Miss Mapp: Amazon.ca: E.F. Benson: Books

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From AudioFile

Fans of E.F. Benson's Lucia novels may miss the eponymous Lucia in this tale of the English village of Tilling, but they'll have no other quarrels. Nadia May does a hilarious Miss Mapp, the small-minded small-town heiress of a certain age who leads an absolutely full life spying on and attempting to best her neighbors. When Miss Mapp addresses her most disliked rival as "Diva darling," you can hear the way her teeth are set and see the awful smile. Nancy Mitford once wrote that she had feared rereading these astute and funny stories but found them "fresh as paint." They haven't changed yet, and I hope May will give us all of them. B.G. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Description

This novel is a strikingly original creation, an arch-schemer and social climber from the English village of Tilling. A fortyish spinster, "anger and the gravest suspicion about everybody had kept her young and on the boil." Elizabeth Mapp spends hours looking out of her window, using opera glasses and a notebook to chart the neighbourhood affairs. Nothing escapes her. Miss Mapp is a hilarious, sharply observed satire that lovingly but pointedly pokes fun at the feuds and foibles of English society in miniature. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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10 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious fun in a small English village, Jun 20 2001

By	A. Woodley "Patroness, Janeites, the Austen list" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Miss Mapp (Paperback)

Miss Mapp rules the tiny English village of Tilling- that is she rules those who matter. It is a tiny circle of people who have enough class to rate her attention - but she manipulates and lauds over them with machiavellian schemes, and intelligent surmises - and she is intelligent.

Benson has written a village with a range of gorgeous characters - from Diva who is Miss Mapp's great rival, to Irene the local artist who keeps embarrassing Miss Mapp with her prosaic pronouncements. Then there is the local Vicar who talks in a combination of Shakespearian English and Burnsian dialect. There is also Mrs Poppit who is an up and coming social climber (hardly worthy of Miss Mapp's notice) and the novel begins with Miss Mapps machinations to the Poppitt Bridge party.

Village life you see seems to run around Bridge parties. In this petty world of card games there is a great deal of opportunity to expose one another's weaknesses and Miss Mapp, in order to be the center of village life in Tilling finds no object too petty to exploit. This is a novel of small things made into huge issues because of the smallness of the village. There is Miss Mapps constant running battle to dress better than Diva, the competition over Mr Wyse's attentions (with his supposed comtessa sister), and the ever pressing desire to be the First To Know all the gossip in town.

The physical descriptions both through the characters minds and from Benson's pen are wonderful for instance Diva is always depicted as whirling around the place - her legs circling. Mrs Poppit is ever present in a huge and weighty sable coat.

This is a wonderful book, and beautifully written. Benson seems to me to be very influenced by Austen - there is the small and claustrophobic atmosphere of village life - the characters (Miss Mapp seems so like Mrs Norris of Austen's 'Mansfield Park') to me - and then there are the odd Austen Names (in this case the Coles feature strongly as a family that is not quite up to snuff - just as the Coles are in 'Emma'). If nothing else Benson writes of English village life in the 1920's with the same Ironic pen as Austen did of village life in the early nineteenth century.

Highly recommended if you want a couple of days of laughter.

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5.0 out of 5 stars she's worse than you mother-in-law, but more fun to read, Mar 1 2001

By	"soonerlover" (Duncan, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miss Mapp (Paperback)

Well, after meeting Queen Lucia, I quite enjoyed learning all about Tilling and its dear Miss Mapp. You will wonder who she visited in Riseholm, and you will die from the anticipation of the two ladies meeting up in subsequent books (you won't be disappointed!). The characters are fantastic, the situations are comic, and I absolutely loved this book! I am officially hooked on the entire series! I hope you will try it and love it just as much as I.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Wicked Fun!, Jul 7 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Miss Mapp (Paperback)

Not only will the Reader of today recognize Miss Mapp amongst her acquaintances, dear Reader is only too likely to see *herself* in caricature. (I, for one, am Diva Plaistow; no getting round it.) A delight from the first paragraph, "Miss Mapp" is even more enjoyable if you've read the first two in the Lucia chronicles. Librarina@netscape.net

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just froth
The wonderfully acute social comedy in this novel needs no further recommendation but there are many other virtues. Take for example its apercus on 1920s Britain. Read more

Published on April 12 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Dried apricots
The first Tilling rather than Riseholme novel sets things up for the tremendous clash with Lucia. It is extremely funny and bears re-reading and re-reading. Read more

Published on Mar 9 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Malicious Mischief from the Master
Since human nature is the true subject of these books, it doesn't matter a whit if the Riseholme-Tilling world is not our own. Read more

Published on Jan 7 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Miss Mapp writes "Miss Mapp"
Halfway through his Lucia series, Benson, probably realizing what a tedious phoney Mrs. Emmeline Lucas was turning out to be, decided to fashion a worthy adversary for her: a... Read more

Published on Dec 28 1999