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What book did you just start?
By Stephanie · 3501 posts · 467 views
By Stephanie · 3501 posts · 467 views
last updated Feb 27, 2024 08:11PM
What Members Thought
Hailed by the Christian Science Monitor critic as ""one of the most endearing love stories I've read in a long time,"" Major Pettigrew's Last Stand drew comparisons to books by Jane Austen, E. F. Benson, and Alexander McCall Smith. Simonson dexterously combines Old World settings and sensibilities with modern situations to skewer English village life, but it is Simonson's love story and her optimistic faith in the power of kindness, rather than social satire, that form the heart of this charming
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A charming story of a widower and his fight to keep his relatives away from a family heirloom (guns). His relationship with his selfish but coming into his own son, Roger, is central to the story, but not as much as his new blooming relationship with a Pakistani shop owner widow, Jasmina. I loved watching these relationships and their ups and downs, charming is my best word for this one.
I really enjoyed this book, however I'm only giving it 4 stars because the ending (which I will not mention) was a little over the top compared to the rest of the book. I did however love the Major's dry humor and overall thought it was a very clever book.
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I wanted to like this one, but after 150 pages I just found it extremely boring and am going to give up on it.
Marvelous from start to finish. On par with Strout's "Olive Kitteridge." Here is a love story through the eyes of an honorable aging English gentleman. (Quick Jess, put this on your book club list!)
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There are flaws, but I'm giving it five stars anyway because I just enjoyed reading it so much. And I loved Major Pettigrew.
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This was really good. It was an interesting portrait of British society in a small village and the generation gaps that are evident. Major Pettigrew's relationship with Mrs. Ali was very sweet, though complicated due to her family, mostly. Certainly didn't paint a nice picture of Muslim families, although the Major was surprisingly tolerant and open-minded, which was refreshing! Everything about the book was pretty well done. I enjoyed it.
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Best of 2010 - I closed the book and was thoroughly satisfied. I thought the character development was wonderful - the Major had me giggling so many times. Truly charming. This is one I have to buy for my library and one I will recommend to everyone.
This charming book gets an extra star for the wonderful reader of the audio edition. His wonderful accents and dry narration capture the personalities of all the characters, but most notably the titular Major Pettigrew--who I loved. A wonderful light summer read with great characters.
3 1/2 stars. Aside from the two main characters, most of the people in this book are really very unlikeable. I imagine John Cleese as Major Pettigrew for some reason.
this is my second reading of this book - one of my favorites from a year or two ago - and it was just as good this time.
Apr 23, 2010
Wendy
marked it as to-read
May 16, 2010
Das
marked it as to-read
Jul 16, 2010
Vanessa
marked it as to-read
