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Love in a Cold Climate

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 · rating details · 974 ratings · 127 reviews

One of Nancy Mitford’s most beloved novels, Love in a Cold Climate is a sparkling romantic comedy that vividly evokes the lost glamour of aristocratic life in England between the wars.

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 bo...more

Paperback, 256 pages

Published August 10th 2010 by Vintage (first published 1949)

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The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson

The Green Hills of Earth by Robert A. Heinlein

Best Books of 1949

6th out of 24 books — 11 voters

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

English Country House Novels

4th out of 8 books — 7 voters

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Feb 02, 2009 Donald rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When the loo-paper gets thicker and the writing-paper gets thinner, it’s always a bad sign at home (Nancy Mitford, Love in a Cold Climate, Hamish Hamilton, 1949)

It is pretty standard, nowadays, to denigrate her as frivolous and out of touch, but I’ve always had a sneaking liking for Nancy Mitford, easily the loveliest of the Mitford sisters. Conventional modern Britain has obviously lost sight of a lot of the values that underly her books and are no longer valued in a country where Mr. Blair and the late Princess of Wales are held up as role-models. A lot of these contemporary prejudices have to do, of course, with her choice of vocabulary, well-illustrated, I think, in the above sentence that manages to refer to both loos and writing-paper. But there is more to Nancy Mitford than that. Two factors stand out in my own personal experience.

First, I am attracted, of course, by her fondness for France, where she lived for the last thirty years or so of her life is something that obviously binds me to her: the it is fascinating how France has always featured prominently in the lives and thoughts of some of England’s greatest sons, the first Duke of Wellington being, perhaps, the most striking example. Nancy Mitford’s relationship with Gaston Palewski, whom I count as one of the most prominent actors of France’s reconstruction in the post-war period, is of course echoed in this book by the character of Sauveterre, by whom the narrator is captivated at the beginning of the story. But the book is dotted with innumerable, accurate, yet fundamentally totally English instances of observation of the intricacies of post-war French society.

The second reason why I like Nancy Mitford is the detachment with which she viewed the England in which she grew up: her point of view was never one of rejection—she was English to the core—but it was open-minded and her books show a deep understanding of the social structures and mannerisms of England in that period, something which those who have reviewed her work fail to understand. She is perfectly aware of the absurdities of a system does not mean it has to be overturned, as this passage illustrates:

“Nervous shock,” said Davey. “I don’t suppose she’s ever had a death so near to her before.”

“Oh yes she has,” said Jassy. “Ranger.”

“Dogs aren’t exactly the same as human beings, my dear Jassy.”

But to the Radletts, they were exactly the same, except that to them dogs on the whole had more reality than people.

Nancy Mitford’s writing, in that sense, is hardly just frivolous. It implicitly embodies a very English approach to the issues of the day: her emphasis is on the value of an age-old system miraculously maintained where it had vanished elsewhere combined with an insider’s view of its absurdities and the overall conviction that social structures are, on balance best left untouched but should not be taken too seriously.

English too is her approach to love-making. While important, it is not something to get carried away with:

“I’ve loved him ever since I can remember. Oh, Fanny—isn’t being happy wonderful?”

I felt just the same myself and was able to agree with all my heart. But her happiness had a curiously staif quality, and her love seemed less like the usual enchanted rapture of old establishment, love which does not need to assert itself by continually meeting, corresponding with and talking about its object, but which takes itself, as well as his response, for granted.

Two opposing characters in Love in a Cold Climate, illustrate this observant, wittily detached, modern yet ultimately sympathetic approach: Uncle Matthew, the archetypal, old-fashioned, prejudiced and red-faced English country squire, whose life seems to revolve principally around his pet hates—anything foreign, cissies, intellectuals and Socialists—and Cedric, a very modern, exotic figure, probably inspired by Hamish St Clair-Erskine, a Scottish folle whom Nancy Mitford had rather hopelessly “dated” in the early 1930s.

