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Mapp & Lucia #4
Mapp and Lucia
Mrs. Emmeline Lucas is the recently-widowed newcomer to the village of Tilling, eager to wrest the reins of social supremacy from the incumbent Miss Elizabeth Mapp and to install herself as its benevolent dictator. In their polite acts of sabotage, as they ruthlessly jockey for the position of cultural arbiter, Mapp and Lucia tear up the conventions of drawing-room diplomacy and enter a protracted conflict using fêtes, garden parties, musical soirées, and bridge evenings as their deadly weapons. Things finally come to a head with Miss Mapp's audacious attempt to steal her rival's celebrated recipe for Lobster à la Riseholme. With a charming satirical bent, E.F. Benson turns the pretensions and snobberies of English village life into a deliciously wicked comedy.
298 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1931
About the author
E.F. Benson
848 books328 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 - 30 of 283 reviews
January 7, 2019
Darlings, you simply must join us for...
AN ELIZABETHAN FÊTE AT TILLING VILLAGE!
And by "fête" we mean slaughter, darlings! Indeed, things shall get bloody, or at the very least, quite tense. Lips will be curled and stares will be cold and words will be delivered with a certain sardonic disdain - or perhaps a bright, cheerful condescension. Such things are par per il corso when it is Queen versus Queen!
Which Queen shall triumph? Shall it be the formidable Queen Elizabeth Mapp? She does have the home advantage. Her frugal and abstemious ways and means have commanded the upper classes of Tilling for who knows how long. They march in lockstep to her lovingly militaristic tunes, during bridge parties and afternoon teas and art openings; they are carefully watched, reviewed, and evaluated on a daily basis from her sitting room window. Bloody Liblib has successfully and brutally stamped out any hint of insurrection. All hail her dark and malevolent majesty!
Or shall it be that brilliant interloper, Queen Lucia Lucas? After holding her quaint village of Riseholme in thrall for who knows how long, she has grown bored and comes to Tilling for the summer... or perhaps longer? She will bring delightful dinner parties featuring Lobster à la Riseholme, generous deployment of la lingua italiana, heaps of Mozart duos on piano, and healthy bouts of calisthenics on that quaint cinder path - or in the kitchen when weather is inclement. Golden Lulu seeks to expand both minds and her personal empire. All hail her fair and benevolent majesty!
But perhaps it shall be Nature that triumphs? There is a tide...
No matter who shall prevail, in the end, the true winner is the reader! Benson pokes, pinches, smacks, slaps, and scours the idle somewhat-rich of Tilling Village and the results are as tart and tasty as a lemon bar. Surely it was a stroke of genius, or some such mind-state, to bring the two "heroines" of past novels together in this ferocious battle of will, clenched teeth, and frosty "compliments". Darlings, I was simply dying to see who shall rise and who shall fall in this deadly war. You simply must come to this delicious bloodbath!
AN ELIZABETHAN FÊTE AT TILLING VILLAGE!
And by "fête" we mean slaughter, darlings! Indeed, things shall get bloody, or at the very least, quite tense. Lips will be curled and stares will be cold and words will be delivered with a certain sardonic disdain - or perhaps a bright, cheerful condescension. Such things are par per il corso when it is Queen versus Queen!
Which Queen shall triumph? Shall it be the formidable Queen Elizabeth Mapp? She does have the home advantage. Her frugal and abstemious ways and means have commanded the upper classes of Tilling for who knows how long. They march in lockstep to her lovingly militaristic tunes, during bridge parties and afternoon teas and art openings; they are carefully watched, reviewed, and evaluated on a daily basis from her sitting room window. Bloody Liblib has successfully and brutally stamped out any hint of insurrection. All hail her dark and malevolent majesty!
Or shall it be that brilliant interloper, Queen Lucia Lucas? After holding her quaint village of Riseholme in thrall for who knows how long, she has grown bored and comes to Tilling for the summer... or perhaps longer? She will bring delightful dinner parties featuring Lobster à la Riseholme, generous deployment of la lingua italiana, heaps of Mozart duos on piano, and healthy bouts of calisthenics on that quaint cinder path - or in the kitchen when weather is inclement. Golden Lulu seeks to expand both minds and her personal empire. All hail her fair and benevolent majesty!
But perhaps it shall be Nature that triumphs? There is a tide...
No matter who shall prevail, in the end, the true winner is the reader! Benson pokes, pinches, smacks, slaps, and scours the idle somewhat-rich of Tilling Village and the results are as tart and tasty as a lemon bar. Surely it was a stroke of genius, or some such mind-state, to bring the two "heroines" of past novels together in this ferocious battle of will, clenched teeth, and frosty "compliments". Darlings, I was simply dying to see who shall rise and who shall fall in this deadly war. You simply must come to this delicious bloodbath!
October 16, 2024
"She has every accomplishment," said Elizabeth, "including push."
Lucia after is looking for new fields to conquer. Tilling (which Lucia had previously visited) sounds alluring, but there the determinedly smiling & domineering Elizabeth Mapp holds sway. Surely Lucia will not be vanquished!
Lucia is less likeable in this book, but the book is still riotously funny. I am quite sure Benson will be the best NewToMe author for 2023. The ending normally would be too farcical for my tastes, but a comic genius like Benson does indeed pull this off.
This will be hard, but I want to stretch these books out & I am waiting until next year to read the final two Benson installments of this series.(later Mapp & Lucia books are written by other authors)
But for now, Au Reservoir!
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May 31, 2018
A charming, witty novel from 1935. Lucia, a beautiful young widow, moves to a Sussex village long dominated by the spinster Miss Mapp; their battle for social supremacy pulsates with refined vindictiveness that—no shame here—delighted me, several times to the point of squealing aloud. Amid the hilarity, I thought differently and deeply about things like nicknaming, pet expressions and "home". I loved this a thousand times more than expected.
February 24, 2016
I love the Lucia series so much that I only permit myself to read one book from it a year. I have two left after this one, and then I suppose I will start over again. If you're a fan of Cranston, Barbara Pym or Nancy Mitford, the Lucia series is like finding pure gold. If Dowager Violet Crawley is up your alley, then please help yourself to these books. Set in the English proper countryside mid-wars, Lucia aims to be the queen of every world she enters, aided and abetted by her "confirmed bachelor" best friend, Georgie. He shares in her gossip, co-plots her adventures and often takes the brunt in the fallout of Lucia's whirlwinds. In Mapp and Lucia, Lucia finds an equal opponent--FINALLY--in Elizabeth Mapp, who is as scheming, self-absorbed and as much of a busybody as Lucia. The writing is snappy, brilliant, and delivers insult after insult properly wrapped in a layer of the thinnest politeness. It's small village politics, augmented by Rolls-Royces, maids, lunches and new fads. These books are hilarious and will increase your appetite for the next one. (Yes, you should read them in order.)
