Wednesday 18 September 2013

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand


When I started reading Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, I had no idea what to expect.  I was intrigued by the title.  This book turned out to be a gem – for some of the same reasons that I liked Digging to America by Anne Tyler.  The book is set in England and also deals with clashes of class and culture.  The author skewers much of modern English country society but in a way that is entertaining rather than at all preachy.

The main character, Major Pettigrew, grows on you as the book develops and I ended up very endeared by him.


This was the author's debut novel (2010)– a fantastic start by her.  I do hope she has more in the works.

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10 comments:

  1. I bought that for my sister a few years ago, hoping she'd pass it on to me after she read it. Hm, maybe I need to drop a hint.

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  2. This was indeed a terrific book. I read it a couple of years ago and enjoyed it immensely. It's very perceptive of you, I think, to compare it to Anne Tyler's work. The humaneness in the world view of both writers shines through in their work.

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  3. Thanks for the recommendation. I'm always looking for new books to read. :)

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  4. I really liked this book, too... read it with my book club last year.

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  5. I havent seen it in any book shops here :(

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  6. This was such a lovely gentle book, I thought - a real cosy pleasure to read. It seemed quite cinematic in places too, and would translate to screen as one of those classic quiet British films really well.

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  7. This is the book for my book club this month. I haven't started it yet. I better get to it.

    I am in the list as #28. My book entry is below.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Book Entry

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  8. I really enjoyed this one - I actually listened to it on audio and thought it was great!

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  9. I love Anne Tyler, so should definitely read this one. Thanks for the review Carole - sounds intriguing.

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  10. This got buried in my TBR. Since I'm reading books set in England this year, it's time to get to it!

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