evanxu

A tale of love and of self-discovery, set in a quintessential English village that's beautifully described. Major Pettigrew is on the surface thoroughly set in his ways, content with a comfortable, albeit somewhat lonely, life, and viewing change with suspicion. It's a life that will never be the same after he invites Jasmina Ali into it. We see the world, and the man himself, firmly through Major Pettigrew's eyes, which makes it all the more interesting as he gradually gains more and more self-awareness, and is forced into re-examining what he truly values That makes it all sound rather heavy, and consciously "worthy", which it most certainly is not. The author has a wonderfully light touch with her characters, and the book is well leavened with humour. People who initially appear almost as stock characters generally turn out to be far more complex and interesting. Until we've spent more time with them, we can no more assume that we really know these people than the Major himself can. The climax, with its unexpected (to me, at least) villain, contains quite a brilliant mix of the absurd and the truly chilling. And the ending has a satisfying and believable dose of piquancy mixed with its sweetness.

2020-09-07 01:15