Love In A Cold Climate (TV Serial, 1980)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Love in a Cold Climate'' is a novel by
Nancy Mitford Nancy Freeman-Mitford (28 November 1904 – 30 June 1973) was an English novelist, biographer, and journalist. The eldest of the Mitford family#Mitford sisters, Mitford sisters, she was regarded as one of the "bright young things" on the ...
, first published in 1949. The title is a phrase from
George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...
's novel ''
Keep the Aspidistra Flying ''Keep the Aspidistra Flying'', first published in 1936, is a socially critical novel by George Orwell set in 1930s London. The main theme is Gordon Comstock's romantic ambition to defy worship of the money-god and status, and the dismal lif ...
'' (1936). ''Love in a Cold Climate'' is a companion volume to ''
The Pursuit of Love ''The Pursuit of Love'' is a novel by Nancy Mitford, first published in 1945. It is the first in a trilogy about an upper-class English family in the interwar period focusing on the romantic life of Linda Radlett, as narrated by her cousin, Fa ...
''. The time frame of ''Love in a Cold Climate'' is the same as ''The Pursuit of Love'', but the focus is on a different set of characters. Fanny remains the fictional narrator. In ''The Pursuit of Love'', Fanny narrates the story of her cousin Linda Radlett. In ''Love in a Cold Climate'', Fanny narrates the story of Polly, to whom Fanny is distantly related through her father's family.


Synopsis

Lady Leopoldina "Polly" Hampton is the only child of the supremely aristocratic and very rich Earl of Montdore and his wife, Sonia. Lady Montdore is a product of the minor ranks of the aristocracy and her marriage to an earl is regarded as a social coup on her part. She is depicted by Fanny as an avaricious, greedy snob, but not without charm. Her thrusting personality, allied to her husband's impeccable social standing, riches and political influence makes her a formidable woman. Lady Montdore, unbeknownst to Lord Montdore, takes advantage of her husband's reputation to forward her own career as a hostess and manipulator of her social circle. Their daughter is Polly, with whom Fanny loses contact when Lord Montdore is sent as
Viceroy of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 1950, from 1858 to 1947 the viceroy and governor-general of India, commonly shortened to viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in their capacity as the Emperor of ...
. Fanny receives an invitation to visit the Montdores upon their return from India. She has great affection for Polly, but Polly reveals little of herself. Polly has "
come out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...
" in India and as a beautiful and socially important debutante is expected to have a very successful season in London. However, Polly consistently demonstrates a total lack of interest in the London season and all of the men she meets. She is hoping that "in a cold climate", society will be less interested in love affairs. Lady Montdore is exasperated by her daughter's apparent indifference to love and marriage. "Important" potential suitors acknowledge that Polly is very beautiful, but find her cold and aloof. Polly reveals to no one that she has been in love with her uncle, "Boy" Dougdale (the husband of her paternal aunt), since she was 14. Boy is snobbish and sexually rapacious; his many affairs are common knowledge to both his wife and society at large. Fanny and her Radlett cousins have long suspected that the sexually ambiguous Boy has paedophilic tendencies, and he is a joke amongst Fanny's cousins for his inappropriate touches and "lecherous" behaviour towards young girls. Polly marries Boy shortly after her aunt's death, causing a scandal in her social circle and distressing her parents deeply. Unbeknownst to Polly, Boy has been Lady Montdore's lover for many years. She is excluded from her father's will upon her marriage and she and Boy ostracised from society. They move to
Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
, where they remain for several years. Polly's place in the family is filled by the heir to Lord Montdore's
entailed In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust law, trust, established by deed or settlement, that restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate (law), estate in real property and prevents that property from being sold, devised by ...
fortune and title, Cedric Hampton. Born in
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
to a minor member of the Montdore family, Cedric has used his exceptional good looks and personal charm to establish a place within the homosexual milieu of the European aristocracy. He has lived a life of luxury as the lover of rich and aristocratic men. Cedric accepts an invitation to visit the Montdores. His natural love of beauty, innate good taste, and careful use of flattery enable Cedric to win the affections of Lord and Lady Montdore and many others. Cedric focuses his attentions upon Lady Montdore who uses Cedric's popularity and charm to reestablish herself as a leading society hostess, to Cedric's advantage. Fanny and Cedric soon become close friends. Polly and Boy return from Sicily, out of love and their marriage turned sour. While pregnant, Polly is regularly visited by the Duke of Paddington (a fictional title), who lavishes her with attention. There comes a reconciliation between Polly and Lady Montdore, Polly having borne a child who lived for minutes. "Cedric arranged the whole thing perfectly", according to Fanny. While Polly recovers from the difficult birth, Cedric, Boy and Lady Montdore go to France, leaving Polly free to be carried off by the duke. The trio return to Hampton and happily establish a ménage there. While this outcome shocks the conservative social circles in which they mix, Fanny takes a more broad-minded view, pleased to see people she loves each finding happiness in their own way.


