Mapp and Lucia

Delightful; amusing; gentle comedy of manners: while accurate descriptors of Mapp and Lucia, these words also make it sound twee and, perhaps, dated, which is far from the truth. Gossipy, waspish and, at times, malignant are also accurate, and go more to the heart of the humour.

Elizabeth Mapp hates Emmeline "Lucia" Lucas with a passion; Lucia despises and pities Mapp in equal measure. Each scheming and plotting to be the centre of their social circle, their machinations against each other must always be concealed (barely and, usually, ineffectually) by the appropriate observances of the middle and upper-middle class conventions of a "between-the-wars" England at its most parochially self-absorbed.

The other villagers are by turns allies, show more pawns and antagonists in the war between Mapp and Lucia. Loyalties shift and turn as first one, then the other appears to have the upper hand. However, Mapp's malevolence usually causes her to overplay her hand and, just when she seems about to trump her opponent, she makes some awful gaff that Lucia turns to her advantage.

There is a well-observed cast of satellite characters, notably Lucia's best friend and companion, the effeminate and endearing Georgie Pilling, the only person of steadfast and unwavering loyalty amongst the two main combatants' followers.

I absolutely loved this book and cannot recommend it too highly. show less

Delightful; amusing; gentle comedy of manners: while accurate descriptors of Mapp and Lucia, these words also make it sound twee and, perhaps, dated, which is far from the truth. Gossipy, waspish and, at times, malignant are also accurate, and go more to the heart of the humour.

Elizabeth Mapp hates Emmeline "Lucia" Lucas with a passion; Lucia despises and pities Mapp in equal measure. Each scheming and plotting to be the centre of their social circle, their machinations against each other must always be concealed (barely and, usually, ineffectually) by the appropriate observances of the middle and upper-middle class conventions of a "between-the-wars" England at its most parochially self-absorbed.

The other villagers are by turns allies, show more pawns and antagonists in the war between Mapp and Lucia. Loyalties shift and turn as first one, then the other appears to have the upper hand. However, Mapp's malevolence usually causes her to overplay her hand and, just when she seems about to trump her opponent, she makes some awful gaff that Lucia turns to her advantage.

There is a well-observed cast of satellite characters, notably Lucia's best friend and companion, the effeminate and endearing Georgie Pilling, the only person of steadfast and unwavering loyalty amongst the two main combatants' followers.

I absolutely loved this book and cannot recommend it too highly. show less

This is a delightful book. It took me a little bit of time to get into it, but once I did I raced through it, laughing out loud. It is in the vein of classic English social comedy - Austen, Waugh, Wodehouse, Dickens, Crompton, etc. Mapp and Lucia are two English gentlewomen vying for social supremacy in a small country town. A simple but brilliant set up. There are a number of hilarious set piece moments, but the ending is especially brilliant. The way that the emotions, words and deeds of the characters are so hilariously out of proportion with what is at stake is where part of the comedy comes from. This edition has a good introduction by Philip Hensher that analyses this kind of very English social comedy.

When I began reading the Mapp and Lucia series, which focuses first on Lucia, friends said "just wait until she meets Miss Mapp!" And oh boy, were they right about that. In this fourth installment, the social queen bees of their respective towns create quite a storm. On a visit to Tilling, Elizabeth Mapp's domain, Lucia finds a house available to let for the summer, and decides a change of scenery would do her good. She convinces her good friend Georgie to rent another house in town, and they prepare to vacate Riseholme and descend on Tilling. It happens that Lucia has rented Mapp's house, and it's all part of an elaborate annual ritual in which the residents of Tilling rent their dwellings to one another (aside: the ease with which show more these people pack up all their worldly goods is rather astounding...).

So the stage is set for a social rivalry of epic proportions, and considerable amusement can be derived from Mapp and Lucia repeatedly attempting to one-up the other, with variable results. The climax results in a completely absurd caper, which some might call "jumping the shark," but by this time any reader worth their salt would have suspended disbelief. Just "take two hen lobsters" ... and hang on for the ride. show less

"Scrumptious" is a word I've probably never used in my life, but it seems rather apt for this series. E.F. Benson's delectable light comedy is a cross between Austen and Wodehouse, somehow more savage than either and yet more fond of the characters at the same time.