August 9, 2024
I don’t write reviews.
When worlds collide indeed!!! Lucia is about to step back into community life (sorry... royal court life) in Riseholme, after a year in mourning the death of her husband. A slight, both real and perceived, convinced her to hide away from an upcoming Elizabethan fete (She was offered, not the role of the Virgin Queen, but Francis Drake’s wife!! The horror!), by taking up residence where else, of course, but at Miss Mapp’s homestead of Mallards in Tilling.
Georgie and Lucia make more than a splash in their arrival. Everyone seems happy except for Mapp. And when Mapp is unhappy... watch yourself.
I feel that Lucia proved her royal blood in this story and my previous irritations with Mapp were certainly not imagined. Mapp is really a bad person! Lucia, the consummate poseur and would-be-ruler of worlds, seems positively angelic in comparison!! Yet like Lucia, I can’t hate Mapp. Just as I forgive Lucia when her selfishness brings her to forget Georgie.
This is all so dishy and interesting. Dramatic and delicious. Funny and fabulous. Take a vacation from yourself this summer. Spoil yourself in Tilling.
When worlds collide indeed!!! Lucia is about to step back into community life (sorry... royal court life) in Riseholme, after a year in mourning the death of her husband. A slight, both real and perceived, convinced her to hide away from an upcoming Elizabethan fete (She was offered, not the role of the Virgin Queen, but Francis Drake’s wife!! The horror!), by taking up residence where else, of course, but at Miss Mapp’s homestead of Mallards in Tilling.
Georgie and Lucia make more than a splash in their arrival. Everyone seems happy except for Mapp. And when Mapp is unhappy... watch yourself.
I feel that Lucia proved her royal blood in this story and my previous irritations with Mapp were certainly not imagined. Mapp is really a bad person! Lucia, the consummate poseur and would-be-ruler of worlds, seems positively angelic in comparison!! Yet like Lucia, I can’t hate Mapp. Just as I forgive Lucia when her selfishness brings her to forget Georgie.
This is all so dishy and interesting. Dramatic and delicious. Funny and fabulous. Take a vacation from yourself this summer. Spoil yourself in Tilling.
February 1, 2010
Perhaps my favorite series of all that I try to reread once a year. Endlessly hilarious and engrossing, even though all the jokes are frequently repeated (however, they become exponentially funnier each time they pop up) and nothing much happens. But because everyone in the book finds the minutia of their everyday (wealthy and rather pampered) existence so fascinating, it becomes of immense import to the reader as well.
I remember how upset I originally was when Lucia and Georgie left Riseholme for Tilling, because I was going to miss Daisy and Lady Abermarle, but really the series truly gets going once the rivalry with Mapp heats up. Plus, Irene is my favorite character after Lucia.
Also occurred to me, visiting this book for perhaps the dozenth time, that the friendship between Lucia and Georgia is the greatest in literature. There has never been two best friends quite like them. E.F. Benson is sort of the male, slightly gay Jane Austen, who specializes in platonic love and comedy, and I put up Lucia & Georgie right up there with Elizabeth and Darcy.
I remember how upset I originally was when Lucia and Georgie left Riseholme for Tilling, because I was going to miss Daisy and Lady Abermarle, but really the series truly gets going once the rivalry with Mapp heats up. Plus, Irene is my favorite character after Lucia.
Also occurred to me, visiting this book for perhaps the dozenth time, that the friendship between Lucia and Georgia is the greatest in literature. There has never been two best friends quite like them. E.F. Benson is sort of the male, slightly gay Jane Austen, who specializes in platonic love and comedy, and I put up Lucia & Georgie right up there with Elizabeth and Darcy.
December 25, 2017
"Miss Mapp had long been considered, by others as well as herself, the first social citizen of Tilling, and though she had often been obliged to fight desperately for her position, and had suffered from time to time manifold reverses, she had managed to maintain it, because there was no one else of so commanding and unscrupulous a character. Then this alien from Riseholme had appeared and had not so much challenged her as just taken her scepter and her crown..."
I am so sad this book is finished! It only has thirteen chapters, and at the end of each day, it felt like such a luxury to return to the seaside village of Tilling, and to see these two genteel ladies grapple for the title of "queen bee" one bridge party at a time. Once full out war was declared, you couldn't help but watch from the safe distance of your parlor window, because it was very entertaining!
"Things are beginning to move, Georgie," said Lucia. "Elizabeth of course. I'm sure I was right; she wants to run me, and if she can't (if!), she'll try to fight me. I can see glimpses of hatred and malice in her."
"And you'll fight her?" asked Georgie eagerly.
"Nothing of the kind, my dear," said Lucia. "What do you take me for? Every now and then, when necessary, I shall just give her two or three hard slaps..."
I knew who I was rooting for. Team Lucia all the way! And the way all the characters from Riseholme and Tilling come together in this novel, like a DC Comic mashup, was so ahead of its time considering it was written in 1931. So funny and so witty, Benson had his finger on the pulse of village life and the women that run them.
"...ringing the bell for her tray, [Elizabeth] ate the large remainder of caviar sandwiches and nougat chocolate and fed her soul with schemes of reprisals. She could not offhand think of any definite plan of sufficiently withering a nature, and presently, tired with mental activity, she fell into a fireside doze and had a happy dream that Dr. Dobbie had popped in to tell her that Lucia had developed undoubted symptoms of leprosy."
December 26, 2017
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, 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.
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, 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.
February 24, 2015
I have always liked the Britcom "Keeping Up Appearances". But it is a constant distraction to wonder why no one has ever murdered Hyacinth Bucket ("It's boo-KAY!"). She's amusing, but mostly because she is surrounded by family and … friends who recognize the fact that she's unchangeably outrageous, and they're stuck with her. (Unless they kill her, and since it's a sitcom they never do.) These other characters, the neighbors and her sisters and their families, and of course her poor bedeviled husband Richard, are all what makes the show fun. If it was pure undiluted Hyacinth it would be miserable.
Which brings me to Mapp and Lucia. I've been hearing about this series for years. I love a lot of British novels and tv, and I have been seeing "if you love (such and such name here) you'll love Lucia!" for ages. I've tried before, and never made it very far; I got the series from Netflix and was ready to fling the dvd against the wall after one episode; I never watched any more, and tend to doubt I ever will. But … in a couple of reviews of One for the Books, people mention how Joe Queenan designated a year in which he closed his eyes and pulled each next read off a shelf. That's how I started this one. I was passing one of my bookcases where I had whammed in a bunch of paperbacks so that only the bottoms faced out, and on a whim pulled one out at random. And sighed when it turned out to be this. It's the fourth in the series; I didn't care. I figured this would be when I eliminated these books from my library forever.
