Warm fuzzies farm

Posted by Bel. The time is 8:27pm here in Wellington, NZ.

"Cold Comfort Farm" has been an absolute delight to read. Loved it! LOVED IT! I'm going to put it up there with "I Capture The Castle" and "The House of The Spirits". Instant Bel Classic hot off 'The List', folks!

This is the flat-out funniest book I have read so far (from 'The List') with the resolute perkiness of the main character, Flora, balanced by the determined melancholy or absurd eccentricity of the rural family members she becomes entangled with. It's "Emma" meets "The Royal Tenenbaums" set in the wops, except that I have never read "Emma" but I heard that "Clueless" is pretty much the same and I could reenact that for you if need be.

My only grumble is the inane cover this edition was wrapped in (click on the image for an enlarged view, if you dare). The kooky 90s style illustrations may have somewhat set the tone, but give the complete wrong impression about the era and the various characters.

I would like to see something more in the style of this here, which is the version of "I Capture The Castle" I purchased for myself (and have already loaned out twice):

Fusspot, I know, but fact of the matter is, we do judge books by their covers. And why not - the cover is our best immediate reference for what's going on inside. Let's try not make everything so hideously off-putting, shall we?

"Cold Comfort Farm": Highly recommended. Witty country mouse/city mouse fun, with a black comedy edge. #28 on 'The List' gets a resounding high (four out of) five. Next up: Gertrude Stein's "Three Lives"...