AAR

[Lynda X]

If you liked "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day," you would also love "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand" by Helen Simonson. Like "Miss Pettigrew," "Major Pettigrew" is full of that dry British humor that is so hilarious. The tone, although written by different authors about two people who are not related, is similar in the delightful story of a 68 year old widower, living in a small English village, trying to deal with materialistic Americans, grasping and obtuse family members, snobby members of the "upper crust" of the country club, a surly Indian shop keeper, as well as falling in love with one lovely and sympathetic Indian woman. Like "Miss Pettigrew," this book made me laugh and smile throughout it.

[MrsFairfax]

I loved this book. It's charming and funny and has possibly my very favorite "morning after" scene.
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Binocular vision, no need to hop, and an ever-so-much easier time of it climbing ladders.
- James Cobham in Freedom & Necessity

[willaful]

Isn't it _MP's Last Stand_? Or is there more than one?

Edited to add - curious. The are no booklistings under _Major Pettigrew Takes a Stand_, but there are still many, many entries for it. Seems like a lot of people are making the same title mistake.
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"I say, don't read the classics -- try to discover your own classics; every life has its own." -- Rudolf Flesch, _How to Make Sense_

[willaful]

P.S. I definitely plan to read it, am just waiting for the library line to calm down. I hate feeling forced to read a book within two weeks.
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"I say, don't read the classics -- try to discover your own classics; every life has its own." -- Rudolf Flesch, _How to Make Sense_

[Lynda X]

Oh, Willaful, I am so embarrassed. You're right: it IS "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand." Thank you SO much for that clarification!

[willaful]

No big whoop. You're in with the in crowd.
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"I say, don't read the classics -- try to discover your own classics; every life has its own." -- Rudolf Flesch, _How to Make Sense_

[msaggie]

It's quite unusual for a debut novel featuring ageing protagonists falling in love to reach the New York Times best seller list. I heard about Major Pettigrew's Last Stand from several sources, and read a very good review of it at Dear Author, plus it was recommended by Richard and Judy's book club! This is a lovely romance about second chance love - the hero is 68 and the heroine is 58, both are widowed. Major Pettigrew comes from a genteel family with generations of military service in the British Raj, and Mrs Ali grew up in an upper class Pakistani family which emigrated to England during the partition (of India and Pakistan). They become unlikely friends through a shared love of books and Kipling, and there are all sorts of hurdles (cultural, familial, etc) to their deepening relationship. The author, Helen Simonson said in an interview at Richard and Judy's bookclub that one of the reasons she wrote the book was to show that people can fall in love at any age, and she was tired of romances featuring largely people in their 20s and 30s. This one is a romance, and so much more. There's a gentle poking fun at life in a small English country town, the stereotyped brash rich American, cross-cultural gaps despite decades of communities living together, the dwindling relevance of the upper classes and nobility of modern times, and probably a good examination of our values today. The language flows beautifully, with its occasional sly and sarcastic digs at the various hypocrisies of well-meaning people (mainly through the Major's viewpoint). My only regret is that I had it in my TBR pile too long before finally reading it! Highly recommended indeed.

[D Rogers]

I loved it, too. It was also one of the texts I used in a literature course I taught. Some of my college kids didn't like it, of course, but many did. And there was quite a lot of discussion because of the aging parent finding love angle. (Major Pettigrew's son gets concerned about his father's relationship.) There are so many angles to the book to talk about, from romance to prejudice to conservation (I love the irony of the main characters' backgrounds and how they are perceived by their respective communities).

I heartily recommend it to anyone who just likes a good story. I'm hoping it gets filmed! (I think it's been optioned.)

Denise

[nikkiphilton]

Thanks for the recommendation. This sounds like something I would really enjoy.
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Dogs have owners; cats have staff.

[cork_dork_mom]

I had my Senior Ladies Book Club read this and they all really enjoyed it. Not only because it was well written but they enjoyed reading a story about someone close to their own ages.

I really enjoyed it too even though I'm a bit younger than my ladies.

I've recommended this book to quite a few people and they've all liked it.

[xina]

I loved this book when I read it a couple of years ago. I've borrowed my copy to several people.
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"As you wish"
~The Princess Bride