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165th out of 917 books
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2,372 voters
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
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...more
Paperback, 234 pages
Published
2000
by Persephone Books
(first published 1938)
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I bought this book after having seen the movie and, as is so often the case, the book is much, much better than the film. While I enjoyed the movie very much, I loved this book and flew through it.
Miss Pettigrew has been repressed and oppressed and one day, after meeting Delysia LaFosse, throws her convictions to the wind and decides to enjoy herself. She has the best time of her life, makes tons of new friends, becomes a sort of "fixer" for Delysia and her degenerate crowd, earns the admiratio...more
Miss Pettigrew has been repressed and oppressed and one day, after meeting Delysia LaFosse, throws her convictions to the wind and decides to enjoy herself. She has the best time of her life, makes tons of new friends, becomes a sort of "fixer" for Delysia and her degenerate crowd, earns the admiratio...more
May 20, 2011
Hannah
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011-reads,
comfort-books
Rating Clarification: 3.5 Stars
This is a seriously old fashioned and charming adult fairy tale, and I mean that in the best way. Reading it is much like being transported into one of those classic black and white comedies starring Myrna Loy or Cary Grant; very stylish, slapdash and engaging, but with little substance. I feel that the recent movie adaptation added that much needed substance perfectly, which is why I'll classify the book version of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day much like I do for...more
This is a seriously old fashioned and charming adult fairy tale, and I mean that in the best way. Reading it is much like being transported into one of those classic black and white comedies starring Myrna Loy or Cary Grant; very stylish, slapdash and engaging, but with little substance. I feel that the recent movie adaptation added that much needed substance perfectly, which is why I'll classify the book version of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day much like I do for...more
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A charming novel written in 1938 about a frumpy, down on her luck governess who’s sent by mistake to apply for a job as a lady's maid for a singer. The singer immediately takes her into her confidence and Miss Pettigrew spends the next 24 hours helping the lovely artiste and her friends with their love lives, being made over and being surprised at her own attractiveness, going to a party and night club, and emerging with a new life. The original pen and ink drawings add to the appeal.
There's a p...more
There's a p...more
A charming bit of fluff, a period piece with the class blinders might one expect, utterly, utterly beguiling.
"'Such a day!'" said Miss LaFosse. 'Everything went wrong and everything went right. But I daren't think what would have happened if you hadn't come.'"
Three stars because this book is like treating yourself with a cappucino. It is all froth and adventure...
...but there is a part of me that is wondering whether to agree with all of it. Miss Pettigrew has spent her life as a nursery governess, shut in, supposedly by the principles of virtue. Then one day, as she ventures out to seek a new post wit...more
Three stars because this book is like treating yourself with a cappucino. It is all froth and adventure...
...but there is a part of me that is wondering whether to agree with all of it. Miss Pettigrew has spent her life as a nursery governess, shut in, supposedly by the principles of virtue. Then one day, as she ventures out to seek a new post wit...more
I was supposed to be doing homework, but I chose to spend an hour finishing Miss Pettigrew instead. I regret nothing.
The book is charming, and so is the movie. See and read both versions for full appreciation - read the book because it's fun, silly, and just a nice read overall. This was chick lit before chick lit was even a real genre. If that makes sense at all. See the movie because Frances McDormand is Miss Pettigrew, and it is perfect. The film also features Lee Pace, aka Clive Owen's Hott...more
The book is charming, and so is the movie. See and read both versions for full appreciation - read the book because it's fun, silly, and just a nice read overall. This was chick lit before chick lit was even a real genre. If that makes sense at all. See the movie because Frances McDormand is Miss Pettigrew, and it is perfect. The film also features Lee Pace, aka Clive Owen's Hott...more
I feel elated! All I wanted from life was a book about people whom I liked, people with whom I could possibly identify with. I wanted to look at a character and see their admirable qualities reflected in me. This is that book.
The movie is beautiful, sweet and romantic, ao I doubted the source material, especially given my recent experences. But oh, I was wrong! I should have trusted this author and this book.
This story is by a woman, about women and for women. It's empowering, and it lifted the...more
The movie is beautiful, sweet and romantic, ao I doubted the source material, especially given my recent experences. But oh, I was wrong! I should have trusted this author and this book.
