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158th out of 2,658 books
—
7,354 voters
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
by
Helen Simonson (Goodreads Author)
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.
When retired Major Pettigrew strikes up an unlikely friendship with Mrs. Ali, the Pakistani village shopkeeper, he is drawn out of his regimented world and forc...more
When retired Major Pettigrew strikes up an unlikely friendship with Mrs. Ali, the Pakistani village shopkeeper, he is drawn out of his regimented world and forc...more
Hardcover, 358 pages
Published
March 2nd 2010
by Random House
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Whoever read my Olive Kitteridge rant, probably knows that I am not much into reading books about old people. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, however, proves that any book about any subject matter or any type of characters can become a great experience if written well.
This novel is, essentially, a love story between a 68-year old retired Major Ernest Pettigrew and a 58-year old Pakistani shop keeper Mrs. Ali, brought together by their loneliness and love of literature. Yes, it doesn't sound very...more
This novel is, essentially, a love story between a 68-year old retired Major Ernest Pettigrew and a 58-year old Pakistani shop keeper Mrs. Ali, brought together by their loneliness and love of literature. Yes, it doesn't sound very...more
Beware of the endearing story populated by charming and quirky individuals, particularly if they happen to live in English villages.
Helen Simonson left the country life in the UK a good quarter of a
century ago, and her perception of the goings-on in rural England seem to have frozen when she left for the university. Actually, I don't think the UK she portrays in this novel--and certainly Major Pettigrew--really existed even back then. I met a fair amount of British officers when my husband was...more
Helen Simonson left the country life in the UK a good quarter of a
century ago, and her perception of the goings-on in rural England seem to have frozen when she left for the university. Actually, I don't think the UK she portrays in this novel--and certainly Major Pettigrew--really existed even back then. I met a fair amount of British officers when my husband was...more
If Masterpiece Theatre doesn't make this book into a movie starring Derek Jacobi, it will be a crime. There has not been so perfectly English a read in its deadpan humor in a very long time. Meet Major Pettigrew: widower, retired army officer, and pillar of the community in his small English town. He is set in his ways: tea with acquaintances, shooting parties with friends, reticence at all times. But the Major's life starts falling into chaos when he falls in love, and with a most unsuitable ca...more
When I hear "character-driven novel", I usually roll my eyes. I expect navel-gazing and lots of exploration of self, and it comes a bit too close to self-help for my tastes. But Simonson gets it absolutely right in Major Pettigrew.
Reading about a 68 year old, widowed, retired Major in a sleepy English village is not necessarily a draw for most readers, but there's an alchemy in the way the characters are written. Every single character in this book feels real and genuine. Some start off as stere...more
Reading about a 68 year old, widowed, retired Major in a sleepy English village is not necessarily a draw for most readers, but there's an alchemy in the way the characters are written. Every single character in this book feels real and genuine. Some start off as stere...more
A sweet story about Major Pettigrew, proper Englishman, retired; and Mrs. Ali, Englishwoman of Pakistani descent, shopkeeper. They share a love of reading, tea and walking by the sea. Mrs. Ali is educated, sophisticated, beautiful and kind. The Major is fusty but good-hearted. The families of both, and the townspeople, are intolerant of the developing love between them. Family heirlooms come into it, as does religion, golf, knitting needles, and duck hunting. It does say some nice things about l...more
I am utterly baffled as to why this book is popular. I expected sweet and charming and got dry and dull. The obsession with the pair of guns was overdone, and was what finally made me stop reading the book. The book is also bogged down with architectural detail and long, pointless descriptions of landscapes and interior decor.
The author's stereotyping of Americans is appalling and insulting. She's clearly playing to British readers with this attitude. "...the ignorance of the bad-mannered"?! As...more
The author's stereotyping of Americans is appalling and insulting. She's clearly playing to British readers with this attitude. "...the ignorance of the bad-mannered"?! As...more
This is one of those books that gets an extra star for reading it at the right time. It hit the spot during my current case of the book blahs. The pace was slow enough to not overwhelm, but yet didn't bore. It had just enough romance to add interest. I liked the storyline which exposed how easily prejudices are accepted by society.
