Customer Reviews

Lucia in London

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Lucia Lucas (born Emmeline Smith) wished the world to know that the recent death of her husband's aunt, who was 83 years old and who had spent the last seven of them bed-ridden in a private lunatic asylum, was "a grievous blow". Suppressed were the facts that neither Lucia nor her husband had hitherto given much thought to the aunt, and the fact that when Lucia's husband last visited the aunt, seven years previously, she bit him. No, the world must be convinced that the death of "dear Aunt Amy" was not a "happy release", it was "a grievous blow", requiring the wearing of veils, the drawing of blinds, and stoically-born, inconsolable suffering.

So begins E F Benson's 1927 novel "Lucia In London", one of six in which the author chronicles the worlds of Riseholme and its social climbing leading resident, Lucia. I say "worlds" because we are presented with two worlds. There is the real world and the world of pretence. Most characters, especially Lucia live in both worlds. What they privately covet, the publically despise. What they really feel, for example at the death of an aunt, they suppress in order to pretend to something more publically admired.

Benson's chronicles are great fun. The pretence, the point scoring, the absurdity, are richly detailed. There's not much testosterone, but there's a chuckle at least in every sentence.

This is the ultimate book for social climbers everywhere - Lucia the Queen of the tiny town of Riseholm goes to London and takes the town by storm.

This is such a brilliant story - absolutely hilarious - full of the beauty of social sycophancy and insincerity. Everyone knowing what is going on except Lucia who is (almost always) triumphant.

When Lucia's husband's aunt dies they are left with a house in London (and when the news is received in Risehome much calculation is doneby everyone based on no real facts at all.) It is up to Lucia's sidekick, Georgie, to wheedle the news out of her about the house in London and the income.

Lucia, who has always stated how she loathes London has now (very reluctantly you understand) decided to go to London for the season. Her departure from Riseholme however has a number of effects - the first being the power vacuum in Riseholme itself, and secondly she really does end up taking London by storm. Even the most vague of acquaintances of hers are treated as close bosom friends and called by their first names and name dropped shamelessly by her everywhere. This goes on till there is a firm group of Luciaphils in London who are so astonished and appreciative of her powers as the Queen of Social climbing that they establish an informal club to help her and to admire her mastery at work.

In Riseholme life does not go on without Lucia, it goes on firmly DESPITE her - everyone is determined to make a success of their village in her absence to show how much she is not at all needed there. There is the museum to establish,and then Daisy Quantock has helped them all discover the Ouija Board and the powerful spirit Guide (Abfou). They spend a great deal of time 'weedj-ing' for signs of what to do next.

If you haven't discovered Lucia novels yet, you must - Benson writes wonderful sardonic stories full of the small, pettiness of village life and its power struggles. This is wonderful light, laugh out loud stuff.

When Lucia's husband's Aunt dies and leaves a house in London Lucia seizes her chance to be a fashionable London hostess. Casting off her hometown friends she climbs to the top of London society, only to find she should have kept her old friends close to her all the time. Possibly the best of the six "Lucia" novels.

Lucia Lucas (born Emmeline Smith) wished the world to know that the recent death of her husband's aunt, who was 83 years old and who had spent the last seven of them bed-ridden in a private lunatic asylum, was "a grievous blow". Suppressed were the facts that neither Lucia nor her husband had hitherto given much thought to the aunt, and the fact that when Lucia's husband last visited the aunt, seven years previously, she bit him. No, the world must be convinced that the death of "dear Aunt Amy" was not a "happy release", it was "a grievous blow", requiring the wearing of veils, the drawing of blinds, and stoically-born, inconsolable suffering.

So begins E F Benson's 1927 novel "Lucia In London", one of six in which the author chronicles the worlds of Riseholme and its social climbing leading resident, Lucia. I say "worlds" because we are presented with two worlds. There is the real world and the world of pretence. Most characters, especially Lucia live in both worlds. What they privately covet, the publically despise. What they really feel, for example at the death of an aunt, they suppress in order to pretend to something more publically admired.

Benson's chronicles are great fun. The pretence, the point scoring, the absurdity, are richly detailed. There's not much testosterone, but there's a chuckle at least in every sentence.

