Polly Hampton has long been groomed for the perfect marriage by her mother, the fearsome and ambitious Lady Montdore. But Polly, with her stunning good looks and impeccable connections, is bored by the monotony of her glittering debut season in London. Having just come from India, where her father served as viceroy, she claims to have hoped that society in a colder climate would be less obsessed with love affairs.

The apparently aloof and indifferent Polly has a long-held secret, however, one that leads to the shattering of her mother's dreams and her own disinheritance. When an elderly duke begins pursuing the disgraced Polly and a callow potential heir curries favor with her parents, nothing goes as expected, but in the end, all find happiness in their own unconventional ways.

Listening Length

8 hours and 9 minutes
Author

Nancy Mitford
Narrator

Zoe Telford
Audible release date

September 21, 2021
Language

English
Publisher

Tantor Audio
ASIN

B09FM5PZ38
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	8 hours and 9 minutes
Author	Nancy Mitford
Narrator	Zoe Telford
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	September 21, 2021
Publisher	Tantor Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B09FM5PZ38
Best Sellers Rank	#42,500 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #839 in Romantic Comedy (Audible Books & Originals) #947 in Family Life Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) #2,452 in Historical Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

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All’s Well That Ends Well

Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2023

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Love in a Cold Climate is a lively satire of the British upper crust around 1930. English readers, at the time it was published in 1949, could no doubt recognize the fictional characters as people who actually existed, many from author Nancy Mitford’s own family and circle. I read that Mitford had sent the manuscript to her friend Evelyn Waugh, who returned it saying what a delight it was to read, but telling her she must rewrite it, which she refused. She commented later how many reviewers panned the book in America, but volumes were flying off the shelves. Mitford cared more about what big sales numbers said about her book, than critics.

The novel was funny and witty, moving along at a good pace, and compelling the reader forward to see what would happen next. I read it in two sittings. Mitford’s own upbringing within the context of the upper crust, (although her childhood was fraught with issues), allowed her to be fluent in every aspect of the lifestyles, social nuances, and history of the period. I enjoyed her sense of humor throughout the plot line. Her book is like a literary cartoon of the period, both amusing and entertaining.

One thing I found funny, alluded to several times, was the strong
disdain for “Colonials” [those of British parentage born and raised in North America] despite the fact it had been around 155 years from the time of American Revolution to the book’s time period setting.

As I read the last few paragraphs the expression “all’s well that ends well” immediately came to mind. In some ways this novel echoed that comedy, farce, and subtexts of the play, albeit perhaps not intentionally. The naturalism of “the human comedy” is at play here with a narrator who describes more than judges aspects of human behavior. Anyone interested in 1930s British aristocracy, or having an interest in the Mitford sisters and the milieu of their upbringing will likely enjoy the book as I did.

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Kindle Customer

Another good Midford book

Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2023

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I enjoyed this book by Nancy Midford, enough to remember it and read a second time and recommend it also

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Paul Rooney

Hilarious satire.

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2015

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This is an hilarious satire on the British upper class set in the period between the wars. The attitudes and snobbishness of the upper class taken to the nth degree.

Polly Montdore, daughter of one of England's wealthiest families, shows no inclination to marry despite many attempts to match make by her mother, that is until she announces to friends and family she is going to marry her recently widowed uncle. This is where the trouble starts.

The story is told through the eyes of Polly's distant cousin, Fanny,who comes from a titled family but without the immense wealth. Our narrator fills us in on the daily lives of the upper classes in great detail and keeps it amusing throughout.

Polly's mother is a wonderful snob and a highlight of the book.

Back in the Long Gallery some of the women went upstairs to 'powder their' noses. Lady Montdore was scornful. ' I go in the morning,' she said,' and that is that. I don't have to be let out like a dog at intervals, thank goodness- there;s nothing so common, to my mind".

or this gem:

And if I might offer you a little advice Fanny, it would be to read fewer books,dear, and make your house slightly more comfortable. that is what a man appreciates in the long run.'

I laughed all the way through this and it got even better when the delightfully camp Cedric appears. This is a delight, even the introduction by Alan Cumming is great.

I also recommend Mitford's collection of letters between her and Evelyn Waugh, laugh out loud funny and very pointed.

