Rating: ****
Tags: Fiction, General, England, Large type books, Contemporary, Literary, Romance, Love Stories, Fiction - General, American Contemporary Fiction - Individual Authors +, Widowers, Interracial friendship, Country life - England, American First Novelists, Country Life, Pakistanis, Pakistanis - England, Widows, Retirees, Lang:en
Summary
Amazon Best Books of the Month, March 2010: In
her witty and wise debut novel, newcomer Helen Simonson
introduces the unforgettable character of the widower Major
Ernest Pettigrew. The Major epitomizes the Englishman
with the "stiff upper lip," who clings to traditional values
and has tried (in vain) to pass these along to his yuppie son,
Roger. The story centers around Pettigrew's fight to keep his
greedy relatives (including his son) from selling a valuable
family heirloom--a pair of hunting rifles that symbolizes much
of what he stands for, or at least what he thinks he does. The
embattled hero discovers an unexpected ally and source of
consolation in his neighbor, the Pakistani shopkeeper Jasmina
Ali. On the surface, Pettigrew and Ali's backgrounds and life
experiences couldn't be more different, but they discover that
they have the most important things in common. This wry, yet
optimistic comedy of manners with a romantic twist will appeal
to grown-up readers of both sexes. Kudos to Helen Simonson, who
distinguishes herself with
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand as a writer with the
narrative range, stylistic chops, and poise of a veteran.
--Lauren Nemroff
In her charming debut novel, Simonson tells the tale of Maj.
Ernest Pettigrew, an honor-bound Englishman and widower, and
the very embodiment of duty and pride. As the novel opens, the
major is mourning the loss of his younger brother, Bertie, and
attempting to get his hands on Bertie's antique Churchill
shotgun—part of a set that the boys' father split between
them, but which Bertie's widow doesn't want to hand over. While
the major is eager to reunite the pair for tradition's sake,
his son, Roger, has plans to sell the heirloom set to a
collector for a tidy sum. As he frets over the guns, the
major's friendship with Jasmina Ali—the Pakistani widow
of the local food shop owner—takes a turn unexpected by
the major (but not by readers). The author's dense, descriptive
prose wraps around the reader like a comforting cloak,
eventually taking on true page-turner urgency as Simonson
nudges the major and Jasmina further along and dangles
possibilities about the fate of the major's beloved firearms.
This is a vastly enjoyable traipse through the English
countryside and the long-held traditions of the British
aristocracy.
(Mar.)
Amazon.com Review
From Publishers Weekly
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