This story is by a woman, about women and for women. It's empowering, and it lifted the...more
Picked up at charity shop in excellent condition with plain gray cover which caught my eye. A ladies book, written in 1938, it's the story of a well-brought up but unemployed governess who by chance fals in with the in-crowd of her day - for a day! A day that changes her unhappy life for ever. Easy read - nice finish. For interest, the author, Winifred Watson, wrote 6 successful books before 1941: was bombed out of her home in London: never wrote again in her remaining 60 years -'the moment had...more
A delightful fairy tale set in London in the 30s, about Guinevere Pettigrew, who is approaching middle age without a job or money or family or friends, and who thinks she is destined for the workhouse. But then, through a mistake of her employment agency, she arrives at the apartment of the glamorous singer Delysia Lafosse, and within the course of a day, her fortunes have magically changed forever.
The new film of Miss Pettigrew is charming, but takes a lot of liberties with the plot. I recomme...more
The new film of Miss Pettigrew is charming, but takes a lot of liberties with the plot. I recomme...more
I read "Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day" by Winifred Watson.
After a very long and tedious time of looking for a novel at Barnes and Noble, my mom and I came across a book that had 1001 books to read before you die. Naturally, I picked it up and searched for a book that met the requirements of the assignment. This book was the first one I came across, and I decided almost instantaneously that it would be the book I read.
I am very glad I picked this book. It is the story of a down on her luck gove...more
After a very long and tedious time of looking for a novel at Barnes and Noble, my mom and I came across a book that had 1001 books to read before you die. Naturally, I picked it up and searched for a book that met the requirements of the assignment. This book was the first one I came across, and I decided almost instantaneously that it would be the book I read.
I am very glad I picked this book. It is the story of a down on her luck gove...more
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, written in the 1930's, has the feeling of a great old movie: nostalgic, retro, and classic. The book follows Miss Pettigrew, a middle-aged London governess, as she is send by her governess agency to the wrong address to the home of night club singer/actress Delysia LaFosse, who is having some troubles keeping her head on straight and managing her three relationships. As the story unfolds, Miss Pettigrew fends off Delysia's many boyfriends, smokes cigars, gets a ma...more
(I'll admit it: I saw the movie first. Sometimes these things can't be helped.)
Everything about this book was delightful and frothy. My copy has a lovely painting on the cover, a brief history of the novel and its reprinting on the back, the original illustrations throughout, a glowing introduction from a long time-fan... and the novel itself.
Miss Pettigrew is described as living a Cinderella story, and that's pretty much dead on. She's a dowdy, cowed governess who isn't good with children who f...more
Everything about this book was delightful and frothy. My copy has a lovely painting on the cover, a brief history of the novel and its reprinting on the back, the original illustrations throughout, a glowing introduction from a long time-fan... and the novel itself.
Miss Pettigrew is described as living a Cinderella story, and that's pretty much dead on. She's a dowdy, cowed governess who isn't good with children who f...more
This charmingly written story follows the life of a down-and-out governess over the course of a single 24-hour period as she learns about kindness and friendship.
The book opens with the lovable but dowdy Miss Pettigrew at the unemployment office, looking for work. It follows her as her life collides with that of Miss LaFosse, a kind but childish nightclub singer. Miss LaFosse’s life is a tangle of love knots and a source of constant drama. Over the course of the day, Miss Pettigrew and Miss LaF...more
The book opens with the lovable but dowdy Miss Pettigrew at the unemployment office, looking for work. It follows her as her life collides with that of Miss LaFosse, a kind but childish nightclub singer. Miss LaFosse’s life is a tangle of love knots and a source of constant drama. Over the course of the day, Miss Pettigrew and Miss LaF...more
Originally published on my blog here in February 2010.
This wonderful novel nearly disappeared without trace; the introduction to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day explains how, after being a big success when first published, it was forgotten until eventually a reader requested a reprint. Persephone publishes books on the suggestion of readers, mainly to promote forgotten female writers. This sort of enterprise, it seems to me, relies quite heavily on second hand book stores: browsing, which has nev...more
This wonderful novel nearly disappeared without trace; the introduction to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day explains how, after being a big success when first published, it was forgotten until eventually a reader requested a reprint. Persephone publishes books on the suggestion of readers, mainly to promote forgotten female writers. This sort of enterprise, it seems to me, relies quite heavily on second hand book stores: browsing, which has nev...more
This cheery, comic tale, set in 1930s London, begins with shy Miss Pettigrew, ‘with a timid, defeated expression and terror quite discernible in her eyes, if anyone cared to look’, calling on the glamorous Miss LaFosse. She is hoping to gain employment as a governess, but becomes swept into a world of style, society and night clubs, becoming invaluable to her hostess.
Watson wittily adopts Miss Pettigrew’s perspective: ’Shocked by such flighty thoughts Miss Pettigrew took her imagination severely...more
Watson wittily adopts Miss Pettigrew’s perspective: ’Shocked by such flighty thoughts Miss Pettigrew took her imagination severely...more
I discovered this book via the delightful film starring Frances McDormand and Amy Adams.