And it certainly looked that way for quite a while. In my status updates I call the characters "vile" and "horrid" – and I stand by it, and much more. They're unrelievedly awful. I can only infer that Hyacinth was heavily based on Emmeline Lucas, AKA Lucia, but – as I started to say above – in this book, instead of poor bedraggled Richard and lovely-if-hounded neighbors Liz and Emmet, and the sister that has "swimming pool, sauna, and room for a pony" and those who very definitely do not, all of whom are lovable characters – and, more importantly, characters who realize how absurd Hyacinth is, but just can't figure out how to detach themselves. Mapp and Lucia has Queen Hyacinth and her sycophants, all of whom would apparently be Hyacinth if they could, and then, dear God, another Hyacinth and her sycophants. I was appalled.
And then I became morbidly, reluctantly curious.
And then I began to enjoy the clash of titans as Elizabeth Mapp and Emmeline Lucas (Liblib and Lulu) went after each other.
But I felt wrong to be enjoying it. Aha – it's just come to me. I felt like I was watching one of those reality shows which, in reality, given a choice between death and being forced to watch, I would seriously consider death. (That's a terrible sentence, sorry.) It was all very well written, and sharply intelligent (the writing, not the characters), and there was an occasional comeuppance that made me whistle softly – but upon finishing it I felt a little dirty, as if I'd just watched an episode of some show about something named Snooki.
While I am forced to admire the writing, I still wanted to throw the book against a wall many times. I'm a little surprised I didn't sometime during the chapter in which Lucia tours Mallards for the first time. The constant use of one condescending word was like visual fingernails on a blackboard, as I can only suppose it was meant to be: "little round bustling woman"; "My little plot"; "My little Eden"; "a wee little plot"; "my little secret garden" or "little gardino segreto" (twice); "my little nook"; "a little paved walk" ... etc. I may never use the word "little" again. And I bow to Benson's skill in seeing to it that Lucia and her Georgino were as nauseous as possible with their pseudo-Italian (though when I came to "So I'm bound to meet the Faraglione, and she'll see in a minute I can't talk Italian" it made all that almost worthwhile) and, God help me, their baby-talk … I feel a bit ill when someone talks baby talk to a baby. Two supposed adults using it on each other made me long for either a baseball bat for said characters or a shredder for the book.
At about the three-quarter mark, the thought occurred to me that in any other sort of book Mapp and Lucia would probably find themselves together alone in some life-threatening situation in which they had to depend on each other, and come out of it bosom friends. I was astonished when the first part of that actually came to pass (in the most ridiculous manner possible); I was not astonished when the second part of that very decidedly did not.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm a simple soul. I like to be able to like at least someone in a book's cast of characters. Barring that (and I didn't like anyone here – no, not even Georgie, though he came closest), I like to at least know that the author liked his characters. It's pretty clear that E.F. Benson may have enjoyed his characters in so far as he could use them to skewer the idle snobbish rich – but my impression is that the creatures that people his book are simply vessels for his venom, and the book itself is merely the (to mix metaphors with wild abandon) stage on which his commentary is played out.
I guess, unpopular as it is, I like "nice". So sue me.
I enjoyed it much more than I expected to – which isn't a huge amount, but since I didn't want to like it even a little is a lot – and it did wring a few chuckles out of me. But I didn't find it nearly as funny as I take it I was supposed to; it's hailed hither and yon as a masterpiece of comedy. I was starting to worry about my sense of humor for a while there. In the end it was a pleasant surprise – but only insofar as I expected to not finish it and in fact to throw it against the nearest wall hard enough for pages to fly. I do not, however, expect to continue with the series.
Which brings me to Mapp and Lucia. I've been hearing about this series for years. I love a lot of British novels and tv, and I have been seeing "if you love (such and such name here) you'll love Lucia!" for ages. I've tried before, and never made it very far; I got the series from Netflix and was ready to fling the dvd against the wall after one episode; I never watched any more, and tend to doubt I ever will. But … in a couple of reviews of One for the Books, people mention how Joe Queenan designated a year in which he closed his eyes and pulled each next read off a shelf. That's how I started this one. I was passing one of my bookcases where I had whammed in a bunch of paperbacks so that only the bottoms faced out, and on a whim pulled one out at random. And sighed when it turned out to be this. It's the fourth in the series; I didn't care. I figured this would be when I eliminated these books from my library forever.
And it certainly looked that way for quite a while. In my status updates I call the characters "vile" and "horrid" – and I stand by it, and much more. They're unrelievedly awful. I can only infer that Hyacinth was heavily based on Emmeline Lucas, AKA Lucia, but – as I started to say above – in this book, instead of poor bedraggled Richard and lovely-if-hounded neighbors Liz and Emmet, and the sister that has "swimming pool, sauna, and room for a pony" and those who very definitely do not, all of whom are lovable characters – and, more importantly, characters who realize how absurd Hyacinth is, but just can't figure out how to detach themselves. Mapp and Lucia has Queen Hyacinth and her sycophants, all of whom would apparently be Hyacinth if they could, and then, dear God, another Hyacinth and her sycophants. I was appalled.
And then I became morbidly, reluctantly curious.
And then I began to enjoy the clash of titans as Elizabeth Mapp and Emmeline Lucas (Liblib and Lulu) went after each other.
But I felt wrong to be enjoying it. Aha – it's just come to me. I felt like I was watching one of those reality shows which, in reality, given a choice between death and being forced to watch, I would seriously consider death. (That's a terrible sentence, sorry.) It was all very well written, and sharply intelligent (the writing, not the characters), and there was an occasional comeuppance that made me whistle softly – but upon finishing it I felt a little dirty, as if I'd just watched an episode of some show about something named Snooki.
While I am forced to admire the writing, I still wanted to throw the book against a wall many times. I'm a little surprised I didn't sometime during the chapter in which Lucia tours Mallards for the first time. The constant use of one condescending word was like visual fingernails on a blackboard, as I can only suppose it was meant to be: "little round bustling woman"; "My little plot"; "My little Eden"; "a wee little plot"; "my little secret garden" or "little gardino segreto" (twice); "my little nook"; "a little paved walk" ... etc. I may never use the word "little" again. And I bow to Benson's skill in seeing to it that Lucia and her Georgino were as nauseous as possible with their pseudo-Italian (though when I came to "So I'm bound to meet the Faraglione, and she'll see in a minute I can't talk Italian" it made all that almost worthwhile) and, God help me, their baby-talk … I feel a bit ill when someone talks baby talk to a baby. Two supposed adults using it on each other made me long for either a baseball bat for said characters or a shredder for the book.
