Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Helen Simonson's debut novel, "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand" is set in a small, rural English village - Edgecombe St. Mary. The story focuses on widowed and retired Major Ernest Pettigrew who has his own ideas about integrity, honor, and proper behavior and puzzles over the behavior of his only son. The Major's world is turned upside down when his brother (and only sibling) dies unexpectedly. It's at this point that a widowed Pakistani shopkeeper in the village, Mrs. Jasmina Ali, shows him kindness and friendship and their friendship takes them both down a path that will ultimately change both their lives and the lives of their family, friends, and neighbors. It's a love story, a story about biases, and also a story about how a man pretty set in his ways begins to change his thinking when exposed to new and unexpected situations that bring him face to face with a world outside of the bubble he's been living in.

Simonson's writing is poetic in its descriptions and I love how she develops her characters to the point that you feel like you're right there living their lives with them and feeling what they're going through right along with them.

My husband picked this book up at the library off their "best picks" shelf and shared extensively about the book as he was reading it. Normally, if I plan to read a book myself, I discourage him from telling me anything about it so I was surprised when (despite knowing a lot of the book's details)I decided to read the book, too. I'm so glad I did because it is such a delicious experience. We recommended it to our book club and I highly recommend it to anyone who would like something that is poignant as well as funny to read. You can learn more about this New York Times Bestseller at www.majorpettigrew.com.

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