Jane Austen discussion

Member Diane wrote:

"The Lucia and Mapp series by E.F. Benson definitely spoke to the Austen in me. Small town, upper middle class characters whose personalities, with all their flaws, are great fun. I definitely recommend starting with the first in the series - Queen Lucia.
Humor, wit, and well developed characters, what more could you want?"

I loved this series. I rented it at Netflix last year and loved it all over again. It is the so English. I associated it more with Jane Marple than Jane Austen, but can easily be persuaded.
By the way Sarah, I've been looking for a sequels topic. Do we have one? I know that ought to kick up some dust, but I rather like them.
Patg

I haven't read the books yet or seen the series. If they are good stories they we might not categorized them as Austen-like, but Liked-by-Austenites instead. haha

Yes, Pat look in our group folder Fanfiction/Continuations and see what has already been discussed there.

Not to mention that the Mapp & Lucia novels are just drop-dead hysterical!

Oh My Goddess!!!! You mean there were books?? Gotta look! Have you ever found books for the Rosemary & Thyme series? I loved that one tooooooo!

Patg

Patricia wrote: "Oh My Goddess!!!! You mean there were books?? Gotta look! Have you ever found books for the Rosemary & Thyme series? I loved that one tooooooo!

Patg"

Uh, yeah, there's a whole series of novels by E.F. Benson, featuring Miss Mapp and the Great Lucia; half-a-dozen, at least. They are priceless!

Christopher wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Oh My Goddess!!!! You mean there were books?? Gotta look! Have you ever found books for the Rosemary & Thyme series? I loved that one tooooooo!

Patg"

Uh, yeah, there's a whole se..."

Oh wonderful. Something else for me to become immersed in! First it was Patrick O'Brian, now I will have to search for these......I think you folks may be a bad influence ;-)

Megan wrote: "Christopher wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Oh My Goddess!!!! You mean there were books?? Gotta look! Have you ever found books for the Rosemary & Thyme series? I loved that one tooooooo!

Patg"

Uh, ..."

Yes, Megan, I quite agree! I think my wife very much rues the day that I joined Shelfari.com and Goodreads.com ;-)

Patricia wrote: "Oh My Goddess!!!! You mean there were books?? Gotta look! Have you ever found books for the Rosemary & Thyme series? I loved that one tooooooo!

Patg"

Sure Pat, this folder is intended to list books/authors that Austen lovers might like, so that is what brought about the Mapp and Lucia discussion.

Megan wrote: "Christopher wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Oh My Goddess!!!! You mean there were books?? Gotta look! Have you ever found books for the Rosemary & Thyme series? I loved that one tooooooo!

Patg"

Uh, ..."

Megan, I admit to being a bad influence. It's a bad crowd around here. I have that problem with the whole of GoodReads though! And then at home sometimes, I STILL don't know what I am in the mood to read...

Sarah wrote: "Megan wrote: "Christopher wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Oh My Goddess!!!! You mean there were books?? Gotta look! Have you ever found books for the Rosemary & Thyme series? I loved that one tooooooo!

P..."

I am very much a "ooo, shiny" kind of person - new title/new author - got to have it! I also have a hard time deciding what to read - which is why I have 8 books on my currently reading list.....heavy sigh. ;-)

Megan,
Are you reading them "all at once" so to speak? I do tend to have several going at one time. I do just read by moods. When I can concentrate well I probably read a group discussion book. When I know I will have interruptions, like in a waiting room, I read something lighter. When it is a dark and stormy night... you get what I mean.

Sarah wrote: "Megan,
Are you reading them "all at once" so to speak? I do tend to have several going at one time. I do just read by moods. When I can concentrate well I probably read a group discussion book. ..."

That is exactly what I do. I usually have a rather weighty history something going, perhaps a lighter memoir, some other non-fiction (medical, garden, knitting), and one or two Jane A. sequels and perhaps something really light (as my daughter and I say "big print no substance"). Very much depends on my mood, where I am, how much time I have, etc. as to what is actually read right then!

And Christopher - the first 2 Mapp and Lucia books were free for Kindle on Amazon. Woo-hoo! Such an enabler!

Oy, Christopher & Megan: You just set me off on another Kindle-downloading session. "Enabler" is exactly the word!

Patricia wrote: "I loved this series. I rented it at Netflix last year and loved it all over again. It is the so English. I associated it more with Jane Marple than Jane Austen, but can easily be persuaded.
By the..."

This was a tv series?

Diane wrote: "Patricia wrote: "I loved this series. I rented it at Netflix last year and loved it all over again. It is the so English. I associated it more with Jane Marple than Jane Austen, but can easily be p..."

BBC, I believe; and you can get most, if not, of the episodes via Netflix.

Thanks, I can't imagine anyone who could play Mapp. Yikes! Mapp come to life! a scary thought. If anyone needs to be closed up tightly in a book, she does.

Christopher wrote: "Diane wrote: "Patricia wrote: "I loved this series. I rented it at Netflix last year and loved it all over again. It is the so English. I associated it more with Jane Marple than Jane Austen, but c..."

Which I have put on my list (we have been over the enabler thing before here) - for after I finish watching all of MI-5. I do love my Spooks. ;-)

I read the first Mapp book and really liked it! I have a big, fat volume of several of the novels and need to get around to reading the rest sometime :-) I'm glad to know the TV series is good, too. I will have to add to my Netflix queue!

I read the Mapp and Lucia series many years ago, and the only way to describe it is to say that it is like eating candy, and only the best chocolates. If I recall, one book would end on an upnote, the next more downbeat, and so forth. So the last one, written I believe in 1939, feels unfinished, because Benson died in 1940. The TV series did the books justice, but the books are truly great.

I tried listening to Queen Lucia on audio last week, and I didn't really like it. Maybe I'm just not in the right mood for it right now. Maybe some other time I'll try reading the book or watching the TV series.