I also confess a weakness for Nancy Mitford’s style: totally unpretentious, always elegant and with a choice of vocabulary for which she has grown famous, the result of breeding, good taste and sound judgment. Critics tend to focus on it as a reflection on a class-system, instead of looking at it for what it really is: the embodiment of early twentieth-century England at its very best.(less)

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Aug 24, 2009 Beejay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Why have I waited so long in my life to read this wonderful little gem? It's just so delicious, a pure delight. A comment on the back cover says it is "... a wickedly funny satire, brilliantly lampooning upper-class society". They don't mention that you will laugh out loud on public transport while reading it, or that you are torn between racing through this confection at high speed it or devouring it slowly to savour and enjoy every little morsel. Highly recommended reading, and I look forward...more

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Oct 27, 2008 Siria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century, british-fiction, humour

Trashily enjoyable, Love in a Cold Climate casts a delightfully cold and acerbic eye over aristocratic English society in the 1930s, aided by Mitford's deft (and often malicious) way with characterisation. I don't know that I would read much more of her work--Mitford is very much of her time with regards to certain, uh, social assumptions and stereotypes, and this is almost ridiculously frothy--but as a once-off read, it is a lot of fun.

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Feb 14, 2009 Jon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: winter-challenge, historical, 1001-must-reads

I normaly get really peeved when English books/films of a certain period have to have everyone either talking with frightfully posh BBC plummy diologue or sterotypical 'cor blimey Guvnor' Dick Van Dyke style fake cockney.

The frightfully frightfully posh Aristocracy in the novel are really what makes it what it is though, and completely acceptable as a. its written by an insider who was a Toff herself and daughter of a Baron so you can imagine she grew up in just such circumstances, b. because it...more

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Nov 15, 2012 J. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: period junkies

Shelves: mitfords, this-england

Once you invest the fifteen minutes that it takes to get through the setup for this book, Mitford's Pursuit Of Love, you'll have certain expectations for what is to follow in this episode. Almost certainly in Love In A Cold Climate we'll see the mockingly entitled young set getting their comeuppances, and as it happens, things go fairly cold, fairly quickly. Like those Sunday buffet breakfasts in the Morning Room, once the paraffin warmers are used up.

I was hanging about, as one does at house p...more

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Jul 19, 2010 Shannon Vincent Nelson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another well written and hilarious book by Nancy Mitford that details the exploits, opinions, habits, and hilarity of the upper classes in England between WWI and WWII.

Love in a Cold Climate follows the story of Polly, who runs in similar circles with Fanny the narrator (whom we know from The Pursuit of Love). Much like The Pursuit of Love, the supporting cast steals the show. Polly's mother is a humorous example of a snobbish individual intent on maintaining social status with the help of an ad...more

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Mar 11, 2013 James rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: comedy, family, love

What a drop off in enjoyment between in "the pursuit of love" and "love in a cold climate". I think Nancy Mitford is best enjoyed in small doses because what delighted in the first book had paled considerably by the second. The story still revolves around English aristocrats being blithe, funny and deluded in their search for love but somehow it all seemed less enjoyable this time around.

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Apr 02, 2012 A. rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This missed the mark for me, though it is a little tough to say exactly why. It is exactly what one expects from Mitford, rather cool witty satire, well written and amusing.

The characters here felt very thin to me, though perhaps that is part of the point. Some will be familiar if you have read her other books, some are new.

I suspect that I am too far removed from this by both age and nationality to enjoy it fully. At the end of the day most of these characters were either too ridiculous or too...more

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Jun 16, 2013 Noemi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Vi uma menção à família Mitford no livro Breakfast at Tiffany's e posteriormente, lendo mais sobre ela, fiquei intrigada pela aura de mistério e curiosidade em torno das seis irmãs, cada uma merecendo uma página própria na Wikipedia. Quando descobri que uma delas, Nancy, era escritora, e que um dos seus livros era considerado autobriográfico, resolvi ler.
Acabei me enganando e pegando o livro errado, os elementos autobiográficos estão no livro anterior a esse, The Pursuit of Love.
Acredito que ess...more

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May 12, 2012 Maryann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I want to like this book. I love books about the "upper classes" and social stratas and all the rest. This book started out as a potential five with me. Great characters, good read, developing stories. But midway through, after Polly drops her "bomb", it lost all direction except trying to get itself to the end. The stories get topical, characters entering are silly, some characters disappear altogether, and the ending left me saying "Wha....?" Overall good read but not great.

