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    Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel
    Audiobook13 hours

    Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel

    Written by Helen Simonson

    Narrated by Peter Altschuler

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    You are about to travel to Edgecombe St. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of your own family. Among them is Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson's wondrous debut. Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, Major Pettigrew is one of the most indelible characters in contemporary fiction, and from the very first page of this remarkable novel he will steal your heart.


    The Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition?


    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 2, 2010
    ISBN9780307712851
    Unavailable
    Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel
    Author

    Helen Simonson

    Helen Simonson was born in Buckinghamshire and spent her teenage years in a small village near Rye in East Sussex. Her debut novel, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, was an international bestseller, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick, and was translated and published in twenty one countries. A graduate of the London School of Economics, Helen is married, with two grown sons, and lives in Brooklyn, New York. www.helensimonson.uk

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    Reviews for Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

    4.5/5

    233 ratings198 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Wonderful, light, charming tale of two very different people who find love and a happy ending.
    • 5/5
      Great story and characters. The narration added so much.
      Enjoyable!
    • 5/5
      Of the hundreds of books I've listened to this is the first one I remember wanting to rate at six stars. The book is written all through with live colors and fantastic humor. The author had no need to rely on sudden surprises nor on an emo tone. The characters are simply real and likable and the book is masterfully crafted in its progress. Also no pointing out of the obvious which is so insulting to the intelligence.
      Perhaps it is a bit unfair to the Pakistani community. I don't know.
      Oh, and I must thank the narrator. At the cost of sounding overly enthusiastic in conjunction with my above praise of the author, I cannot remember the last time I heard such a fine narration.
    • 5/5
      very engaging and the narrator was excellent
    • 4/5
      I listened to this book and enjoyed it very much. The proper, prickly Major, who lived a very orderly life into his 60's found himself needing to change some of his traditional thinking when faced with the communities prejudices against a local Pakistani shop owner and her family. The prejudices also ran the other way among the Pakistani family when there was a romantic involvement with a young English woman. Simonson touches on several topics that give you pause for thought. This is an important component of a book for me to put it into a 4 star. I found Major Pettigrew to be a delightful character who made me smile throughout the story. I highly recommend this book!
    • 2/5
      Rather too overpoweringly sweet and predictable for my taste.
    • 4/5
      I had a hard time getting into this book, and I thought the first half was pretty slow. The second half picked up nicely, and the ending was satisfying.
    • 5/5
      I wasn't prepared to like this book as much as I did! Very interesting characters and also social issues to consider.
    • 5/5
      A wonderful novel that is filled to the brim with dry and understated humor, a la Jane Austen, this is the story of the romance between 60-something widower Major Ernest Pettigrew, and the widowed local shopkeeper, Mrs. Ali. Simonson's ability to subtly and humorously show our prejudices and the general messiness of our relationships sets her apart, and I can't wait to see more from her.
    • 4/5
      Really excellent and sweet story about two widowers falling in love despite their horridly hilarious family connections. Lots of wonderfully dry British wit throughout.  
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this comedy of manners very much. The Major was a delightful old git, with such a dry and incisive wit. His oaf of a son was not unfamiliar, and young George was fully fleshed out- all the characters were. I was transported to the little village, and quite caught up in the drama. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      A lovely, quiet, gentle story about love and families. Very nicely done.
    • 4/5
      great story, great book
    • 5/5
      A wonderful love story about to older people finding each other. Also a look at ethnicity and prejudice in English society. I really enjoyed this book!
    • 4/5
      Slow going, at first. Although the Major and Mrs. Ali were instantly likable, they were terribly diluted by lesser beings.

      The Major's son, Roger, scurried around like a rodent, collecting financial seeds for the winter. And the ladies at the club (led by queen bee Daisy) buzzed like bees, intent upon maintaining order in their hive.

      It took me a while to accept that those lesser beings were necessary to contrast the sterling qualities of the main characters, in the way that lightning bugs shine most brightly in the darkness.

