1985; 216 pages. New Author? : No. Book #1 (of 2) of Tom Holt’s continuation of E.F. Benson’s Lucia series. Genre : Humor, British Fiction. Overall Rating : 6½*/10.
It’s
the height of the Second World War, and it’s up to every able-bodied Englishman
to do his part in the war effort. That
includes the good civilians in the quaint little (fictional) Sussex coastal town
of Tilling.
For some, it means parading around as part of the town’s militia. Heaven help us all if they have to defend against invading Germans. For others, it means
teaching cooking on the radio – somehow making savory dishes from cabbage and
turnips.
But
for Lucia Pillson and Elizabeth Mapp-Flint, the phrase “war effort” means a
personal, no-holds-barred, to-the-death contest, with the social status of
being Tilling’s social queen at stake.
Which, when you get right down to it, kinda outshines the fighting over
across the channel.
What’s To Like...
The two Lucia books are early efforts by Tom
Holt, published in 1985/86, the year before his first novel, Expecting Someone Taller, came out. The books were deliberately written in the
style of the series’ original author, E.F. Benson. As such, the storyline of Lucia in Wartime is more focused and less
convoluted than the usual “Tom Holt plotline”. But his natural talent for wit is already
present.
Lucia and Elizabeth are the stars, vying for
the spotlight and social supremacy. They
both have their pride and their faults, and are differentiated only by Lucia
being a bit more successful at her conniving, and slightly (but only slightly) more
likeable. Their husbands are both
pleasantly bumbling. The rest of the
characters are a fascinating assortment of townsfolk that could’ve easily fallen out of a P.G. Wodehouse Jeeves
novel, albeit without the problem-solving butler himself.
The
book has a nice “feel” for life in WW2 England, with things like ration cards, invasion fears, suspected enemy agents, and a
thriving black market. It was another
world, yet Holt gives it a light, whimsical touch, without making it any less real. The ending is a letdown, being both abrupt
and arbitrary. But I don’t know if this
is a Benson-esque climax, and/or if it sets up the sequel, Lucia Triumphant.
Kewlest New Word. . .
Peripeteia (n.)
: A sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances.
Others
: Danegeld; Sinecure
Excerpts...
“My dear, you
aren’t horrified, are you? I hope I
haven’t offended your principles by offering you black-market fish.” (. . .)
"Dear Lord Tony,”
she purred, “do you suppose a poor civilian like myself could provide a square
meal for four hungry soldiers from the Government ration? Very well then, let us not mention a horrid
subject again.”
“Well said!”
exclaimed Lord Limpsfield. “Some people
are so stuffy and silly. But I always
say that all’s fair in love and war, and there’s a war on, and I love salmon mousse, so that’s fair enough. Au
reservoir!” (loc.
1149)
“We must face
facts. Jerry’s out there,” Benjy cried,
waving his hand in the general direction of Hastings. “He’s biding his time, waiting to pounce. And to make matters worse, my sergeant's been
called up. Terrible! Ah well, there it is. It’s here he’ll attack, you mark my
words. Think of William the Conqueror,”
he added darkly.
“He was French,”
said Georgie.
“Ah, but the
French were our enemies then. Puts a
whole new complexion on the matter.” (loc.
5323)
Kindle Details...
Lucia
in Wartime sells for $6.95 at Amazon, as does its
companion book Lucia Triumphant.
“We are not fighting for Bridge and boiled cabbage, but for Beauty
and Truth.” (loc.
5597)
It
appears that most of those who pick up Lucia In
Wartime do so because they read and loved the E.F. Benson Lucia books, and
are thrilled to find that Holt wrote two additions to the series. I’ve never read any of the Benson books; I
read LIW because I’m a Tom Holt enthusiast.
Frankly, this is not his best stuff, but OTOH, it is a nice first-effort and he was trying to write in somebody else’s style. When you remove those two constraints – and allow
Holt to do his own thing – he’s a topnotch author.
I
really should’ve read one of the E.F. Benson books first. I thought they were hard to find (Benson
wrote them in the 1920’s and 30’s), but it turns out two are available as free
Kindle downloads from Amazon (the copyrights have expired), and the Phoenix
library carries the rest of them in hardcover format. So methinks a trip to the library is in order
for next weekend.
6½ Stars. Subject to an upward revision if E.F. Benson turns out
to be a mediocre writer, and Tom Holt is just mimicking his style. DO NOT make this your first Tom Holt book.
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