At about the three-quarter mark, the thought occurred to me that in any other sort of book Mapp and Lucia would probably find themselves together alone in some life-threatening situation in which they had to depend on each other, and come out of it bosom friends. I was astonished when the first part of that actually came to pass (in the most ridiculous manner possible); I was not astonished when the second part of that very decidedly did not.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm a simple soul. I like to be able to like at least someone in a book's cast of characters. Barring that (and I didn't like anyone here – no, not even Georgie, though he came closest), I like to at least know that the author liked his characters. It's pretty clear that E.F. Benson may have enjoyed his characters in so far as he could use them to skewer the idle snobbish rich – but my impression is that the creatures that people his book are simply vessels for his venom, and the book itself is merely the (to mix metaphors with wild abandon) stage on which his commentary is played out.
I guess, unpopular as it is, I like "nice". So sue me.
I enjoyed it much more than I expected to – which isn't a huge amount, but since I didn't want to like it even a little is a lot – and it did wring a few chuckles out of me. But I didn't find it nearly as funny as I take it I was supposed to; it's hailed hither and yon as a masterpiece of comedy. I was starting to worry about my sense of humor for a while there. In the end it was a pleasant surprise – but only insofar as I expected to not finish it and in fact to throw it against the nearest wall hard enough for pages to fly. I do not, however, expect to continue with the series.
December 1, 2017
The Lucia series should be read by anyone who is a fan of Jane Austen or Angela Thirkell!
Nov/Dec 2017 reread: I think that this is my favorite in the series. It would perhaps not be as funny to someone who hadn't read the previous books but the ongoing manoevers between Lucia & Elizabeth Mapp in order to gain social ascendency in the village of Tilling are hilarious as are the reactions of the villagers.
Nov/Dec 2017 reread: I think that this is my favorite in the series. It would perhaps not be as funny to someone who hadn't read the previous books but the ongoing manoevers between Lucia & Elizabeth Mapp in order to gain social ascendency in the village of Tilling are hilarious as are the reactions of the villagers.
November 7, 2023
Still a five star read for me - I listened to the audiobook this time, and enjoyed myself tremendously!
I thought I had reviewed this book on a previous read, but I don’t see a review. I recently reread “Queen Lucia”, the first book of this series, for a challenge, and it is the perfect start. You get to know the scheming, snobbish Mrs. Emmeline Lucas, ‘Lucia’ to her friends, as she rules the social life of her picturesque village with an iron hand (wrapped in velvet). Book 2 tells the story of “Miss Mapp” of Tilling, a seaside village where she reigns supreme.
This book brings the two scheming titans head to head. Lucia, now a widow, comes out of mourning longing for new surroundings, new fields to conquer; she sees an ad in a London newspaper for a pretty house to rent in the seaside village of Tilling. She goes for a viewing, and it is the lovely home of Miss Mapp, who previously visited Riseholme. Lucia is entranced, agrees to lease, and talks her dear friend Georgie Pillson into renting a nearby house. Nothing much happens at first, but as the visitors settle in and begin to make friends and entertain, the battle for social supremacy is on! Then, there is a lot of scheming, plotting and gossiping, which sounds awful, but in Benson’s hands, it’s hilarious - at least I think so!
On the back of my book, it says of the six-book saga: “Set in the precise middle of this luxurious sextet is the crowning work “Mapp and Lucia”, a saga of propriety wherein the greatest rivals in the history of England meet for the very first time. Never before has that exquisite creature Lucia faced a foe of such dastardly cunning. Never before has the United Kingdom seen such an extraordinary battle for power. And never again will the provincial rich of England between the wars be depicted so perfectly, so forcefully, and with such devastating humor.”
Another reviewer said succinctly on a previous edition I owned, "Nothing that Lucia and her enemy, Miss Mapp, did was ever of the slightest importance, but they did it with Napoleonic strategy, Attilan ferocity, and Satanic motive."
Whenever I want perking up, I turn to Lucia!
I thought I had reviewed this book on a previous read, but I don’t see a review. I recently reread “Queen Lucia”, the first book of this series, for a challenge, and it is the perfect start. You get to know the scheming, snobbish Mrs. Emmeline Lucas, ‘Lucia’ to her friends, as she rules the social life of her picturesque village with an iron hand (wrapped in velvet). Book 2 tells the story of “Miss Mapp” of Tilling, a seaside village where she reigns supreme.
This book brings the two scheming titans head to head. Lucia, now a widow, comes out of mourning longing for new surroundings, new fields to conquer; she sees an ad in a London newspaper for a pretty house to rent in the seaside village of Tilling. She goes for a viewing, and it is the lovely home of Miss Mapp, who previously visited Riseholme. Lucia is entranced, agrees to lease, and talks her dear friend Georgie Pillson into renting a nearby house. Nothing much happens at first, but as the visitors settle in and begin to make friends and entertain, the battle for social supremacy is on! Then, there is a lot of scheming, plotting and gossiping, which sounds awful, but in Benson’s hands, it’s hilarious - at least I think so!
On the back of my book, it says of the six-book saga: “Set in the precise middle of this luxurious sextet is the crowning work “Mapp and Lucia”, a saga of propriety wherein the greatest rivals in the history of England meet for the very first time. Never before has that exquisite creature Lucia faced a foe of such dastardly cunning. Never before has the United Kingdom seen such an extraordinary battle for power. And never again will the provincial rich of England between the wars be depicted so perfectly, so forcefully, and with such devastating humor.”
Another reviewer said succinctly on a previous edition I owned, "Nothing that Lucia and her enemy, Miss Mapp, did was ever of the slightest importance, but they did it with Napoleonic strategy, Attilan ferocity, and Satanic motive."
Whenever I want perking up, I turn to Lucia!
June 19, 2017
Still hold up as a favorite, got me through surgery and a hospital stay...;-)
June 6, 2020
The fourth of the Mapp and Lucia series and the book in which the two ladies first cross swords (we are told that they have met earlier, when Miss Mapp visited and stayed a short while in Riseholme, and from where, we learn some of her contributions to Tilling society like ‘Au Reservoir’ actually came).
