This lovely Vintage edition came to me by way of a draw held by one of my favourite bloggers, Rochester Reader. It was supposed to fill a gap in my reading, enable me to laugh at references regarding the wonderful world of Benson and build on my vocabulary with words like 'tarsome'.
The ingredients are all favourites. The era, the humour, quaint cottages, the eccentricities, they all tick boxes and goodness knows I'm not averse to a bit of silliness. But despite a giggle every now and then by page 96 I was searching reviews for insight, for someone with assurance that despite a slow start they were soon riveted. The boundary of allure seems to stop at my doorstep.
The busy antics of Lucia, Daisy and Georgie seem to be relentless and once Mapp was thrown in I desperately wanted everyone to sit down to a civilized cup of tea and just be quiet for a moment. It was all becoming 'tarsome' but I must say that I have been drooling for figs. Imagine a fig tree in your back garden!? I digress.
Mapp & Lucia has been put aside for the moment, perhaps this circle of friends would be best enjoyed from a sunny patio with a glass of lemonade. We are still blanketed in white and in winter-mode despite the calendar declaring it is now Spring. I am far from waving the white flag on this book so if you adore this series a word of encouragement would be very much appreciated.