| | |  | Amazon Kindle | Home » » » Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel | | | | | | | Description: | | BONUS: This edition contains a Major Pettigrew's Last Stand discussion guide.
You are about to travel to Edgecombe St. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of your own family. Among them is Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson's wondrous debut. Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, Major Pettigrew is one of the most indelible characters in contemporary fiction, and from the very first page of this remarkable novel he will steal your heart.
The Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition? | | | Product Details: | | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 512 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 512 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
872 of 893 found the following review helpful:
 Manners and Manors: An Unconventional Love StoryFeb 09, 2010
By Jill I. Shtulman
It is always cause for celebration when a debut author bursts on the scene with an original and whimsical novel that is bound to capture attention. And this novel -- Major Pettigrew's Last Stand -- has much to recommend it.
Major Pettigrew is a very proper and delightfully droll widower of 68 who resides in the quaint village of Edgecombe St. Mary in Sussex, England. He is the father of Roger, a posturing and preening young man who has incorporated none of the values of his dad. And he is also the accidental suitor of the proprietress of the village mini-mart, Jasmina Ali, a 50-something Pakistani widow who shares his love of Kipling and his wry look at the world in which they both reside. The two of them -- the quintessential local and the attractive outsider -- must navigate the gossip and outright prejudice of their stilted society. Helen Simonson writes, "He (the Major) had always assumed gossip to be the malicious whispering of uncomfortable truths, not the fabrication of absurdities. Was a life of careful, impeccable behavior not enough in a world where inventions were passed around as facts?"
This is by no means "chick lit", nor is it hard-hitting politically correct narrative, couched in fiction. It is a charming English comedy of manners -- in places, a laugh-out-loud comedy. A scene, for example, where the atrocities of Pakistani Partition are reduced to a bad-taste dinner show or where the favored ducks of schoolchildren are chosen as prey for a duck hunt are satirical and spot-on.
Yet despite its gentle humor, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand touches on many of the big issues: the clash of culture and religions, the greed of unbridaled globalization, the tension between fathers and sons...and families in general. At its heart, though, it is an old-fashioned love story. I couldn't help but stand by the sidelines rooting for the Major and his lady and keep my fingers crossed for their eventual coupling. The book is an ode for anyone who refuses to give up on life or love at any stage of life. For those who love the charm of the "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society", you're in for yet another treat.
229 of 238 found the following review helpful:
A fantastic debut novel from an author to watch!Jan 29, 2010
By Cilla
I got this as an advanced reading copy from the Amazon Vine program, and didn't know anything about it except the brief synopsis from the Vine newsletter. I am fond of reading "gentle" novels that take the reader into the hearts and lives of people in a community, and this novel didn't disappoint me. It has a slow start, but builds up to the point where you can't put it down because you just have to know what happens next. It is a combination of romance, a comedy of manners, a statement on prejudice, a look at family and community relationships, and a reaffirmation that love is ageless. The hero, Major Pettigrew, is widower in his 60's who has become complacent about his quiet existence as a retired Army officer. He is shocked out of his routine by the sudden death of his only brother. He has known the heroine, Jasmina Ali, for quite some time as the wife and then widow of Pakistani shopkeeper in his community. As the Major and Jasmina become closer due to their shared griefs and their common interests, both of them are challenged to look at their own world views and to face the discrimination and shallowness of some of their friends and relatives. There is a nice chemistry between the hero and the heroine. When they become physically intimate, it is done in the "now dear reader, we will close the bedroom door" type of approach, which is fitting for the type of novel that it is. Although the novel isn't religious in tone, the characters and the style reminds me favorably of Jan Karon's Mitford series of novels. That is why I am hoping that the author has more novels about the little English community that is home to the Major and Jasmina. I want to know what happens next. I am a picky reader when it comes to writing style and I particularly like the way that the author handles prose and dialogue. She uses similes and other literary techniques judiciously--just enough but not too much. One example that sticks out in my mind was her description of an elderly Pakistani couple as having the symmetry of two wrinkled halves of a walnut. Very descriptive, and not something I've read before. While there are some underlying political, religious, and moral issues in this novel, the author doesn't force the reader to take sides. The novel reflects that there is a lot that is uncertain in life, and that "good" people can make mistakes and continue to grow. There is a bit of suspense and action in the novel, but it is mainly character-driven, which is my favorite type of novel. I didn't want the book to end. The mark of a good book, in my opinion, is whether or not I would want to re-read it, and this book is definitely going on my "keeper shelf," hopefully to be joined by more books by this author in the future.