      This story touched on so many themes that are dear to me. Such as the importance of defining one's own moral compass to guide one through an ever changing social terrain of arbitrarily designated rules. And the value of having ties to our ancestors so that we can understand from whence we came, and then strive to outdo their best deeds (knowing that we will often fall short).
    • 3/5
      I was kind of charmed by this but the whole situation with the brother and the inheritance and the unpleasant son was stressing me out, and also it was due back to the library so I skipped to the end to make sure everything turned out okay before I quit.
    • 5/5
      I see no need to repeat the plot since almost every one does that. I will put this as one of my favorite books of the recent years. After finishing it I wanted to read it again because I feel sure I missed one or more of the sardonic quips the Major and occasionally Mrs. Ali blurt out. I want to write some of these down and reread them if ever I need a lift! The cover was even more than meets the eye at first glance. It was far better than any of the recommendations lead me to expect especially when they used phrases like "little love story" on the cover which made me put off reading this book for some time. Much better than 'delightful' by a long shot.
    • 5/5
      What a wonderful book. Major Pettigrew is initially seen as a lonely old man with nothing much left in life (though he is not actually so old as all that).... then his character unfolds along with events and the small English community in which he lives. Lots of great characters. The book is humorous, charming and meaningful. John Mortimer meets Jane Austen. I'll be reading Simonson's next novel... whatever that may be.
    • 5/5
      I think this book may have saved my life. I read it at a very low point, for me, shortly after my mother passed away, and it provided distraction, comfort, beauty, laughter and joy. It is set in a small English village and perfectly captures a modern-day slant on the classic British novel of manners. Its closest kin would be one of the Jane Austen novels. I absolutely adore it-- I do think the last third gets a little bumpy and plot-heavby, but the writing is simply exquisite, and the shine of it remains. Have already read it at least 3 times. Wish she would publish a new book soon!
    • 3/5
      This started promisingly, if predictably - you know it's going to be a comfort read when the plot outcome is clear from page one, and I expect most reviews are larded with 'feel-goods' and 'heart-warmings' - and don't get me wrong, it definitely is. However, it is also crammed with farcical stereotypes and some truly ludicrous set-pieces, the worst being the way over-the-top Indian night at the Golf Club and a terribly contrived climax on a Beachy Head lookalike. Because the characters are mainly stereotypical, the admirable attempt to demonstrate the ludicrousness of the British class system and the sad state of race relations loses any credibility. Mrs. Ali never convinces and Major Pettigrew, while by far the most nuanced character - well, go and read Old Filth and see the difference. As a baby boomer, I suppose I should be pleased by the plethora of films and books centred around curmudgeonly old codgers discovering their sentimental inner child, or finding 'late-blooming' love etc. etc., but let's face it, most of it is appearing because of our perceived spending power - well, hardening of the arteries doesn't necessarily mean softening of the brain too.
    • 3/5
      This book has been reviewed numerous times so I will refrain from repeating the scenario. I will just giving my humble viewpoint.I didn't like it, didn't not like it. It was mediocre as far as I was concerned. The same old story of an older person with self-centered children(child) and changing his whole outlook without any explainable reason. I couldn't get into the main character and I just wanted so many times to tell him to get over when he had issues with his son who acted the same way as he did.Funny thing is that I read this for my book club and of the six members there for discussion, 3 disliked it, 1 loved it, and 2 were non-committal.
    • 5/5
      This is one of those stories that takes you by surprise - characters are more than they seem, events unfold in ways you didn't expect, and you find yourself pulled into the story without even noticing. Ms. Simonson takes a quiet simple story and manages to build layers and depth as her characters grapple with ideas like family honor and courage and the moral high ground. Lovely and funny too.
    • 3/5
      Our group was somewhat split on this one. Charming & overall nice read.
    • 4/5
