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E. F. Benson
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Miss Mapp Paperback – June 20, 2006

by E. F. Benson (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 440 ratings
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Benson (1867-1940) was an English novelist, biographer and short story writer best known for his Mapp and Lucia series, social satires written relatively late in his career which are set in the fictional town of Tilling based on Rye in East Sussex where Benson lived for many years and served as mayor from 1934. The novels recount humorous incidents in the lives of upper middle-class characters who vie for social prestige and one-upmanship in an atmosphere of extreme cultural snobbery. Miss Mapp (1922) was the second book in the series, following on from Queen Lucia (1920). 'Mallards', the home of Miss Mapp (and subsequently Lucia), is based on Lamb House in Rye which had previously been the residence of Henry James. The other books in the series are: Lucia in London (1927), Mapp and Lucia (1931), Lucia's Progress (1935, published in the US as The Worshipful Lucia), and Trouble for Lucia (1939). The first three books concern only the protagonist named in the title, while the last three feature both Mapp and Lucia. The books have been adapted into TV series twice, and also for radio.
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  1. Print length
    168 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Echo Library
  4. Publication date
    June 20, 2006
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1406800686
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1406800685
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Echo Library; Reprint of an Earlier ed. edition (June 20, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 168 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1406800686
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1406800685
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 440 ratings

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E. F. Benson

E. F. Benson

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
440 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Diane Sultzbach
5.0 out of 5 stars Miss Mapp
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2011
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Miss Mapp is one of those ladies who put social status above everything else. She is incredibly engaging with all the people she meets and inserts herself in everything she thinks may be a source of news for her friends, although she doesn't consider herself to be a busy-body in any way. She peeks out her front window, which is perfectly situated to allow her to do so without being seen, every morning keeping track of who is going where and why. She especially likes to keep tabs on a gentleman who lives near her. The story is full of charming character interaction, written with wit and love...it gave me more than a few chuckles.

If you are in the mood for a wonderfully written book about a group of people living through middle-age in a small town and who are wrapped up in each other's lives by years of friendship, by all means give this book a read. You won't be disappointed.
2 people found this helpful
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Cathytg
4.0 out of 5 stars Two novels about the Queens of Mean
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2012
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This Kindle edition does not, at first glance, inspire confidence in the reader -- the cover touting, as it does two more "woderiul" novels. Also, the product description has one of the two novels' title wrong. However, I took a chance and bought this anyway and found that the table of contents is active, chapters are separated by page breaks, and there are only minor formatting errors. There's a half-line of mistakenly inserted text in one chapter, plus a plethora of doubled periods at the ends of sentences, but that's about as bad as it gets. Few or none of the OCR misspelled words, missing line breaks, and so forth that one often sees in Kindle editions. I have just finished "Mapp and Lucia," and am about to embark on the new-to-me delights of "Lucia's Progress." (If the formatting changes drastically in the second book, I'll revise.)

The books themselves are great fun. It's probably best to read them in chronological order, really, but when I first read them a few years ago I started with Mapp and Lucia, and had no trouble diving right in. It might be the funniest of the series, as two formidable social juggernauts -- pretentious and domineering Lucia and downright nasty Miss Elizabeth Mapp -- clash for the first time, finally meeting opponents of their own calibre after decimating the lesser beings around them. Lucia proves time and time again that guile wins out over brute force, and Mapp is treated to a series of very funny humiliations. To see Lucia taken down a peg, you can turn to "Lucia in London," where she makes a progress through society that no one involved is likely to forget.

