What do you think?
Rate this book
Mrs. Ames
Imagine a life in a small Edwardian town, where social standing is the most important of merits, and losing it is one of the deadliest sins. Gossip and wars for the high position in this society are the main preoccupations of towners. Mrs. Ames has just won a leading role, becoming the most reputable lady. Yet, the cloudless sky over her head dulled as a young and charming doctor's wife came to the town.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1912
16 people are currently reading
357 people want to read
About the author
E.F. Benson
1,030 books355 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
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
February 14, 2020
This reads like a forerunner to the Mapp and Lucia series. An Edwardian social comedy where the characters are vying for social supremacy and looking for the next big thing. Mrs Ames is considered top of the pile, but will a newish arrival knock her off her. Perch?
The story went in a direction I didn't expect and was deeper than the Mapp and Lucia series, but it lacks the sparkle an charm of those books. It is very good all the same, and I think anyone who enjoyed those will like this one too.
The story went in a direction I didn't expect and was deeper than the Mapp and Lucia series, but it lacks the sparkle an charm of those books. It is very good all the same, and I think anyone who enjoyed those will like this one too.
March 11, 2011
Just as funny but much more poingnant than the author's Lucia series, "Mrs. Ames" fully explores a real person with plenty of inner conflicts and not a little intelligence, both social and otherwise. Benson explores his usual milieu, the small British village in the Edwardian era, with all the societal rivalries and jockeying for position that are his trademark. The main character, and the careful delineation of how boredom can lead the most innocent to the edge of the social abyss, make "Mrs. Ames" a revealing portrait of the class and age. And yet, the petty jealousies, the small ambitions, the intrigues between characters, and the very human motivations make this a perfect picture of small town society today. Hard to believe that this was written in 1912. This delightful paperback edition from The Bloomsbury Group is a pleasure to read, and will keep you smiling, if not laughing aloud. Highly recommended to anyone who likes a comedy of manners.
February 16, 2011
How does the reader decide if a book is good? It depends as much upon the reader's meaning of the word "good" as it does on the book. A book that is deeply moving to one person can be leaden to another. A book which excites the interest of one person will be dull reading to the next. For a reader (such as I) who likes to sit down after finishing a book, rate it and write a review of it, answering the question as to why I enjoyed a book can take longer than did reading the book.
That said--why did I enjoy E. F. Benson's Mrs. Ames? Yes. Not, I think, for the reasons that many other reviewers seem to have enjoyed it. I expected another light book about the petty machinations of superficial women and men. I expected to read about upper middle-class people who spent their time manufacturing ways of keeping busy. I expected to read about people who cared more about who preceded whom into the dining room than who was returned in the next election. I expected to read about a small group of people who were so fixated on the petty comings and goings in their own village that they were unaware of the rising level of class discontent and the looming war to come.
Yes, all that was in the book. But there was more. This is a book about what it was like to be a woman in that time and in those social circles. At the heart of the book lies the story of two marriages. Each marriage looks staid and unexceptional from the outside and yet each of the wives is emotionally unfulfilled. The book follows less than a year in the life of the village of Riseborough and yet over that short period of time each woman comes to the realization that, on an emotional level, her relationship with her husband is dead. Or perhaps, had never really been alive. Each woman struggles to find a way out of the emotional deadness at the center of her life and each undertakes a different way of "solving" the problem.
I didn't pick up this Benson expecting a thoughtful and empathetic examination of the interior life of a woman exiting middle-age. And though Mrs. Ames attempts at regaining her husband's interest are often amusing, from the point of view of the cynical watcher, they are never mocked by the author. The reader sees into the secret corners of her life and so appreciates her quiet heroism even when she does not.
Nor did I pick up this book expecting a thoughtful and empathetic portrait of the interior life of a woman who has "lived on" her beauty and charm but is now facing the depredations of middle age. Although the reader does not inhabit the mind of Mrs. Evans to the extent they do that of Mrs. Ames Benson presents a finely-etched picture of a woman who has never felt deeply about anything and wants finally to experience some of the emotions she has missed.
Did I like Mrs. Ames? Yes. I plan to read it again, soon. I also plan to read the books its author published before and after in the hopes that I will find something similar.
Was I surprised by Mrs. Ames? Again, yes. Because I have learned not to expect a deep, thoughtful and loving examination of lives of middle-aged women, irrespective of whether the book in question was written yesterday or a hundred years ago. Too often now I hear the excuse that author A or writer B should not be criticized for their misogyny or their racism or their homophobia because everyone was like that then.Well, I would not claim that Benson does not show evidence of racism or elitism or gender essentialism but Benson does not despise his characters. He may not approve of their actions, he may doubt their wisdom, he may be aware of their petty motivations and cognizant of all their weaknesses and vices but at the same time he embraces their humanity.
I wish I could say as much for many other writers.
That said--why did I enjoy E. F. Benson's Mrs. Ames? Yes. Not, I think, for the reasons that many other reviewers seem to have enjoyed it. I expected another light book about the petty machinations of superficial women and men. I expected to read about upper middle-class people who spent their time manufacturing ways of keeping busy. I expected to read about people who cared more about who preceded whom into the dining room than who was returned in the next election. I expected to read about a small group of people who were so fixated on the petty comings and goings in their own village that they were unaware of the rising level of class discontent and the looming war to come.
