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Queen Lucia
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Miss Mapp
- By: E. F. Benson
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 4
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
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Story5 out of 5 stars 3
Miss Elizabeth Mapp, magnificent grande dame and heiress, is always on the lookout lest her neighbors fall outside the bounds of perfect, exemplary manners. But her tightly controlled world is soon beset on all sides by interlopers, first in the disturbingly masculine form of two very different retired army officers, both of whom are anything but retiring in their conflicting aims upon her heart.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Thoroughly awful people, and excellent fun
- By Fiona Thurn on 15-09-2015
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Mapp and Lucia
- By: E. F. Benson
- Narrated by: Miriam Margolyes
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6
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 Luca (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.
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Trouble for Lucia
- By: E. F. Benson
- Narrated by: Miriam Margolyes
- Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 2
Taking the position of mayor in the town of Tilling brings much delight to Lucia. However, with her local rival Miss Mapp around, trouble is never far away.Lucia is elevated to her new position with Georgie Pilson as her sidekick, confidant, and escort. Lucia and Georgie renew their acquaintance with the opera diva Olga Braceley and the composer Cortese, but nobody in Tilling believes Lucia when she claims to have entertained a duchess.
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Lucia in London
- By: E F Benson
- Narrated by: Miriam Margolyes
- Length: 3 hrs and 44 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3
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.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Lucia at her best
- By Chris Dawson on 03-08-2018
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Lucia's Progress
- By: E. F. Benson
- Narrated by: Miriam Margolyes
- Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story3 out of 5 stars 1
Arch enemies Mapp and Lucia return in the next instalment of E.F. Benson’s classic series of rural snobbery. Lucia is now a permanent resident of Tilling and continues her way up the social ladder with gusto, making attempts through the Town Council, finance, a platonic marriage and even the cricket club.
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Classic Radio Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest (Dramatised)
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: Jeremy Clyde, Richard Pasco, Prunella Scales, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 5
Algernon Moncrieff, a bachelor-about-town, has invented an invalid friend called Bunbury in order to get out of tiresome family engagements. At the same time, his friend, Jack Worthing, has invented a wicked brother called Ernest to disguise his own misdemeanours. When Algernon poses as Ernest to win the heart of Cecily Cardew, confusion reigns, and it takes the discovery of an old black handbag to reveal the truth.
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Miss Mapp
- By: E. F. Benson
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3
Miss Elizabeth Mapp, magnificent grande dame and heiress, is always on the lookout lest her neighbors fall outside the bounds of perfect, exemplary manners. But her tightly controlled world is soon beset on all sides by interlopers, first in the disturbingly masculine form of two very different retired army officers, both of whom are anything but retiring in their conflicting aims upon her heart.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Thoroughly awful people, and excellent fun
- By Fiona Thurn on 15-09-2015
-
Mapp and Lucia
- By: E. F. Benson
- Narrated by: Miriam Margolyes
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6
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 Luca (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.
-
Trouble for Lucia
- By: E. F. Benson
- Narrated by: Miriam Margolyes
- Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 2
Taking the position of mayor in the town of Tilling brings much delight to Lucia. However, with her local rival Miss Mapp around, trouble is never far away.Lucia is elevated to her new position with Georgie Pilson as her sidekick, confidant, and escort. Lucia and Georgie renew their acquaintance with the opera diva Olga Braceley and the composer Cortese, but nobody in Tilling believes Lucia when she claims to have entertained a duchess.
-
Lucia in London
- By: E F Benson
- Narrated by: Miriam Margolyes
- Length: 3 hrs and 44 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3
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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Lucia at her best
- By Chris Dawson on 03-08-2018
-
Lucia's Progress
- By: E. F. Benson
- Narrated by: Miriam Margolyes
- Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story3 out of 5 stars 1
Arch enemies Mapp and Lucia return in the next instalment of E.F. Benson’s classic series of rural snobbery. Lucia is now a permanent resident of Tilling and continues her way up the social ladder with gusto, making attempts through the Town Council, finance, a platonic marriage and even the cricket club.
