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Mapp & Lucia #4-6
Lucia Victrix
"Mapp & Lucia" first published in 1935. "Lucia's progress" first published 1935. "Trouble for Lucia" first published in 1939.
752 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1939
8 people are currently reading
191 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
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 26, 2007
I LOVE LUCIA! (see Lucia Rising review)
October 31, 2011
Deliciously funny......Mapp is truly awful!
December 2, 2013
LOVED IT!
July 20, 2014
Hilarious. Comedy of manners set in deliciously snobby, gossipy, upper-middle class England of the 20s/30s
January 16, 2016
This book positively glistens with sharp endlessly quotable dialogue and elegant fun. Excellent. Excellent.
November 16, 2023
I enjoyed this book. E.F.Benson is/was a master storyteller and as each social contretemps built up there were times when I just had to stop reading as I could see no way out of the forthcoming disaster. But always Lucia would be quite unconcerned and with a few deft moves, or no moves at all, the whole thing would reverse it self and Mapp would be discomfited yet again. The last book of this collection of three is "Trouble for Lucia" published in 1939 and there are occasional references to trouble on the horizon, but it is alas the last Mapp and Lucia book altogether, as E F Benson died in 1940.
March 8, 2009
I read the first of the three books contained in this anthology some time ago and found its treatment of petty squabbles and snobberies in an upper-middle class England of the 20s & 30s very entertaining.
I didn't re-read it this time round, it still being fairly clear in my memory, but, as the titles imply, silly Lucia triumphs in the second and has problems to overcome, many of her own making, in the third.
Reading these makes me wonder what little things that are of such vital importance to us would be snobberies and affectations to those of another time.
I didn't re-read it this time round, it still being fairly clear in my memory, but, as the titles imply, silly Lucia triumphs in the second and has problems to overcome, many of her own making, in the third.
Reading these makes me wonder what little things that are of such vital importance to us would be snobberies and affectations to those of another time.
December 24, 2008
Read my other review of "Lucia Rising" first...
In this volume of the final three books, Lucia meets her nemesis, Miss Elizabeth Mapp, and the desperate battle to become the queen bee of Tilling begins. The sneaky tricks, hypocrisies, double-dealings and back-handedness are fabulous. Meanwhile, Georgie decides to dye his beard with unfortunate results.) And in the final book, Miss Mapp and Lucia find themselves literally adrift!
In this volume of the final three books, Lucia meets her nemesis, Miss Elizabeth Mapp, and the desperate battle to become the queen bee of Tilling begins. The sneaky tricks, hypocrisies, double-dealings and back-handedness are fabulous. Meanwhile, Georgie decides to dye his beard with unfortunate results.) And in the final book, Miss Mapp and Lucia find themselves literally adrift!
March 17, 2011
laughed myself silly .....loved it and wish I could find more books by EF Benson
June 2, 2025
Gosh I love these books. This one, I think, is the first one of the series. I read and reread these. My copies are very creased and well-worn now. These are set-in upper-class English village life in the 1930s (or thereabouts) but the characters hold true of people today. I have a friend who has plenty of the snobby characteristics of Lucia - I recognise her! And I see Miss Mapp characteristics in, not only myself, but in some of the people I know. And Georgie is just gorgeous - I adore his funny little habits.
November 1, 2025
First two books are wonderful. The monsters are at it again and many changes have occurred to keep them at each others throats. The final volume ‘Lucia in Trouble’ is a little sad. Lucia has too much suffering for my comfort. I know she deserves it but I like her too much to see her put down. It ends on a high note. Diva is my absolute favourite. She’s the one person in Tilling who speaks plainly.
March 8, 2020
Three good stories, but rather similar. Best broken up with other stuff.
February 1, 2022
Very well written, Wickedly funny, but it makes you see the faults within yourself too ! Best read in small portions.
August 26, 2021
Edward Frederic Benson was an English humourist and archaeologist who also wrote horror and ghost novels. The Lucia novels were written between 1920-1939. Noel Coward and Nancy Mitford were great followers of his work. As Coward said of Lucia Victrix, ‘We will pay anything for Lucia Books.’
Benson came from an eccentric, intellectually gifted family. His father was the Archbishop of Canterbury, his sister an archaeologist and his brother a musicologist. Benson lived the English country lifestyle he describes so accurately in the Lucia novels.
His writing is so skilful that it’s almost as though the reader is living alongside Lucia and her arch rival, Elizabeth Mapp in the small township of Tilling.
The author writes satirically about the sort of social battles that are common to society ladies as they duke it out to decide who becomes the leading light of their village. Lucia and Elizabeth subtly attack and undermine each other at pageants, dinner parties, local art exhibitions, bridge parties and afternoon teas. The more monstrous their behaviour becomes, the more civil they appear to be in public.
The humour lies in their devious interactions and the effect they have on their Tilling friends – who would be bored to tears if the two leading ‘ladies’ weren’t engaged in battle.
The writing is as light as a souffle but Benson’s social observations are outrageously true. And at no point is the author ever mean or nasty about his targets. Thus the reader is able to sympathise and have empathy for those who consistently behave badly in the village of Tilling.
Benson came from an eccentric, intellectually gifted family. His father was the Archbishop of Canterbury, his sister an archaeologist and his brother a musicologist. Benson lived the English country lifestyle he describes so accurately in the Lucia novels.
His writing is so skilful that it’s almost as though the reader is living alongside Lucia and her arch rival, Elizabeth Mapp in the small township of Tilling.
The author writes satirically about the sort of social battles that are common to society ladies as they duke it out to decide who becomes the leading light of their village. Lucia and Elizabeth subtly attack and undermine each other at pageants, dinner parties, local art exhibitions, bridge parties and afternoon teas. The more monstrous their behaviour becomes, the more civil they appear to be in public.
The humour lies in their devious interactions and the effect they have on their Tilling friends – who would be bored to tears if the two leading ‘ladies’ weren’t engaged in battle.
The writing is as light as a souffle but Benson’s social observations are outrageously true. And at no point is the author ever mean or nasty about his targets. Thus the reader is able to sympathise and have empathy for those who consistently behave badly in the village of Tilling.
November 19, 2022
Mapp & Lucia (story 1) read. Very, very clever & enjoyable.
Story 2, Lucia's Progress, read & thoroughly enjoyed.
Last story read and no moe to read!
Story 2, Lucia's Progress, read & thoroughly enjoyed.
Last story read and no moe to read!
Want to read
March 6, 2014...and the other omnibus
December 23, 2014
See Lucia Rising.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews