Thursday 4 July 2013

Cold Comfort Farm

One of the disadvantages of almost universal education was the fact that all kinds of persons acquired a familiarity with one’s favourite writers. It gave one a curious feeling; it was like seeing a drunken stranger wrapped in one’s dressing-gown.

Interestingly, (or not, as the case may be you sassy reader) this is not the first book by Stella Gibbon's I've read. Despite Cold Comfort being undeniably her most well-known novel, I came across a newly re-issued copy of Westwood in Waterstones and immediately bought it. Now, this is most irregular for me for a number of reasons:

  1. I almost exclusively buy second-hand books, because I am a poor student who is addicted to charity shops. 
  2. I knew absolutely nothing about Stella Gibbons or Cold Comfort or Westwood yet I bought it anyway. Usually I'd buy a book because it's on a 'to-read' list or I know at least a little about the author. I know, how dangerously feckless of me. 
I've never regretted the decision thankfully because Westwood was a cracking read. 
Imagine a Jane Austen novel that's set in London during the second world war and you'll arrive at Westwood. So, getting back to Cold Comfort Farm for the present...

The story is about a young woman called Flora Poster who is left orphaned and impoverished and so makes the decision to live at some relatives farm whom she has never me before in her life. A bold move I would say. Flora then sets about to reorganise the lives of her new foster family all with the help of some common sense and good humour. Flora genuinely isn't as irritating as she sounds; I'd say she was a fearsome combination of Emma Woodhouse and Elizabeth Bennet and I for one want to be her. It is a very funny read, and quite clearly mocks the work of Thomas Hardy and the Bronte sisters (especially Wuthering Heights). Have you ever read a Victorian novel of hopelessness and wanted to grab one of the particularily fatalistic characters by the lapels and shouted: 'GET A GRIP!'. This is what Flora does and my god is it satisfying. Now, I would like to point out that I am huge fan of Thomas Hardy and admire Wuthering Heights enormously, but Stella Gibbons' tongue-in-cheek treatment of such novels made it hard to not to chuckle. 
All in all a peculiarly satisfying read. Although, one thing that I have noticed about Gibbons' protagonists is that it seems as if she doesn't really care for them herself. Jane Austen's novels are so beguiling because even when her characters have some undesirable qualities, they are ultimately loveable and loved by Austen. I feel that this is the only thing which holds me back from full-blown raptures of Gibbons' work.  

Losing Weight the Literary Way...

Shoddy camera-phone picture from my ramble in the Worcestershire countryside. 


Went for my first audio-book walk today! I stole the idea from Stephen Fry, who lost a load of weight just by walking everyday whilst listening to an audio-book. It was nice because you just get lost in the story and forget how long you have been walking for. I started with Bleak House by Charles Dickens, I’ve been fancying a bit of Dickens for a while now but I haven’t had much time to settle down with a hefty tome like Bleak House. Think i’ve settled on the perfect compromise… :)

Tuesday 2 July 2013

The Pursuit of Love.

   "Louisa said to me, her eyes as big as saucers: 'He rushes into her  room before tea and lives with her.' Louisa always describes the act of love as living with. 'Before tea, Fanny, can you imagine it?'"


I have meant to read The Pursuit of Love for so very long. Ever since I read The Mitford Girls by Mary S. Lovell which kept me hooked on the antics of Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Decca and Debo for the entirety of the Christmas break. The whole family, quite frankly, rock my socks.  I'm still toying with the idea of writing my dissertation on the novels of Nancy Mitford and Jane Austen, but we will see. I am glad to report that this novel was entirely heavenly. Uncle Matthew (thinly masquerading as Mitford's father Lord Redesdale) is a joy: 'This violent, uncontrolled man, like his children, knew no middle course, he either loved or he hated, and generally, it must be said, he hated.' Probably my favourite character in the book to be honest. Although I am glad that I only met this particular tyrant in the pages of a book; I fear I would have been denounced as a 'sewer' and roundly loathed. The sanity of the narrator, Fanny, perfectly acts as a conduit for the madness of the Radlett family and our heroine Linda. Being a terribly awkward being myself, I could not help but marvel at the carefree, self-assured confidence of Linda. Unfortunately I felt the ending was a little rushed. Or perhaps I was more disappointed with the unexpectedly sad conclusion from an otherwise sparkling read. Certainly more bittter-sweet than I had anticipated, but no less enjoyable.