134 of 145 found the following review helpful:
A gem!Jan 29, 2010
By P. B. Sharp
"Last Stand" is a wondrous novel- a debut by author Simonson written with extraordinary insight and with vivid crackling descriptions so apt you'll find yourself reading slowly so you won't miss any of them. Wry and witty, the book is frequently hilarious and I often laughed so hard the tears were running down my face. The ending of this love story will leave you with a feeling of contentment but most of all the book is a paean to the human spirit that will warm the shackles of your heart.
The novel takes place in the little English village of Edgecombe St. Mary and the prejudices, and race and religious intolerances endemic in a small town are alive and well.
Major Pettigrew, a pukka sahib if there ever was one, is the endearing hero and he finds an unusual soul- mate in Jasmina Ali. The Major has a clipped grey mustache and twinkling blue eyes, and Mrs. Ali. who is Pakistani, has shiny black hair coiled into a bun and her dark brown eyes don't miss a thing. Seemingly yin and yang are these two- seemingly. Under the surface they discover a huge rapport. The Major and Mrs Ali are both widowed; the Major has an obnoxious son, Mrs. Ali has an obnoxious nephew. But it's their love of literature that really bonds them together as well as the fact they are both kind, caring individuals with fine senses of humor bubbling just beneath the surface.
The story is not sentimental or mawkish, it's sparkling and lively. True love will find a way but there are many thorns along this particular rocky path and the book builds up to a crescendo of a climax while you the reader are terrified something awful is going to happen to either the Major or Mrs. Ali.
To make yourself just feel good and indulge in a good laugh, grab this charming book! You'll love it, trust me!
214 of 246 found the following review helpful:
 Well Written, but a Sludge to Get ThroughMay 24, 2010
By Howard
This is a difficult book for me to evaluate because I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it. For starters, I can't join all the rave reviews that have been written, or the group of readers who have placed the book on the NYT extended best sellers list. Yet, I recognize that it is very well written and narrated. My problem with it is that is was really slow going; the plot progressed reluctantly and predictably. It was, however, sufficiently engaging so that I did finish it, but was somewhat relieved when it was over so that I could proceed to other books. I was happy for the happy ending, a rarity these days. But, as a reader, I have many choices, and for truly magnificent novels of English village life, I would rather spend my time with Anthony Trollope's Barchester series, beginning with "The Warden."
31 of 36 found the following review helpful:
 British Comedy of MannersFeb 25, 2010
By sb-lynn
Brief summary, no spoilers.
This charming British comedy takes place in current times, although the protagonist, Major Pettigrew, seems more like a character from an old English novel.
Major Ernest Pettigrew is a widower and he lives in a quaint old fashioned English village. The book starts out with Miss Jasmina Ali, a local Pakistani shop owner (and widow) coming by the Major's home to collect money owed. Major Pettigrew greets her at the door but then becomes faint as the reader and Miss Ali find out that the Major's younger brother has just died.
This comedy of manners tells us how a traditional Englishman in a traditional English village deals with matters of the heart and a clash of cultures. We also see the cultural divide from Miss Ali and her family's point of view, as well. Throw into this mix the Major's shallow and narcissistic son Roger, his very American girlfriend Sandy (she calls the Major by his first name), and all manner of opinionated and class/race conscious villager. Oh, and did I mention two very valuable antique guns?
I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. There are bits that are laugh out loud funny, and whenever I put the book down, I looked forward to picking it up again, which for me is always the sign of a good novel.
In criticism, although I do know that people like this exist, I thought many of the cast felt like stock characters and were a bit too stereotypical, thus easy targets for parody. For me at times they felt a little out of place and time.
Even so, I do recommend this book. If you are a fan of British humor and such authors as P. G. Wodehouse or E. F. Benson, I think you would enjoy this as well.
See all 512 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
