Queen Lucia
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Queen Lucia
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Narrated by:
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Nadia May
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By:
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E. F. Benson
About this listen
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.
(P)1997 Blackstone Audio Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Queen Lucia
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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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
- 08-01-15
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.
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5 people found this 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
- 26-11-17
You will laugh!
The highlights are the marvellous narration by Nadia May and the wonderfully understated satirical comedy.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Lizzie Biscuits
- 26-06-23
Sparkling fun
I enjoyed this more than I expected, One of those cosy, slightly frivolous books from the halycon inter-war period where everyone is having LARKS.
It's an affectionate portrait of small village ruled over by Lucia who reminded me very much of Lynda Snell from The Archers (perhaps Lucia was her inspiration?) or a refined Hyacinth Bucket.
A gentle satire on English snobbery
The narration is bang on.
FYI: Written in the thirties there are couple of instances of dated racial language.
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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
- Mrs. Jasmine Simeone
- 15-10-23
Hilarious romp through society
Very many quotable passages, hilarious characters, nicely read as befits such a piece. Gentle fun- poking humour. I loved it.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Alžběta
- 04-01-24
Light and amusing.
A little book full of silly characters doing - for lack of anything better to do - things oscillating between fantastical and absurd. Extremely dated at times, but overall very light and often amusing.
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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
- anasta
- 20-05-22
We are amused....!
This was such a lovely, light treat in the midst of all the gloom and doom news coming in just now!
The writing was just amazing...impeccable grammar, tone and content. Some modern authors please listen and learn....
Queen Lucia reigns supreme and I loved this character. Well, actually I loved all the characters in this book. They came to life in each phrase, each manipulative wrongdoing!
The narrator deserves 10 stars for this - as she performed all the characters so very well. Excellent!
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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
- Suzy 100
- 08-08-21
Very Petty and Very Funny
This highly amusing listen is full of foibles and fun. The narrator is superb with distinctive voices for each character.
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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
- Cogito Ergo Sometimes
- 20-09-20
old favourite, well read
So nice to hear my old friends so well looked after by Nadia May. I'll listen again for sure.
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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
- 01-03-15
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.
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5 people found this 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
- 16-09-14
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.
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3 people found this helpful