Some people I've recommended these to find the books too mean-spirited, and it's true that none of the characters are particularly admirable. They are all endowed with such recognizable and understandable human foibles, however, that I find them very relatable and hilarious.
15 people found this helpful
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D. Geveke
5.0 out of 5 stars Second good as the first
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2023
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This is the second book in E. F. Benson’s Mapp and Lucia series. At first, I thought it wasn’t going to be as good as the first in the series, Queen Lucia. But, after reading a few chapters, I changed my mind. It’s just as amusing and funny as the first!
One person found this helpful
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Carsie
3.0 out of 5 stars Mildly Entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2015
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Not a book that I could really get in to. The Lucia series was advertised as "hilarious" but, to me, they are only mildly entertaining.
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Split the Lark
5.0 out of 5 stars Do not miss!
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2015
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The Mapp and Lucia books be E. F. Benson were my mother's favorites and my son and I have loved them, too. They are hilarious English Village pieces and you will be thrilled to discover them. There are quite a few so once you are hooked you have a lasting treat before you. Mapp and Lucia are mortal enemies and their hilarious rivalry is just so amusing. The other denizens of the village are great too. Laugh out loud in a genteel sort of way! We have read them over and over.
3 people found this helpful
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J M McLeod-Henry
1.0 out of 5 stars Poor Quality Kindle edition
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2015
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I don't like the quality of the Kindle edition. The could not alter the line spacing between paragraphs is far too wide making for an unpleasant reading experience. After reading Queen Lucia, I was looking forward to reading this but now will just delete it.
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Artful Chaos
4.0 out of 5 stars Irritating characters, wonderfully written
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2014
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There wasn't actually a character in this book that I liked. Everyone was self-serving and sort of nasty to varying degrees. And yet, I really enjoyed the writing. The scenes and characters were quite evocative. I just wonder... are people really that petty, horrid and self-deceiving? It's a well-crafted descent into a world I am heartily grateful to know little about in real life.
One person found this helpful
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Shirley Mason
5.0 out of 5 stars If You Love Lighthearted Satire, The Lucia and Mapp Series by E. F. Benson, is a Requirement. I Insist.
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2013
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As an author, myself, I yearn to write beautiful, harmless, lighthearted satire such as E. F. Benson managed. At one time I had all the Lucia/Mapp books which aged and were toss during a stressful move when my husband fell ill. Now I will gather them all again. I think I've read every one at least three times. Nigel Hawthorne plays opposite Lucia in the DVD, which I must also acquire. So many books and so many DVD's and so little time.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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marion
5.0 out of 5 stars E.F.Benson's books
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 7, 2021
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A novel I've read several times. All of the 'Mapp and Lucia' books are, imo, very, very funny.

Marion in Hailey Oxfordshire
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Photo-user
4.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps an acquired taste
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2020
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I have loved the E.F. Benson books for years even though they are rotted in the interwar period and in small-town England. That said I find them endlessly fascinating, as is this one. Benson captures perfectly the petty rivalries of small societies and the constant striving among some in those communities to get one up on their rivals. The detail is exquisite and the whole book is entirely believable.
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ba fo
4.0 out of 5 stars ok
Reviewed in Germany on February 28, 2015
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hal_the_gal
5.0 out of 5 stars Good precursor to Mapp andLucia
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 28, 2013
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This story takes place before the arrival of Lucia Lucas in Tilling (ie it is a prequel to Mapp and Lucia). In those days Elizabeth Mapp ruled supreme in the village and so it is a nice introduction to her and the other characters to be encountered in the later book. It also sets the scene for the battle of wills that takes place once Lucia arrives as Mapp is deposed from her throne in Mapp and Lucia. As with all these books, it is well written, lots of fun and has a wonderful cast of characters.
3 people found this helpful
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noddy
3.0 out of 5 stars an account of Tilling by an nosey neighbour with a pair of opera glasses
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2021
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I am not a fan of Miss Mapp, someone who is small-minded, vindictive and downright sneaky, not a likeable person then. However I do like the descriptions of Rye (Tilling) of a century ago. It's remained much the same today. Mr Benson lived in Lamb House, which is Miss Mapp's residence, and it is now a National Trust property, although it's shut due to the pandemic at the moment. The garden room where Miss Mapp keeps a beady eye on the comings and goings of her neighbours with her opera glasses, no longer exists, it succumbed to bomb damage during the last war.

There was a tv series made of the books and I did stand and watch some of the filming, a tad tedious and didn't return to see any more! This book is witty in parts but I really don't like Miss Mapp which puts me off reading any others in the series.
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