The book was first published in 1938, and hence there are moments of casual racism and snobbery that don't sit well for the modern reader. However, this is more than outweighed by the delight of the two main characters, Delysia LaFosse and Miss Pettigrew, and their unexpected relationship.
They are complete opposites: Miss Pettigrew is a dusty middle-aged spinster and a very proper vicar's daughter; while Del...more
The book was first published in 1938, and hence there are moments of casual racism and snobbery that don't sit well for the modern reader. However, this is more than outweighed by the delight of the two main characters, Delysia LaFosse and Miss Pettigrew, and their unexpected relationship.
They are complete opposites: Miss Pettigrew is a dusty middle-aged spinster and a very proper vicar's daughter; while Del...more
I enjoyed this very much. A sweet escapist fantasy, It's very evocative of the thirties in many charming ways, and some others decidedly wince-making. Some of Miss P's attitudes are presented to us for critical evaluation by the author: her initial acceptance of the values got from her rather joyless upbringing for example, which give her her notions of what constitutes "virtue". Others seem taken for granted, while seen from the 21st century they are hard to stomach- the casual racism, obviousl...more
In this underrated 1938 gem, Miss Pettigrew, a dowdy governess, is mistakenly sent by her agency to the home of beautiful, glamorous night club singer Delysia La Fosse. Miss La Fosse lives a life Miss Pettigrew can only dream of: full of excitement, cocktail parties, and love affairs. Currently Miss La Fosse is involved with not one but three appealing young men, which is getting a bit tricky as one currently pays her rent, one is backing her in a theater production, one wants to marry her, and...more
An unashamedly lightweight bit of thirties proto-chick-lit, but still manages to be an interesting little period piece. (I read it because it came up in a feature on Persephone as an example of one of their ‘lost’ gems, intrigued also by sources saying that Winifred Watson wrote the-forgotten-one-that-Cold-Comfort-Farm-was-taking-the-piss-out-of).
What most stands out is what it says about aspiration in the thirties for a kind of lower middle class female reader and writer. Seen from the point o...more
What most stands out is what it says about aspiration in the thirties for a kind of lower middle class female reader and writer. Seen from the point o...more
This is a delightful re-writing of “Cinderella” from the 1930s – I tend to expect wordy, rather dull novels to come out of that time period, but aside from some old fashioned attitudes to violence, this could have been written last week. It’s totally readable, perfect to escape into, if Enid Blyton had written adult novels I reckon this is the sort of thing she would have written.
Miss Pettigrew, an impoverished spinster and “not very good” governess who can’t tell cocaine from Beecham’s Powders,...more
Miss Pettigrew, an impoverished spinster and “not very good” governess who can’t tell cocaine from Beecham’s Powders,...more
This is a sweet, slightly silly, funny, charming little book.
The eponymous Guinevere Pettigrew is a drab, impoverished, middle-aged spinster of the utmost respectability, who ekes out an increasingly meagre living as a governess (a job she hates and is no good at). As the book opens, the employment agency mistakenly sends her to one Miss LaFosse, and this mistake changes her life.
From the moment Delysia LaFosse, tousled, negligeed and beautiful, opens her door, Miss Pettigrew is plunged into a w...more
The eponymous Guinevere Pettigrew is a drab, impoverished, middle-aged spinster of the utmost respectability, who ekes out an increasingly meagre living as a governess (a job she hates and is no good at). As the book opens, the employment agency mistakenly sends her to one Miss LaFosse, and this mistake changes her life.
From the moment Delysia LaFosse, tousled, negligeed and beautiful, opens her door, Miss Pettigrew is plunged into a w...more
I hesitated over giving this book five stars. "It's fluff," I told myself. "This is not a Literary Masterpiece. It's a fun novel. It's frivolous. How can I give something so frivolous five stars?" I summed up the plot in my head to see if some Serious, Important aspect of the novel had slipped past my notice. It hadn't. The book was exactly as promised (in some review, somewhere, I'll find it later): a champagne comedy. Sweet, bubbly, light.
It was then that I recalled a similar description had b...more
It was then that I recalled a similar description had b...more
This book is just utterly charming. A frazzled governess responds to a job posting only to find herself thrown into a world of glitz and glamour. She’s quickly caught up in the beautiful, but irresponsible Delysia LaFosse’s crazy life. Multiple suitors, beautiful gowns, and drinks at all hours of the day leave Miss Pettigrew in a happy haze. She’s overwhelmed at first, but the decides to savor every moment; each drink, every bite of ice cream and the feel of her luxurious borrowed velvet dress....more
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day was written by Winifred Watson in 1938. This novel, at the time, was seen as extremely racy with too much risque material for its time. However, its hopeful message and sheer energy it contains helped it to become an instant best-seller at its time of publication. The novel has since fallen into obscurity, but was briefly revived with a film adaptation in 2006 starring Frances McDormand and Amy Adams.
