• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (November 30, 2010)
In the small village of Edgecombe St. Mary in the English countryside lives Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson’s wondrous debut. Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, 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 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 regarding her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition?
My take on the book: What a lovely book. As soon as I finished it I wanted to read it again. On the surface the book can be seen as a very charming, quintessential, old-fashioned love story that is taking you step by step into a very controversial relationship between Major Pettigrew and Mrs Ali. I loved their interactions and their ever so light courting. They both were in need of a friendship and I love how their love of literature and loss of their spouses was used to bridge a gap in their totally different lives. They live in a small village and if you have ever lived in a small town or village you know that everyone knows everyone's business. This is not always a good thing.
Deep down this book was about confronting prejudices and faults and how to move beyond them, in my opinion. It was about family bonds and the struggles with culture and traditions. This book is packed full of interesting characters. I did think that sometimes the stereotypes were defining the characters more than necessary but it wasn't harsh or over the top. The author took this story to places I would not have imagined possible. This book wasn't what I expected but the unexpected was worth the read.
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Want to hear what others on the Tour think of the book? Check them out, here:
Thursday, January 6th: Lit and Life
Friday, January 7th: BookNAround
Monday, January 10th: Book Reviews by Molly
Tuesday, January 11th: Scraps of Life
Thursday, January 13th: The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader
Monday, January 17th: Rundpinne
Wednesday, January 19th: 1330v
Thursday, January 20th: In the Next Room
Tuesday, January 25th: Dolce Bellezza
Wednesday, January 26th: A Certain Bent Appeal
Friday, January 28th: Jenny Loves to Read
Monday, January 31st: Novel Whore
Tuesday, February 1st: Debbie’s Book Bag
Wednesday, February 2nd: The Brain Lair
Thursday, February 3rd: Unabridged Chick
Tuesday, February 15th: Mabel’s House
Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided to me through TLC Book Tours. My own tasty words and opinions are expressed here. Pick up a copy and for your own opinions! If you do, I'd love to know what you thought of the book! Leave a comment or a link to your own review!
"the unexpected was worth the read" - now THAT is a great way to describe a book, one that will ensure that I want to pick it up for myself!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being a part of the tour. I'm so glad you enjoyed the book!