Characters

*Leopoldina "Polly" Hampton, the daughter of Lord and Lady Montdore, is renowned for her beauty but not much else. *Sonia (née Perrotte), Lady Montdore, Polly's abrasive, narcissistic and inconsiderate mother *Lord Montdore, Polly's kindly and rather dull father and the previous Viceroy of India *Frances "Fanny" Wincham (née Logan), the narrator, is a distant cousin of Polly and a frequent visitor of the family. * Linda Radlett, Fanny's cousin and best friend, daughter of Lord and Lady Alconleigh. Her relationships form a central part of the story in ''
The Pursuit of Love ''The Pursuit of Love'' is a novel by Nancy Mitford, first published in 1945. It is the first in a trilogy about an upper-class English family in the interwar period focusing on the romantic life of Linda Radlett, as narrated by her cousin, Fa ...
''. * Louisa Radlett, eldest daughter of Lord and Lady Alconleigh, marries Lord Fortwilliam. *Cedric Hampton, the heir to Hampton and a close friend of Fanny's, is flagrantly homosexual and extremely charming. He causes a great deal of gossip and scandal, yet most people are won over by his charm once they meet him. Once he arrives at Hampton, he spends most of his time making over his aunt. *Harvey "Boy" Dougdale, husband of Lord Montdore's sister Patricia and later the husband of Polly Hampton. Boy is bisexual and known for his extremely active sex life. *Lady Patricia Dougdale (née Hampton), whom Polly is said to resemble, is the wife of Boy Dougdale. Patricia pined for Boy for several years before he finally married her, but within six months of the wedding Patricia became aware of her husband's extramarital affairs. She was long afflicted with ill health and her death is a major plot point in the story. *Davey Warbeck, Fanny's uncle and close friend of the Montdores and the Alconleighs *Jassy Radlett, Fanny's cousin, is a regular visitor who never fails to cheer up Fanny. *Victoria Radlett, Jassy's younger sister, and likewise one of Fanny's most welcome visitors *Matthew Radlett, Lord Alconleigh, father of Jassy and Victoria and uncle to Fanny, is notable for his intense loathing of Cedric Hampton. *Sadie Alconleigh, Fanny's aunt and mother of Jassy and Victoria, is a close friend of the Montdores. *Alfred Wincham, an Oxford don and Fanny's husband. Although Fanny often claims that she and her husband are perfectly suited for one another, Alfred is often dismissive of his wife's behaviour and interests. *Norma Cozens, Fanny's neighbour, is one of her closest friends despite their many differences in temperament. *Veronica Chaddesley-Corbett, the most popular and prominent socialite of her day and an important visitor at Hampton *Fabrice de Sauveterre, a wealthy French duke and a guest at Hampton. Sauveterre is a major character in ''The Pursuit of Love''.


Sequel

''
Don't Tell Alfred ''Don't Tell Alfred'' is a novel by Nancy Mitford, first published in 1960 by Hamish Hamilton. It is the third in a trilogy centred on an upper-class English family and takes place twenty years after the events of ''The Pursuit of Love'' and ''Lo ...
'' (1960) is a sequel to the novel giving further insight into the married life of Fanny and Alfred.


Television adaptations

''Love in a Cold Climate'' has been adapted twice as a
mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
: * in
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
by
Simon Raven Simon Arthur Noël Raven (28 December 1927 – 12 May 2001) was an English author, playwright, essayist, television writer, and screenwriter. He is known for his louche lifestyle as much as for his literary output. Expelled from Charterhouse S ...
for
Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...
(set 1924–1940) starring
Lucy Gutteridge Lucy Kérimée Gutteridge (born 28 November 1956) is a retired English actress. She portrayed Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt in the television miniseries '' Little Gloria... Happy at Last'' (1982), for which she received a Golden Globe Award nominatio ...
,
Rosalyn Landor Rosalyn Landor (born 7 October 1958) is an English film, television and stage actress and audio book narrator. Early life Landor was born in 1958 in Hampstead, London, the daughter of English actor and radio presenter Neil Landor and of an Irish ...
,
Michael Aldridge Michael William ffolliott Aldridge (9 September 1920 – 10 January 1994) was an English actor. He was known for playing Seymour Utterthwaite in the television series ''Last of the Summer Wine'' from 1986 to 1990 and he had a long career as a ...
,
Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...
,
Vivian Pickles Vivian Pickles (born 21 October 1931) is an English actress. Biography Pickles began her career as a child star after being chosen by Mary Field for a series of Saturday Morning children's films, including the lead roles in ''Jean's Plan'' (1 ...
and
Jean-Pierre Cassel Jean-Pierre Cassel (; born Jean-Pierre Crochon; 27 October 1932 – 19 April 2007) was a French actor and dancer. A popular star of French cinema, he was initially known for his comedy film appearances, though he also proved a gifted dramatic a ...
* in
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
by
Deborah Moggach Deborah Moggach (née Hough; born 28 June 1948) is an English novelist and screenwriter. She has written nineteen novels, including '' The Ex-Wives'' (1993), ''Tulip Fever'' (1999; made into the 2017 film of the same name), ''These Foolish T ...
for the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
starring
Rosamund Pike Rosamund Mary Ellen Pike (born 1979) is an English actress and producer. Known for psychological thrillers and dramas, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Rosamund Pike, numerous accolades, including a Primetime Em ...
,
Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh Elisabeth Dermot Walsh (born 15 September 1974) is an English actress, known for her role as Zara Carmichael in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors''. In 2015, she won the award for Best Female Acting Performance at the RTS Midlands Awards for her por ...
,
Celia Imrie Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is a British actress and author. She is best known for her film roles, including the '' Bridget Jones'' film series, '' Calendar Girls'' (2003), '' Nanny McPhee'' (2005), '' The Best Exotic Marigold ...
and
Alan Bates Sir Alan Arthur Bates (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was an English actor who came to prominence in the Cinema of the United Kingdom#The 1960s, 1960s, when he appeared in films ranging from ''Whistle Down the Wind (film), Whistle Down ...
Both versions were broadcast in the United States by
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
as part of ''
Masterpiece Theatre ''Masterpiece'' (formerly known as ''Masterpiece Theatre'') is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on PBS on January 10, 1971. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions. Many of these ...
''.


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Love in a Cold Climate 1949 British novels British novels adapted into television shows Novels by Nancy Mitford Hamish Hamilton books Novels set in the 1930s Fiction set in 1930 Fiction set in 1931