Review: Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

 

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks; Reprint edition (November 30, 2010)

ISBN-10: 0812981227

Source: Publisher

 

Major Ernest Pettigrew is mourning the recent passing of his brother, Bertie.  This pain is exacerbated due to a battle Major is having with Bertie’s widow over a Churchill shotgun, one of a pair presented to both brothers when their father passed.  The intent was for both guns to be reunited as a pair, but Bertie’s widow plans to sell it to generate some income.  Major’s further hurt when his son, Roger, agrees with the plan to sell the gun.  Roger’s not much for tradition, or anything involving family, and would much rather have the money so he and his girlfriend can buy a weekend cottage.

Major’s pain is lessened when he forms a close relationship with Mrs. Ali, a widow herself.  Mrs. Ali & her husband owned a local grocery shop together; now she is forced to run the shop herself, with the help of her nephew visiting from Pakistan.  Major & Mrs. Ali’s relationship soon blossoms into something more due to their joint love of books and the recent loss of their spouses.

The small village isn’t exactly welcoming of this relationship. Despite Major’s prominence in the community & Mrs. Ali’s generosity to the townspeople, the town continues to regard Mrs. Ali as a foreigner.  Can their newly-budding relationship survive?

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is a quintessential, old-fashioned love story, but also so much more.  These two characters are so deserving of one another, of happiness.  Simonson touches on some pretty heavy social issues including the struggle between culture & religion, but doesn’t do it in a way that weighs down the storyline.  Her writing is simply breathtaking; the words, so descriptive & fluid, seem to literally flow across the page like a beautiful piece of music.  Major & Mrs. Ali’s relationship proves that there is no such thing as too late for love and I couldn’t help assume a role as cheerleader for their evolving relationship.  While both loved their spouses, they seem to be meant for one another…at this time, at this place. 

It’s not often that I keep a book after reading it, but this book has earned a place on my treasured books shelf. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is a modern classic, destined to win the hearts of many readers!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for giving me the opporunity to participate in this tour!

Be sure to check out the author:

• On her website
• On Facebook
• On Goodreads

Don’t forget to check out the upcoming stops on this tour:

Thursday, January 6th: Lit and Life

Friday, January 7th: BookNAround

Monday, January 10th: Book Reviews by Molly

Tuesday, January 11th: Scraps of Life

Thursday, January 13th: The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader

Monday, January 17th: Rundpinne

Wednesday, January 19th: 1330v

Thursday, January 20th: In the Next Room

Tuesday, January 25th: Dolce Bellezza

Wednesday, January 26th: A Certain Bent Appeal

Friday, January 28th: Jenny Loves to Read

Monday, January 31st: Novel Whore

Tuesday, February 1st: Debbie’s Book Bag

Wednesday, February 2nd: The Brain Lair

Thursday, February 3rd: Unabridged Chick

Tuesday, February 15th: Mabel’s House

Tags: General Fiction, Random House, Review