Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

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He seems very judgmental of others, but ends up enjoying the company of a woman of Pakistani ancestry in spite of himself. Written with a delightfully dry sense of humour and the wisdom of a born storyteller, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand explores the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of family obligation and tradition. Among them is Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson’s wondrous debut. Major Ernest Pettigrew is a decent sort, 68, retired military, widowed, and coping with the death of his younger brother, Bertie.

Many assumptions and prejudices are challenged in the course of all this: especially about race and age, but also gender. Taking place in a small pastoral town in the English countryside, this book features the unlikely " golden years" romance of Major Pettigrew a staunch believer in retaining the decorum of a proper Englishman and Mrs. There were so many little nuggets of wit and wisdom within these pages that I had to stop writing them all down in favour of being one with the flow of the writing. Further details on how this Booklover Book Reviews site manages data can be found in our Privacy Policy. Ali was born in Cambridge, village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and her as a permanent foreigner.He opens the door and casts a tearful eye on the dignified, elegant, foreign-looking woman who will win his heart. There are many such screwball ingredients to keep “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand” ever-bustling and tirelessly bright. Ali’s attempt to reunite her nephew with his estranged son and girlfriend, are important themes of how we view each other and ourselves. A highlight is when a curry dish is considered far too spicy and exotic to serve at some golf club dinner – the author is so hell-bent on portraying everyone as provincial that she somehow forgot the English have been eating curry for over a century?

The story amiably ambles through the brother’s funeral, the son’s attempts to capitalise on the rather special guns, a shoot with a fading Duke and a predatory American property developer, and a disastrous themed Christmas dance at the golf club. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand is a wonderful comedy of manners in which the multiculturalism, rudeness and self absorption of the present collide with the stiff upper lip, rigid social consciousness and self absorption of the past as portrayed by Major Pettigrew and his son. It took me a while to finish this, because I kept thinking, "Oh, I should read more of that, but I don't wanna. I’m embarrassed to be so enthusiastic about it because it is actually a romance novel which is a genre I usually steer clear of. There’s also the psychology of dealing with the loss by death of a loved one and the subsequent tensions of dealing with inheritances issues.This is escapist fiction that does not involve detectives or dead bodies, though it does feature guns -- a pair of Churchills, sporting guns that were given to Maj. My book group really enjoyed this (although we shared some of your reservations), as well as her more recent (and conventional) book, The Summer Before the War. Their journey through the strict confines of both societies, the prejudices of a "enlightened" generation as well as, their own insecurities and natures, to find happiness is written to perfection.

No matter how small, how petty, how isolated, they manage to whip up nostalgia for something the reader never even had. Helen Simonson is a wonderful story teller, builds believable and lovable characters and uses her knowledge of British society to add spice to the telling. Ali is Pakistani, and while some villagers pretend to have jettisoned class and ethnic snobbery, it is hopelessly woven into the fabric of their lives. Whoever read my Olive Kitteridge rant, probably knows that I am not much into reading books about old people.Nose-uppity, with a lady band of followers, she will strain against the winds of change threatening the laid-back deliciously and proper British institutions. Now Roger has started spending weekends in a country cottage in Little Puddleton with a brash American girlfriend (“Good heavens, is it Christmas in Hades? Ali (who was born in Cambridge), begin to form a surprising friendship, only to be thrown off by the subtle prejudices of the townspeople, the pressures asserted by Mrs. It is Mrs Ali who points out that although the Major’s father might have shown extreme bravery in protecting the Maharajah’s daughter against a violent mob that ambushed the train, the process of Partition was blighted by many massacres, especially of passengers on trains as Hindus fled to India and Muslims to Pakistan.

Like Mrs Ali, Major Pettigrew has been widowed, but the story begins when his brother dies, and he finds it hard to drive to the funeral, so Mrs Ali offers him a lift. Among them is Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson's wondrous debut. A heart warming story about people figuring out how, and then deciding to have, a meaningful and fulfilling life by letting go of preconceived notions, prejudices, and plans.

Her kindness is in sharp contrast to the attitude of his son, Roger, who seems unable to think of anyone but himself and nearly misses the funeral.