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Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen…
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Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

by Helen Simonson

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3,2032881,582 (4.01)540
2010 (44) 2011 (39) 2012 (28) book club (26) British (72) comedy of manners (23) contemporary (27) contemporary fiction (39) ebook (31) England (235) family (44) fiction (445) humor (48) Kindle (35) love (37) love story (28) novel (44) Pakistanis (29) prejudice (39) racism (85) read (29) read in 2010 (30) read in 2011 (38) relationships (58) romance (119) Sussex (27) to-read (58) village life (36) widow (28) widowers (31)
  1. 364
    The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (cransell, readr)
    readr: Both stories have settings rich with flavor and details, a slower pace, yet filled with witty observations.
  2. 102
    84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (wisemetis)
  3. 70
    A Room with a View by E. M. Forster (kiwiflowa)
  4. 116
    The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (brenzi)
  5. 30
    A Passage to India by E. M. Forster (kiwiflowa)
  6. 20
    Lamb in Love by Carrie Brown (mysterymax)
  7. 20
    The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart (teelgee)
  8. 10
    Tempest-Tost by Robertson Davies (Cecilturtle)
  9. 00
    Motorcycles & Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor (Anonymous user)
    Anonymous user: Although one book takes place in England, and the other on a Canadian First Nation's Reserve, both are humourous reads that include religious differences, cultural differences and historical and current prejudiced perceptions.
  10. 88
    The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (cransell)
  11. 00
    Illyrian Spring by Ann Bridge (inge87)
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English (280)  Catalan (2)  Dutch (1)  Norwegian (1)  French (1)  All languages (285)
Showing 1-5 of 280 (next | show all)
Rather too overpoweringly sweet and predictable for my taste. ( )
  lxydis | May 11, 2013 |
I had a hard time getting into this book, and I thought the first half was pretty slow. The second half picked up nicely, and the ending was satisfying. ( )
  squirrelontherun | Apr 13, 2013 |
I wasn't prepared to like this book as much as I did! Very interesting characters and also social issues to consider. ( )
  bibliofile55 | Apr 9, 2013 |
A wonderful novel that is filled to the brim with dry and understated humor, a la Jane Austen, this is the story of the romance between 60-something widower Major Ernest Pettigrew, and the widowed local shopkeeper, Mrs. Ali. Simonson's ability to subtly and humorously show our prejudices and the general messiness of our relationships sets her apart, and I can't wait to see more from her. ( )
  KimJD | Apr 8, 2013 |
When you need to roll up a pile of yarn, it seems to take forever for the ball to actually resemble anything substantial. Your efforts seem futile, but then the collection of yarn really does look as you want it to and it quickly gets bigger and bigger. This book starts off very slowly, and I really wondered if it was going to go anywhere. Fortunately two librarians raved about the book, which encouraged me to stick with it. It does pick up steam and turns into a delightful little book.
The unique descriptions and similes and the wit of the Major make this book entertaining. The son, Roger, is insufferable, but perhaps we're just meant to laugh at him, because every other significant character in the book has some depth -- even the American girlfriend!
There's a moment towards the end that reminds me of the [a:Victoria Holt|25092|Victoria Holt|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1232146525p2/25092.jpg] books I used to love so much, but I'm not sure what to make of that. Perhaps this is just a modern version (minus the murders) of those books.
One final note: if you're not a tea drinker by the end of this book...well, I don't know what's to be done with you. ( )
  LDVoorberg | Apr 7, 2013 |
Showing 1-5 of 280 (next | show all)
Simonson .. is having a great time with her first novel. She is unsparing in her willingness to send up her characters and their little village, and she is often downright funny – that intelligent kind of funny that catches readers by surprise and makes them re-read a sentence several times to figure out how the author managed to make them laugh out loud so unexpectedly.The book is almost always pitch-perfect in its demonstration of how ridiculous our small ignorances can be – and how magnificent we are when we rise above them.
 
This thoroughly charming novel wraps Old World sensibility around a story of multicultural conflict involving two widowed people who assume they're done with love. The result is a smart romantic comedy about decency and good manners in a world threatened by men's hair gel, herbal tea and latent racism..When depicted by the right storyteller, the thrill of falling in love is funnier and sweeter at 60 than at 16. The stakes are higher, after all, and the lovers have stored up decades of peculiarities and anxieties
 
As with the polished work of Alexander McCall Smith, there is never a dull moment but never a discordant note either. Still, this book feels fresh despite its conventional blueprint. Its main characters are especially well drawn, and Ms. Simonson makes them as admirable as they are entertaining. They are traditionally built, and that’s not just Mr. McCall Smith’s euphemism. It’s about intelligence, heart, dignity and backbone. “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand” has them all.
 

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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Helen Simonsonprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Wallis, BillNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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For John, Ian and Jamie
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Major Pettigrew was still upset about the phone call from his brother's wife and so he answered the doorbell without thinking.
Quotations
He finished his tea and rose from the table to go to his room. "But I must ask you, do you really understand what it means to be in love with an unsuitable woman?" "My dear boy," said the Major. "Is there really any other kind?"
"Careful, careful," he said, feeling a splash of scalding tea on his wrist. "Passion is all very well, but it wouldn't do to spill the tea."
Too few people today appreciate and pursue the delights of civilized culture for their own sake.
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Book description
Major Ernest Pettigrew, having retired to a quiet life in Edgecombe St. Mary, raises a few eyebrows in the small English village when he begins a relationship with widow Mrs. Jasmina Ali, a Pakistani shopkeeper.
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Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired) leads a quiet life in the village of St. Mary, England, until his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But will their relationship survive in a society that considers Ali a foreigner?… (more)

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