Yes, all that was in the book. But there was more. This is a book about what it was like to be a woman in that time and in those social circles. At the heart of the book lies the story of two marriages. Each marriage looks staid and unexceptional from the outside and yet each of the wives is emotionally unfulfilled. The book follows less than a year in the life of the village of Riseborough and yet over that short period of time each woman comes to the realization that, on an emotional level, her relationship with her husband is dead. Or perhaps, had never really been alive. Each woman struggles to find a way out of the emotional deadness at the center of her life and each undertakes a different way of "solving" the problem.
I didn't pick up this Benson expecting a thoughtful and empathetic examination of the interior life of a woman exiting middle-age. And though Mrs. Ames attempts at regaining her husband's interest are often amusing, from the point of view of the cynical watcher, they are never mocked by the author. The reader sees into the secret corners of her life and so appreciates her quiet heroism even when she does not.
Nor did I pick up this book expecting a thoughtful and empathetic portrait of the interior life of a woman who has "lived on" her beauty and charm but is now facing the depredations of middle age. Although the reader does not inhabit the mind of Mrs. Evans to the extent they do that of Mrs. Ames Benson presents a finely-etched picture of a woman who has never felt deeply about anything and wants finally to experience some of the emotions she has missed.
Did I like Mrs. Ames? Yes. I plan to read it again, soon. I also plan to read the books its author published before and after in the hopes that I will find something similar.
Was I surprised by Mrs. Ames? Again, yes. Because I have learned not to expect a deep, thoughtful and loving examination of lives of middle-aged women, irrespective of whether the book in question was written yesterday or a hundred years ago. Too often now I hear the excuse that author A or writer B should not be criticized for their misogyny or their racism or their homophobia because everyone was like that then.Well, I would not claim that Benson does not show evidence of racism or elitism or gender essentialism but Benson does not despise his characters. He may not approve of their actions, he may doubt their wisdom, he may be aware of their petty motivations and cognizant of all their weaknesses and vices but at the same time he embraces their humanity.
I wish I could say as much for many other writers.
August 7, 2014
May be EF Benson's best, in that the intricacies of interior life and social issues--specifically, the Suffragette Movement-- intersect in Benson's usual witty and oppositional, contradictory way. Some is broad satire, here of Mrs Ames: "In appearance she was like a small, good-looking toad in half-mourning; or, to state the comparison with greater precision, she was small for a woman, but good-looking for a toad." Or, "For the next week, Mrs Altham was thoroughly in her element. She had something to conceal, and was in a delicious state of tension with the superficial desire to disclose her impersonation..."(126).
And Benson underlines profound human behavior, where great laws--kindness and generosity-- are principally concerned with apparent trivialities, "Indeed, it is chiefly in little things, because most of us are not concerned with great matters" (284). The author's wit takes certain religious history for granted, "Mr Ames' lumbago was of the Laodicean sort, neither hot nor cold."
Curiously, the NYT had this book exactly right,"An extraordinary study in comedy," while TLS condescends,"a clever little satire."
And Benson underlines profound human behavior, where great laws--kindness and generosity-- are principally concerned with apparent trivialities, "Indeed, it is chiefly in little things, because most of us are not concerned with great matters" (284). The author's wit takes certain religious history for granted, "Mr Ames' lumbago was of the Laodicean sort, neither hot nor cold."
Curiously, the NYT had this book exactly right,"An extraordinary study in comedy," while TLS condescends,"a clever little satire."
January 9, 2013
Who was at whose party last night with whom? For the residents of Riseborough, the answer to that question and other gossipy tidbits like it is their prime preoccupation during days spent in the relatively otherwise unexciting little town. Chief among the participants are the women who vie for social superiority, engaging in small social battles to ensure their standing. (My favorite example of this is the feud that occurs between Mrs. Altham and Mrs. Ames on the subject of punctuality. "About two years ago, Mrs. Ames had arrived at Mrs. Altham's at least ten minutes late for dinner, and Mrs. Altham had very properly retorted by arriving a quarter of an hour late when next she was bidden to dinner with Mrs. Ames, though that involved sitting in a dark cab for ten minutes at the corner of the next turning...") Their ridiculous schemes, which often backfire, seem petty and pointless but occupy all of their time and energy. At the opening of the novel, the most ardent competition is between the displaced Mrs. Altham and the new reigning queen, Mrs. Ames. Soon, however, it becomes apparent that Millie Evans, the shy and extremely pretty new doctor's wife, has, wittingly or not, begun to gradually usurp their power. This intolerable situation cannot continue and Mrs. Ames, who sees her husband and son being drawn in by the siren's call, is determined to set things right again. She begins an all-out campaign to reclaim the attentions, if not the heart, of her husband and her throne in the village. But will the measures she undertakes be enough to win the war? The results of her plotting and of Mrs. Evans' skillful manipulations lead not only to a stirring climax but also to surprising growth for many (though certainly not all) of those involved. Roused from their idle and routine existences, Mrs. Ames and Mrs. Evans each begin a journey of self-discovery and enlightenment. Nearing the end of middle age, they have finally realized the petty and pointless natures of their lives and yearn for excitement and change. From "innocent" flirtation to strident political campaigning, their methods are divergent but lead to extraordinary personal growth and change for both women. One character, in particular, becomes a shining light of the growth to which we should all inspire, when she realizes that "...there were other things to care about..." outside of her previous insignificant occupations and jealousies.
