Stella Gibbons Knihy

Cold Comfort Farm (Unabridged) by Stella Gibbons In Gibbons's classic tale, a resourceful young heroine finds herself in the gloomy, overwrought world of a Hardy or Bronte novel and proceeds to organize everyone out of their romantic tragedies into the pleasures of normal life. Flora Poste, orphaned at 19, chooses to live with relatives at Cold Comfort Farm in Sussex, where cows are named Feckless, Aimless, Pointless, and Graceless, and the proprietors, the dour Starkadder family, are tyrannized by Flora's mysterious aunt, who controls the household from a locked room. Once there she discovers they exist in a state of chaos and feels it is up to her to bring order. Flora's confident and clever management of an alarming cast of eccentrics is only half the pleasure of this novel. The other half is Gibbons's wicked sendup of romantic cliches, from the mad woman in the attic to the druidical peasants with their West Country accents and mystical herbs.

Set in the mid-20th century, this novel explores themes of societal expectations and personal identity through its richly drawn characters. With a blend of humor and poignancy, the story delves into the complexities of relationships and the pursuit of happiness. The author, known for their sharp wit, crafts a narrative that reflects the nuances of human experience, making it a timeless read that resonates with both contemporary and historical audiences.

Exploring themes of freedom and solitude, the protagonist discovers a newfound sense of living that fulfills her deepest desires. Surrounded by nature and accompanied by an animal companion, she experiences a transformative journey that feels both intoxicating and liberating. This narrative delves into the profound impact of embracing one's true self and the joy found in simplicity.

'Don't show proper feelin', does it, not turnin' up for 'is dad's funeral'Siblings Sophia, Harry and Francis have lost both their parents in the last six months. Attending the funeral for their estranged father, they wonder what will become of them now that the last connection to their difficult childhood has been severed. What have they inherited - financially and emotionally - to guide them to adulthood, and build a new home together Enbury Heath is a semi-autobiographical account of the years which Gibbons and her brothers spent living in a cottage in Hampstead a wonderfully astute, bittersweet novel about family, grief, money, and the pleasures of London.

Winner of the 1933 Femina Vie Heureuse Prize, COLD COMFORT FARM is a wickedly funny portrait of British rural life in the 1930's. Flora Poste, a recently orphaned socialite, moves in with her country relatives, the gloomy Starkadders of Cold Comfort Farm, and becomes enmeshed in a web of violent emotions, despair, and scheming, until Flora manages to set things right. A BBC Radio Presents dramatization featuring stirring music and sound effects.

A novel first published in 1962, by the author of COLD COMFORT FARM.

A novel first published in 1951, by the author of COLD COMFORT FARM.

Sensible, sophisticated Flora Poste has been expensively educated to do everything but earn a 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.

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY LYNNE TRUSS'Stella Gibbons is the Jane Austen of the twentieth century' The TimesSet in wartime London, Westwood tells the story of Margaret Steggles, a plain bookish girl whose mother has told her that she is not the type that attracts men.

'Be gay, spawn! Laugh, stuff yourselves, gorge and forget' WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH A glorious collection of stories from the author of Cold Comfort Farm. The title story tells of a typical Christmas at the farm before the coming of Flora Poste. It is a parody of the worst sort of family Christmas: Adam Lambsbreath dresses up as Father Christmas in two of Judith's red shawls. There are unsuitable presents, unpleasant insertions into the pudding and Aunt Ada Doom orders Amos to carve the turkey, adding: 'Ay, would it were a vulture, 'twere more fitting!