Quote:
Originally Posted by CRussel
I started reading this on my Kindle, and put it down twice. But as soon as I started listening to the Nadia May narration, I totally "got it" and was able to easily go back and forth between the audio book and the ebook versions. (Made easier by having WhisperSync, of course.)
My basis for comparison is Jeeves & Wooster. There, we had two quite likable protagonists, but much the same quality of humour. (And, of course, who _wouldn't_ want a Jeeves!) This was much harder to get in to, though I can see exactly how it would work as a series/sitcom. Except that the weakness is exactly that lack of the Jeeves character to act as the foil, the calming and sustaining influence, etc. Olga doesn't quite work for that.
Will I be reading the other's in the series? Possibly. I'm certainly glad to have read this, and all the others are available as McCaddon/Nadia May narrations, so there's that to look forward to.
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I did exactly the same thing - I found reading Queen Lucia a bit flat at first, but when I started listening to the Blackstone Audio version it suddenly came to life. I too finished it through WhisperSync, mostly via the audio book.
I'll preface my review by saying that this is not my usual genre, and I'm not a big fan of "a comedy of manners" stories. I have read and enjoyed a number of P.G. Wodehouse books, and as CRussel says, there are obvious parallels, but it's not my genre of choice. When I was reading the book, I found it mildly amusing at certain points, but often found I was wandering and had to bring myself back to the narrative, sometime rereading passages that had completely passed me by. Once I started listening, though, I experienced a number of snicker-out-loud moments, and the story came alive for me.
I too wonder whether I will read any more in the series. Maybe to find out where Mapp comes in, as he/she was not in evidence here, even though this is the first in the Mapp and Lucia series... I'm not sorry to have participated in the read - it proved a mildly diverting and sometimes amusing read - but it's not one that will stand high in my memory of favourite books.