E.F. Benson is a master in the art of the social novel, focusing on the small and insular lives of the inhabitants of small towns in the early 1900s. Though the main action of his books is relatively minimal, the conflicts, both external and internal, in which his characters are involved are full of interest and insight. Using irony, satire and biting humor, Benson pokes fun at the petty and grasping nature that lies beneath the surface of us all, tempering it with sympathetic reminders of our more lovable and admirable assets and weaknesses. There is so much of humanity in his portrayals that it's easy to identify with the main characters and to become absorbed in their stories. Though the novel sags a bit in the middle, it is overall a very good read with passages that so clearly define what it is to be human, female and "of a certain age," needing so desperately to be understood and appreciated and to feel fulfilled. Slightly darker than his popular Mapp and Lucia series, the book is an excellent recommendation for those who appreciate a very perceptive look into the human psyche.
My favorite quote is a description of Mrs. Ames: "In appearance she was like a small, good-looking toad in half-mourning; or, to state the comparison with greater precision, she was small for a woman, but good-looking for a toad. "
February 27, 2011
A mediocre middle leaves me underwhelmed... I rated this 3 stars, but it was more like 2.5. There were definately parts of the book I really enjoyed, but I felt like the middle was slow and I kept wondering if the charcters would ever actually DO anything. Right about the time I thought nothing new was ever going to happen, the book picked up and I started to enjoy it in the way I had at the beginning. While there are other authors, like Molly Keane or PD Wodehouse, I would pick up before E.F. Benson, I would read this author again.
In compliance with FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
In compliance with FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
March 19, 2011
E.F. Benson’s novel makes a good change of pace. It’s a simple story, not too complex in terms of plot or description. Yet, he’s very good at subtle humor and satire, which is interspersed throughout the text. It’s like watching an episode of Cranford and Lark Rise to Candleford.
At times, Benson’s descriptions can be rather blunt in their frankness…and quite evil. Take this description of Mrs. Ames: “In appearance, she was like a small, good-looking toad in half-mourning […] she was small for a woman, but good-looking for a toad. Her face had something of the sulky and satiated expression of that harmless reptile….” The narrator’s truly awful with no mercy! None of the characters in book escape from this brutal scrutiny. One of my favorites is the description of young Harry combing his hair: “If he brushed it back it revealed an excess of high, vacant-looking forehead; if he let it drop over his forehead, though his resemblance to seaweed increased also.” ;)
The story basically follows a woman—Mrs. Evans—, who at age thirty-seven has reached her midlife crisis and desires to reawaken her youth—by pursuing a married man: Major Ames. Though through her machinations, she gains two devoted followers—both father and son, though it’s only the father who manages to stir her soul…. The irony comes into play through the description of Mrs. Evans’ choice of beau: Major Ames. And those little intimate moments between the two love birds…it’s truly wonderful.
Certainly a weighty dramatic subject, though in Benson’s capable hands it becomes a light comedy. Really good and a lot of fun, so glad I won this.
My only qualm, however, is the cover, which is a bit deceptive. It shows silhouettes of four ladies, dressed in 1920s garb. However, this book was published in 1912 and takes place around that era. So instead of picturing Gatsby, think of the second half of A Room With a View with its close-knit English hamlet.
At times, Benson’s descriptions can be rather blunt in their frankness…and quite evil. Take this description of Mrs. Ames: “In appearance, she was like a small, good-looking toad in half-mourning […] she was small for a woman, but good-looking for a toad. Her face had something of the sulky and satiated expression of that harmless reptile….” The narrator’s truly awful with no mercy! None of the characters in book escape from this brutal scrutiny. One of my favorites is the description of young Harry combing his hair: “If he brushed it back it revealed an excess of high, vacant-looking forehead; if he let it drop over his forehead, though his resemblance to seaweed increased also.” ;)
The story basically follows a woman—Mrs. Evans—, who at age thirty-seven has reached her midlife crisis and desires to reawaken her youth—by pursuing a married man: Major Ames. Though through her machinations, she gains two devoted followers—both father and son, though it’s only the father who manages to stir her soul…. The irony comes into play through the description of Mrs. Evans’ choice of beau: Major Ames. And those little intimate moments between the two love birds…it’s truly wonderful.
Certainly a weighty dramatic subject, though in Benson’s capable hands it becomes a light comedy. Really good and a lot of fun, so glad I won this.
My only qualm, however, is the cover, which is a bit deceptive. It shows silhouettes of four ladies, dressed in 1920s garb. However, this book was published in 1912 and takes place around that era. So instead of picturing Gatsby, think of the second half of A Room With a View with its close-knit English hamlet.
February 9, 2011
Written by the son of an Archbishop of Canterbury, this is a delightful read. I have always loved English humor. It is tongue in cheek, dry and often not obvious. Because of this, reading it will require some amount of patience, which I believe will be well worthwhile. Also, the printed page is not easy on the eyes because the font and style make the letters appear too tight, in my edition, anyway. Other than that I am loving it.
There are an abundance of double entendres. I have not laughed out loud or issued any guffaws but I have truly been amused after finishing almost every sentence. I have never been bored. I feel that I have enjoyed the text as much as, or perhaps more, than anything I have read in awhile, not only for the story presented but for the presentation itself. Every sentence is a work of art.
The humorous message is so subtle, that often, you stop and pause and, rereading what you just read, you arrive at a sudden aha moment and your lips curl up in a smile. The story perfectly illustrates the deprecating pretentiousness of the upper classes of England, at the turn of the 20th century. (The book, originally published in 1912, was reissued in 2011.) The characters all seem to engage in a clever repartee in which each hints at the news they wish to share without ever obviously revealing it, while professing their complete lack of interest in gossip. In actuality, they are politely tearing each other to ribbons.
