Mapp and Lucia Book Club Part 3 | Your Comments Discussed

Part 3 of the Mapp and Lucia Book Club continues today. I'm sharing your comments and answering your questions. What part of polite society from Mapp & Lucia's day would I like to bring back? Who would I want to have lunch with? What happens when someone steps out of their social "rank"? This and so much more is discussed in today's video.

These comments were chosen from my post a few weeks ago, calling on your questions. Since the book clubs have aired, I have also received many insightful comments. Be sure to check out the comment section on both the blog and YouTube channel. And while I was not able to get to everyone's comments in today's video, I do want to thank everyone for participating in the book club!

We will continue the book club by reading the next two books in the series: Lucia in London and (my favorite!) Mapp and Lucia. We will most likely discuss these books in mid-fall, so you have plenty of time to read or listen to them.

*In today's video, I'm drinking coffee out of my favorite Emma Bridgewater Union Jack mug.

News
I will be joining fellow New York Times bestselling authors, Eleanor Brown and Maggie Shipstead this Saturday, July 15th, 5pm at Chevalier's Bookstore in Los Angeles for a book signing, Q&A and discussion. I hope to see you there!



Lizzbert shares her ten-item wardrobe for summer.

Designer, Aaron B. Duke, takes inspiration from my TEDx talk and applies it to interior design in his article on Lessons from Madame Chic.

An Organized Life recommends my YouTube video on Inappropriate Content in Cartoons in her blogpost.

On Instagram
Madame Chic in Slovak...

A post shared by Majka Elfi Pol�kov� (@mery_elfi) on Jul 7, 2017 at 4:36am PDT

At Home with Madame Chic and a cappuccino...

A post shared by @misosoup.jp on Jul 5, 2017 at 10:57pm PDT

Comment of the Week
Ann C. writes:
Miss Mapp scared me a little at first with her waspish wit! I was ready to go back to Riseholme, even if it meant listening to more of Lucia's preenings! But as I went along, whenever a new character was introduced, I found myself looking forward to hearing her "take" on them. She was always pretty much accurate -- and funny! I loved it when she referred to Mrs. Poppit and Mr. Wyse as "the young couple" and how they "went out to the front lawn to look at the orchid" (referring to their very obvious attempts to be alone). I noticed that both Mapp and Lucia had a female friend with whom they had a sort of sibling rivalry, one-upsmanship relationship. Mapp had Diva, Lucia had Daisy. Love your comment about how they managed to stay civil, even during an argument, unlike people today. So true! Also, how about the shock registered by Miss Mapp when the Captain and the Major got a little sassy with her when they were in their cups? Miss Mapp's generation certainly expected a certain level of gentlemanly behavior from men -- which I think women in general today have lost (though that is no doubt at least partly our own fault). Anyway, I loved how Miss Mapp had a little crush on the Major -- and that, at the end of the story, she had become his golf partner! Thank you for introducing me to these charming stories, Jennifer!?

Hello Ann, I loved your observations of Miss Mapp and her comrades! I observed the gentlemanly behavior as well. It made Major Benjy very endearing!

Thank you for joining me for this final (for now) part of the #MappandLuciaBookClub . I had so much fun discussing these books with you! As mentioned, we will continue with the series, but not likely until the fall. See you on Thursday for a curling iron tutorial...



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Mapp & Lucia Book Club | Part 1 | Queen Lucia by E.F. Benson

I'm excited to be starting our Mapp & Lucia Book Club today, starting with the first book in the series by E.F. Benson: Queen Lucia. In today's video, I'm sharing my observations about the book with you.



Queen Lucia is a comedy of manners that follows Mrs. Emmeline Lucas, aka Lucia, as the social queen of Riseholme, England. Other key characters in the book are:

Georgie Pillson: Lucia's foppish best friend

Mr. Lucas (Peppino:) Lucia's very patient husband

Daisy Quantock: Georgie Pillson's neighbor who would love to overthrow Lucia's title of Queen of Riseholm

Olga Bracely: the operatic diva who moves to Riseholme and gives Lucia a run for her money



Here are some fun observations, in list form, that I discuss in today's video:

Lucia reminds me very much of Hyacinth Bucket from Keeping Up Appearances.
They both love the arts, think very highly of themselves and are self-professed Queens of their small communities.

Even when suffering, the residents are thinking about how they look. Georgie is secretly pleased he had the biggest loss with his Louis XVI snuff box!

As soon as it is discovered that the Guru is an impostor and a thief, Daisy proclaims him to be "Lucia's guru".

The residents of Riseholme were had by both the guru and the Princess Popoffski. When you are so concerned about trends and what others think about you, you are more likely to be taken advantage of: think The Emperor's New Clothes.

After each betrayal from the guru and Princess Popoffski are discovered, Lucia and co. carry on for a while to keep up appearances (the guru's practices and the Princess' fortune telling) even though they have completely lost interest in the activities.

When you live in a town where people really care what others think of them, those people are more likely to be taken advantage of. Los Angeles is a place where people really care what others think of them. It is also a place where people pay a lot of money for some pretty crazy practices. You see this in all sorts of services and beauty treatments, etc. You can't get away with that in other parts of the country.

Moral of the story? Never do things for "show" or to keep up appearances. The Madame Chic philosophy is to do things from a true inward passion, not because it is popular or trendy.

News
I am featured in the upcoming anthology, A Paris All Your Own: Bestselling Women Writers on the City of Light, out July 4th from G.P. Putnam's Sons.



I'll be doing a book signing and speaking event on Saturday, July 15th at Chevalier's in Los Angeles.


On Instagram
Madame Chic and a beautiful breakfast in Poland...

A post shared by Ivoshka (@ivo_shka) on Jun 24, 2017 at 4:17am PDT

Comment of the Week
Last week's discussion on television for children received a very impassioned response. I will have to do a part 2! Every comment was thought-provoking and full of great advice. Here is an excerpt from what Lillian had to say:

I noticed when I was a nanny and babysitter in high school and college that cartoons always seemed to be about romantic relationships more than about friendships between boys and girls. Young girls don't need to be focused on that kind of relationship or themes of jealousy and fighting over a boy. Instead, we need to teach children (and demonstrate this ourselves) how to have good friendships with everyone.

Lillian, I totally agree. Disney movies, in particular, focus on romantic relationships in a major way. It would be refreshing to see them focused more on themes of friendship.


Today, I would love to read your comments on what you observed from Queen Lucia. List your observations below and you could be featured in an upcoming Mapp and Lucia book club video! #MappandLuciaBookClub

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Book Club Announcement! Mapp & Lucia Books by E.F. Benson

I am happy to announce that we will be doing an E.F. Benson book club on The Daily Connoisseur. We will be starting with the first two books in the Mapp & Lucia series, Queen Lucia and Miss Mapp.



We will start the book club at the end of June, giving you plenty of time to read the books. They are readily available and can often be found for free on the kindle or other eReaders. You can always check your local library as well for the books. Here are some easy links to the books on Amazon:Queen Lucia and Miss Mapp paperback, On the kindle (99cents), Queen Lucia on audible , Miss Mapp on audible.

Thank you and I look forward to delving into this great series with you!

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FTC: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Links are affiliate.