This edition published 6th January 2011 by Vintage.
Originally published 1931.
Audio book narrated by Miriam Margolyes.
From the cover of the book:
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 Lucas (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 satirical bent turns the pretensions and snobberies of English village life into a vicious comedy.
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Nearly a year since the death of her husband, Emmeline Lucas (Lucia to her friends) is contemplating emerging from deep mourning and dipping her toe back in the social pool. Somewhat bored with the village of Riseholme, where she has been used to reigning supreme, she decides to rent a house in the neighbouring village of Tilling for the summer - persuading her faithful old friend Georgie to also rent himself a home there for the season.
Settling down in the Queen Anne splendour of Mallards, Lucia launches herself on the Tillingites, assured that she will soon be the leading light of a new neighbourhood, but she has not counted on the determination of Miss Elizabeth Mapp. Miss Mapp may be letting her house to Lucia, but she has no intention of abdicating her position as queen of Tilling.
What follows is a charming comic novel, but not without bite, as Lucia and Miss Mapp tussle for position as top dog in Tilling - all while being supremely polite to each other in public. The rivalry between them is fierce, and battle lines are drawn in Tilling's parlours as they vie for the loyalty of their neighbours through competing bridge afternoons, musical soirees, elegant supper parties, and the like.
This slice of 1930's English village life rings with P.G. Wodehouse vibes, and there are plenty of guffaws to be had at the expense of both Lucia and Mapp via their terrible spoken Italian asides, and sabotage laden shenanigans, especially in Mapp's attempt to acquire Lucia's recipe for the enviable Lobster a la Riseholme, Lucia's plan to avail herself of Mapp's garden produce, and an unfortunate incident with a kitchen table on the high seas.
Unlike a P.G. Wodehouse novel, I do not think that these are characters that easily make themselves at home in your affections - except perhaps for gentle Georgie (who is convivial to all), and the deliciously dotty Irene with her audacious paintings. It is possible that you do find yourself picking sides if you have read all the novels in the series though, and this is the only one I have ventured into as the most well-known of the collection.
I thoroughly enjoyed this nostalgic gem through the voice talents of the wonderful Miriam Margolyes, and would definitely be tempted to read more E.F. Benson. Thank you to the lovely #QuietClassics2025 gang for suggesting this as the pick for April!
Mapp and Lucia is available to buy now in multiple formats.
About the author:
Benson's first book, Dodo, was published to popular acclaim in 1893 and was followed by over a hundred books, including novels, histories, biographies and ghost stories. In 1920 Benson became a full-time tenant of Lamb House in Rye, which had once been home to the novelist Henry James. Rye provided the setting for the Mapp and Lucia stories and their author served three terms as mayor of Rye in the late 1930s.
E.F. Benson died on February 29, 1940.
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