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Mapp and Lucia
- Narrated by: Miriam Margolyes
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
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Mapp and Lucia
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Summary
Mapp and Lucia is the centrepiece of E. F. Benson's series of Lucia novels - bringing together for the first time the eponymous middle-aged doyennes of polite 1930s society Miss Elizabeth Mapp and Emmeline Luca (Lucia to her friends).
Lucia, recently widowed, is the newcomer to the village of Tilling and eager to wrest the reins of social supremacy from the incumbant Miss Mapp and install herself as its benevolent dictator. In their polite acts of sabotage and ruthless jockeying for the position of cultural arbiter Mapp and Lucia tear up the conventions of drawing-room bridge evenings as their deadly weapons.
Things finally come to a head with Miss Mapp's audacious attempt to steal her rival's celebrated Lobster a la Riseholme. E.F. Benson's charming satrical bent turns the pretensions and snobberies of English village life into a vicious comedy.
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What listeners say about Mapp and Lucia
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Philip
- 14-06-10
all too short
Beautifully read but unfortunately heavily abridged which knocks out much of the original's charm. We're never told, for instance that 'the sostenuto pedal proved a thing of nought' and all the other wonderful E F Benson expressions which make his novels such a joy.
But I did liked Margolyles' 'Georgie' voice; deep, lazily drawling without the obvious campness that the charecter's usually laden with.
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14 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- soosiewoosie
- 19-11-14
shouldn't be abridged
What did you like best about Mapp and Lucia? What did you like least?
I love the Lucia stories, especially the verbal duels between her and Miss Mapp. It's such a shame that these have been abridged. Most of the humour has been cut out of the story and leaves it very flat.
Would you ever listen to anything by E. F. Benson again?
Only if it's unabridged.
Did the narration match the pace of the story?
Not bad but not good.
Could you see Mapp and Lucia being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?
Has been done.
Any additional comments?
I'm so disappointed that the full length stories are no longer available on Audible. The abridged ones aren't worth buying.
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Julie Bail
- 07-07-14
Mannered and funny, wonderfully read
Would you listen to Mapp and Lucia again? Why?
E.F Benson's books are favourites. I will definitely listen to this again.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Mapp and Lucia?
Shopping baskets on the Green; Susan's Royce and OBE; scheming by the two social lionesses of am English village, fighting for preeminence..
Have you listened to any of Miriam Margolyes’s other performances? How does this one compare?
Miriam Margolyes is a joy. I will listen to anything she reads. Her reading of this and of Dickens and Thackeray are pitch perfect. She lets the humour come from the characters and situation, I have downloaded all the EF Benson Mapp and Lucia books ready by MM>.
Any additional comments?
Well worth a listen, and abridgement is fine. My only question is why abridge it at all? It is all worth listening to.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- M Poole
- 24-09-11
Perfectamundo!
It's impossible to not be drawn into the world of Mapp and Lucia, as well as the superb Georgie. The struggles for power, the subtle ploys and the overt manipulation. Politicians could take lessons from the ladies of Riseholme and Tilling. The stories are read with verve and a full appreciation of Benson's style. My only complaint is that this is an abridged version, there's just not enough!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bastet Pybus
- 27-01-21
Great fun but why abridge a short book?
I love these books but wish they hadn’t been abridged - and although Miriam Margolyes is great, I miss the wonderful Prunella Scales version. There seem to be so many great book recordings that have not been converted to MP3 digital form...
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- J. Roadnight
- 21-02-19
Dissapointing
Why was it necessary to abridge what is anyway a short novel? And why was it not made plain in the description at the point of purchase?
Margolise lacks the lightness of touch of Nadia May
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- D. C. A. Price
- 25-02-23
Enjoyable.
Sadly this is an abridged version of the book, but still hugely enjoyable when read by the brilliant Miriam Margolyes!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 11-08-22
Superb
I have seen the TV play of this title and loved it so much I just had to listen to it, so wonderfully read. This is such a perfect listen. I highly recommend.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 28-03-22
great fun
a very funny book and an excellent narrator, only slight negative is that it is very much abridged.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Mr. A.Beal
- 13-08-21
A terrible abridgement
A terrible abridgement, cutting out so much of the original writing and requiring explanation and exposition in its place that it drains the narration of too much of E.F.Benson's wit. Ruins the book completely. Miriam Margolyes' reading is ok, but Prunella Scales unabridged reading was far, far superior. If only her readings of the Mapp and Lucia novels were still available.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Virginia Waldron
- 30-08-10
Brilliant Narration
Such a charming a amusing read with the most insightful and apt narration. Marvellous fun.
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1 person found this helpful