The women vie for the honor of being the town barometer or trendsetter, currently held by Mrs. Ames. There is the standard envy generally observed toward the one who occupies the throne, especially when there are several women in the wings who are seeking to dethrone her and who believe that they are more worthy of the place of honor in their society. The gossip often hints at the undercurrent of jealousy. They are all yearning for something more and seem almost, but not quite, content.
Mrs. Ames, a decade older than her husband decides to throw a dinner party to which she invites only one spouse of each couple. She often likes to mix things up but this time there are unintended consequences to her actions. The story develops from there as her husband and son both become infatuated with Mrs. Evans who fancies herself an innocent coquette. Mrs. Ames had unwittingly unleashed a marital storm which explodes with a subtle force of nature. In the meantime, she herself explores new depths and becomes involved with the women’s suffrage movement.
As the plot unfolds, the characters make plans that backfire because their deceptions are ill conceived and poorly constructed. Convincing themselves that they are doing no wrong, they make plans designed to mislead their spouses and misdirect their intentions. Too soon, all of these plans develop in unexpected ways, making a mockery of their designers. The tongues of Riseborough wag incessantly, sprouting rumors more often than flowers in the gardens of their minds often indicating unwise and incorrect deductions. They are wonderfully developed characters. You can almost visualize them in each scene from their descriptions. The author has used language to create images in your mind and has excelled, in my estimation. Mrs. Ames, a character who uses her wiles to make up for her somewhat lacking pedigree, is one you will enjoy meeting and getting to know.
There are an abundance of double entendres. I have not laughed out loud or issued any guffaws but I have truly been amused after finishing almost every sentence. I have never been bored. I feel that I have enjoyed the text as much as, or perhaps more, than anything I have read in awhile, not only for the story presented but for the presentation itself. Every sentence is a work of art.
The humorous message is so subtle, that often, you stop and pause and, rereading what you just read, you arrive at a sudden aha moment and your lips curl up in a smile. The story perfectly illustrates the deprecating pretentiousness of the upper classes of England, at the turn of the 20th century. (The book, originally published in 1912, was reissued in 2011.) The characters all seem to engage in a clever repartee in which each hints at the news they wish to share without ever obviously revealing it, while professing their complete lack of interest in gossip. In actuality, they are politely tearing each other to ribbons.
The women vie for the honor of being the town barometer or trendsetter, currently held by Mrs. Ames. There is the standard envy generally observed toward the one who occupies the throne, especially when there are several women in the wings who are seeking to dethrone her and who believe that they are more worthy of the place of honor in their society. The gossip often hints at the undercurrent of jealousy. They are all yearning for something more and seem almost, but not quite, content.
Mrs. Ames, a decade older than her husband decides to throw a dinner party to which she invites only one spouse of each couple. She often likes to mix things up but this time there are unintended consequences to her actions. The story develops from there as her husband and son both become infatuated with Mrs. Evans who fancies herself an innocent coquette. Mrs. Ames had unwittingly unleashed a marital storm which explodes with a subtle force of nature. In the meantime, she herself explores new depths and becomes involved with the women’s suffrage movement.
As the plot unfolds, the characters make plans that backfire because their deceptions are ill conceived and poorly constructed. Convincing themselves that they are doing no wrong, they make plans designed to mislead their spouses and misdirect their intentions. Too soon, all of these plans develop in unexpected ways, making a mockery of their designers. The tongues of Riseborough wag incessantly, sprouting rumors more often than flowers in the gardens of their minds often indicating unwise and incorrect deductions. They are wonderfully developed characters. You can almost visualize them in each scene from their descriptions. The author has used language to create images in your mind and has excelled, in my estimation. Mrs. Ames, a character who uses her wiles to make up for her somewhat lacking pedigree, is one you will enjoy meeting and getting to know.
May 3, 2012
I enjoyed Mapp and Lucia and thought this would be as light hearted as that. It was in the beginning, the narrator describing the rather trivial motivations and petty jealousies of the society people of Riseborough and the routines of their days, but once you arrived at the night time costume garden party everything changed. It was fascinating to follow the development of Millie's idle flirtation into something much more serious and the Major's being reluctantly dragged along into it until he begins to feel strongly, too. As for Mrs Ames I have never read such a beautifully written description of the development of Suffragette feelings. I would imagine that large numbers of women went that route,thinking it silly until something said or done made them realize the utter logic of what the demonstrators were saying and then taking part until family pressure or the results of actions pulled them away. Millie says she couldn't go to jail for anyone and Amy feels the same but the difference is that Millie doesn't address the issues while Amy does and concludes that if jail is what results, then jail it is. Amy finds herself comparing duty and responsibility and is surprised at using such words to describe her simple life but Millie never looks at anything except what she wants. There's an interesting contrast between the Major's promise to disentangle Amy from the consequences of her demonstration and Amy's promise to disentangle the Major and Millie from the consequences of their actions. The Major is concerned about "what people will think" and particularly what Sir James will think and Amy quite rightly notices that her husband is prepared to let Sir James think she was drunk (if that is what Sir James meant)in order to paper over a social breach. Amy is prepared to move heaven and earth to prevent both the Evans and Ames families from being splintered and the futures of the children destroyed. Of course, the result is that her world is not damaged but the images in her mind were of Lyndhurst and Millie in some strange city with no friends and no one willing to "know" them. It is a beautiful piece of sociological writing and the use of the Althams as the voice of society is beautifully done, especially the very last scene with Amy and the Major off in the distance with the bicycle and Mrs. Altham admitting that she will never know what it was that went on in the time following the garden party. Amy will continue to be advanced and will probably vote the minute she has a chance, although since this was published in 1912 there was no immediate likelihood of that happening. I had to look up the "colours" (purple white and green) once they started making banners and learned a fair bit more about suffragettes.