Benson's novels are suitable for reading aloud. What is consummate prose on the page becomes great art when read for Isis Audio Books by Geraldine McEwan. I have listened to her reading over and over again. Listening in the car, I have found the longest journey in outback Australia to be pure pleasure. Be warned, however, that your laughing might impede your driving competence.

Continuing the extraordinary adventures of Lucia, Benson's delightful story is full of the gossip and social-climbing one comes to expect of Lucia. Peppino, Lucia's husband, inherits a fortune and a house in London after the death of his aunt. Lucia has been the queen of all of Riseholme for ages, with her court including her best friend Georgie, an eternal bachelor who embroiders. When she ascends to London, Riseholme is bereft and feeling slighted, but soon they plot their revenge. Unfortunately for them, Lucia conquers London's high society and overcomes all obstacles in her path to greatness. But can Lucia keep up the pace of London society? And does she plan to desert her beloved Riseholme forever? The Lucia series, beginning with "Queen Lucia", is a delicious concoction of maliciousness and snobbery that will convert any reader.

Wonderful book. The whole series of Lucia books is just terrific. You'll either love them or hate them. Lucia is a very special character as are all characters in the book. The plot is almost irrelevant. The characters are what kept me going as well as a look at life in England in the 1920's both rural and urban. The writing is excellent, and if you're not British and like vocabulary builders these books are for you.

I prefer Lucia in the country, though it is fun to see her get her comeuppance so regularly. Using her best social-climbing instincts and refusing to be embarrassed, Lucia sets out to conquer London and mingle with the beau monde. Soon a secret group of "Luciaphiles" springs up; the social climbers who make up its rank never tire of watching her get into and out of all kinds of trouble.

Since the other reviews here relate to the printed version of the E.F. Benson book, I thought I'd chime in with a review that is specific to this CD version read by Geraldine McEwan.

McEwan starred as Lucia in the delightful "Mapp and Lucia" series in the mid-1980s. It's out on DVD now and I highly recommend you snatch it up immediately before it goes out of print. It's one of the very best British comedies ever.

In the series, McEwan establishes what I consider to be the definitive version of Lucia. She is so delightful that as soon as I found out her readings of two of the Lucia books had also been recorded, I bought them -- although I had never purchased books on tape/CD before.

Suffice it so say, I was not disappointed. McEwan is a wonderful reader who brings out all the wit of the books, and I can't stress enough how marvelous it is to hear her once again using her "Lucia voice."

This has my highest recommendation.

All six of the e.f. benson books regarding Lucia, Mapp or Mapp & Lucia are excellent. I could have loaded this with the kindle app onto my iphone or ipad but i have been having my best luck with ebooks with the pdfreaderpro app on my ipad. So that is how I read all 6 books, an excellent reading experience with my own choice of font and font size so as to leave off my reading glasses.

Lucia in London sees the social climbing Lucia Lucas trying to take London by storm, as she has her own small town of Riseholm, after her husband inherits a house there. Lucia is brazen, audacious and fearless. Soon she has her own cadre of society ladies called Luciaphiles who eagerly watch her social climbing adventures. Equally hilarious are all of the talents which she claims for herself even though she can only do a smidgen of the art form. She can play one movement only of Moonlight Sonata on the piano, the slow one. She loves to talk Italian but she knows only a handful of expressions and makes up the rest of it. And so it goes....

Lucia has one folly after another and, of course, the reader is a Luciaphile as well by this time. There is no Mapp in this book though and I admit that benson's very best efforts are when he has both Mapp and Lucia in the same book.

Who would have thought two middle aged women in 1920s and 1930s England could be this funny?

Warning for audiobook lovers: ONLY Miss Mapp and Queen Lucia are available on audiobook (at Audible for one) in the United States.

This is picky of me, but the first review may have given the wrong impression: LUCIA IN LONDON is not set in Elizabethan England, but in the 1920's. Perhaps what the reviewer meant was that Lucia decorates her house in an Elizabethan style (because she is pretentious). This is a wonderful farce of social-climbing and snobbism. Hilarious and classic.