Brilliant and Charming

The Mapp and Lucia series by EF Benson comprises some of the most silly, charming, and utterly delightful novels in the English language. It's hard to know why they're so appealing. The characters are venal, unimaginably petty and spiteful, and their activities are mainly gossiping and plotting against each other for low stakes status. Still, Benson's authorial voice is shrewd and witty, and his awful, appalling fools have a warmth and underlying psychological truthfulness that raises all of this to the level of art. Almost a century after their first publication, they still feel fresh. Within a few paragraphs, you find yourself anticipating the nutty antics ahead with the same delight you might feel upon catching a mouthwatering whiff of the meal you're about to be served at someone's house.

The novels don't have plots, but incidents that unfold over several chapters. Think of them as episode in a very sophisticated sitcom.

Miriam Margolyes is so good at voices, you almost can't believe there's only one narrator. On the other hand, her astonishingly precise articulation is unmistakable throughout. And with all of that, she manages to make each character a real person.

Having read this novel on the page, it was a little alarming to hear the abridgment. Around half of the book was trimmed. The events are all here, but phrases and whole sentences have been clipped from every paragraph. Too bad, but the pruning was so artfully done, it never sounds as if you're missing anything. And if you plan to listen to the whole series, these versions might be a more realistic time commitment.

If you (or you and a friend) are going on a long drive, you can't find much better light (but not pointless) entertainment than this series.

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3 people found this helpful

Introduce yourself to Lucia

This book is the first in a series that has been beloved for a century now -- "Queen Lucia" appeared in 1920.

The books are English-village comic froth about which of the (mostly) well-to-do village neighbors is socially on top at any moment. It's usually Lucia. The third book (in which Lucia does not appear) introduces Miss Mapp, who becomes Lucia's primary challenger.

There is a world of light entertainment here, to be wallowed in over and over.

Miriam Margolyes is an excellent reader. This audiobook is unfortunately abridged. You can experience it as a quick sampler to decide if you're interested in reading the whole thing, or you can read the real book first and then enjoy hearing it come to life.

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such gullible ppl

rarely have I met a cast of characters I dislike as much. but I think they are supposed to be like that, spoilt and attention seeking and gullible and fake. and we are suppose to laugh at their misfortunes. excellent performance by Miriam margolyes though

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