Major Pettigrew's Last Stand in Crazy Challenge Connection

Aug 01, 2011 Book Concierge rated it really liked it

Shelves: love, culture, book-club, own, england, sfe, concierge, strong-women, library, jane-austen

Major Pettigrew lives a quiet, ordered life in Edgecomb St. Mary. His wife died several years ago, and their only son is a financial hotshot in London. Now his brother has passed away suddenly and he’s feeling a little wobbly. Enter Mrs. Ali, a widow and the local shopkeeper, who has come on an errand to collect for the newspaper. She quickly notices his distress, comes in and offers kindness and a cup of tea. And thus begins a wonderful friendship.

But not everyone in the village or in their fam ...more

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Apr 13, 2017 Chris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, united-kingdom, literary-fiction

I loved this charming, quiet story. Helen Simonson's The Summer Before the War was my favorite book of last year. I never expected that she could have done so well on her first novel, but she did. (Ok, if forced to choose, Summer Before the War is better, but that's no reason not to read and enjoy both.) Despite taking place nearly 100 years apart, there are also some similarities between the two stories: people who live in small villages and the way they deal, or don't deal, with change.
Major ...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Helen Southall rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

A little slow starting but really picked up midway and finished with a flourish. A good, easy read. The characters really developed well as the plot thickened.

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Jul 03, 2010 Sue rated it really liked it

Shelves: british-isles, natalie-bk-club

This sweet and touching story was driven by wonderful, fully-developed characters who were not perfect but very engaging. The very human touches that each showed in their relationships is what made them so real and wonderful. I loved the story of prejudice, manners, and love. All the characters learned something during the course of the story and it made them better people.

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Sep 02, 2011 Rachel N. rated it really liked it

Major Pettigrew is a widow living in the village of Edgecomb St. Mary. After his brother dies he strikes up a friendship with the local, widowed Pakistani shopkeeper, Mrs. Ali. A really enjoyed the relationship between the Major and Mrs. Ali. This is a charming book with a good moral about class and racism.

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