 |
Major Pettigrew's Last Standby Helen Simonson |
Gail Reid: Add me to the list of fans
on this site for Major Pettigrew's story and his lovely romance with Mrs.
Jasmina Ali. Is love ageless? How strong is family obligation? What does
it mean to be a person on the outside? These questions and many other
universal themes are explored in the context of a rustic English village
with two middle-age people whose spouses have died. The story line may not be that original and several of the characters are one-dimensional but these
shortcomings do not really detract from a charming and easy read.
Rating: ****
Judy Stanton: I found Major Pettigrew's last stand to be
a sweet love story with real life issues and less than perfectly happy endings.(which I prefer)
The English country village setting added interest and tension to the story; I could see the same
issues rising in small town USA. The author managed to take the "Romeo & Juliet" theme and give
it a twist by making the couple from diverse backgrounds both widowed and older. I loved the Major's
resistance to his child's continued efforts to make him feel "too old" and his realization, at the end
of the day, about the value of relationships being more important than "things," such as a classic pair
of matching guns, no matter what their value. While portraying the highly restrictive restraints of
a Muslim family on women, the author made it clear that other cultures also have their
expectations about appropriate behavior and liaisons, and those who continue to judge people
by the color of their skin, their heritage or their religion, rather than looking at each
person as an individual.
Rating: ****
Marilyn Baron: Just a comment on the two existing reviews
of this book. The reviewers are right on target. I absolutely loved this book. My sister recommended it
to me. I read and thoroughly enjoyed it and then passed it on to my other sister. I highly recommend
it to everyone.
Rating: *****
Debbie Weiss: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand is a delightful love story between a Pakistani-born widow and a retired British major who is a widower. What I found particularly interesting was that the story is written from the male's point of view. Ernest Pettigrew is an honorable, endearing, yet opinionated British gentleman who is as sentimental and caring as any human can be. He blushes in the presence of Jasmina Ali as if he were still a young boy. He wants to protect and care for this woman in spite of the differences in their backgrounds and their upbringings.
We see complicated family relationships come into play: father and son, aunt and nephew, old-time zenophobic villagers and immigrants.
The themes are universal and I was delighted with the way the book ended. A great read!
Rating: ****
Arlene Almas: Major Ernest Pettigrew, British
army (retired), is a man of great integrity, a lover of literature, well liked and
respected in the village where he has lived a great many years. He is also a widower
with a slowly developing interest in Mrs. Ali, a widowed Pakistani woman who runs the
village shop and, coincidentally enough, has a fascination for literature. The story touches
on a number of serious themes: racism; the difficulties of the relationship between a father
and his grown son; the obstacles faced by young people trying to define themselves while
stranded between the cultures of their immigrant parents and that of the country they are
living in; the clash between those who chase after material possessions and those whose
values reflect the more worthy aspects of life. In spite of the gravity of these issues,
the narrative has a certain light-hearted touch that kept me smiling even while
concern for the Major, Mrs. Ali, and the other well-drawn characters kept me
metaphorically on the edge of my seat. I believe a lot of our readers would
enjoy this book.
.
Rating: *****