June 18, 2016
A pre-Lucia and Mapp novel with the same ingredients but less hilarious - if Benson's humour, always in the understatement, may be called hilarious - perhaps because less mature. However, there comes a portrait and pains of a woman, and the novel takes a new direction. Not as funny as Lucia & Co but perhaps more rounded and definitely not Wodehousian.
I am glad I re-read this book. I shall probably make a post of it on my blog and link it here.
When I first read this novel, I was enthralled by the Mapp and Lucia books and therefore was slightly disappointed by the seriousness I could find sometimes in "Mrs Ames". It is true: it is not as funny as the best known EF Benson fiction. It was written before and could be seen as a draft, though I think it is not. It is another way to treat the same topic.
"Mrs Ames" takes place in Riseborough that will become Riseholme - and it has the geography of Rye. This is the same enclosed community, with gossip at his heart, and futile occupations, business and middle-class characters who deem themselves important. There is the same battle for supremacy as leader of the village, the same women who are strong women - and others are mostly stupid and funny -, the same men who lack strength and are dominated by women.
However, there is something poignant in the "sovereign" of Riseborough: Mr Ames discovers that she is not young any more and that her husband might well be attracted by her cousin Millicent (Millie) who is younger than Major Ames, himself younger than his wife. The novel tells of her efforts to conquer him again, of love that has become a routine but flares again. Does Millie love Major Ames? Does Major Ames love Millie? Does he love his wife?
Who are women? What are they? What are men? Who leads a married couple? What do the middle-classes do that is so important?
These are some of the issues of this novel and the questions it asks to its readers. It might easily bring to our days, using our context, as these questions are eternal.
All this unfurls upon the usual background of dinner parties, tea parties, feasts, balls, cooking, dressing, golf rounds, and most of all disordered gossip.
A very enjoyable Benson. And a book that reads carefully as there are serious issues at stake. It may be slow for some who will see mostly its little awkwardness. But there is more than that and I do regret that they were not more Benson novels like this one. It is funny AND poignant.
I am glad I re-read this book. I shall probably make a post of it on my blog and link it here.
When I first read this novel, I was enthralled by the Mapp and Lucia books and therefore was slightly disappointed by the seriousness I could find sometimes in "Mrs Ames". It is true: it is not as funny as the best known EF Benson fiction. It was written before and could be seen as a draft, though I think it is not. It is another way to treat the same topic.
"Mrs Ames" takes place in Riseborough that will become Riseholme - and it has the geography of Rye. This is the same enclosed community, with gossip at his heart, and futile occupations, business and middle-class characters who deem themselves important. There is the same battle for supremacy as leader of the village, the same women who are strong women - and others are mostly stupid and funny -, the same men who lack strength and are dominated by women.
However, there is something poignant in the "sovereign" of Riseborough: Mr Ames discovers that she is not young any more and that her husband might well be attracted by her cousin Millicent (Millie) who is younger than Major Ames, himself younger than his wife. The novel tells of her efforts to conquer him again, of love that has become a routine but flares again. Does Millie love Major Ames? Does Major Ames love Millie? Does he love his wife?
Who are women? What are they? What are men? Who leads a married couple? What do the middle-classes do that is so important?
These are some of the issues of this novel and the questions it asks to its readers. It might easily bring to our days, using our context, as these questions are eternal.
All this unfurls upon the usual background of dinner parties, tea parties, feasts, balls, cooking, dressing, golf rounds, and most of all disordered gossip.
A very enjoyable Benson. And a book that reads carefully as there are serious issues at stake. It may be slow for some who will see mostly its little awkwardness. But there is more than that and I do regret that they were not more Benson novels like this one. It is funny AND poignant.
January 12, 2013
"Mrs. Ames is queen of Riseborough society. Sceptre firmly grasped in her podgy little hand, she reighns supreme in a world of strawberry teas, high street gossip and riotous insurrections by misguided pretenders like Mrs. Altham, Miss Brooks and dear cousin Millie. But Mrs. Ames is also ten years older than her husband, and beginning to feel all her fifty-seven autumns. Her hair is, she has to admit, grey. Worse, Major Lyndhurst Percy Ames, once content to exhaust his manly vigour on the flower beds, is hot-footing his shapely leg round to Millie's next door. Much to the delight of her subjects, Mrs. Ames commences a series of restorative treatments -- Shakespearian, feminist, but mostly out of a jar -- to rewoo her gardening Major. Her success, wonderfully chronicled in these pages, is exquisite, and inevitable."
~~back cover
At first I thought this book was just a rehearsal for the Mapp and Lucia series: two women vying for the scial leadership of an English village. But just as I thought I had the plot all sorted, everything took a turn through the shrubbery and into the uncharted woods. It's to the author's credit, I think, that both Millie and Mrs. Ames (and Major Ames) did some critical soul searching, and each decided to change their lives in unexpected ways. Were they successful? Was all well that ended well? And in the end, did anything really change? Did either of our ladies really change? Did Major Ames become a new man? I think the author meant for each reader to judge for themselves.
A thoroughly cozy book, but at the same time it explores the questions inherent in unexamined lives. A fascinating canvas of village life and mentality provides the backdrop for the intrusion of new ideas, the concept of the possibility of living a life radically different than the traditional one. How does one explore these dizzying glimpses without losing oneself in the process?
