Staff Pick
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson is a charming, adorable, sweet story about two widowed residents of the small English village of Edgecombe St. Mary. Major Pettigrew (68) is the quintessential British man-of-the-country, complete with strong ideas about duty, honor, family, village life, etiquette, and tea. Mrs. Ali (58) is a lovely, intellectual, Pakistani woman trying to preserve her life in the country against the wishes of her late husband's family, which has very different ideas for her future. When a small flicker of attraction blooms into a small romance between these two, it's sweet and innocent. They both look back fondly upon their respective previous marriages, and this lends itself to an understanding of how rare and lovely a perfect match can be. The Major suffers real angst in trying to navigate his way into this romance and still act within his own idea of what an honorable man is. The reader will truly cheer for these two characters and this charming little gem of a book. I applaud Helen Simonson on her very lovely first endeavor into literature: More, please! Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com