Anyway, the book opens in Riseholme where we find that Peppino has died and Lucia has been in mourning for nearly a year. Meanwhile preparations are on for the village fete, an idea proposed and planned by Lucia but now taken over by Daisy Quantock, who is also to play Queen Elizabeth in the tableaux, while Georgie Pillson is to be Sir Francis Drake. But Lucia is slowly becoming her old self once again, and wants as a result to be the centre of attention once again. But Daisy naturally does not want Lucia to take over, and so Lucia decides to simply go away for a while, having come upon an advertisement by Miss Mapp who wishes to let her house Mallards in Tilling for two months. She convinces Georgie to drive down to Tilling with her to look over the house, and before they know it, Tilling has captivated them, and not only has Lucia taken Mallards for the said period, Georgie has taken the smaller Mallards Cottage as well. They will return to Riseholme for fete week of course, particularly as Daisy finds that things have gotten too much for her to handle. At Tilling, Miss Mapp thinks that she is going take Lucia under her wing and direct (or at least attempt to) social life as she always tries to do (but not quite as successfully as Lucia). But little does she realise, the imperious Lucia is no naïve lamb, and before she knows it, Lucia has more or less taken over Tilling society, participating in its social life with dinners and luncheons, the art exhibition, and bridge, even taking classes for other Tllingites. Miss Mapp tries, very hard to throw every obstacle in her path, but Lucia seems to get the better of her each time. But then Lucia seems to overstep her bounds too, and Tilling begins to get tired of being ‘directed’. Will Miss Mapp finally prevail?
I’ve been enjoying my revisits of these books by Benson very much, and picked this one up after reading Miss Mapp and then Queen Lucia (I skipped Lucia in London, but I will probably read that as well). It was interesting seeing the two ladies ‘clash’ and Lucia getting the better of Miss Mapp in most situations. Of the two I prefer Lucia since even if she is domineering and does manipulate things a bit, she doesn’t have a downright nasty streak that Miss Mapp does. Also Miss Mapp is something of a cheat as well, not playing straight right from the start, not only with those she knows but also those she doesn’t.
In this book, we get the full flavour of life in Riseholme and Tilling—the fete and preparations for the same which are great fun, and seeing Daisy start confidently but fumble and stumble through things only to admit that Lucia alone can pull it off. At Tilling too, life seems richer in this book than was described in Miss Mapp where we mostly saw tea parties and bridge games. Now there is also an art exhibition (a Tilling Art Society) in which everyone participates, as well as (since Lucia has arrived) things like classes--from callisthenics to bridge and Dante— as well as a fete complete with tableaux, which she organises. The Riseholmites it appears are financially far better off than most Tillingites, so when Lucia and Georgie come in, entertainments change in terms of regular dinner/luncheon parties rather than simply teas.
Also, I felt this book also described Tilling better—‘that broad expanse of water, now lit by a gleam of sun, in front of which to the westward, the hill of Tilling rise dark against a sky already growing red against the winter sunset’—not only nature but also the streets and houses. Tilling of course is based on Rye in East Sussex while Mallards is Lamb House where Benson (and before him Henry James) lived. Both the adaptations of the Mapp and Lucia books (1985 and 2014) were filmed here as well.
I enjoyed all of their clashes and adventures (with the exception of one little episode towards the end which didn’t make much sense to me—why he put it in I mean, unless it was for a certain plot development that follows). Of the characters, I do find Roseholmites much more fun than the Tillingites (especially Daisy Quantock and her fads), but this book has them both, so there was little to complain about, and at the end of the day, like us the reader, Tilling too enjoys our two ladies better when they clash, not very pleased with the calm periods before the storms recommence.
Anyway, the book opens in Riseholme where we find that Peppino has died and Lucia has been in mourning for nearly a year. Meanwhile preparations are on for the village fete, an idea proposed and planned by Lucia but now taken over by Daisy Quantock, who is also to play Queen Elizabeth in the tableaux, while Georgie Pillson is to be Sir Francis Drake. But Lucia is slowly becoming her old self once again, and wants as a result to be the centre of attention once again. But Daisy naturally does not want Lucia to take over, and so Lucia decides to simply go away for a while, having come upon an advertisement by Miss Mapp who wishes to let her house Mallards in Tilling for two months. She convinces Georgie to drive down to Tilling with her to look over the house, and before they know it, Tilling has captivated them, and not only has Lucia taken Mallards for the said period, Georgie has taken the smaller Mallards Cottage as well. They will return to Riseholme for fete week of course, particularly as Daisy finds that things have gotten too much for her to handle. At Tilling, Miss Mapp thinks that she is going take Lucia under her wing and direct (or at least attempt to) social life as she always tries to do (but not quite as successfully as Lucia). But little does she realise, the imperious Lucia is no naïve lamb, and before she knows it, Lucia has more or less taken over Tilling society, participating in its social life with dinners and luncheons, the art exhibition, and bridge, even taking classes for other Tllingites. Miss Mapp tries, very hard to throw every obstacle in her path, but Lucia seems to get the better of her each time. But then Lucia seems to overstep her bounds too, and Tilling begins to get tired of being ‘directed’. Will Miss Mapp finally prevail?
I’ve been enjoying my revisits of these books by Benson very much, and picked this one up after reading Miss Mapp and then Queen Lucia (I skipped Lucia in London, but I will probably read that as well). It was interesting seeing the two ladies ‘clash’ and Lucia getting the better of Miss Mapp in most situations. Of the two I prefer Lucia since even if she is domineering and does manipulate things a bit, she doesn’t have a downright nasty streak that Miss Mapp does. Also Miss Mapp is something of a cheat as well, not playing straight right from the start, not only with those she knows but also those she doesn’t.
In this book, we get the full flavour of life in Riseholme and Tilling—the fete and preparations for the same which are great fun, and seeing Daisy start confidently but fumble and stumble through things only to admit that Lucia alone can pull it off. At Tilling too, life seems richer in this book than was described in Miss Mapp where we mostly saw tea parties and bridge games. Now there is also an art exhibition (a Tilling Art Society) in which everyone participates, as well as (since Lucia has arrived) things like classes--from callisthenics to bridge and Dante— as well as a fete complete with tableaux, which she organises. The Riseholmites it appears are financially far better off than most Tillingites, so when Lucia and Georgie come in, entertainments change in terms of regular dinner/luncheon parties rather than simply teas.
Also, I felt this book also described Tilling better—‘that broad expanse of water, now lit by a gleam of sun, in front of which to the westward, the hill of Tilling rise dark against a sky already growing red against the winter sunset’—not only nature but also the streets and houses. Tilling of course is based on Rye in East Sussex while Mallards is Lamb House where Benson (and before him Henry James) lived. Both the adaptations of the Mapp and Lucia books (1985 and 2014) were filmed here as well.
