Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

from goodreads

3 stars

I don't know exactly what it is but books set in small towns seem to be the most charming. Whether it is the microcosm of society that is presented, or that we all yearn for simple rural living, the characters are lovely, relatable and you often want to sit and have a cup of tea with them.

I grew up in a small town, and I definitely wouldn't call it charming. Perhaps it was the town. Or perhaps that is the great thing about literature. Authors can make their small town one of perfection.

Now that isn't to say that a book set in a big city can't have charm either, but usually for that charm to work you have to narrow it down to a neighbourhood, or street. There needs to be a cozy factor and intimate factor and then the charm just comes naturally.

Synopsis

Major Pettigrew is retired, widowed and sort of stuck in his ways. When he learns about the death of his younger brother he is rocked to his core. He begins to look at things a differently, even Mrs. Ali, the local corner store owner.

My Thoughts

This story was charming. It was cute and quaint. The inhabitants of the town were exactly as you would picture them to be. There are the busybody women, their hopeless husbands, the secrets and the stuck in the muds.

I loved the character of Mrs. Ali. She is so classy and cool. I would love to have a conversation with her.

I liked how the author showed that prejudice is everywhere, even when people are trying to be well intentioned. Perhaps it is still a throwback to colonial times and it just isn't thought of. Even today people talk about "immigrants" yet some of the people we think of as immigrants have been here just as long or were born here. And really who cares! Seriously, people need to get over it.

I thought the Major's son was a bit of a loser. I wished that at some point either the Major or someone called him out a bit and made him realize he was being an insensitive jerk who was too busy trying to climb the social ladder than being a descent human being. Even at the end when he gets a bit humbled he doesn't show any true remorse and doesn't grow at all. I kind of found that disappointing.

I found some parts of the book to be a bit dry. Some things seemed to be thrown in or weren't followed through which made it unsatisfying.

For a first book this was cute and charming. With a bit of tightening up it would be really great. I think I might have appreciated the book more if I was a bit more mature in my life. Being in my early 30s it was hard to completely empathize or relate to the characters. But that being said, I still enjoyed the read.