∎ [PDF] Major Pettigrew Last Stand Helen Simonson 9781400068937 Books

Major Pettigrew Last Stand Helen Simonson 9781400068937 Books

Download As PDF : Major Pettigrew Last Stand Helen Simonson 9781400068937 Books

Major Pettigrew Last Stand Helen Simonson 9781400068937 Books

I picked this book up on a whim and am very glad that I did. It was a quick and easy read while also bringing forth characters that are quite enjoyable and a town that you would love to visit or even live in. Being a fan of many of the BBC comedy shows that originally ran here in the US only on PBS, from the 70's 80's and 90's in particular, I was totally able to picture the characters as written. This book makes you laugh at folks and their idiosyncrasies, ponder as you see family or neighbors in some of the outlying characters, and cheer as you see the characters overcome all obstacles to be truly happy.


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Major Pettigrew Last Stand Helen Simonson 9781400068937 Books Reviews

I would give this book 4 1/2 stars if possible. As other reviewers said, the story is a little slow going, but certainly lays the groundwork for the main characters and their lives in a small English village. I had the privilege of living in England for three years in the mid-1970s, and this book brought back so many memories of the people and nearby villages. I'm sure many things have changed since then, but the overall feeling of "being and acting English" shown by the characters seemed very real to me. The Major is going through a personal crisis after losing his only sibling, even though they hadn't been very close. If you've ever lost a parent or sibling, you know that grief hits you at odd times and in ways you can't predict, so his feelings of suddenly being lost in his ordered life hit very close to home. And we saw the inderlying prejudice against East Indians and Pakistanis in the '70s in how they were referred to. The village life and social hierarchy was very familiar, too. I remember a church fete one Sunday afternoon where the vicar's wife was very much in charge. This was a big change from my more recent reading of sci-fi and fantasy, but i thoroughly enjoyed the slower pace as the characters developed and changed, even Roger. I've known more than one "young buck" who deviated greatly from his parents' ideas and values (isn't that what children do when they are finding themselves?) and who eventually realized that their core values were pretty closely related to that of their parents. I would highly recommend this book if you don't mind reading a story that takes a little time and effort to develop. I'd say it's well worth your time and effort.
I guess my own English birth and heritage helped (as well as my attraction to many Indian things tho the heroine is from a Pakistani family) me enjoy this novel.

The charms and pettiness of an English village are intertwined with the disdain and not so subtle discrimination and racism of non-whites. The reader is also exposed to the less than appealing customs and traditions of Muslims/Indians/Pakistanis et al regarding the role of women, family “honor,” and religion.

Add an obnoxious, ladder-climbing son forever bragging about buying and importing the “best” of everything, and relatives of the deceased brother, all of them after the money from the purported sale of family heirlooms and you get quite a rollicking tale.

And don’t forget the Yanks son’s girlfriend and the developer (Ferguson) who traced his roots and bought himself a castle in Scotland. Throw in the country squire and the club that claims not to discriminate against brown skinned members but rejected the Doctor’s inquiry by saying that they had enough members of the medical profession and there are plenty of topics to keep the book interesting.

The Major encompasses many endearing traits and his upstanding thoughts and actions make him a winner in my book. The highly educated shopkeeper, Mrs Ali, proves to have the nerve and verve to act as a balance to the many stories within the story. Together they bring a common sense outlook to love and life.

I read nonfiction mostly but thoroughly enjoyed this book.
First, she makes you laugh.
All of the eccentricies of an excellent English drawing room comedy peep out from the odd curtains of a quaint and stuffy cottage, peopled with equally quaint and stuffy hilarious characters.
Second, she rips away the curtain and takes us into the world where real people live and rage and love. And even here, there is the delicious humor of people in love, young and old alike, confused and dizzy and dumbstruck by their joy and misery. They know exactly what they want. Why are other people always telling them they can't have it?
Lastly, she scares the living daylights out of you. You will hold your breath and not know it. You will read with all the speed you can muster. And when the end comes, you just might be tempted to go back to the beginning and do it all over again.
I loved evey word. I had a rollicking good time. It's wonderful.
Major Ernest Pettigrew is many things retired from Her Majesty’s Army; a somewhat reclusive widower; proud son of decorated Col. Pettigrew who served in colonial India; an only surviving son – having just lost his brother Bertie; and resident of a small coastal village that is steeped in traditional social layering and far from the pace and progressive nature of London where the Major’s son, Roger, leads a very different life. Ernest’s life is about to change, challenging his assumptions about his rightful place in genteel country society and the society itself, about his presumption of primogenitor rights, about the rigid cultural notions standing between him and the lovely Pakistani widow tea peddler whom he unexpectedly discovers to be a kindred soul, and the generational chasm between his son and the Major’s paternal expectations. At center, Major Pettigrew is a good soul, despite his very contained tradition bound demeanor. Through his challenges, Simonson leads us through frustration, shock, anger, ample humor, and at times an almost overwhelming desire to shake the living daylights out of some of these characters to help them see their own folly. I loved this book!
I picked this book up on a whim and am very glad that I did. It was a quick and easy read while also bringing forth characters that are quite enjoyable and a town that you would love to visit or even live in. Being a fan of many of the BBC comedy shows that originally ran here in the US only on PBS, from the 70's 80's and 90's in particular, I was totally able to picture the characters as written. This book makes you laugh at folks and their idiosyncrasies, ponder as you see family or neighbors in some of the outlying characters, and cheer as you see the characters overcome all obstacles to be truly happy.