Miss Pettigrew is desperate. She needs a job - any job - and she needs one today. So she arrives at Miss LaFosse's apartment, determined to please her prospective employer. But instead of the maiden aunt she is expecting, she meets a beautiful nightclub singer. Before she has a chance to protest or explain, she is thrust into the decadent life of Bright Young Things. To her surprise, she fits right in and finds herself enjoying her new surroundings.

This book is a lot of fun. I laughed out loud in several spots, especially at the cocktail party. Very entertaining. ( )

Loved, loved, loved this book. Miss Pettigrew is middle-aged, a spinster, and having trouble finding a new position as a nanny. She has never really been successful in her profession. She’s dowdy and has no friends and no suitors. Her life is about as grim as life can get. Then she is inadvertently sent by her employment agency to the wrong house where she meets a nightclub singer. Her whole life is about to change. ( )

Can other people’s beliefs about us affect our beliefs about ourselves? Can a perfect stranger be a perfect friend? In the world of Miss Pettigrew, yes—for a day anyway.

The story begins when Miss Pettigrew’s employment agency sends her to a luxurious London flat to inquire about a position as a governess. Alone and friendless, Miss Pettigrew is desperate for a job, even if she hates being a governess. But when she arrives at the home of nightclub singer Delysia Lafosse, she doesn’t even get a chance to ask about the job before she’s drafted to help solve Miss Lafosse’s romantic problems—and those of her friends. Before long, she’s drawn into Miss Lafosse’s circle and having experiences she thought were only confined to movie screens.

The two central characters were terrific creations. It was wonderful to watch Miss Pettigrew put aside some of her prudery and take on some confidence under the influence of Miss Lafosse. Miss Lafosse just decides on very little evidence that Miss Pettigrew is capable and interesting and a good companion, and that’s what Miss Pettigrew becomes. And Miss Pettigrew assumes that Miss Lafosse can exhibit self-control and make smart choices, and that’s what Miss Lafosse does.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot for its comedy and its light approach to questions of identity and choice. The book doesn’t read like it has something profound to say, but the power of friendship is a profound thing, and we see that through the characters’ actions.

There were a few times when I wanted to scream at Miss Pettigrew for her lack of confidence in herself and in her new friends’ willingness to accept her, but I think that’s part of the story. I can see that these people will embrace her, but Miss Pettigrew can’t; she’s had years of not being embraced, so why would think things would change now? Plus, the class divisions in 1930s London probably made Miss Pettigrew’s worries more well-grounded than they would be today.

My only other complaint is one that I think will only annoy listeners to the audio book but will be less of a problem for print readers. Watson goes way overboard with her adverbs in dialogue (I say critically). Now, in print, my eye might have skimmed right over those words without taking them in (I say thoughtfully), but on audio, they really stuck out (I say disappointedly). I warmly recommend this book, with an encouragement that you seek it out in print, instead of audio.

See my complete review at Shelf Love. ( )

This reimagining of a Cinderella story featuring the spinster Miss Pettigrew was hilarious and a charming read. The gist is that Miss Pettigrew is an out of work governess in London, who goes to see Delysia LaFosse for a job but ends up getting sucked into her world instead, helping Delysia juggle the three men in her life, successfully navigating among the elite, and experiencing the wonders of both alcohol and flirting for the first time.I read this book because the movie is really good, and the book didn't disappoint. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing, though, that every time I read one of Delysia's lines, I heard Amy Adams' voice, ditto Miss Pettigrew, Edythe, Michael, etc. That's never actually happened before that I can remember, but it definitely greatly increased my enjoyment of the book. I'm not sure if I would have appreciated the humor and other interactions as much if I didn't have those voices saying their lines in my head.This book was a super quick read, I read it in a matter of hours, and its one of those books that I'll go back to and reread again and again for its charm and hijinx. I honestly can't say whether I liked the book or movie better, because the movie completely informed my reading of the book, and I'm sure if I rewatch it I'll enjoy it all the more for having read the book. Oh well. Overall, a completely satisfying read. ( )

This reimagining of a Cinderella story featuring the spinster Miss Pettigrew was hilarious and a charming read. The gist is that Miss Pettigrew is an out of work governess in London, who goes to see Delysia LaFosse for a job but ends up getting sucked into her world instead, helping Delysia juggle the three men in her life, successfully navigating among the elite, and experiencing the wonders of both alcohol and flirting for the first time.I read this book because the movie is really good, and the book didn't disappoint. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing, though, that every time I read one of Delysia's lines, I heard Amy Adams' voice, ditto Miss Pettigrew, Edythe, Michael, etc. That's never actually happened before that I can remember, but it definitely greatly increased my enjoyment of the book. I'm not sure if I would have appreciated the humor and other interactions as much if I didn't have those voices saying their lines in my head.This book was a super quick read, I read it in a matter of hours, and its one of those books that I'll go back to and reread again and again for its charm and hijinx. I honestly can't say whether I liked the book or movie better, because the movie completely informed my reading of the book, and I'm sure if I rewatch it I'll enjoy it all the more for having read the book. Oh well. Overall, a completely satisfying read. ( )