I enjoyed all of their clashes and adventures (with the exception of one little episode towards the end which didn’t make much sense to me—why he put it in I mean, unless it was for a certain plot development that follows). Of the characters, I do find Roseholmites much more fun than the Tillingites (especially Daisy Quantock and her fads), but this book has them both, so there was little to complain about, and at the end of the day, like us the reader, Tilling too enjoys our two ladies better when they clash, not very pleased with the calm periods before the storms recommence.
July 9, 2018
Like reading a camp, bitchy version of Wodehouse in which every single character is a frightful, parochial snob. Delightful.
August 28, 2008
Battle of the titans! This is probably my favorite book in the Mapp and Lucia series. When Lucia moves in to Mapp's "territory," sparks are bound to fly -- and they do, spectacularly, but of course overlaid with a layer of civility that masks true feeling. Benson is better at dissecting (to hilarious effect) the petty jealousies and need for societal approval that drive us all. He does it in a way that leaves no doubt that he's fonder of people with these flaws than those with aspirations to be above it all.
June 6, 2008
I'm midway through the series, and I'm totally hooked! It's hard to explain why the conniving social sparring amongst snobbish pretentious idle rich Brits in the '20s & '30s is so fascinating— but I've always enjoyed a Jeeves & Wooster romp. This is how Bertie's Aunt Agatha lives.
May 2, 2023
This book was written in 1935 - my edition is a reissue from the 1960s - but feels from so foreign an era it might have been written on the moon.
E.F. Benson created quite an odd little universe - English country towns populated by pensioners with nary a child in sight (nor, for that matter, anyone under sixty years of age) and nothing much to do but engage in light crafts, bridge, and tea. The eponymous Mapp and Lucia - two widows - set at each other in a battle of wits in the manner of the finest Restoration comedies. The style is unrelenting, and sublimely elegant.
E.F. Benson created quite an odd little universe - English country towns populated by pensioners with nary a child in sight (nor, for that matter, anyone under sixty years of age) and nothing much to do but engage in light crafts, bridge, and tea. The eponymous Mapp and Lucia - two widows - set at each other in a battle of wits in the manner of the finest Restoration comedies. The style is unrelenting, and sublimely elegant.
January 6, 2020
It’s official: I have joined the ranks of Luciaphils. When we rejoin our friends in Riseholme, we learn that Lucia’s dear Peppino has died and Lucia is enjoying her year of mourning. Daisy Quantock has taken advantage of Lucia being out of circulation by planning an Elizabethan fête, with herself taking the role of Queen Elizabeth I. Georgie is to be Sir Francis Drake. Daisy makes a critical error — she urges Lucia to join in as Drake’s wife. Naturally, Lucia takes this as the insult it is and determines that Daisy will beg her to take the role of QEI.
Of course, Lucia prevails. Meanwhile, Lucia has seen an advertisement that a house called Mallards is available to let during August and September, and she takes it. With Lucia’s encouragement, Georgie lets a nearby house known as Mallards Cottage. Mallards belongs to Elizabeth Mapp, the foremost busybody of Tilling. The rivalry between Lucia and Mapp is of Olympian proportions. One of the features of this friendly war is a recipe called Lobster á la Riseholme; Mapp covets the recipe but Lucia ignores all her hints.
Lucia decides to stay permanently in Tilling, anc of course where Lucia is, there will Georgie be found also. Both buy homes in Tilling.
Tilling experiences severe storms on Christmas Day, resulting with a flood on Boxing Day. Mapp is our for her daily walk, going past Lucia’s house, known as Grebe. She knows Lucia has given the servants the day off and on impulse, she slips into the yard and around to the back. She enters the kitchen undetected, finds and copies the recipe. However, at that moment, she sees Lucia in the garden and Lucia becomes aware someone is in her kitchen. She moves to confront the intruder, but at that moment, the bank holding in the floodwaters collapses and water rushes into Lucia’s garden and into the kitchen.
Lucia and Mapp turn the kitchen table upside down and get into it as though it were a boat. The waters sweep the table and the two ladies out of the house and out to sea. They are seen by all their friends, who call the coast guard. But the table-raft is seen no more until days later, when it is discovered washed up on the land. Lucia and Mapp have not been heard from and as the days pass, they are presumed dead.
I won’t give away the ending, but I will say how funny this book is, and how much I enjoyed it. I admit that while Lucia is an irritating character on her own, Mapp has no scruples at all; she is sneaky and as the episode of the lobster recipe shows, Mapp will stop at nothing to best Lucia. I found myself enthusiastically rooting for Lucia.
5 hilarious stars!
Of course, Lucia prevails. Meanwhile, Lucia has seen an advertisement that a house called Mallards is available to let during August and September, and she takes it. With Lucia’s encouragement, Georgie lets a nearby house known as Mallards Cottage. Mallards belongs to Elizabeth Mapp, the foremost busybody of Tilling. The rivalry between Lucia and Mapp is of Olympian proportions. One of the features of this friendly war is a recipe called Lobster á la Riseholme; Mapp covets the recipe but Lucia ignores all her hints.
Lucia decides to stay permanently in Tilling, anc of course where Lucia is, there will Georgie be found also. Both buy homes in Tilling.
Tilling experiences severe storms on Christmas Day, resulting with a flood on Boxing Day. Mapp is our for her daily walk, going past Lucia’s house, known as Grebe. She knows Lucia has given the servants the day off and on impulse, she slips into the yard and around to the back. She enters the kitchen undetected, finds and copies the recipe. However, at that moment, she sees Lucia in the garden and Lucia becomes aware someone is in her kitchen. She moves to confront the intruder, but at that moment, the bank holding in the floodwaters collapses and water rushes into Lucia’s garden and into the kitchen.
Lucia and Mapp turn the kitchen table upside down and get into it as though it were a boat. The waters sweep the table and the two ladies out of the house and out to sea. They are seen by all their friends, who call the coast guard. But the table-raft is seen no more until days later, when it is discovered washed up on the land. Lucia and Mapp have not been heard from and as the days pass, they are presumed dead.
I won’t give away the ending, but I will say how funny this book is, and how much I enjoyed it. I admit that while Lucia is an irritating character on her own, Mapp has no scruples at all; she is sneaky and as the episode of the lobster recipe shows, Mapp will stop at nothing to best Lucia. I found myself enthusiastically rooting for Lucia.
5 hilarious stars!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2015
Shame on me... for only discovering this book because of a BBC mini-series. How did I never hear of this 20th century classic? Every bit as witty and nuanced as my favourite classics, this is readable, relatable and a read to relish (to continue the alliteration).
A comedy of manners, of gossip and of one-up-womanship, it concerns a small English village in the 1930s and its residents. And a new addition to the town who stirs up interest and tension as her rivalry with the current social Queen instantly starts a series of escalating comic escapades. Lucia refuses to allow Elizabeth Mapp, who rents her the home she stays in for the season, to dominate her from the offset, to the great delight of both her neighbours and us as readers.
