Chapter 1 Summary

Set primarily in Sussex, England in the 1930s, Cold Comfort Farm is a parody of late eighteenth/early nineteenth century agricultural literature, such as novels by D.H. Lawrence and Thomas Hardy. The main character, Flora Poste, goes to live with family members she has never met who live on Cold Comfort Farm. The place and the people are a mess so Flora uses her wits to tidy the farm and everyone on it.

Chapter One introduces Flora Poste. Flora's parents have recently died, leaving her with only one hundred pounds a year. The story begins two weeks after the funeral, when Flora goes to stay with her childhood friend, Mary Smiling, in London. Mary, a wealthy widower, invites Flora to stay with her until she can find a job and get her own flat, but Flora has other plans. Rather than work...