20 people found this helpful

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Anne Mills

A Frozen Treat

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2012

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This novel is easy to get into, hard to put down, and very funny along the way, but still coldblooded in the end. It's farce, not comedy. There is a lot of banging around, of characters and plot lines as well as of doors, and the resolution is as chilly as an English spring.

The plot is a series of events connecting a group of wildly eccentric upper class Brits in the late 1920's and early 1930's -- people, one assumes, much like Ms. Mitford's friends and family. The one sensible member of the cast is the narrator, Fanny, who starts off the novel with a visit to her very grand relations at Hampton. These include the beautiful Polly Hampton, only child of Lord and Lady Montdore. Polly refuses to fall in love with anyone, and in time it is revealed that she has been in love with someone supremely inappropriate since the age of fourteen. After that events unravel and the plot thickens, until it is all resolved rather shockingly at the end.

The key characters are surprising rounded, given their eccentricities and at times improbable emotions, and the setting is fascinating. But there is that coldness at the heart: it is about love, but so much of the love is the kind that finds its object in a mirror. It's an enjoyable read, and I will certainly read Ms. Mitford's "Pursuit of Love". Its not a novel, however, to which I will return for emotional connection.

3 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer

Very Good Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 17, 2023

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Enjoyed reading it very much and finding out how the English Aristocracy lived years ago from someone who was one of them.

Garbo

More Cedric please!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2014

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** spoiler alert ** I enjoyed this book immensely!

As a follow-on from The Pursuit of Love, Fanny once again narrates the love life of one of her relatives - though this time a rather distant relation. Set in the same time period as the Pursuit of love, it's amazing how one can seem so youthful and unapologeticly adolescent with ideals of love, and the other so much more mature.. and practical. In The Pursuit of Love, Fanny watches Linda from afar, and although she narrates Linda's story, Linda's voice is also very strong within the novel. With Love In A Cold Climate, it's almost reversed. Fanny narrates Polly's journey towards marriage, and the aftermath, but distinctly, Polly is mainly spoken of through Fanny's narration and the retelling of conversations through other characters, or she is conversing with Fanny herself. Polly's voice is dampened by the fact that we rarely hear her speak for herself. This reflects both the personalities of Linda and Polly in their own respective novels, but what the almost silence of Polly allows in Love In A Cold Climate is that we hear so much more about Fanny and her courtship and marriage with Alfred. We hear more about her family life and her thoughts, which I found to be a lot more interesting than Polly's affairs.

What I would have loved for there to be more of was the appearance of Cedric. I will admit that I purchased Mitford's novels because I wanted to read Love In a Cold Climate - I had heard that the character Cedric was inspired by Mitford's friend and Bright Young Thing, Stephen Tennant, who I am enamored with. His character is so intriguing, that it would have been a great joy to have him fill more of the pages, and also for him to have a more dynamic social setting - that he didn't meet Polly at the end of the book was heartbreaking! What if he could transform her character like he did Lady Montdore?! That would have been perfect!

Nevertheless, the take-away feeling is that I loved this novel, and am set to continue reading all the fictional volumes of Mitford available! In this addition, I particularly LOVE the cover! I believe that 5 of her novels are in this design, of which I am intent of collecting them all! I am only disapointed that some of her earlier novels are not available indicually in this design - what an attractive set it would have been on my bookshelf!

The only thing I fear with reading Mitford, is that I have read two books so far, and in both there is a death in the last few pages... is this something I shall have to prepare myself for the rest of her novels?

One person found this helpful

Mrs. R. M. Webster

Brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2023

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This book is so funny. Really interesting characters. No boring bits. Fans of the Mitford family will love it. Would highly recommend.

Sheila

Fascinating study of upper class English family in the early decades of the 20th century

Reviewed in Canada on December 22, 2020

Verified Purchase

I had heard of Nancy Mitford and the “Mitford Girls” for a long time. She was the writer of the family, but I didn’t expect to become so thoroughly absorbed in her writing. A must-read, both from a literary point of view and to provide historical context of the decades that preceded us...I have ordered more of her books written in the same context, to broaden my learning and enjoyment.

Amazon Customer

Marvellous novel but poor typesetting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2021

Verified Purchase

I've intended to read this novel for decades and finally got around to it. It's wonderful and extremely funny, but is let down by the many typographical errors in this edition. Annoying, but still well worth the read.

One person found this helpful

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