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Apr 21, 2013 Francene Carroll rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't remember what I expected from this book but it definitely wasn't the biting social satire of upper class England in the 1930s that I found. This book is hilarious and so well written. There is a large cast of characters but they are each perfectly delineated and the wit is sparkling. I love the narrator's snarky voice (especially in the first half) and they way the author makes you share Fanny's cynicism about everything she observes while at the same time understanding her fondness for...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book, and found it very amusing. Loved "The Bolter", and the phrase has become my latest recurring theme. It often happens to me that successive books will feature the same phrase or character to some degree. One previous example was dead Ethans. This book started a run of books with mothers who have "bolted" (and that word is used). Has happened for so long I don't even think it's weird any more.

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Mar 04, 2013 Charles Puskas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

British novelist and biographer of aristocratic birth, Nancy Mitford, whose first novel, The Pursuit of Love (1945) gave a rare inside glimpse of upper class society in England, did this similar follow-up novel in 1949. She continues with the spry and highly opinionated Uncle Matthew, the self-absorbed and snobbish Lady Montdore, her spoiled and defiant daughter, Polly, the narrator, Fanny who is married to an Oxford don, the lecherous lecturer, Boy Dougdale, who ends up marrying young Polly aft...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Andrew Macfarlane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic-fiction

Tasty little read. Mitford had access to the aristocracy in the United Kingdom in the inter-war years. She uses this personal insight to write an affectionate, yet always outside looking in, tale of aristocratic charade and haughtiness getting in the way of life, love and friendship. It's also a delight in its turn of phrase; this is the very book for picking up some choice lingo of the Upper Class, and one might very well find themselves reading passages of the book in their best pre-war RP acc...more

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Dec 15, 2008 Ellie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Funny light and semi autobiographical accounts of growing up in British High society in the 1930's/40's.

Although this is not as funny as The Persuit of Love, this is due to the circumstances in between the writing of the 2. Its slightly more savage satire than the lighter humour of the 1st book, but still very funny and worth reading

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Oct 15, 2012 Kirsty rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012, tpobab-reads

I wasn't as impressed with Love in a Cold Climate as I was with The Pursuit of Love. The majority of the characters seemed to exude self-importance throughout and I felt little or no sympathy for all of them. I liked Mitford's writing style, but I never really got into the story.

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Mar 03, 2013 Nicole Naunton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was so entertained by this book and loved reading it. So much charm and humour.

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Feb 17, 2013 Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mitford_march, downtonesque

Polly Hampton was hoping that upon her family's return from India that she would reach the cold climate of England and that everyone would be more refined and not at it all the time. By it, she means love and the affairs of the heart. Sadly, her friend Fanny fills her in, that indeed, daydreams of love fill most hearts even far away from India. The thing is, Polly does not want love. She doesn't want her mother constantly hoping for her to fall into a mad passion, even arraigning for notorious F...more Polly Hampton was hoping that upon her family's return from India that she would reach the cold climate of England and that everyone would be more refined and not at it all the time. By it, she means love and the affairs of the heart. Sadly, her friend Fanny fills her in, that indeed, daydreams of love fill most hearts even far away from India. The thing is, Polly does not want love. She doesn't want her mother constantly hoping for her to fall into a mad passion, even arraigning for notorious French seducers to ply their trade on Polly. Polly will play the part but her heart will never enter into it. Lady Montdore continually has Fanny as her own "spy" hoping that Fanny can detect a glimmer of love within her daughters cold heart. Lady Montdore has spent her life planning for her daughter to have "all this." Yet, when the truth comes out as to the long game Polly has been playing, "all this" doesn't even enter into it. Love takes many forms, and it doesn't matter if it's odd or unconventional, love is what matters.

