Helen Simonson

A pleasant enough holiday read. Major Pettigrew overcomes his somewhat stuffy, if enjoyable, background in the shires to befriend and ultimately marry Asian shopkeeper , Mrs. Ali. The end.

I don't read many fiction books anymore, but this one drew me to it. I was not disappointed. It was a look back at the time when many traditions were overthrown by what became known as the "Great War" and what we now know as World War I.
Throughout the book my main thought was.... why hasn't PBS/ BBC made this a movie/ mini series yet? Also there would be ways to write a sequel. I would happily read that as well.

Victoria Shields says, along with the NYT: "Funny, barbed, delightfully winsome storytelling . . . As with the polished work of Alexander McCall Smith, there is never a dull moment . . . It's all about intelligence, heart, dignity and backbone." English fiction.