~~back cover
At first I thought this book was just a rehearsal for the Mapp and Lucia series: two women vying for the scial leadership of an English village. But just as I thought I had the plot all sorted, everything took a turn through the shrubbery and into the uncharted woods. It's to the author's credit, I think, that both Millie and Mrs. Ames (and Major Ames) did some critical soul searching, and each decided to change their lives in unexpected ways. Were they successful? Was all well that ended well? And in the end, did anything really change? Did either of our ladies really change? Did Major Ames become a new man? I think the author meant for each reader to judge for themselves.
A thoroughly cozy book, but at the same time it explores the questions inherent in unexamined lives. A fascinating canvas of village life and mentality provides the backdrop for the intrusion of new ideas, the concept of the possibility of living a life radically different than the traditional one. How does one explore these dizzying glimpses without losing oneself in the process?
September 6, 2017
This book was published in 1912, and I presume it's set then or shortly before. It takes place in a small, English town, and is largely humorous in tone. The intro compares the writer repeatedly to Wodehouse, but as I've not read any Wodehouse, I have no idea if the comparison is apt.
I only laughed out loud once, but I was amused through the entire read.
More surprising than my amusement, though, (since the author clearly intended to be amusing) is how deftly the characters are drawn and how sympathetic he is to the small traumas of their lives even while poking fun at them.
All the couples in the novel are very conventional, and the lives of the women in particular are very circumscribed. Benson makes us laugh at their attempts to change their lives, but he also makes us feel very keenly their desire to transcend the smallness of their existence. For example, Mrs. Evans is ridiculous in her attempts to ensnare a married man, but she is deeply bored because her husband is gone all the time and she has absolutely nothing to occupy her attention. Benson suggests that Suffragists are ludicrous and makes much hay of their chief occupation being slapping policemen, and yet he vehemently states over and over again in the omniscient voice of the narrator that the women who want the vote want to be useful and to have some useful occupation and to be afforded the courtesy of exercising their intellects in the same way that men have been allowed to exercise them since time immemorial.
All told, a good and funny reading with some surprising pathos and surprising support for what were some progressive ideas at that time.
I only laughed out loud once, but I was amused through the entire read.
More surprising than my amusement, though, (since the author clearly intended to be amusing) is how deftly the characters are drawn and how sympathetic he is to the small traumas of their lives even while poking fun at them.
All the couples in the novel are very conventional, and the lives of the women in particular are very circumscribed. Benson makes us laugh at their attempts to change their lives, but he also makes us feel very keenly their desire to transcend the smallness of their existence. For example, Mrs. Evans is ridiculous in her attempts to ensnare a married man, but she is deeply bored because her husband is gone all the time and she has absolutely nothing to occupy her attention. Benson suggests that Suffragists are ludicrous and makes much hay of their chief occupation being slapping policemen, and yet he vehemently states over and over again in the omniscient voice of the narrator that the women who want the vote want to be useful and to have some useful occupation and to be afforded the courtesy of exercising their intellects in the same way that men have been allowed to exercise them since time immemorial.
All told, a good and funny reading with some surprising pathos and surprising support for what were some progressive ideas at that time.
February 17, 2011
I loved the Mapp and Lucia books that E.F. Benson wrote and was so delighted to "win" a preview copy of an earlier work that the author wrote around 1912. Set in the little town of Risebourough, UK, Mrs. Ames is considered the leader of society and innovator of all things social until Dr. and Mrs. Evans take up residence and challenge her "throne." Major Ames is slowly seduced by Mrs. Evans beauty and recruited to join her in planning a garden party that will upset his wife's social queen status. Nosey neighbors Mrs. Altham and her husband follow all clues to the little plots and "tempest in a teapot" events that these two social queens stir up in Risebourough. The plot's are thin but the plotting done by the main characters, coupled with their deceptions, and self deceptions are so wonderfully written that I chuckled the whole way through this delightful read. Bloomsbury Press has a subdivision that is reprinting some select British classics and I will be watching for other selections from this group.
September 3, 2012
If you are obsessed with Lucia, and to a lesser degree Mapp, this book will both scratch your itch and interest you greatly. It's a dry run for Lucia and Riseholme in general -- but this is more than just an author taking a run up to his masterpiece. It feels a bit more malicious, more invested in its critique than the ultimately nostalgic Lucia books. Plus people in this book actually have a mild sex drive -- and sex is so hilariously absent from Lucia books that it is interesting to see it at play here.
February 10, 2011
I found out I won this on First Reads yesterday. I am excited to read it, as I have never read anything by this author!
ETA...02/08/2011. I have really enjoyed this book. I am wrapping it up today and all I can say is that it reminds me of an early 1900's Desperate Housewives, but better! For some reason, and I am not sure why..I also keep thinking of the townfolk in the 1950's version of The Music Man, but I couldn't tell you why...something about the interactions.
ETA...02/08/2011. I have really enjoyed this book. I am wrapping it up today and all I can say is that it reminds me of an early 1900's Desperate Housewives, but better! For some reason, and I am not sure why..I also keep thinking of the townfolk in the 1950's version of The Music Man, but I couldn't tell you why...something about the interactions.
October 18, 2010
gentle comedy written in 1912. Mrs Ames' position as queen bee of her little world is challenged by a newcomer who attracts the attentions of both Mrs Ames' son and husband. Will hair dye and face cream help her regain her rightful place or are more drastic measures called for? I was surprised how similar this felt to Desperate Housewives.
