Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Synopsis: Major Ernest Pettigrew (Ret'd) is not interested in the frivolity of the modern world. Since his wife Nancy's death, he has tried to avoid the constant bother of nosy village women, his grasping, ambitious son, and the ever spreading suburbanization of the English countryside, preferring to lead a quiet life upholding the values that people have lived by for generations -respectability, duty, and a properly brewed cup of tea (very much not served in a polystyrene cup with teabag left in). But when his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Ali, the widowed village shopkeeper of Pakistani descent, the Major is drawn out of his regimented world and forced to confront the realities of life in the twenty-first century. Drawn together by a shared love of Literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs Ali soon find their friendship on the cusp of blossoming into something more. But although the Major was actually born in Lahore, and Mrs. Ali was born in Cambridge, village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and her as a permanent foreigner. The Major has always taken special pride in the village, but how will the chaotic recent events affect his relationship with the place he calls home? Written with sharp perception and a delightfully dry sense of humour, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand is a heart warming love story with a cast of unforgettable characters that questions how much one should sacrifice personal happiness for the obligations of family and tradition.

Review: Alan bought this home from the supermarket for me when I was still laid up (and feeling a bit fed up) with the flu. The blurb on the back says it's 'a very jolly joy' and 'a book to make you laugh' so he thought it would make a nice change from all the ghost stories and downright depressing tales that I'd been reading lately (the theory probably being that the sooner I cheered up and got back on my feet the sooner I'd be back to making his tea and generally looking after him.)It's a book that I'd had half an eye on anyway and although I didn't think the paperback cover was quite as beautiful as the hardback .. it's still extremely pretty.

It's quite a simple story about widowed Major Pettigrew. He's feeling a bit down after the death of his brother Bertie and unexpectedly finds friendship, and a shared love of books, with the village shopkeeper, the recently widowed, Mrs Ali. They bond over readings of Kipling and cups of tea. The village as a whole is apt to disapprove as Mrs Ali (Jasmina) is of Indian descent (even though she's never been further than the Isle of Wight!) and their own respective families are not exactly joyous about it, especially Jasmina's who would rather she stayed behind the counter where they can keep an eye on her. Major Pettigrew's only son Roger is a bit too wrapped up in his own life to be too concerned. He's completely obsessed with money and social climbing (think truffle dusted food, goatskin loungers and black fibre optic christmas tree's) and rides rough shod over his fathers feelings without being the least aware of it (for one thing he thinks the Major should get rid of his books and free up some space for an enormous TV!) His rudeness and arrogance are in fact a source of amusement to the reader because it provides the Major with plenty of chances to exercise his dry sense of humour and anyway you get the feeling that underneath there's probably a decent person struggling to emerge, he just needs to grow up a bit.

Problems familiar to rural village life raise their head, there are threats of new housing estates, animal welfare protesters, gossiping locals and an awful golf club dinner dance - the theme of which is 'An Evening at the Mughal Court' - which manages unintentionally to embarrass the Major and insult Jasmina in one fell swoop. There is also the problem of the pair of Churchill rifles, which were left, one apiece, to the Major and his brother on their father's death. Now that Bertie has gone, it was their fathers intention (and very much the Major's wish) that the rifles be reunited but Bertie's family and Roger have their own agenda concerning them, which involves selling them to the highest bidder. And, of course, there's the friendship between the Major and Jasmina which develops with each passing day. The Major's quite 'old school', he's someone who sets a lot of store by good manners and politeness but ultimately he has to decide what's important in life, should he cling to the old traditions, bow down to familial responsibilites and continue with this life of interminable golf lunches, shooting parties, afternoon tea and village ladies with their 'blunt tweedy concerns' or should he strike out and do something bold for a change, relax a bit and take a chance. After all, you're never too old for love are you?

This is a fairly gentle story, nothing particularly explosive happens, though there is a lot of hustle and bustle. The key to making a simple story work like this is to make sure your main characters are likeable and they are. It worked anyway, it was a nice comfy cosy read, the sort of story you might see dramatised on the BBC on a Sunday evening or over Christmas. It might be considered a bit twee for some but I don't mind a bit of occasional tweeness. I felt cheered by it and it definitely helped improve my mood .. I can't say that I jumped up and immediately made a batch of scones or anything but I did feel a lot less mopey.