With courting curmudgeons, wayward sons, religion, race, and real estate in a petty and picturesque English village, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is surprisingly, wonderfully romantic and fresh . . . the best first novel I’ve read in a long, long time.”—Cathleen Schine, author of The Love Letter The world is full of small ignorances. We must all do our best to ignore them and thereby keep them small.. So go and fecth it," said the Major.Needless to say, this was a delightful, entertaining, wonderful read. Delightful . . . Lots of books try to evoke Jane Austen . . . but Simonson nails the genteel British comedy of manners with elegant aplomb.”— The Christian Science Monitor

During a break, she asked the Major for a ride home and the Major obliged, but worried about wagging tongues should anyone see Amina and George getting into his car. She also asked the Major about his relationship with Mrs. Ali. He attempted to defer, but she stated that she was hoping to get a part-time job at her store. During his golf game, Alec mentioned that the secretary was initially disturbed that Roger had shown up unannounced expecting to be made a member of the club. The Major attempted to disguise the fact that he was not aware of Roger’s visit. Alec mentioned that Gertrude, Lord Dagenham’s niece showed up and smoothed things over, but Alec suggested the Major talk to Roger about it.Though at times charming, this book mostly left me wondering what sort of a world the author imagines England to be. Her characterizations are far more disjointed than the plot, which has its flaws but at worst they’re jarring, not heinous. However, the characterizations don’t work not merely because there are only two or three bearable people in the entire novel (and this isn't a farcical satire), but mainly because they’re a convoluted mess of contexts. Major Pettigrew’s manners and standards hearken from a more gentlemanly era, yet it’s as though he’s a one-man time warp surrounded by modern incarnations of rudeness and overt materialism – his son is breathtakingly selfish and shallow, his relatives are vulgar and grasping, and the local squire has class snobbery but no sense of heritage. (And are we supposed to feel sorry for the Major because of his frightful son, or wonder at his bad parenting??)

Mrs. Ali (Jasmina) – A Pakistani shopkeeper, a bit of an oddity in the small village of Edgecombe St. Mary, smart, kind, Major Pettigrew, a retired British Army officer, is a man who is used to being in control of his routine and social life. What little there is. He is a widower of 5 years and has recently buried his brother Bertie. He has a son who is mostly interested in himself and often refers to his 68 year old father as "elderly". The Major is also lonely. He has his Golf Club where he plays with a few close friends. His other activities include shooting events where he uses 1 of a matched pair of Churchill shotguns which together in a sale can bring huge sums of money. You see the weapons are perfect workmanship and are rare. The pair was passed to Ernest and brother, one to each, from their father as part of the will. They were awarded by an Indian Prince to Col. Pettigrew, Ernest and Bertie's father, when India was awarded their independence.When I hear "character-driven novel", I usually roll my eyes. I expect navel-gazing and lots of exploration of self, and it comes a bit too close to self-help for my tastes. But Simonson gets it absolutely right in Major Pettigrew. The Major mulled over the increasingly public nature of his connection to Mrs. Ali as he headed to the club to meet Alec for a round of golf. Just inside, he saw Amina, the young mother of George, attempting to teach the female kitchen staff some traditional dances. First impressions in Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand can be deceiving. Discuss the progressions of the characters you feel changed the most from the beginning of the book to the end. English-Pakistani relationships take a center stage in this novel and are written in a particularly tactful and insightful way, without sugar coating the difficult colonial past of both countries and prejudices that exist up to this day.