My ‘Unnecessary Rankings!‘ series have quickly become my favourite blog posts to write, and I love reading your comments – sometimes in agreement, but usually not, and that’s the most fun. Of all the authors I’ve done so far, Stella Gibbons has the widest range – i.e. some of her novels are all-time favourites, and some are unbearable trash.
As I put this together, I realised I’d read fewer than I thought – and she was very prolific. So it’s only ranking eight of her 30 or so books. Let’s treat this more of a way to find out what I SHOULD be reading… recommendations, please.
8. Beside the Pearly Water (1954)
This feels like one of the worst books I’ve ever read, let alone Gibbons’ worst. It’s based on an idea that doesn’t make any sense and is worked out with frustrating stupidity. An attempt to stay up-to-date that truly didn’t work.
7. Here Be Dragons (1956)
There are elements of Here Be Dragons that I really enjoyed, particularly the heroine getting a job in a café and seeing that world – but the rest didn’t arrest my attention particularly. A theme I’ll return to is that Gibbons is fantastic in general but very bad at romance storylines.
6. Nightingale Wood (1938)
A lovely Cinderella-style story that reminded me quite a lot of the scenes from I Capture the Castle where Cassandra and her family visit their rich neighbours. The individual characters haven’t stayed with me, but the atmosphere has.
5. Bassett (1934)
The first half of this novel is absolutely sublime – two incompatible spinsters decide to set up a boarding house together. It’s hilarious, and just the right side of outright farce. I lapped it up. And then… the second half weirdly transfers to a love triangle between three very tedious young neighbours. Apparently that half is autobiographical, and it is not at all interesting – Bassett is so high because the first half is so delightful.
4. Westwood (1946)
Gibbons in slightly more poignant mode – the introduction to my edition, by Lynne Truss, says: “If Cold Comfort Farm is Gibbons’ Pride and Prejudice then Westwood is her Persuasion.” I think that’s a very astute observation – the humour is still there, but this is a more sombre, heartfelt novel.
3. Enbury Heath (1935)
I’ll race to any novel about house moves, and the first third of Enbury Heath is about siblings setting up a little cottage together with a small inheritance – and jettisoning the advice of their pestering aunts and uncles. The rest of the novel didn’t quite match that high for me, but I really enjoyed my time with this one.
2. Miss Linsey and Pa (1936)
Gosh, I love this book! Miss Linsey and her dad move to be near relatives but aren’t welcomed in their home – so move to a horrible flat in a run-down building. Miss Linsey works in the home of some thinly-disguised Bloomsbury types, and Gibbons has great fun mocking them. The whole cast of characters are wonderful, and I think it’s Gibbons’ greatest success at combining pacing, humour, and pathos.
1. Cold Comfort Farm (1932)
I think Gibbons is a good example of the most famous book also being the best. Cold Comfort Farm is such a tour de force, quite unlike any of her other books, and she fuses the madcap cast of characters with endless energy – whether they are bitter, annoying, good-intentioned or witless. Having Flora as the breezy, unsentimental outsider is perfect. Unmatched and unmatchable.
The Woods in Winter is wonderful and would be #2 (after Cold Comfort) on my own list.
Oo good to know! I can’t remember if I have that one or not…
I’ve read three on your list and have a few more on my TBR shelf. I’m tempted to read Enbury Heath based on your ranking but have already read a book from 1935 for my Half Century of Books project! Hmmm…
Yes, I’m already facing dilemmas like that, even though it’s early in the year!
Have read and very much enjoyed two other books by Gibbons. The Snow Woman was excellent, and Swiss Summer was charming. I think you should add those to your TBR.
Oo good to know. I don’t have The Snow Woman (yet!) but I think I have Swiss Summer.
The Rich House is by far my favourite book by Stella Gibbons. I have read it countless times. The main characters are well drawn and resonant of the period, including poor little Mavis Jevons whose story tugs at the heartstrings in the same way as Jane Eyre and Anne Eliot. The nameless English seaside setting gives a strong sense of place. Do read it if you can get hold of a copy.
Oo I don’t see people mention The Rich House much, so that’s really good to know – thank you; I’ll look out for that one.
I loved “Nightingale Wood” — so much that, I think for the first time ever, as soon as I turned over the last page, I went back to the beginning and read it again. I identified more than a little with the younger “ugly sister” in this Cinderella story, and was not a little amused at the way that Gibbons let that storyline interest her more than it might have done when she started writing. I’ve read a few others by Gibbons — though not “Cold Comfort Farm” — but your list makes me think I should search out a couple more ….
Oh that is quite the endorsement! I was a bit put off by the cover of my edition (the Virago reprint) – I should read again sometime, but there are also so many I haven’t read.
I just saw a book called “Pure Juliet” by her, which they say was a ‘lost manuscript’ that was first published in 2014. It looks a bit too much on the fantasy side for me, but I was just wondering if you know about it, and/or read it.
Yes, I remember when that was discovered and published in 2014 – at the time I thought “but what about all the published Gibbons novels that hardly anyone has read?” Thankfully Vintage have brought back a lot since then.
I’ve only read Cold Comfort Farm, which was lovely, so I’ll likely stop there!
It is a hard one to follow up!
Cold Comfort Farm is also one of my favourite books, although setting it in ‘the future’ did seem a bit unnecessary. Apart from that I thoroughly enjoyed Swiss Summer, and Nightingale Wood was pleasant. .
The other books I remember reading by her are Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm, Conference at Cold Comfort Farm, Westwood, Here Be Dragons, and My American. All so-so in my opinion, but I know we all have different tastes!
Oh this is terrific, I’ve only read CCF and Christmas at CCF which I found very disappointing, so I’ll use your list with gusto. Thanks.
Another vote for The Snow Woman, i found it funny and heartwarming, reminiscent of Jane Gardam.
I feel exactly the same about Bassett as you. Some Gibbons I’ve read not listed here:
Pure Juliet – This may have been published posthumously. It’s about a woman (possibly autistic?) who devotes her life to studying coincidence. I didn’t really like it.
Starlight – I really liked this one, about two sisters living in poverty in London after WWII, whose lives are thrown into confusion when they get a new landlord. Google books classifies this as “horror.” I wouldn’t go that far, although some disturbing things happen. It’s certainly not going to keep you awake at night.
The Yellow Houses – This one is about supernatural beings who live among us. At first I enjoyed it, but it got to be a bit much.
The CCF followups are awful, Conference in particular. The Bachelor is too Thirkelly and has a nasty bit of xenophobia. The Swiss Summer and The Weather at Tregulla I enjoyed. A Pink Front Door is a lovely Hampstead novel. Those are all Dean St Press, too. Hope that helps in some way!
Miss Linsey and Pa sounds fantastic, so I’m surprised to find that it’s out of print, especially given all the other reissues. That aside, Westwood definitely appeals, as does Starlight, which I don’t think you’ve read. (Frances, nonsuchbook, recommended it a while ago, so it’s been on my wishlist for a while.) I may have to reread CCF, too – it’s been years!