Lucia on Holiday, Guy Fraser-Sampson

[callmemadam]

I haven’t read Major Benjy, Guy Fraser-Sampson’s previous foray into Benson-land, but as Lucia on Holiday is currently available for the Kindle at 99p, I couldn’t resist. I read it quickly and did enjoy it, but with reservations.

Lucia decides to spend some of her money on a splendid holiday for herself and Georgie in Italy. At the same time, Major Benjy is asked to accompany the son of a maharajah to Italy and his wife, Mrs Mapp-Flint, schemes for them to go to the very place where Lucia is staying. The Wyses also turn up and Olga has plotted with Georgie that she will be there, too. Everything is set for the games to begin; wargames, that is, for nothing will stop Mapp and Lucia trying to get the better of each other. A losing battle for poor Mapp, who never learns.

This is all quite entertaining, but there is far too much reference to incidents in earlier books which I’m sure anyone who’s chosen to read this one will be familiar with already. That sort of cut and paste is cheating, I think. Then, I have a rule about sitcoms: I don’t like the characters to move outside the location which keeps them all together. The same applies here. Many Tilling characters are necessarily missing and the broader ambitions of Mapp and Lucia in Italy are actually less riveting than those meetings over the shopping baskets in Tilling which lead to cries of, ‘No!’. At one point I got really worried about the direction Georgie’s relationship with his beautiful Italian valet seemed to be heading, hoping Mr Fraser-Sampson wasn’t going to take a character to a place he certainly shouldn’t go. There’s a lot of misunderstanding, the fallings-out are more serious than before and at the end there’s a Georgie/Lucia situation left unresolved. I do like a book to have a proper ending. Tarsome!

As I said, I did enjoy meeting the immortal characters again, but I think Tom Holt’s continuations (Lucia in Wartime and Lucia Triumphant) are truer to the Benson originals and more convincing.

Comments

[geraniumcat.livejournal.com]

Hmm, 99p proved a bit too irresistible, even allowing for your reservations. That's a lovely pile of Lucia books you have there...I haven't read the Tom Holt ones, I must get to them soon, so many people I approve of have recommended them.

Do you like the TV adaptation? I'll watch anything with Prunella Scales in it. I keep waking up in the middle of the night to discover After Henry is on Radio 4 Extra, and having to listen to it (I find Joan Sanderson's voice utterly compelling, too). Very bad for my sleep patterns :-(

Au reservoir!

[gghost.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the Holt books, too.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I didn't pay full price for the book. Luckily, I'd already discovered Lucia before Black Swan started reprinting them and I bought the lot as they came out. The Tom Holt books were very expensive second hand for a while but have been reprinted.

Yes, I love the TV adaptation and have written about it here somewhere. Prunella Scales is brilliant and the side is only let down by Quaint Irene, IMO. I love the many glimpses of Rye.

When things seem really bad, I watch my After Henry DVDs and then go to bed and read The Diary of a Nobody. After Henry was much better on the radio but is unfortunately not available on Audio CD. If anyone knows different, please let me know! Joan Sanderson was just perfect.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Good, aren't they?

Guy Fraser-Sampson's Tilling books

[(Anonymous)]

Hi there

I'm a book PR and wanted to get in touch to see if you'd like a copy of Major Benjy which is about to come out in a newly overhauled state as a companion to Lucia on Holiday. As well as Guy's publisher, Elliott & Thompson, I also represent Persephone Books and I have a feeling you'd like some of those too. If you'd like to email me, I'm alisonmenziespr at aol.com.

Thanks, Alison

Re: Guy Fraser-Sampson's Tilling books

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Thanks, will do.