-
Classic Radio Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest (Dramatised)
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: Jeremy Clyde, Richard Pasco, Prunella Scales, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 5
Algernon Moncrieff, a bachelor-about-town, has invented an invalid friend called Bunbury in order to get out of tiresome family engagements. At the same time, his friend, Jack Worthing, has invented a wicked brother called Ernest to disguise his own misdemeanours. When Algernon poses as Ernest to win the heart of Cecily Cardew, confusion reigns, and it takes the discovery of an old black handbag to reveal the truth.
Publisher's Summary
England between the wars was a paradise of utter calm and leisure for the very, very rich. But into this enclave is born Mrs. Emmeline Lucas - La Lucia, as she is known - a woman determined to lead a life quite different from the pomp and subdued nature of her class. With her cohort, Georgie Pillson, and her husband, Peppino, she upends the greats of high society, including the imperious Lady Ambermere and her equally imperious dog, Pug; the odious Piggy and Goosie Antrobus; the Christian Scientist Daisy Quantrock, with her penchant for the foreign; and everyone else in the small English town that the wealthy Britons call their country home. Beset on all sides by pretenders to her social throne, Lucia brings culture, the fine arts, and a great deal of excitement and intrigue into this cloistered realm.
Critic Reviews
"[A] delicious satire of the pretensions and foibles of provincial middle-class life in Britain in the 1920s and '30s...[with] droll send-ups of the bitter battles waged by matrons desperate to live out their fantastical versions of upper-class elegance and wit, and...shrewd readings of the ways in which our longings can make us both bizarre and sometimes appealing." (Kirkus Reviews)
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What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
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4 out of 5 stars
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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3.5 out of 5 stars
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Fiona Thurn
- 01-09-2015
Very entertaining
Nadia May does a fantastic job of bringing all the characters in this story to life. While a scathing criticism of the rising middle classes in the 1920s, this is also great fun. There is both criticism and affection expressed, even for the worst of them at their worst. A very entertaining listen. Be warned the "N" word crops up out of the blue; an artefact of different, less enlightened times.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Meg
- 16-04-2009
A delight
A little slow to get into but well worth it! Funny characters and situations, well narrated.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Suea
- 08-11-2016
Wonderful characters and interactions
Would you consider the audio edition of Queen Lucia to be better than the print version?
Not this audio edition - it is read way too fast for me to truly enjoy and savor it.
What did you like best about this story?
The characters and their motivations seem authentic.
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
SLOW DOWN!!!!!
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Jilted, replaced and reclaimed
Any additional comments?
Beautifully written and intricate enough to hold my attention. I get so tired of mystery novels and prefer stories involving understanding of human relationships which can vary from culture to culture but still contain the common thread of humanity. "Make new friends and keep the old ones..." I like the book so much I will try another reader.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gloria
- 02-01-2016
If you like the television show, Frasier, you'll love this book
The story is full of the absurdities of the self involved. The characters and situations will give you a chuckle.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- reader of French books
- 16-06-2015
Always irresistible.
Nadia May is superb, which suits Lucia just fine. The story as narrated by miss May is never tarsome
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Salsonero
- 12-07-2012
Excellent reading
Which character – as performed by Nadia May – was your favorite?
Ms May does a delightful job with the male voices.
Any additional comments?
