Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm, By Stella Gibbons
Have yourself...a very Thirties Christmas
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Stella Gibbons's short stories come, like Cold Comfort Farm, the novel that made her name, from another world, yet it's one we dimly recognise.
She is strictly a 1930s author, her world full of making-do, where single, middle-aged women abound, left bereft of potential husbands by the First World War. Many stories reflect that aftermath – Rhoda Harting in "The Little Christmas Tree" is one of those women who have "missed out"; spinster Elaine Garfield in "Sisters" is viewed as a "bit barmy" by her fellow villagers. But married women are just as unhappy, and desperate to leave their boring husbands. It's an oddly comforting and amusing collection, for all that dissatisfaction, and possibly a truer depiction of the times than we might think.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments