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

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

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.

As a Mapp & Lucia lover I most enjoyed this book. Awaiting more M& L stories from this author. Great job in keeping in line with E.F. Benson. Highly recommend.

Ashton does a better job than others in getting Benson’s characters on the page. But if you’ve ever read Benson’s oeuvre, and read every Mapp and Lucia story, every one, three times over as I have, you’d know these just don’t meet the challenge.There were times I’d literally stop reading, thinking to myself, “(That character) would never speak or answer that way” . The one character Ashton comes closest to capturing is quaint Irene and her ‘charm,’If you enjoyed the book, then I urge you to read Benson’s books. The DVDs of Mapp and Lucia are also spot on. I think I can promise you’ll never tire of Benson’s cast of characters. They represent humanity in their fullness!

Loved it! Explores Mapp’s relationships which is truly a fun ride.

I so appreciate the books Mr. Ashton has written, such as this one, with the further adventures of our delightful Tiilling trio! I hope he gives us more soon.

I laughed out loud more than once reading this novella. It's like a little sidebar to the full-length comedies by the original author, done in very much the same style. Major Benjy has a bright idea for the celebration of Mapp's fiftieth birthday, and all of Tilling becomes involved in one way or another. It was fun watching the pieces fall into place one by one with an almost audible click...

Laughed over and over, and I am not generally a laugher. Mr. Ashton captured the characters and the Benson style, and this is a thoroughly enjoyable read!

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.

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.

Faint echoes of much loved and well remembered Tillingites from the pen of E.F.Benson, but this is a brief and rather perfunctory essay rather than a full-blooded tome of Mapp & Lucia derring do. A nice idea, but it lacks substance.

This was a fun read and yes, it really does echo the style of the original E F Benson books even though I do keep visualising the three main protagonists as played by Prunella Scales and the late Geraldine McEwan and Nigel Hawthorne who made those parts their own! This was a lot of fun, not a full novel but just a segment beautifully crafted using sympathetic portrayals of our beloved Tilling residents. The author has found an excellent niche in which to unleash his talents, as the pastiches he presents to us in a celebration, not a mockery, of the original, records a passing moment in the very busy lives of the very busy inhabitants of Tilling. This foray into a short sharp snap in time also helps overcome the shock presented to us by Guy Fraser Sampson who took it upon himself to permanently wish Lucia 'Au Reservoir' - if EFB had wanted to terminate Lucia, he would have done so himself!