Mapp at Fifty: A Story of Mapp & Lucia in the Style of the Originals by E.F.Benson: 1 (Mapp and Lucia) Paperback – Import, 9 April 2020

4 Mapp & Lucia extensions written by Hugh Ashton are great fun

I’m a big fan of Mapp and Lucia, I’ve read all the E F Benson books and this was my first follow on in the style of EFB. It was absorbing, amusing and the beloved characters are all there; I was back in Mallards taking breakfast with Lucia and Georgie for a wonderful and all too short soiree. I look forward to reading some more.

Tilling is my personal happy place, the town where I would love to enjoy a quiet life far from the madding crowd. I owe a tremendous debt to the late E. F. Benson, both for creating such a wonderful place and for populating it with unforgettable characters like Lucia, Georgie, Elizabeth Mapp, Major Benjy, and many more.Unfortunately, Benson only wrote four novels set in Tilling (I love Queen Lucia and Lucia in London, but not as much as Miss Mapp, Mapp and Lucia, Lucia's Progress and Trouble for Lucia). So, I have turned in several occasions to the work of different authors who have created new stories taking place in Tilling, with mixed outcomes. Lucia in Wartime and Lucia Triumphant, by Tom Holt, are two excellent novels written by an author who clearly respects his source materials. On the other hand, Guy Fraser-Sampson's Major Benjy, Lucia on Holiday and Au Reservoir are clear (and hideous) examples of what shouldn't be done when writing stories set in a world created by someone else. A word of advice: stay away from them.A week ago I discovered Hugh Ashton's pastiches Mapp at Fifty and Mapp's Return and I purchased the former, hoping it would be similar to Holt's novels. And I'm happy to say Mapp at Fifty has surpassed my expectations. The book, written à la Benson, is a true delight, and the characters we love are back to life, as strong as ever. As I write this text I'm looking forward to getting my copy of Mapp's Return, which I'm sure I'll enjoy as much as Mapp at Fifty, a great book whose only flaw is its length: 118 pages that end in a heartbeat.

Mrs Mapp-Flint tries to have a 50th birthday party that will outshine Lucias. As often happens with her schemes, almost everything that could go wrong does go wrong. The Major adds to the chaos by spiking his glasses of the watered-down white wine punch with generous helpings of whiskey.

I enjoyed this book greatly. Ashton captures most of the characters well, especially Georgie and the Mapp Flints. Diva doesn't come over as originally, no mention of her walk or her adapting old clothes. Language wasn't always quite accurate. Georgie would never have used the first person of will instead of shall. Lucia comes over as too kind with only passing reference to her real scheming nature. Catherine is a brilliant introduction and the implications of aunt Caroline`s throwing further doubt on much of Mapp`s supposed history. I look forward to more.