My only complaints would be that the twin guns issue might have been dwelt on too much, and one event at the end may have been more melodramatic than need be consideri...more
My only complaints would be that the twin guns issue might have been dwelt on too much, and one event at the end may have been more melodramatic than need be consideri...more
I read a very positive review and bought this book the day it was available. I really loved it...witty and dry, great fun. The narrative has a very british perspective. Great charcters.
The sensitive subject of the british memories of the colonial era in contrast to other cutures and people are really handled well. It both entertains and provokes thought which to me constitutes a perfect book. I just happen to watch "Slumdog Millionaire" the same weekend and thought the two contrasted well.
The au...more
The sensitive subject of the british memories of the colonial era in contrast to other cutures and people are really handled well. It both entertains and provokes thought which to me constitutes a perfect book. I just happen to watch "Slumdog Millionaire" the same weekend and thought the two contrasted well.
The au...more
Major Ernest Pettigrew (Ret.) is a stickler for protocol; a man set in his routine in both action and philosophy, although he is not without the occasional witty retort. Major Pettigrew is a stout umbrella-toting man, a folding stool- carrying man, a man in control of his comfortable environment, until the day he answers his door to find the charming Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the local Pakistani shop owner, standing on his doorstep.
United by their love of Kipling and their lingering bereavement of their...more
United by their love of Kipling and their lingering bereavement of their...more
Jun 10, 2011
Shelli
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2011,
ni-monthly-read
What a great story! I loved it. It starts a bit slow, but really packs an enjoyable punch through to the ending. I really grew attached to the Major and this great cast of characters. Some laugh out loud moments...some very poignant moments and a very enjoyable love story. I love the blending of the cultures and the new and older generations. You got a feel for all sides of the story and it made for both sad and wonderful outcomes. This story surprised me many times. I thought I would end up dis...more
4.5/5.0
This is the perfect book to read before bedtime. It is not an edge of your seat, can't put the book down, must turn the page to see what happens next type but the calm, touching, peaceful but poignant, close the book with a sigh kind. One to turn the lights off with a smile and a thought to slumber by.
Major Pettigrew is a 67 year old English widower who is trying to navigate the growing changes in the world, the dearth of discipline, the turning tide of etiquette, the lack of loyalties. H...more
This is the perfect book to read before bedtime. It is not an edge of your seat, can't put the book down, must turn the page to see what happens next type but the calm, touching, peaceful but poignant, close the book with a sigh kind. One to turn the lights off with a smile and a thought to slumber by.
Major Pettigrew is a 67 year old English widower who is trying to navigate the growing changes in the world, the dearth of discipline, the turning tide of etiquette, the lack of loyalties. H...more
I loved the book. I loved Major Pettigrew's dry wit. The story was good, and realistic. I hated for it to end.
I know I swore never again with the first reads thing but I'm fickle. And each time I enter and I don't completely love the book, I feel bad, like I've let the goodreads folks down. This is why I won't review books by authors when they ask me. This book could have gone to a better home. One that would have appreciated it more than I did. Now it's like that Christmas sweater that gets worn for a day to make the giver happy and then quietly donated to Goodwill the next.
You'd think I would have li...more
You'd think I would have li...more
One of the more frustrating books I have ever read. Some good writing, but with terrible characters and dodgy plotting--an infuriating combination.
The author can turn a nice phrase. But, the Major excepted, the characters are terrible. I know so little about Mrs. Ali, which is a shame; she seemed like she must have been a hell of a lady.
The son, Roger, is particularly weak; he's a complete cartoon. Ooh, a shallow young man, who condescends to and fails to understand his dad? Really? Let me guess...more
The author can turn a nice phrase. But, the Major excepted, the characters are terrible. I know so little about Mrs. Ali, which is a shame; she seemed like she must have been a hell of a lady.
