Queen Lucia [Hardcover]

E. F. Benson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2003

"There is some irony in the fact that Benson, the creator of everything from plays to sober biographies, is best remembered for his series of LUCIA novels, delicious satires of the pretensions and foibles of provincial middle-class life in Britain in the 1920s and '30s. Still, given Benson's droll send-ups of the bitter battles waged by matrons desperate to live out their fantastical versions of upper-class elegance and wit, and his shrewd readings of the ways in which our longings can make us both bizarre and sometimes appealing, it's very likely an irony he would have savored. . . . Queen Lucia, the first in the series, follows Mrs. Lucas (Lucia to her most intimate friends) through a lengthy and often hilarious campaign to derail the career of a would-be rival to the throne of cultural arbiter. The plot, however, is less important than the pratfalls. The six Lucia novels form a kind of epic portrait of striving gone mod, and it's good to have them appearing once again." -- Kirkus

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

There is some irony in the fact that Benson, the creator of everything from plays to sober biographies, is best remembered for his series of ``Lucia'' novels, delicious satires of the pretensions and foibles of provincial middle-class life in Britain in the 1920s and '30s. Still, given Benson's droll send-ups of the bitter battles waged by matrons desperate to live out their fantastical versions of upper-class elegance and wit, and his shrewd readings of the ways in which our longings can make us both bizarre and sometimes appealing, it's very likely an irony he would have savored. His six novels chronicling the rise and fall and rise ad infinitum of Mrs. Emmeline Lucas of Riseholm are now being reissued as trade paperbacks. Queen Lucia, the first in the series, follows Mrs. Lucas (Lucia to her most intimate friends) through a lengthy and often hilarious campaign to derail the career of a would-be rival to the throne of cultural arbiter. The plot, however, is less important than the pratfalls. The six Lucia novels form a kind of epic portrait of striving gone mod, and it's good to have them appearing once again. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

E. F. Benson (1867-1940) was a prolific novelist, dramatist, short story writer, and biographer. He wrote biographies of Sir Francis Drake, Alcibiades, Ferdinand Magellan, Queen Victoria, and Charlotte Bronte. The son of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and a bit eccentric, he studied archaeology at Kings College, Cambridge, and served as Mayor of Rye near the end of his life. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592245889
• ISBN-13: 978-1592245888
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,239,629 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Long live the Queen, August 3, 2002

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Queen Lucia (Paperback)

There are six Lucia novels by author Benson, who set the redoubtable Mrs. Lucas (Lucia, to her friends) first in Riseholme, really Broadway in the Cotswold. "Queen Lucia" is the first of the novels, and really, probably the weakest. Yet, you really can't help but be drawn into this microcosm of gentile upper-middle class English society set between the two World Wars in that frothy time period.

Nothing Lucia does is momentous, and she is an utter snob and pretentious to a nauseating level. Yet, we are captivated by her antics, stupid as they are. Predictably, her striving to be the Social Queen of Riseholme produces some deservedly embarrassing moments (she hires a Guru of dubious repute, for one thing.) But, being Lucia, she surmounts event the worst humiliation with sheer nerve.

The later novels pit Lucia against a far more worthy foe, Miss Mapp of Tilling. Miss Mapp even has her own novel sans Lucia, and the two tangle deliciously in the remaining four novels. If you like "Queen Lucia", you will adore the rest of the series.

Benson was the son of an Archbishop of Cantebury and had brilliant and artistic brothers and sisters. He was the longest-lived of the siblings, and produced many novels and scholarly histories, which sadly are out of print. Only these novels remain of his work, probably the most trivial. Yet the world they create, out of nothing but vanity and snobbish posing, is so captivating that their popularity almost never wanes.

The series contains:

Queen Lucia
Lucia in London
Miss Mapp
Mapp and Lucia
Lucia's Progress/The Worshipful Lucia
Trouble for Lucia

These are perfect escapist novels if you love things like "Masterpiece Theater" or BBC television. Just the thing for a cold winter day and a cup of tea.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure!!!, August 17, 2004

By 

DonnaReviews (Northeast USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Queen Lucia (Paperback)

It is clear why there are societies devoted to both author E.F. Benson and his six delightful "Mapp and Lucia" novels. Benson became known for this beloved, satirical series which has dry British wit and lightness reminiscent of P.G. Wodehouse (although Wodehouse is in a class by himself), but he was equally superb at ghost/supernatural stories. The fact that he excelled at two vastly different styles and genres is fascinating.

This first book, Queen Lucia, introduces the inimitable Emmeline Lucas (Lucia to her friends), social arbiter and queen of the quaint hamlet of Riseholme, who finds her throne in jeopardy with the arrival of Olga Braceley, an opera singer. No one is better at social satire (and satire of British class systems) than the British and yet these timeless characters and their quirky ambitions are recognizable to anyone. Husband Phillip (known as Peppino) puts out his own printing press. There is Lucia's foppish neighbor and best friend, Georgie Pillson, who keeps her current in gossip, joins her at the piano in classical duets and converses with her in smatterings of bad Italian and baby talk; neighbor Daisy Quantock who ruffles Lucia's fur by introducing a "Guru" to the community and igniting yoga fever; and other colorful characters. From the beginning, I was laughing out loud at humor that is dry, absurd and priceless.

This series was also brought brilliantly to life by a PBS TV series "Mapp and Lucia" in which Prunella Scales and Geraldine McEwan star, both women terrific. Like the books, the series had me laughing out loud.

The first and fourth books are the best, but highly recommend reading them all. Humor is a great tonic.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, to be reading this for the first time again..., February 3, 2006

By 

M. Morris "Friendly Curmudgeon" (Atlanta GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Queen Lucia (Paperback)

But it absolutely repays repeated visits, as well. E. F. Benson, the probably homosexual son of a Victorian Archbishop of Canterbury and a noted lesbian, has a marvelous eye for the inter-war social scene in Upper Middle-Class England.

This is the first book of the series, where we meet Lucia and her redoubtable aide-de-camp the utterly charming Georgie. The first chapter is probably the slowest in the whole series--it takes a while to introduce these improbably horrid people

And they are--for the most part--truly horrid. Benson's gift is in making it quite clear he loves these ghastly people, and by the end of the book so do we. What is worse (or better) is recognizing one's friends in the characters of the book. Even more shocking, this reader will at times recognize traits of his own (I won't share which character I think I am most like). Human nature is less changing than we like to think in these early years of the twenty-first century.

Benson lovingly skewers the foible of his own age and does so with a slice of society no larger than any portrayed by Jane Austen. His eye is as keenly observant as hers, but his humor much more developed.

A certain level of sophistication makes these books more enjoyable, but there is something for anyone who enjoys a good read. There is nothing in here that would make the even the most prudish blush, but they are definitely for an adult taste.