When I was growing up, I read and re-read my favorite books and stories all the time. The pages of the books I owned automatically fell open to the sections I loved best. As an adult, I rarely give myself the luxury of going back to re-read books that have made a huge impression on me - mostly because the next book is sitting there, waiting for me to open it. There never seems to be enough time for everything... So I was delighted when my book club decided to read something "upbeat" for our first meeting of the season, and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (#591) by Helen Simonson was chosen.
I enjoyed it even more the second time around, as did several of my friends. Critics at the time when the book came out six years ago compared Ms. Simonson's writing to Jane Austen's with her eye to the details of what's accepted and what is mere lip service in a tight knit English community in this almost accidental romance between a stiff retired British widower, Major Pettigrew, and the widowed owner of the local village shop, Jasmina Ali.
Jasmina struggles with acceptance although she was born and raised in England, both with the villagers on a social level, and even more powerfully, the cultural traditions of her husband's Pakistani family, forcing her to make untenable choices. Ernest Pettigrew is embroiled himself in a family feud revolving around a valuable gun he feels should be coming to him after his brother's death. He must deal with unpleasant relatives himself including his son Roger who wants to use the sale of the gun for his own advantage..
It's such a treat these days to read a story with characters you feel you know and can easily relate to. And there is a happy ending here, too, even though not everyone is neatly paired off. I really hated for this book to end this time around, too. If you haven't read Major Pettigrew's Last Stand yet, there's no time like the present to treat yourself!
Cannot wait to see Helen Simonson at our 2017 BookMania! event!
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