seems fragile and shallow. More often than not they succeed, but Gibbons deftly avoids over-sentimentality, leaving the reader with the feeling that things actually might get better.
renya_popcornbooks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
shelbycat's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed stepping back in time with these short stories, they are definitely of their time and that's what i love about them I'll definitely be getting hold of and reading more books and stories by Stella Gibbons.
sarahkomas's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
4.0
Fun book of short stories, worth reading if just to remember that people in 1940s were not so different!
saralynnburnett's review against another edition
4.0
What a hilarious book! Flora is an uppity young woman who loses both of her parents and finds out that she's not as well off as she thought. She goes to stay with a friend in town who encourages her to earn her way by working and they can share costs while Flora lives with her. However, Flora decides to mooch off of relatives instead and for various hilarious reasons, chooses her cousins at Cold Comfort Farm to live with. The characters on this farm are a absolutely riot. I have no idea how Stella Gibbons dreamt them up because they are so random. You'll meet Aunt Ada Doom - who (famously) 'saw something nasty in the cowshed' when she was younger and has been crazy since, Amos, who preaches hell and brimstone every Sunday at church, Elfine, the glamorously beautiful diamond in the rough, and of course Feckless, Graceless, Aimless, and Pointless, the cows. Another memorable character is Judith - who has a very unhealthy obsession with her son Seth.
Flora decides to apply her upper class principles to this woe-begotten family farm and with the aid of her book, The Higher Common Sense, she goes about fixing all of their problems, starting with Adam, who washes the dishes with a twig (so she buys him a mop).
This book has sharp wit and loads of references to both contemporary and older novels - it was a joy to read! I highly recommend!
Flora decides to apply her upper class principles to this woe-begotten family farm and with the aid of her book, The Higher Common Sense, she goes about fixing all of their problems, starting with Adam, who washes the dishes with a twig (so she buys him a mop).
This book has sharp wit and loads of references to both contemporary and older novels - it was a joy to read! I highly recommend!
colbowk's review against another edition
5.0
Very funny book! I'm still a little puzzled about why it was set in the future.
danabrown's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a lighthearted read. The old fashioned style is endearing but could easily be aggravating. As this American election winds down I knew I didn’t need any additional stress! This book was just the thing I needed. It’s simple and sweet - not a bit dark. Just right.
izabrekilien's review against another edition
3.0
Disappointed am i.
Most of the novel had the same effect upon me as a fresh glass of champagne, light and bubbly, putting me in a good mood, but the ending left me bereft. I had the feeling the author, with all the tension she built around the famous secret, didn't figure out how to get away with it and 1 - tells us nothing about the famous secret, we'll never know ; 2 - gets rid of the Aunt Ada problem by making everything that matters happen behind closed doors, again, we'll never know.
And where does this sentimental (more or less) ending comes from ?!
And it's really too bad because I enormously enjoyed the beginning, with the funny names and witty writing, and I laughed heartily at certain parts - in particular the one about Branwell Brontë !
Most of the novel had the same effect upon me as a fresh glass of champagne, light and bubbly, putting me in a good mood, but the ending left me bereft. I had the feeling the author, with all the tension she built around the famous secret, didn't figure out how to get away with it and 1 - tells us nothing about the famous secret, we'll never know ; 2 - gets rid of the Aunt Ada problem by making everything that matters happen behind closed doors, again, we'll never know.
And where does this sentimental (more or less) ending comes from ?!
And it's really too bad because I enormously enjoyed the beginning, with the funny names and witty writing, and I laughed heartily at certain parts - in particular the one about Branwell Brontë !
the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition
1.0
I couldn't finish this one. I found it boring, hard to read and decidedly not funny..such a disappointment. :(