There is a fantastic selection of characters to enjoy here, all minor and not as well-developed as Lucia and the controlling Miss Mapp but each adding to the close feel of the village and the small social world of Tilling. Pretensions are exposed, faux pas are gossiped about, and a huge amount of dinner parties are attended.
Adored this from start to finish, and may seek out the other titles in the series. Not as outrightly funny as Wodehouse, not as obviously witty as Austen, but still funny and witty in its own right. Just right for someone looking for a light read that will keep them smiling wryly and shaking their heads at some outrageously underhand females trying to win the social war.
A comedy of manners, of gossip and of one-up-womanship, it concerns a small English village in the 1930s and its residents. And a new addition to the town who stirs up interest and tension as her rivalry with the current social Queen instantly starts a series of escalating comic escapades. Lucia refuses to allow Elizabeth Mapp, who rents her the home she stays in for the season, to dominate her from the offset, to the great delight of both her neighbours and us as readers.
There is a fantastic selection of characters to enjoy here, all minor and not as well-developed as Lucia and the controlling Miss Mapp but each adding to the close feel of the village and the small social world of Tilling. Pretensions are exposed, faux pas are gossiped about, and a huge amount of dinner parties are attended.
Adored this from start to finish, and may seek out the other titles in the series. Not as outrightly funny as Wodehouse, not as obviously witty as Austen, but still funny and witty in its own right. Just right for someone looking for a light read that will keep them smiling wryly and shaking their heads at some outrageously underhand females trying to win the social war.
August 18, 2009
I expected a little more from this book, but that's not to say I didn't like it. These books are really well known and loved, but I'm totally new to them. (Reminds me of a friend who as a child thought she had discovered a very unknown and small band called "The Beatles" of which she must be one of a few elite fans).
It centers around Emmeline Lucas (Lucia) and Elizabeth Mapp. Lucia is new in town and Mapp can't stand for her to become the center of social life in small town Tilling. These two ladies are constantly undermining and trying to make the other look bad while at the same time making themselves look completely innocent of any wrong doing. It was very funny and I enjoyed it, but after awhile I did get a little tired of their subterfuge. Constantly trying to one-up each other was just tiring!
But the characters are funny, if not well developed. I loved Lucia and how she pretends to speak Italian, and Mapp who is always spying out her curtains and trying to get Lucia's recipe for Lobster a la Riesholme.
It was a light read, but not as much fun as all the other light stuff I read. I know, I read a lot of light...but only because I gotta balance out all the heavy stuff in real life.
It centers around Emmeline Lucas (Lucia) and Elizabeth Mapp. Lucia is new in town and Mapp can't stand for her to become the center of social life in small town Tilling. These two ladies are constantly undermining and trying to make the other look bad while at the same time making themselves look completely innocent of any wrong doing. It was very funny and I enjoyed it, but after awhile I did get a little tired of their subterfuge. Constantly trying to one-up each other was just tiring!
But the characters are funny, if not well developed. I loved Lucia and how she pretends to speak Italian, and Mapp who is always spying out her curtains and trying to get Lucia's recipe for Lobster a la Riesholme.
It was a light read, but not as much fun as all the other light stuff I read. I know, I read a lot of light...but only because I gotta balance out all the heavy stuff in real life.
April 15, 2010
One of my favorite series of all times, perhaps the absolute favorite. I read it every year, in the bathtub, and my copies are a wrinkled mess.
I love the characters in this book and the look into life how it was imagined to be (and maybe was) between the Wars for the well to do with no reason to earn a living. Life was a series of tea parties, bridge parties, garden parties (sometimes), church, etc. And don't forget the daily trip to the market.
This particular volume concerns the relationship between Mapp (the queen bee of town) and Lucia (new girl on the block) when that position is usurped by Lucia . Mapp doesn't take it well, and attempts in many ways to undermine Lucia. Lucia returns the favors.
The relationship between Georgie and Lucia (platonic, strictly platonic) is one of the most engaging in literature--no gory sex (no sex period) (poor Georgie), but one about a friendship that is as enviable as it is impossible in today's world.
All in all, a life to be jealous of in many respects (until you consider dentistry, refrigeration and gynecology, anyway). I recommend it heartily to anyone who enjoys a good read about a much simpler time.
I love the characters in this book and the look into life how it was imagined to be (and maybe was) between the Wars for the well to do with no reason to earn a living. Life was a series of tea parties, bridge parties, garden parties (sometimes), church, etc. And don't forget the daily trip to the market.
This particular volume concerns the relationship between Mapp (the queen bee of town) and Lucia (new girl on the block) when that position is usurped by Lucia . Mapp doesn't take it well, and attempts in many ways to undermine Lucia. Lucia returns the favors.
The relationship between Georgie and Lucia (platonic, strictly platonic) is one of the most engaging in literature--no gory sex (no sex period) (poor Georgie), but one about a friendship that is as enviable as it is impossible in today's world.
All in all, a life to be jealous of in many respects (until you consider dentistry, refrigeration and gynecology, anyway). I recommend it heartily to anyone who enjoys a good read about a much simpler time.
April 12, 2017
This is one of the funniest and most delightful books I have ever read. We all know people who make martyrs of themselves, and Lucia is the prime example. Always scheming and quite determined to be top of the pile, she loves to blame others for inflicting all the hard work on her. "How you all work me so!" If she's not starring in a play, she's running for some political position. If she's not hosting a lofty aristocrat, she's opening an art gallery. Lucia will stop at nothing to be the most important and illustrious lady in the village, nay, the county.
I love the faux friendships in this book. I can so relate to situations where we get on with each other for getting on's sake, rather than because we genuinely like each other. Everybody in this book basically hates everybody else, which makes for some hilarious situations. All compliments are back-handed, all niceties spat through gritted teeth, all hugs and kisses merely for show. It's wonderful.
I love the faux friendships in this book. I can so relate to situations where we get on with each other for getting on's sake, rather than because we genuinely like each other. Everybody in this book basically hates everybody else, which makes for some hilarious situations. All compliments are back-handed, all niceties spat through gritted teeth, all hugs and kisses merely for show. It's wonderful.
October 11, 2013
I liked Lucia, exasperating and conceited as she was, in her own books. I liked Elizabeth Mapp,choleric and impossible,in her own book. But when E F Benson brought his two battle-axes together, he created an enduring delight which for me will never fade. He might be a bit of a marmite writer but when you do love him, you're a fan forever. He only wrote 6 books, but when my original anthology fell apart from re-reading I bought the whole set on Kindle. Like so many of my favourites, they are old, old books - Mapp's garden room, where he wrote the books, was bombed during WW2 and never rebuilt. There was a TV series that I thought very good, although I hated the portrayal of Lucia - if you saw it, and liked it, you'll like the books.