The son, Roger, is particularly weak; he's a complete cartoon. Ooh, a shallow young man, who condescends to and fails to understand his dad? Really? Let me guess...more
Major Pettigrew finds himself in a world that has lost it's sense of decorum and appropriate behavior and he doesn't like it one bit. He still lives in his own little world of responsible behavior living the way generations of Englishmen have done in the past with a sense of duty to family and country, but when he is on the receiving end of a small act of kindness by the local shopkeeper, Mrs. Ali, his world is turned upside down.
Mrs. Ali not only shares his grief at the loss of a beloved spous...more
Mrs. Ali not only shares his grief at the loss of a beloved spous...more
I loved this book. Aside from the sweet story of a late in life attraction and chemistry that deepens into love, it is full of important life lessons that are never too late to learn (such as over attachment to material possessions, the injustice of social prejudice, and the meaninglessness of decorum.) The "Major" is taught all of these lessons in sometimes funny and other times simply ironic ways. As with most love stories, he realizes that nothing compares with the real happiness that comes w...more
This book enticed me from the beginning because I liked Major Pettigrew. He's funny. A retired British Army officer, he is a widower grieving over the recent death of his brother. A proper chap of the old school, he obsesses over the future of the Pettigrew name. We find him lamenting his old age and cursing the disappearance of good breeding while searching his wardrobe for a proper tweed. When his dizzy spells arrive he must hobble to his car with a cane. Alas, he cannot drive to his brother's...more
Absolutely charming. The Major, the last true Gentleman on Earth, is my new best friend.
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. As the realities of 2010 Britain creep relentlessly into a village stuck in a time warp of Empire and English superiority, the character of the characters in each group is revealed. Some evolve, some are hopelessly stuck and...more
Deeply engaging and well-written story about stumbling upon love and being brave enough to pursue it despite one's own obstinate and stoic ways. With a village in the backdrop that brims with character, the Major is an endearing personality who grows on you and you can't help but cheer him on.
(29) Then he rested his hand for a moment and felt, in his son's knobby shoulder blade, the small child he had always loved.
(205) The age of great men, when a single mind of intelligence and vision might ch...more
(29) Then he rested his hand for a moment and felt, in his son's knobby shoulder blade, the small child he had always loved.
(205) The age of great men, when a single mind of intelligence and vision might ch...more
Helen Simonson provides an inconsistent read in Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. She has talent as a writer, although at times her efforts to provide an amusing or indelible image seem strained or excessive. The quaint English village is too quaint by far, and the attitudes of the inhabitants are too conveniently provincial, as they are necessary to create objects of prejudice and make the story work. The workings of the title character's mind are explored in depth, and his portrait is well-rounded...more
I will admit that the main reason I purchased this book was because of the cover. I kept seeing it sitting on the shelves and each time I would find myself picking it up, reading the back cover and pondering over the blurb. The tale of a retired army Major and his relationship with the local shopkeeper did not really sound like something that I would ever want to read, but I'm so glad I did.
It took me a lot longer than usual to get through this book because there was never a point where I was s...more
It took me a lot longer than usual to get through this book because there was never a point where I was s...more
Major Ernest Pettigrew is literally reeling around his house in shock on the morning his younger brother dies. A knock comes at his door and it is the lady from the village shop--Mrs. Ali. Mrs. Ali is there to collect money for the paper boy, but she takes one look at the Major and decides that someone needs to assist him. She helps him back inside, makes him a hot cuppa, and just listens as the Major begins to work through his grief. She only leaves when she is sure that he's going to be alrigh...more
Oct 08, 2011
Michele
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
literary-fiction
Every once in a great while a book comes along that reminds me why I love to read. I'm not big on giving out 5 stars for a book, but this novel deserves all of it's praise and more. I sometimes get so caught up in my frenzy of reading (so many books, so little time) and it takes a book like this one to slow me down and rekindle the pleasure of reading.