Love in a Cold Climate is always combined with The Pursuit of Love in adaptations for the simple reason that the events are actually concurrent with the previous volume. Also, for some reason, they think it's more romantic or apt to call it by Love in a Cold Climate. While I do see the reasoning, I always feel that by doing this neither story is getting full justice. While Pursuit is Linda's tale, Love is more obviously, not just Polly's story, but Fanny's, whose life gets fleshed out. It's not just about living in Linda's world anymore, but Fanny's own world and how others view it. In giving us more time with Fanny, who, let's face it, is the character the majority of us will identify with, there is a stronger connection for me with this book. Fanny's love of Linda, and, really, hero worshiping of her, gave the first book less heart for me. Perhaps it's because I'm the more sensible one and will identify with whichever character that may be. Like in Sense and Sensibility, I am Eleanor, not Marianne. I am Fanny, not Linda. While Polly might be the "main" character for much of the first half, her flinty heart, the opposite of Linda's overflowing heart, puts Fanny center stage and gives me a more satisfying read. Also, less time at Alconleigh and more time with Fanny's father figure Davey, means you realize what a hoot Davey is. His humor and his love of gossip fuel the fires of this book to make it more fun and full of laughs then you would expect after reading only the first volume.

There is also so much in this book that appeals to the lover of Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey in me. In Fanny staying with the higher echelons at Montdore House we have grand feasts on such a scale that you may be salivating while reading this book. There are balls where the rooms are flooded (on purpose) to make it like Venice, where you can float on gondolas indoors, an image that I think will never leave me, despite how short that passage is! With the character of Cedric, we have open acceptance of a gay character in a 1930s setting! Yes, there is some not quite PC labeling of him, but for the time, it was very forward. While Cedric didn't sit that well with critics in 1949, the fact remains that Nancy had a fully realized, sympathetic character with a non-mainstream lifestyle who was loved, truly loved by Lady Montdore, and therefore secured his acceptance in the aristocracy.

Yet for all that, Nancy can never make one non-mainstream lifestyle acceptable. This is a fatal flaw in this book, and that is Boy (Harvey) Dougdale. In fact Boy has so loomed in my memory that, aside from the "Venetian Ball" he is the overwhelming memory I have of this book. Boy is not just lecherousness, he is a pedophile. I am sorry, but there is no humor in someone who is not just sick but, as Uncle Matthew would say, a sewer. He has preyed on all the young girls, and boys, and for this he is nicknamed the Lecherous Lecturer. Yet is anything done about this pervert in their midst? NO! In fact most people find it funny in a kind of deviant way, "Oh, that's just Boy". He is in fact pitied, yes PITIED, because his unwanted attentions to young girls has resulted in him marrying one of the young girls he molested with his "sexy pinches" and massages. Pitied because his proclivities sparked an unwanted love that drove this girl to pursue him to the alter, not just the roof for a little cuddle. Guess what, don't fiddle with little children, because no matter what others think, I will not pity you, I will hope that the little girl will murder you on your wedding night.(less)

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Jan 13, 2013 notyourmonkey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-read, fiction, owned, kindle

After thoroughly devouring its predecessor, The Pursuit of Love, I dove straight into this one without even looking at the back. Which turns out was a good thing, as the back of book descriptions for both this and The Pursuit of Love bear very little resemblance to what's actually inside. A good thing, in my mind, as the actual book(s) is (are) far sharper and funnier than the blurbs ever hint at. Polly and her ideas of love are almost immaterial to the bulk of the novel, providing at best the "...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Deborah Ideiosepius rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Having read “Don’t tell Alfred” without being overwhelmingly impressed I read other peoples reviews. Most of them compare it unfavourably to the “Loves” that Mitford wrote and that made me curious enough to go straight on to ‘Love In a cold climate’.

Still not impressed. This is a pleasant enough read in a lot of ways, but I still do not see enough ‘wit’ ‘fantastic, cruel humour’ or ‘satire’ in this book to justify the enthusiasm I am apparently meant to have for Nancy Mitford’s writing.

Rather th...more

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Jun 06, 2008 Bettie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

a fluff, a something of nothing, that is so very dated and non-funny.