      Another reread. My mother brought this for me for Christmas two years ago as she had enjoyed it so much, I did enjoy it, even if the characters were stereotypes. I enjoyed so much of the book and the development of characters (and the comments and observations on the village inhabitants). Then in its last few chapters it tries to become an 'action' novel, which I feel was unnecessary and contrived. It did redeem itself in the epilogue which returned to it's gentle wryness
    • 5/5
      The Major discovers a friend in Mrs. Ali, is frustrated with gun ownership, and angry with his calculating son.
    • 5/5
      It all started with a chance meeting. If the paper boy hadn't been sick the day Major Ernest Pettigrew learned of his brother's death, Mrs. Ali might never have been anyone other than the village shopkeeper. Shared grief soon blossomed into friendship, and then into something more.Major Pettigrew's Last Stand is much more than the story of a romance between mature adults. It examines cultural, generational, social, and gender barriers between people, demonstrating that these barriers are sometimes much thinner than we perceive. Sometimes all it takes to break down those barriers is the courage to appear foolish. Major Pettigrew is often naive, and often grants others the benefit of the doubt even when they clearly don't deserve it. His generous nature will see him through the obstacles in his relationships with Mrs. Ali as well as with his adult son, Roger.I couldn't help being charmed by the Major. I also grew fond of Grace, a woman of a certain age who also risked social censure to bridge cultural barriers. I wish Simonson would write a sequel focusing on Grace. Of course, the Major and his family would need to make an appearance to let readers know what he's been up to since the end of his story. Warmly recommended.
    • 4/5
      There were moments in Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson that were brilliant, but there were also boring diversions and distractions that took away from the story.I adored the newly developing relationship between Major Pettigrew and Mrs. Ali. There was something so beautifully touching about new found love in the second stage of life. As a couple, they were interesting, engaging, and transforming. I enjoyed the story the most during these chapters, and would get lost inside the story because they were simply that good.Additionally, there were a number of laugh-out-loud scenes throughout the book, and I truly enjoyed those parts as that rarely ever happens to me. Furthermore, despite the discrimination that was portrayed, there were some genuinely altruistic characters, such as Grace and Alec. Their kindness was redeeming.However, the endless discussions about the Churchill guns were excruciatingly slow, and weakened the story. Also, two characters, Major Pettigrew's son, Roger, and Marjorie's daughter (Major Pettigrew's niece), Jamima, were so spoiled and arrogant that I would have liked to have seen them receive their due.Overall, the novel was an enjoyable read, but if there was better editing it would have been a home-run.
    • 5/5
      Major Pettigrew is an old-fashioned sort of man: stuffy, stiff-upper-lip, and very, very English. He might almost come across as a bit of a comical stereotype, except for the fact that, from the very beginning, he feels incredibly real and individual and human. This novel follows the good Major as he deals with the death of his brother, some messy business about a family heirloom the brother failed to account for in his will, mixed feelings about his social-climber son and his often embarrassingly tasteless neighbors, and, most especially, his friendship with Mrs. Ali, a widowed Pakistani shopkeeper, which is slowly developing into something deeper. Although both his own natural reticence and the painfully clueless racism of their small English village make that last thing a little problematic.I find it hard to put into words just how delightful I found this book. It's warm and perceptive and thoughtful and filled with a wonderfully dry sense of humor, and it made me feel completely and unabashedly romantic, which for me is almost unheard if. It's just lovely. Wholly, utterly lovely. I still have a nice warm glow from reading it.
    • 5/5
      Major Pettigrew is just living his life as a widower in a little village, playing golf and waiting for the day when "his" Churchhill gun is reunited with his brother's gun as a matched set. His life becomes entwined with a widow - Mrs. Ali - who runs the local convenience store. His son Roger, who views himself as a fancy sophisticate, isn't happy about it but he's living his own life with his American fiance, but at the same time wants to run his father's life. His neighbors and friends aren't crazy about it because - she's Indian. Mrs. Ali is dealing with her own issues with her late husband's family and her nephew who has come to stay with her who has unforeseen problems of his own!Enjoyable sweet story about love and what we do to keep it.
    • 4/5
      Although the characters were much older than me, I found them very relateable. This is a charming, uplifting, wonderful read.