Gscene News Archive

‘Any news?’, ‘a new Mapp & Lucia book!’ ‘ No!’, oh but yes dear reader this E.F.Benson inspired book takes up the idea of quite what the other delightful residents of Tilling do, in this case Major Benjy, in between shouting Quay-Hai, playing golf and the obligatory rubber of bridge.

This book covers the further adventures of the character from the much loved Mapp & Lucia series of books. It shines a gimlet eyed light into the domestic dalliances of the Major and a few of the other more delightful of Tilling's Characters, we peep into Quaint Irene’s love life, the Majors bedtime habits, the Wyse’s ins and outs, Divas kitchen and even a quick look into the infamous Miss Mapps secret garden.

Written in a loving style, with all the wit and bitchy intrigue of the original books, this funny work inserts itself carefully but with determination into the Tilling cannon. The writing is more contemporary than Benson’s while retaining the typical delightfully twisted plot devices of the earlier books.

I adored the original books and was like Mapp, a little suspicious of this interloper; would it have the right tone? be the ‘right sort’? be able to breathlessly gossip and all the time keep the cruelty and brutality of Tilling society under the perfectly pressed cover of delightful social intercourse? I wasn’t disappointed; in fact I laughed out loud, always the greatest gift from a book.

This is a very good book, like watching one of those high-class drag queens who only ‘do’ Piaf or Garland and get it so, so right, but with a modern knowing, ironic wink. Like the originals I read it far too quickly, it just flew past and I just hope that Guy Fraser-Sampson will stop what ever it is he is doing and get on with writing the next book, please let it be the secret depths of Godiva 'Diva' Plaistow.

Published by www.troubador.co.uk

Avaiable from www.guyfs.com for £9.99

Review by Eric Page