September 29, 2016
Meh. No stakes, no characters to love/love to hate, and only moderate joke quality and density. In theory, this has my name written all over it, but turned out to be kind of a slog.
October 15, 2019
Divertida pelea de "gallinas" o lucha de gladiadoras en barro o algo así por el estilo, embadurnado todo de humor inglés.
November 24, 2023
Emmeline ‘Lucia’ Lucas and Elizabeth Mapp are such appalling people and I love them to bits!
August 14, 2018
Probably 4.5 but goodness this was so enjoyable!
July 20, 2024
A battle between two Hyacinth Bucket types over who is the queen of village society, fought through gossip, teas, dinners, etc. Very funny and fans of Barbara Pym or P.G. Wodehouse would certainly enjoy.
June 21, 2021
Warning: some spoilers.
I've tried on various occasions to get into this series, but I've clearly done it the wrong way by starting on the first book, Queen Lucia, with which I always struggle. I volunteer at Lamb House in Rye, the "Mallards" of the Lucia books, and this paperback happened to be in the volunteer room, and it was the beginning of the post-lockdown season when we were only opening the garden and there were few visitors, so I borrowed the book to read while sitting in the beautiful walled garden—and, at long last, I fell in love.
I did have the advantage of having watched the 2014 BBC TV mini-series, although some people prefer the 1985 version, which I haven't yet seen; it's notable that both dramatizations start at the point where these two social climbers meet because they are truly worthy rivals, and that is why this fourth volume in the series sparkles so brightly.
Now I have to go back and read the earlier books to answer some questions—how come Miss Mapp, whose wealth is revealed to be about one-eighth of Lucia's, has the grandest house in Tilling? The impression I get from Mapp and Lucia is that Mapp represents old money and Lucia new, but I may be wrong. It's the house, Mallards, that gives Mapp her position in the town, quite literally; it sits at the top of the low rock on which Tilling/Rye is built, one of the spacious Georgian houses that sit serenely among the older cottages. In this volume Lucia temporarily gains possession of Mallards and thus of Tilling, and Mapp has to fight to regain her social supremacy.
It's an unequal battle because Lucia, despite all her silly pretensions, is born to be a social queen; she is revealed to be a formidable organizer, is possessed of limitless energy, and is a natural leader as recognized by her main follower, Georgie, and others like Quaint Irene, the artist who by the end of the book has a full-on lesbian crush on Lucia. Lucia is the sort of woman guaranteed to infuriate other aspiring social stars and she soon has Mapp in a futile rage because Mapp is nobody's fool and sees through Lucia's pretensions easily enough.
I have a certain amount of sympathy for Mapp, although both women richly deserve every setback that befalls them. I'm now really looking forward to reading the other books.
I've tried on various occasions to get into this series, but I've clearly done it the wrong way by starting on the first book, Queen Lucia, with which I always struggle. I volunteer at Lamb House in Rye, the "Mallards" of the Lucia books, and this paperback happened to be in the volunteer room, and it was the beginning of the post-lockdown season when we were only opening the garden and there were few visitors, so I borrowed the book to read while sitting in the beautiful walled garden—and, at long last, I fell in love.
I did have the advantage of having watched the 2014 BBC TV mini-series, although some people prefer the 1985 version, which I haven't yet seen; it's notable that both dramatizations start at the point where these two social climbers meet because they are truly worthy rivals, and that is why this fourth volume in the series sparkles so brightly.
Now I have to go back and read the earlier books to answer some questions—how come Miss Mapp, whose wealth is revealed to be about one-eighth of Lucia's, has the grandest house in Tilling? The impression I get from Mapp and Lucia is that Mapp represents old money and Lucia new, but I may be wrong. It's the house, Mallards, that gives Mapp her position in the town, quite literally; it sits at the top of the low rock on which Tilling/Rye is built, one of the spacious Georgian houses that sit serenely among the older cottages. In this volume Lucia temporarily gains possession of Mallards and thus of Tilling, and Mapp has to fight to regain her social supremacy.
It's an unequal battle because Lucia, despite all her silly pretensions, is born to be a social queen; she is revealed to be a formidable organizer, is possessed of limitless energy, and is a natural leader as recognized by her main follower, Georgie, and others like Quaint Irene, the artist who by the end of the book has a full-on lesbian crush on Lucia. Lucia is the sort of woman guaranteed to infuriate other aspiring social stars and she soon has Mapp in a futile rage because Mapp is nobody's fool and sees through Lucia's pretensions easily enough.
I have a certain amount of sympathy for Mapp, although both women richly deserve every setback that befalls them. I'm now really looking forward to reading the other books.
May 26, 2017
Near the beginning of Mapp and Lucia, a well-to-do lady called Daisy, living an unremarkable life in a picturesque Cotswolds village does her meditation. She tries to attain “a complete blankness of mind and exclude from it all mundane interests, which were Maya, or illusion.” Daisy finds complete blankness difficult to achieve because she is fascinated by her mundane interests, namely the staging of an Elizabethan masque on the village green in the summer of 1929. She finds these things interesting because her friend and rival Lucia has recovered from mourning her lost husband, and is starting to throw herself back into the events of the village with her accustomed vigour. Lucia invests energy into things that otherwise would be empty – theatrics, gossip, faddy exercise, playing Mozart, whatever it might be. Lucia is always ready to teach people things, whether it’s Bridge, musical appreciation, or pretend Italian; but the most important lesson she teaches is to make the most of what you have, no matter what that may be. She lives in a world where a pervading ennui could render gossip and Mozart duets on the piano equally meaningless; but her energy somehow makes them equally meaningful. Early in the book, Mozart represents recovery and healing, the return of life as Lucia recovers from the loss of her husband:
“These were Mozart quartettes arranged for four hands, delicious, rippling airs: it was months since she had touched them, or since the music room had resounded to anything but the most sombre and pensive strains.”
Healing Mozart is not deep and meaningful. In fact, those “rippling airs” are the opposite of such heaviness. Superficiality saves Lucia, protects her from the pain of losing her husband and allows her to enjoy Mozart and life again. The profound resilience that comes from ordinariness vigorously pursued is a great solace for some ordinary reader like me who comes to E.F. Benson for comfort and light relief. Lucia would chivvy such readers along and tell them firstly that nothing is ordinary; and secondly that when things get serious, the ordinariness of life will come along and save you.
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