What readers think of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, plus links to write your own review.

It may not happen immediately, but well before you finish this book, you will love Major Pettigrew. I love how the author was able to incorporate the Major's thoughts as well as his actions into a great character. This is such a funny and charming book. The feel of the story will remind you of the charm of the Mitford series of several years ago. I was somewhat aware of the prejudices of economic class and Pakistani immigrants, but this book really turned it into an enlightening part of the story. There has to be a sequel. I will buy it the first day it is available.

A few weeks ago, I was very much influenced in reading this book after having enjoyed so much the most delectable comments mostly from PaulaK and from many others from the Book Club section about it being a most feel good reading which was just what I needed at that point!
I mostly enjoyed it and it did make me feel good most of the time, it also annoyed me a little sometimes, unfortunately…
Despite its feel good overall quality, this book also deals with serious matters almost in a shallow way, to my own slight dissatisfaction, I must admit to; I enjoyed the superior quality of the writing, the subtle wit, the British ironic humor, the endearing characters…
I was also gnawed by the unpleasant sensation of being overly “charmed” right thru the end with its superfluous unrealistic climax!

This is a wonderful story with a main character that I was fond of right from the start, and remained so even as my first impression of him was altered as the book neared its conclusion. I enjoyed the turns in the plot that led me to change my idea of what the Major's last stand really would be.

This book is a bit lighter than my usual fare, but I was absolutely charmed by it. If I lived in Edgcumbe-St.-Mary, I think I'd be in love with the major, too. It's the gentle tale of a widowed retired major who is grieving for his recently-deceased brother when friendship blooms with Mrs. Ali, the widow of a Pakistani shopkeeper. Friendship inevitably turns into stronger affection--but what will the members of the club say (let alone the major's son, a broker schmoozing his way up the corporate ladder)? And will the major ever succeed in reuniting a pair of Churchill shooters given to his father by a maharajah and divided between his sons at his death? Much of the novel is centers on conflicts between the "older generation" values of the major and the new values of "progress." Mrs. Ali, too, has conflicts with her own beliefs and the traditional Islamic values of her husband's family.

If I could give this book 4.5 stars, I would. It's not quite a 5, but awfully close!

Wow, this is a really hard book for me to review because I’m not quite sure I enjoyed it all that much. It was very hard to get through as it’s long-winded in detail which I find very mundane. The meeting of Major Pettigrew and Mrs. Ali in their late 60’s and 50’s, respectively, was a nice touch. We don’t often think of people of that age finding new love interests and it shows that no matter how old we are, we all need some form of love. I’ll leave my comments at that.