The novel follows Miss Pettigrew, a social secretary who hasn't...more
The novel follows Miss Pettigrew, a social secretary who hasn't...more
"Sie schien ihre geborgte Pracht mit einem Blick zu durchschauen"
Die Gouvernante Miss Pettigrew hat ein Problem: Sie ist hungrig, pleite und wieder mal ihren Job los. Wenn sie ihrer Hauswirtin die Miete nicht bis zum Abend bringt, ist sie auch noch Obdachlos. Mit diesem Wissen im Gepäck, klingelt sie nach einem Stoßgebet bei Miss LaFosse, ihrer letzten Hoffnung auf eine Anstellung.
Kaum tritt sie über die Schwelle der mondänen Schauspielerin, wird sie Teil ihrer glamourösen Welt, die aus Cocktai...more
Die Gouvernante Miss Pettigrew hat ein Problem: Sie ist hungrig, pleite und wieder mal ihren Job los. Wenn sie ihrer Hauswirtin die Miete nicht bis zum Abend bringt, ist sie auch noch Obdachlos. Mit diesem Wissen im Gepäck, klingelt sie nach einem Stoßgebet bei Miss LaFosse, ihrer letzten Hoffnung auf eine Anstellung.
Kaum tritt sie über die Schwelle der mondänen Schauspielerin, wird sie Teil ihrer glamourösen Welt, die aus Cocktai...more
This is another rare book where I prefer the movie. The prose is fun and easy to read, but I am glad that in the movie we don't get to hear Miss Pettigrew's thoughts, because I didn't like her character as much in the book. I do feel sorry for her because of her downtrodden existence, but she comes across as a sort of Forrest Gump character who manages to solve all sorts of problems by sheer accident, or by simply saying something when she isn't really sure what is going on. Also, the book is ti...more
Miss Pettigrew, righteous and dowdy governess, is on the verge of landing in the workhouse. When Miss Pettigrew arrives at the door of Miss LaFosse, she is anticipating a job interview. What she gets instead is an absolute whirlwind of a day among the charming and worldly Miss LaFosse’s friends – and somehow Miss Pettigrew just keeps getting things RIGHT. She saves the day, over and over, using her own good sense and the breadth of her romantic film knowledge.
Following Miss Pettigrew through thi...more
Following Miss Pettigrew through thi...more
This book is GREAT! Tons of fun and a perfect summer read. I find myself laughing out loud.
I notice that it is "now a movie film" and Francis McDormand plays Miss P. I would have cast Emma Thompson, but still... And for Miss LaFosse, I'd have the woman that played Miss Crabtree on The Little Rascals. I don't want this book to end. It's such a reliable, pleasant entertainment...
I love how the author develops the dramatic tension by having Miss P struggle to set the record straight and reveal the...more
I notice that it is "now a movie film" and Francis McDormand plays Miss P. I would have cast Emma Thompson, but still... And for Miss LaFosse, I'd have the woman that played Miss Crabtree on The Little Rascals. I don't want this book to end. It's such a reliable, pleasant entertainment...
I love how the author develops the dramatic tension by having Miss P struggle to set the record straight and reveal the...more
Miss Pettigrew has spent her life serving other people’s children. She has been starved of both nourishment and love, and now has lost another position. She’s down to her last hope when divine intervention sends her to Miss LaFosse. Miss Delysia LaFosse is a singer with the unfortunate problem of having too many suitors and not enough willpower. From the moment of Miss Pettigrew’s arrival, she begins to aid Miss LaFosse in getting her life straightened out. In return, Miss LaFosse introduces her...more
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Winifred Eileen Watson (20 October 1906 - 5 August 2002) was an English writer. She is best known for her novel, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, which was adapted into a major motion picture of the same name (released in 2008).
Bibliography:
Fell Top (1935)
Odd Shoes (1936)
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (1938)
Upyonder (1938)
Hop, Step, Jump (1939)
Leave and Bequeath (1943)
More about Winifred Watson...
Bibliography:
Fell Top (1935)
Odd Shoes (1936)
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (1938)
Upyonder (1938)
Hop, Step, Jump (1939)
Leave and Bequeath (1943)
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“Odd, said Miss Pettigrew conversationally, 'the undermining effect of flowers on a woman's common sense.”
—
9 people liked it
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Nov 29, 2009 07:12am