Nadia May does a fine job at bringing this charming story to life.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 27-06-2019
Satire and escapism at their best
No bodices ripped, no politics to speak of, and nothing important to anyone outside a village the size of at most three city blocks. But, the Guru! The Princess! The Diva! And a half dozen village snobs, all social schemers and climbers and pretenders and people I would walk a mile out of my way to avoid in real life, and the ridiculous pretentious social crises they create ... I just cannot get enough of them as told by EF Benson and performed by Nadia May, archaic colonialisms and all. Satirical mountain upon mountain -- dizzying heights and stupendous social crashes narrowly averted again and again. George Pilson, acolyte and occasional private critic, brings the only suggestion of self-awareness to the (dinner, tea, garden) party. He momentarily wonders at the thrill as he is towed along in the Queen's social wake. "And why do I say it in Italian?" But Georgie is as happy and busy with his selfish little concerns as any of the social elite, and Benson makes me love him for it. This book and this reading of it give my soul a rest.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Meri
- 08-08-2018
Maybe I was looking for Wodehouse
I think I expected funnier. And Lucia is a woman I don't think I'd want to spent any time with in real life. Control-freak, anyone? But the full cast of characters are charming (and not in the snotty, backhanded way). I might read the next in the series. Nadia May made the reading worth finishing. A few laugh out loud moments.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs
- 22-04-2014
Love Lucia, would like more unabridged Lucia pls
I'd love to hear the other Mapp and Lucia books unabridged, they are such a delightful treat to return to again and again. Delicious characters in a small community set in the 1920's, wicked and gossipy and fun, fun, fun!
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mark
- 01-03-2015
scintillating
What made the experience of listening to Queen Lucia the most enjoyable?
the fact that it was so culturally alien to my life and the fact that some of the snobbery was so easy to understand. I could see why in such a tiny world as Tilling that so many small mishaps have such large consequences. Funny and brutal
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
too rich for just one sitting
Any additional comments?
Listen to Miss Mapp first then both stories will make better sense.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gill
- 17-02-2015
Brilliant, tiny world
I love the Mapp and Lucia books and this one was beautifully read. The life and death import of tiny matters of etiquette in the village of Riseholme is beautifully sketched. The complete absence of children and young men in this contrived but all consuming world must have given some respite to readers in the 20's, many of whom would be struggling with the loss of sons or lovers. Well worth the money.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jon
- 08-01-2015
Before North Shore High - there was Risholm
Having been in hysterics watching the "Mapp and Lucia" adaption on BBC recently, I thought I'd get a bit more familiar with the original 1920's series. And I'm so glad I did.
If you find the Blair Waldorfs of this world bit lacking in substance - then this is for you. These deco gossip girls (and boys) are the original "mean girls".
Kept having to remind myself these were written in the 1920s. They are so pithy and quick they could have appeared in the last decade, were it not for the lack of iPhones and Facebook references.
I found it hard not to contain my laughter and horror on the train to work as Lucia's true grasp of the "bella lingua" inevitably gets uncovered.
The Wagnerian and piano references are a secondary plus (to anyone with a classical music bent) and I continued to chuckle at Lucias avoidance of the last two movements of the Moonlight Sonata. Delicious.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vicuña
- 16-09-2014
Perfect portrayal
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Excellent narration captures the innuendo and arch idiocy of every character.
What other book might you compare Queen Lucia to, and why?
Others in the Mapp and Lucia series, but Benson is a one off.
What about Nadia May’s performance did you like?
Distinct voice for each character which captured the humour, manners and satire all at the same time.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, but I spread it over a few sittings. Virtually every line is a gem and it's worth savouring.
Any additional comments?
I've read the books and listened to a couple of radio adaptations of Mapp and Lucia. I've watched the 1980s TV series and never tire of the humour and satire. The characters are so filled with their own importance and place and they interlock with panache. It's a wonderful portrayal of a particular inter war period which will never be seen again. The pretensions, class distinction and daily one puma ship is priceless.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Emma
- 12-04-2010
Charming
This is a charming reading of the light and amusing activities of Lucia and all the delightful characters who live in her village. A pleasant and entirely soothing accompaniment to the day's activities.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- The Aardvark
- 26-11-2017
You will laugh!
The highlights are the marvellous narration by Nadia May and the wonderfully understated satirical comedy.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Hazel
- 13-11-2012
So boring blah blah blah
I read 2/3 books a week an tried to get into this book on 5 different days. Never read anything so boring. Could not get interested at all worst book I have bought in years Blah blah blah. Money back please!,,
0 of 12 people found this review helpful