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Mapp & Lucia #3-4
Lucia in London & Mapp and Lucia: The Mapp & Lucia Novels
E. F. Benson’s beloved Mapp and Lucia novels are sparkling, classic comedies of manners set against the petty snobberies and competitive maneuverings of English village society in the 1920s and 1930s.
The third and fourth novels in the series, Lucia in London (1927) and Mapp and Lucia (1931) continue the adventures of Benson’s famously irrepressible characters, and bring them into hilarious conflict. Both Mrs. Lucia Lucas and Miss Elizabeth Mapp are accustomed to complete social supremacy, and when one intrudes on the other’s territory, war ensues. Lucia sees herself as a benevolent—if ruthless—dictator, while Miss Mapp is driven by an insatiable desire for vengeance against the presumptuous interloper. Their skirmishes—played out on a battlefield composed of dinner parties, council meetings, and art exhibits—enliven the plots of Benson’s maliciously witty comedies.
The third and fourth novels in the series, Lucia in London (1927) and Mapp and Lucia (1931) continue the adventures of Benson’s famously irrepressible characters, and bring them into hilarious conflict. Both Mrs. Lucia Lucas and Miss Elizabeth Mapp are accustomed to complete social supremacy, and when one intrudes on the other’s territory, war ensues. Lucia sees herself as a benevolent—if ruthless—dictator, while Miss Mapp is driven by an insatiable desire for vengeance against the presumptuous interloper. Their skirmishes—played out on a battlefield composed of dinner parties, council meetings, and art exhibits—enliven the plots of Benson’s maliciously witty comedies.
626 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1927
30 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
E.F. Benson
1,025 books357 followersEdward Frederic "E. F." Benson was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist, archaeologist and short story writer.
E. F. Benson was the younger brother of A.C. Benson, who wrote the words to "Land of Hope and Glory", Robert Hugh Benson, author of several novels and Roman Catholic apologetic works, and Margaret Benson, an author and amateur Egyptologist.
Benson died during 1940 of throat cancer at the University College Hospital, London. He is buried in the cemetery at Rye, East Sussex.
Last paragraph from Wikipedia
E. F. Benson was the younger brother of A.C. Benson, who wrote the words to "Land of Hope and Glory", Robert Hugh Benson, author of several novels and Roman Catholic apologetic works, and Margaret Benson, an author and amateur Egyptologist.
Benson died during 1940 of throat cancer at the University College Hospital, London. He is buried in the cemetery at Rye, East Sussex.
Last paragraph from Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 11, 2020
Quotable:
I hope that long before I’ve been bedridden for seven years, somebody will strangle me with a bootlace, or anything handy.
What does it matter how old we are, as long as we’re busy and amused?
A game should not be a lecture.
It was always wise to be polite to mimics.
I hope that long before I’ve been bedridden for seven years, somebody will strangle me with a bootlace, or anything handy.
What does it matter how old we are, as long as we’re busy and amused?
A game should not be a lecture.
It was always wise to be polite to mimics.
December 30, 2017
I want credit for two books!! 😊
June 14, 2023
Of the first four Mapp & Lucia Novels, Mapp and Lucia is my favorite. I don't think that you need to read them in order, but since I did read them in order, I suppose that I don't really know. There are two more novels, and I'm deliberately delaying my reading of them because reading about the characters is like putting on an old comfortable shoe. I'll hate to see the series end.
February 28, 2023
It was a great read aloud - the characters were sometimes so outrageous, we were laughing out loud. I don't think the stories would have been so amusing if I had been reading them silently to myself.
December 18, 2015
I enjoy period pieces that can capture both time and place of a particular era. I enjoy books that can recreate the details and the cadence of the time. I love books set in London.
I should have loved this book. I didn't. It is not that it was bad, it was just slow, painfully slow. The story was told in such a lugubrious manner that I found myself dozing off and losing the threads of the story.
Perhaps, if I had read other books in the series, I might not have found it so. I would certainly say if you are a fan, do not let this review deter you.
However, if you are looking for a frothy book that is paced well, this is not going to be it.
I should have loved this book. I didn't. It is not that it was bad, it was just slow, painfully slow. The story was told in such a lugubrious manner that I found myself dozing off and losing the threads of the story.
Perhaps, if I had read other books in the series, I might not have found it so. I would certainly say if you are a fan, do not let this review deter you.
However, if you are looking for a frothy book that is paced well, this is not going to be it.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews