Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

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This summer I am putting aside (almost) my history books and reading lighter books or rereading old favorites. The obsession with the pair of guns was overdone, and was what finally made me stop reading the book. The only thing that knocked a star off this review for me was a slightly hackish plot device at the end, but it's such a minor thing it really only counts for half a star. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is one of the most uplifting and rewarding literary romances I’ve read in years.

Ali is Pakistani, and while some villagers pretend to have jettisoned class and ethnic snobbery, it is hopelessly woven into the fabric of their lives. Whoever read my Olive Kitteridge rant, probably knows that I am not much into reading books about old people. The real story, no comedic aspects here, was the bloodiness as the British rule in India came to an end. Roger also once gave his father the Christmas gift of a sweater so chic it had to be obtained from an Italian designer’s waiting list. Peter Altschuler does a marvelous job of supplying different voices and accents (American and British), and switches between them seamlessly.Surprising and deeply felt, the story is also about the kind of courage and re-evaluation that motivates and illuminates the human heart. But while the local community might be willing to see the Major marry a proper tea-drinking Englishwoman, they are certainly not prepared to see him waltz off in the arms of a woman in a sari.

F.A, as well as a career in travel advertising and a degree from the London School of Economics) that she leaves these manipulations proudly visible. He shifts seamlessly between the gravelly voice of Pettigrew, the sotto voce of Mrs Ali and the easily distinguishable ensemble cast of family and villagers ( listen to an audio sample). Major Ernest Pettigrew is perfectly content to lead a quiet life in the sleepy village of Edgecombe St Mary, away from the meddling of the locals and his overbearing son. Further details on how this Booklover Book Reviews site manages data can be found in our Privacy Policy. Reading about a 68 year old, widowed, retired Major in a sleepy English village is not necessarily a draw for most readers, but there's an alchemy in the way the characters are written.Her second novel The Summer before The War is also a NY Times and international bestseller and is now available in paperback.