Queen Lucia introduces us to the immortal Emmeline Lucas, renowned for her dinner parties in which she will play the First Movement of the Moonlight Sonata, but will then beg off playing the second and third movements on the grounds that they are more "morning and afternoon" (*cough* she can't quite play them yet *cough). Lucia dominates life, along with her effete best friend Georgie, in their idyllic town of Riseholme, while Lucia in London takes the characters on the road show more for some urban satire. Miss Mapp, originally a separate novel entirely, shows us the life of the doughty, determined Elizabeth Mapp in the quirky, rather insular town of Tilling. Finally, in Mapp and Lucia, the two women are brought together, two generals in the field, each determined to have complete control of their terrain. Benson would eventually carry on this story in Trouble for Lucia and Lucia's Progress.

This joyous series is light and sparkling, but remains a fantastic break from reality 100 years after the first book was published. The last three novels were famously adapted in the 1980s with Prunella Scales, Nigel Hawthorne, and a career-best Geraldine McEwan in the lead roles. This led to McEwan and Scales releasing the books on tape, which are a real gem if you can find them. (Like Wodehouse, Benson's novels lend themselves to being read aloud.) The books were adapted again for a far shorter miniseries in the 2010s which was well cast but a little over-zealous in my opinion.

Since the 1980s adaptation brought the books back into the culture, several novelists have tried their hand at sequels. Tom Holt's two volumes are well worth reading, but the more recent trilogy by Guy Fraser-Sampson were, to my mind, a complete failure, utterly at odds with Benson's approach.

I was so glad to find this six-volume Folio Society edition from the 1990s, with the original six novels in beautiful cloth-bound hardcover, and elegant illustrations.

A lifelong treat for lovers of this sort of humour. show less

Bravissima for Lucia! A truly entertaining book with no redeeming value whatsoever but perfect for the light-hearted read. Lucia is the perfect foil for the odious Miss Mapp (I'm convinced if one looks up the word "odious" in the dictionary, there will be a picture of Miss Mapp) and the book is simply fun right down to the very last paragraph!

Now, That was fun.

When I started reading the Lucia series, I promised myself that I would not read the books one after the other. However, after finishing Miss Mapp, I decided that I had to find out what happened when the two divas meet for the first time. I was not disappointed. Sparks and fireworks.

Benson's series is a commentary on upper middle class society in England during the period of time between WWI and WWII. The people filling the pages of these books do not need to work. Their lives consist of gossip, art, music, tea parties, bridge and golf, and of course, one-upmanship. There is no internet or texting or email, so notes are sent delivering invitations to tea, to dinner, and to bridge games. Cars are a luxury, and big show more motorcars on tiny streets make for amusing situations. Morning marketing allows ample time for gossip.

In the previous book, we are introduced to Miss Elizabeth Mapp. Miss Mapp considers herself to be the head of Tilling society. She is underhanded and vindictive in her efforts to out maneuver everyone else. In the fourth book, Mapp & Lucia, Emmeline Lucas (Lucia to her friends) moves from the town of Riseholme to the seaside town of Tilling, much to the chagrin of Miss Mapp. She quickly becomes a favorite of the townsfolk, and Miss Mapp is not happy. She resolves to keep Lucia in her place, and constantly plots to outwit the newcomer. Lucia is up to the task however, being a bit devious herself. The result leads to many comical scenes. The supporting characters are just as entertaining. Lucia's best friend Georgie Pillson is one of my favorite characters. Georgie is the only character who truly remains faithful to Lucia through every misunderstanding, while the other characters continually change their support from Miss Mapp to Lucia at the drop of a hat.

All of this is very tongue in cheek, and very silly in a most delightful way. I think a fan of Wodehouse would definitely enjoy this series.

Read July 2013 show less