London Lavender: An Entertainment
1912
Published in 1912, 'London Lavender: An Entertainment' by E. V. Lucas is a humorous novel that captures the social life and customs of early 20th century London. The story follows Kent Falconer and his wife Naomi as they settle into Primrose Terrace near Regent’s Park, encountering a variety of quirky characters and engaging in domestic episodes that reflect the city's charm and eccentricities. Notable for its comic portraits and social commentary, the book offers a series of vignettes rather than a traditional plot, making it a unique exploration of urban life during that era.
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“How can Nancy know her own mind when she has not got one? She is a dear, sweet girl, and I was devoted to her am devoted to her but she has no mind. It was I who was to give her that.””
— E. V. Lucas
“What is it like in the air?” I once asked him. “Ripping," he said. “But the sensations?” I continued. “How do you feel?" “Ripping," he said. “And what does the world look like down below as you rush along?" “Ripping," he said.””
— E. V. Lucas
“I walked back by way of the sea-lions' enclosure to refresh my eyes with the King Penguin's perfect ecclesiastical tailoring. He was pacing moodily about as usual, in what one felt to be the interval between a marriage ceremony and a funeral service. Much better, I thought, to have left the 2000 a year to him. No harm would then be done, and what perfect episcopal garden-parties he could give with it!””
— E. V. Lucas
“To-day well, my Utopia, if ever I framed one, would be a land where the laws demanded that people should be vicious. Then one would be able to count at any rate on a little virtue. If no man might live with a woman in any but an irregular union, there would be at once quite a run on honest matrimony and the Law Courts would be full of desperately wicked monogamists; while if every one was expected to steal and swindle, there would soon be an extensive criminal class who respected property.””
— E. V. Lucas