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Dec 31, 2012 Katherine Kreuter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: interwar

Don't know why I never read it before, but in some ways it was more fun because of the wait. I found it a little unsettling to read about child molestation in light of current news, but it makes you wonder about Mitford's objective. Was she saying 'pah, it's a lot of bother about an old man' or was she making a serious point: 'look what happens when you let old men mess about with girls'. The social commentary is delightful and the wit is sparkling. I thought it had a rather two-part structure b...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Ana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

This is exactly the kind of book I adore...it's like Brideshead Revisited without all the serious themes and only the wit and comedy remaining. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much. Lady Montdore, the Radlett sisters, Polly but mostly Cedric...hilarious dialogue. Of course this kind of novel will appeal to a certain kind of reader that likes this sort of frothy British social comedy with very little in the way of "deep themes." Think Downtown Abbey with more wit and less melodrama. S...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Vicky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: recent

I really enjoyed this book. It made me laugh out so many times, and I think my fellow-travellers on the tram to/from work now wonder whether I am slightly mad :)

The characters were wonderful, flawed and yet believable. The narrator, Fanny, seems so plain and naive despite her upbringing, that she makes a good contrast to the craziness of the rest of the characters. Polly, is a seriously flawed person - incredibly beautiful, but unable to love anyone in a normal way. Her mother, Lady Montdore is...more

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Aug 18, 2009 Stella rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Stella by: C 19

Shelves: modern-classics

Love in a Cold Climate is the 2nd in the trilogy written by Nancy Mitford (the 1st being The Pursuit of Love and the 3rd Don't Tell Alfred). I read it after The Pursuit of Love, and unfortunately the comparison doesn't favour Love in a Cold Climate: I found The Pursuit of Love wittier, more enteratining and roaring of laughter-funny. I'm sure that if I had read Love in a Cold Climate alone, I would have appreciated it more, because it is a wonderful, witty, funny and incredible book. I enjoyed i...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Maryann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001

I did not expect to enjoy this book, but it ended up being a charming little story. Very tongue-in-cheek, this novel is told from the point of view of Fanny, cousin to Lord and Lady Montdore and their beautiful daughter Polly. She observes their lifestyle and habits and the changes that occur with Polly's marriage and the appearance of an heir to the family fortunes. Fanny is a wonderful narrator, never judgmental, just reporting the judgments of others, and always patient and kind with everyone...more

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Jun 03, 2013 Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mooched

I started this book within minutes of having finished "The Pursuit Of Love.". I won't go so far as to say it is a sequel, but more aptly considered a companion piece. For me, 'Pursuit' started off slowly and gathered steam as it went along. Even though both novels are beautifully written, my opinion of this book is the complete reverse.

I thought the story of Polly to be an interesting one. In addition, I was happy to learn more about Fanny and David too. The 'Letcher' made my flesh crawl, and I...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Ian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books

Intoxicating. I can't quite work out why this tale of love and marriage is so beguiling, but then, the same applies to Jane Austen. It seems so artless and yet the foibles of the upper class are ruthlessly exposed. How such a monstrous character as Lady Montdore can be written about, her selfishness unstintingly described, her snobbishness and intolerance laid bare, and yet she remain a sympathetic character, defies logic. The plot is almost irrelevant. Suffice it to say that the Montdores beaut...more

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Jan 29, 2013 David Blanar rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have many serious problems with this book, most of which have to do with Fanny, the narrator. In stories such as this, when our perspective is narrowed to a single lens, our capacity for enjoying the diegesis of the narrative is contained entirely within the world view of the protagonist; we reach out, explore and expand our understanding of the story only as allowed by the main character. In this case, Fanny's perspective is shallow, insular and limited; consequently, our own view cannot help...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Alan Draycott rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A cross between PG Woodhouse and Jane Austin. different world at a different time. There were some funny scenes but I think many of the references were lost on this modern reader. the mystery of why Polly departed with Boy was never revealed because it would appear there was no mystery and perhaps that's why the book still has some merit. It is also almost blasphemous in its discussions on Ghandhi - most amusing.

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About Nancy Mitford

Nancy Mitford, CBE (28 November 1904, London – 30 June 1973, Versailles), styled The Hon. Nancy Mitford before her marriage and The Hon. Mrs Peter Rodd thereafter, was an English novelist and biographer, one of the Bright Young People on the London social scene in the inter-war years. She was born at 1 Graham Street (now Graham Place) in Belgravia, London, the eldest daughter of Lord Redesdale and...more

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