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Loading... Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Dayby Winifred Watson
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. 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. no reviews | add a review
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| Book description |
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Now a major motion picture starring Frances McDormand (Fargo) and Amy Adams (Enchanted)!
“Why has it taken more than half a century for this wonderful flight of humor to be rediscovered?”—Guardian
“The sweetest grown-up book in the world.”—Sunday Times
“Everyone, no matter how poor or prim or neglected, has a second chance to blossom in the world.”—Daily Mail, in reference to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
A major film released in 2008, Miss Pettigrew Lives for Day is a delightful, funny, lighthearted novel. First published in 1938, it was reissued in the United Kingdom in 2000, complete with thirty-five original illustrations, and has sold over 22,000 copies.
Miss Pettigrew, an approaching-middle-age governess, was accustomed to a household of unruly English children. When her employment agency sends her to the wrong address, her life takes an unexpected turn. The alluring nightclub singer, Delysia LaFosse, becomes her new employer, and Miss Pettigrew encounters a kind of glamour that she had only met before at the movies. Over the course of a single day, both women are changed forever.
(retrieved from Amazon Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:14:36 -0500)
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This book is a lot of fun. I laughed out loud in several spots, especially at the cocktail party. Very entertaining. (