Lucia’s Progress by EF Benson

In this fifth book of the Mapp and Lucia series, Lucia and Mapp continue to battle it out for queen of the village. It is perhaps the weakest of the books I’ve read so far in terms of plot, but of course the language and humour is still Benson’s strong suit. Finding herself turning fifty and wanting to put her stamp on the world by doing useful things, Lucia takes on a series of projects: running for council, speculating on the stock exchange and undertaking archaeological excavations in her garden. Of course Miss Mapp, who has developed as a less generous spirited soul than Lucia and rather less likeable, tries to compete and failing that, to spoil all of Lucia’s projects. As always it’s laugh aloud stuff, when you’re not cringing from embarrassment at the situations these two competitive women put themselves in! How Benson must have enjoyed himself writing them!