Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand 

  - Helen Simonson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you are looking for a heart-warming, delightful read, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand could be a very apt choice. It is a charming book, peppered with a liberal dose of classic British humor, hilarious and moving in turns.

At the heart of this story is an endearing tale of love, a second chance at happiness, for the elderly major Pettigrew and a second generation Pakistani lady, Mrs Ali. Major is the quintessential English gentleman - polite, reserved and rather conservative. Mrs Ali is the owner of the local grocery store - kind, well-educated and sophisticated. They are drawn to each other because of their loneliness, and their love for reading and poetry. Their relationship is etched out beautifully, capturing the feeling of loneliness in the later years of life, brought about by the loss of a partner with whom one has shared a lifetime, and a failure to find people to share one’s immeasurable grief with. The story depicts the helplessness of such a situation, uncertainties wrought about by the thought of defying conventions, and then goes on to show how a ray hope can shine through from the unlikeliest of corners, if you have the courage and conviction.

It recreates the life in a small English town, quite set and proper in its way – with tea parties and social visits, game hunting and charity activities with church, and not to forget, age-old prejudices – the kind of image we have gleaned from Agatha Christies and Enid Blytons. For once I wondered if things are still the same after nearly a century, but then conceded that it may well be so – because I think that the author will have done her research, and more so because if we ponder, the life in our old towns have not changed much either. It also shows us, quite masterfully, how changes are inevitable with time, and how people are reluctant to change something they have been practicing for decades; in their mind, this way of life gradually stops being a comfort zone and becomes a firm belief that this is indeed the best way.

There are the unavoidable clashes of class, culture and age, and what is commendable is the objective way these differences are viewed with. Both the societies – the English and the Muslim, are orthodox in their own ways, and have their own class hierarchy. The elite are unwilling to socialize with the working class, while the latter aspire to be included into the circle of the former. The younger generation does not identify with the complacent ways of the older, while the older people lament the loss of values, empathy and courtesy in the young. While most of it is true for almost any society, this book depicts it in an enchanting way.

There is quite a bit of drama, which I found acceptable for an entertaining book like this one. The bigger flaw was extremely stereotypical portrayal of quite a few characters – a couple of vacuous society ladies, Major’s insensitive and extremely materialistic son, and greedy relatives. These characters are painted in black, without a single redeemable quality (his son being utterly despicable), to the extent that you can predict all their moves. Yet, one can forgive this to an enjoyable book with a storyline that's much more enriching than the usual romance, and some endearing characters that reaffirm your faith in the generosity of human spirit.