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Title: The Jane Austen of the 1920's
Review: For me, there is nothing quite like E.F. Benson's 'Lucia' series, except perhaps for the novels of the great Jane Austen herself. Benson is truly a social satirist of Austen's calibre (and I give this praise as an absolute Worshipper of Austen, so it's not lightly given). Benson's characters, living, as they do, lives of comfort & ease in quiet, picturesque English villages, during a historical period of relative peace, manage to get up to the most exciting and riveting, but at the same time, completely polite and respectable social adventures, and display to the reader their own little vanities and self-deceits in the most wonderful ways. I think I'm on my third reading of the books now (having acquired them about 5 years ago) and I still enjoy them immensely. I can't imagine any fan of Jane Austen not also totally 'getting' Benson's Lucia & Miss Mapp books. Benson rocks!!
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