March 4, 2024
Going into this, I assumed Mrs. Ames (published 1912) would be in the style of Benson’s later biting and comedic Lucia books. But even with plenty of village gossip and silliness, Mrs. Ames facing aging and the fact that her younger husband’s attention was focused on another (very bored) woman, gave the book an air of sadness at times.
August 27, 2024
Like most of E.F. benson’s books this deals with petty rivalries and jealousies among the upper middle classes in a small English town. There are some amusing moments, like the fancy dress ball, and the efforts of some of the women on behalf of the suffragette cause. In general though not as amusing s the Mapp and Lucia books.
March 15, 2011
Mrs. Ames is the second book by E.F. Benson that I’ve read; a couple years ago I read his Queen Lucia and enjoyed it quite a lot (I received Mrs. Ames through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program). Mrs. Ames, published in 1912, covers much the same territory as Queen Lucia, published 8 years later. Both books are about small-town English life among the leisured classes. They are about gossip, dinner parties, and social rivalry. Neither book delves into anything terribly deep, dramatic, or tragic. In both books Benson shows affection for his pampered, petty characters, while at the same time making it clear just how absurd they are.
Queen Lucia is about Lucia’s struggle to maintain her control over the local social scene, and Mrs. Ames finds herself doing the exact same thing. The threat to Mrs. Ames takes a while to emerge, but it turns out to be Mrs. Evans, the doctor’s wife, who is relatively new to town. She has ideas for entertainments — masked costume parties! — that the town has never seen before. She also, more ominously, begins to spend more and more time with Mr. Ames, and the two of them begin a flirtation. It is entirely innocent to begin with, but over the course of the book grows increasingly serious.
Read the rest of the review at
Queen Lucia is about Lucia’s struggle to maintain her control over the local social scene, and Mrs. Ames finds herself doing the exact same thing. The threat to Mrs. Ames takes a while to emerge, but it turns out to be Mrs. Evans, the doctor’s wife, who is relatively new to town. She has ideas for entertainments — masked costume parties! — that the town has never seen before. She also, more ominously, begins to spend more and more time with Mr. Ames, and the two of them begin a flirtation. It is entirely innocent to begin with, but over the course of the book grows increasingly serious.
Read the rest of the review at
March 16, 2019
Just finished Mrs Ames by EFBenson which isn't as light-hearted as his later Mapp and Lucia novels, but is rather witty nonetheless. I adored his Mapp & Lucia books, but Mrs Ames is rather different. Less funny and more serious, it does deal with the times (pre 1914) such as the suffragette movement. It deals, like Mapp & Lucia, with the superficialities of the fairly well-to-do middle-class families in Rye, Sussex.
The main character Mrs Ames is particularly well drawn and convincing and, which to me is the sign of an excellent novel, her character does change, grow and develop convincingly in this novel. E F Benson manages to make this small, rather ugly, podgy, ultra-conventional, sensible, rational, highly intelligent and rather kindly woman surprisingly likeable.
E F Benson commences and ends his novel with a trivially-minded Mr & Mrs. Close to the beginning his description about the Mrs goes: "Her mind appreciated the infinitesimal more than the important. The smaller a piece of news was, the more vivid was her perception of it, and the firmer her grip on it: large questions produced but a vague impression on her." Isn't that masterly?
This novel was for sixty years undeservedly out of print. Really enjoyed feeling like a fly-on-the-wall in pre-1914 Middle Class England.
The main character Mrs Ames is particularly well drawn and convincing and, which to me is the sign of an excellent novel, her character does change, grow and develop convincingly in this novel. E F Benson manages to make this small, rather ugly, podgy, ultra-conventional, sensible, rational, highly intelligent and rather kindly woman surprisingly likeable.
E F Benson commences and ends his novel with a trivially-minded Mr & Mrs. Close to the beginning his description about the Mrs goes: "Her mind appreciated the infinitesimal more than the important. The smaller a piece of news was, the more vivid was her perception of it, and the firmer her grip on it: large questions produced but a vague impression on her." Isn't that masterly?
This novel was for sixty years undeservedly out of print. Really enjoyed feeling like a fly-on-the-wall in pre-1914 Middle Class England.
March 7, 2011
E. F. Benson’s subject is always the petty concerns of petty people, but his talent is to make those concerns nearly as important to us as they are to his characters. For us, what happens to Benson’s people is also much funnier than it is to them.
As with the Mapp and Lucia books Benson began to write in the 1920s, Mrs. Ames (1912) deals with the struggle of two women to be the dominant social maven in their little town. Millie Evans and Amy Ames are cousins and rivals for the title of supreme hostess of Riseborough, and an additional frisson is added to the plot by the dalliance of Millie and Major Ames, Amy’s husband. Mrs. Ames dares to invite only one member of each prominent Riseborough couple to a dinner party. Mrs. Evans counters with a fancy dress ball with a Shakespearean theme, and Benson makes hilarious use of the ball’s glut of Cleopatras and paucity of Antonys. Then Mrs. Ames begins to read suffragette tracts, and as Benson writes, “the fumes of an idea, to one who had practically never tasted one, intoxicated her as new wine mounts to the head of a teetotaler.”