This is a slice-of-life book, which I'm not usually a big fan of, but what a huge exception we have going on here. Major Pettigrew is a retired wi...more
This is a slice-of-life book, which I'm not usually a big fan of, but what a huge exception we have going on here. Major Pettigrew is a retired wi...more
I thought this would be a light weight charming read, and it was charming. It just had deeper characterizations than I was expecting and some wonderful dry humor. Major Pettigrew and I share a sense of humor. Major Pettigrew in his sixties is charmed and attracted to Mrs. Ali, a widow and owner of the local convenience store. In his stuffy and status conscious world their friendship is frowned upon. The relationship is finally threatened by the world's most ghastly dinner dance at the golf club,...more
This was such a delight to read. Simonson is especially talented with her perceptive descriptions of the characters and their quirks, of their emotions, and of the atmosphere. An elderly retired and widowed major is bereaved again with the loss of his younger brother. He is comforted by the neighbourly yet quite proper attentions of the widow Pakistani shopkeeper, and their relationship develops.
It was quite strong in the first third. There were sharply observant descriptions of the behaviours...more
It was quite strong in the first third. There were sharply observant descriptions of the behaviours...more
What a charming tale of the elder major and the Pakistani shopkeeper, Mrs. Ali. I loved watching their blossoming relationship over cups of tea and talks of book. I also enjoyed the side stories of the major's petulant son, Roger, and Mrs. Ali's quiet and serious nephew, Abdul Wahli. The townspeople, the ladies who arranged the country club's fete of the season, the church ladies who visit the major and bring their own tea bags all were wonderfully drawn characters. There were so many nuances th...more
I feel bad rating this so low, because I really liked the characters, and the message. But overall, the storytelling was just OK. I think the Major summed up the theme when he said to his son, "How come you have all these foreign designer clothes and yet you have no food and your milk is sour?" It's all about doing the right thing vs. what's popular, fighting against the grain of pointless social rules, and especially choosing your partner based on love, rather than on someone else's expectation...more
Charming, slowly-paced novel about a (stereo?)typical Englishman who falls in love with a shopkeeper of Pakistani descent at 68.
I said in my last review that the difference between a good book and an excellent book was that a good book had trouble connecting with readers who had not been in similar situations in life, but an excellent book connected with anyone. Well, that is definitely what makes this an excellent book. I also liked that it felt like real life, without feeling boring like real...more
I said in my last review that the difference between a good book and an excellent book was that a good book had trouble connecting with readers who had not been in similar situations in life, but an excellent book connected with anyone. Well, that is definitely what makes this an excellent book. I also liked that it felt like real life, without feeling boring like real...more
I had this book in a bumper bundle from The Book People so did not know what to expect. What did I find, a story of love in later life set against the backdrop of village life and it's associated prejudices. It may sound dull and unexciting but it was amusing and well written, the characters developed and unfolded, in short I enjoyed the story, warmed to the Major, liked Mrs Ali and could have punched the obnoxious Roger.
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| Fort Sill Book Club: Overall Review | 4 | 3 | May 08, 2013 06:53pm | |
| Fort Sill Book Club: Major Pettigrew | 1 | 3 | May 02, 2013 03:35pm | |
| Fort Sill Book Club: Portrayal of Americans? | 1 | 1 | May 02, 2013 03:34pm | |
| Did you think some of the description could have been omitted from this book? | 42 | 196 | Apr 24, 2013 10:02am | |
| Round Lake Librar...: First Mini-Meeting! | 2 | 9 | Apr 09, 2013 03:17am | |
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Helen Simonson was born in England and spent her teenage years in a small village in East Sussex. A graduate of the London School of Economics with an MFA from Stony Brook Southampton, she is a former travel advertising executive who has lived in America for the last two decades. A longtime resident of Brooklyn, she now lives with her husband and two sons in the Washington, D.C. area. This is her...more
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“Life does often get in the way of one's reading”
—
48 people liked it
“You are a wise man, Major, and I will consider your advice with great care--and humility." 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?”
—
40 people liked it
More quotes…
"My dear boy," said the Major. "Is there really any other kind?”
Mar 08, 2013 02:56pm
May 17, 2013 02:42pm