As with the Mapp and Lucia books Benson began to write in the 1920s, Mrs. Ames (1912) deals with the struggle of two women to be the dominant social maven in their little town. Millie Evans and Amy Ames are cousins and rivals for the title of supreme hostess of Riseborough, and an additional frisson is added to the plot by the dalliance of Millie and Major Ames, Amy’s husband. Mrs. Ames dares to invite only one member of each prominent Riseborough couple to a dinner party. Mrs. Evans counters with a fancy dress ball with a Shakespearean theme, and Benson makes hilarious use of the ball’s glut of Cleopatras and paucity of Antonys. Then Mrs. Ames begins to read suffragette tracts, and as Benson writes, “the fumes of an idea, to one who had practically never tasted one, intoxicated her as new wine mounts to the head of a teetotaler.”
March 22, 2011
Years ago, I'd read a few of Benson's Mapp and Lucia books. On the face of it, this is something similar -- a comedy about charming, witty, but small-minded people in a struggle for social dominance in a small English village. But the book also deals interestingly with women and their fear of aging. (It's interesting that a 29 year old man chose to write about forty- and fifty-something women.) There's a point when Mrs. Ames has gotten involved with the suffragette movement and found herself genuinely engaged with the issues when the novel seems on course to transcend itself; will her pointless life find a real purpose? Alas, it shifts back into a comedy of manners when the Tory candidate she needs to protest against turns out to be a relative. It's a pleasant enough book, but I grew tired of the complacency of these well-off and narrow people.
I received this book as part of the Early Reviews Program on LibraryThing.
I received this book as part of the Early Reviews Program on LibraryThing.
April 23, 2011
I am a lifelong fan of Benson's Mapp and Lucia novels. A few of them (Miss Mapp, Mapp and Lucia, Lucia in London) I read over and over and over. So, I was very excited when The Bloomsbury Group introduced a new edition of Benson's 1912 novel, Mrs. Ames. I had GREAT expectations.
Alas, where is the wit?
Where are the witticisms?
Where happened to the clever social one-upsmanship?
The snarkiness was there (in Mrs. Ames), but without the good-natured fun. Mrs. Ames was published 10-20 years earlier than the Mapp and Lucia novels and perhaps Benson needed to mature himself and have more experience as a Man About Town to develope the humorous perspective that made the Lucia books so special.
I found this novel both dull and sad. What humor there was totally escaped me.
Alas, where is the wit?
Where are the witticisms?
Where happened to the clever social one-upsmanship?
The snarkiness was there (in Mrs. Ames), but without the good-natured fun. Mrs. Ames was published 10-20 years earlier than the Mapp and Lucia novels and perhaps Benson needed to mature himself and have more experience as a Man About Town to develope the humorous perspective that made the Lucia books so special.
I found this novel both dull and sad. What humor there was totally escaped me.
July 30, 2012
Even with the understanding that this book is a product of its time, it was painful to get through. The storyline was loose - there wasn't really any action, no climax to work towards, and no resolution. When I read the description, I expected there to be some humour in it: it is the story of a woman in a small town in Edwardian England who must always be the focus of society. I pictured Wodehouse-like situations, but unfortunately, nothing so clever happens here. Dinner parties are frequently given, harmless flirtations occur (and some not so harmless, which are never resolved!) and causes are taken up which are never seen through. I found all of the characters to be rather spineless and weak and, though I stuck through to the end (eventually), I wouldn't recommend this book.
December 1, 2015
I received this book as a Goodreads First Read. The Bloomsbury Group has been reprinting books from the early 20th century, including this title. I very much enjoyed E.F.Benson's "Mapp and Lucia" series so looked forward to this book. I was not disappointed. "Mrs. Ames" is another comedy of manners written by a master of the genre. The observations of the characters are biting, and there's just enough story to show the characters to best (or worst) advantage. Definitely a book that should not have gotten lost to time. Kudos to the Bloomsbury Group for this reissue.
August 21, 2014
It's hard to rate a novel of this type. I'm a huge fan of E.F. Benson's Lucia novels, but I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much. There were some great moments of delicious laughter at the gossips that make up this small town in England, however the subject matter of the novel made me a little uncomfortable. The basis of the story centers around whether Major Ames and Mrs. Evans will leave their current spouses for a love affair. I never enjoy this subject matter, and yet everything comes right in the end. The last chapter is priceless.
Read
February 9, 2011I tried. I really did. But I just cannot get into this book. On the outside, the story is very Austen-sque. A contained community of people who all have their roles but someone new comes in and starts to change the dynamic and chaos ensues. The thing is, the writing is heavy and long-winded. The characters are flat and make no sense. Why does Major Ames do what he does? I don't know and I don't care. Sadly, this is going onto my not-finished shelf and staying there.
September 24, 2012
VERY entertaining - but I love everything I've read by E.F. Benson. This is very similar to the Mapp & Lucia series-- different characters of course. And this one has a strange, unusual for Benson, almost political thread running through it as the main character gets more and more involved in women's suffrage. It's not overpowering or repellent, but it was unexpected for me. If you like period comedy, I highly recommend this. And a trip to Rye, England.
March 14, 2015
Published in 1912, this is set in a small town in England and is a social satire with a witty, arch, campy tone. While initially it appears to be about a competitive battle between a self-confident woman and a jealous rival over who can give the best dinner parties, things get more serious as the protagonist faces issues of aging and a straying husband and, at least for a while, finds meaning in the suffragette movement.
January 10, 2011
I had a hard time getting into this book and may have to try it again in a few months. The characters were enjoyable and the storyline entertaining but the older writing style made it hard for me to stick to this. (Perhaps this is because I typically only get 15-20min. intervals in which to read... Maybe if I had 30-60min at a time that would have been better?)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews