When Major Pettigrew meets Mrs. Ali, the earth does not move, or stop, for that matter. She's just that woman from the village shop. No biggie. They share many, many cups of tea, take walks together, meet to (be still my heart!) discuss books, and help solve crises involving others' matters of the heart.

Mrs. Ali talks about how her life has changed since her nephew has moved to the area. The Major sympathizes and tells Mrs. Ali about Roger's ideas about how he should live his life now that he has aged. Thoroughly charming . . . With her crisp wit and gentle insight, Simonson . . . knows just what delicious disruption romance can introduce to a well-settled life.”— The Washington Post Plans are, or at least were, afoot for a television production of the novel, but at present, it listed in IMDB.COM only as "in development." But as of now (March 2021) it is still a nogo, which is terribly sad. I had been very much looking forward to seeing Bill Nighy in the title role. For Major Pettigrew, the Churchills represent societal standing and achievement, as well as an important part of his family’s history. However, as events unfold, the Major begins to question whether loyalty and honor are more important than material objects and social status. Discuss the evolving importance of the guns to the Major, as well as the challenge of passing down important objects, and values, to younger generations.Whoever read my Olive Kitteridge rant, probably knows that I am not much into reading books about old people. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, however, proves that any book about any subject matter or any type of characters can become a great experience if written well. Mrs. Ali is a kind, generous Pakistani widow who owns and runs the small convenience store down the street from Major Pettigrew. As she struggles to maintain her individuality as a worthwhile woman while adhering to the pressures of her fundamentalist Muslim family, she finds a friend and soul mate in the kind, quiet man of Mr. Pettigrew. After lunch, Abdul Wahid engaged Sandy and Roger in a discussion of religion, despite the concerned Major’s efforts to change the subject to safer topics. When the notion of marriage came up, the Major asked Sandy and Roger if they had set a date for the wedding. Roger revealed that he no immediate intentions of getting married; the engagement was merely to provide Sandy with an extension on her visa. Roger mentioned that marriage would look bad at his firm and might curtail his career. Sandy remained silent during most of this talk and the Major sensed she was not in complete agreement with Roger. She also had admitted to having many acquaintances but few friends; that, coupled with her wry sense of humor, had begun to endear Sandy to the Major in spite of himself. 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.

Saturday morning, the Major was working in his garden when a flustered Roger emerged from the house. The Major had been taken by surprise by Roger’s abrupt visit and realized he would not know what to make of Abdul Wahid. With Sandy keeping Abdul Wahid busy in conversation, Roger made several statements to his father that hinted a distrust of Abdul Wahid based on his race. When Roger and Sandy went to the car to get lunch, Abdul Wahid told the Major he should leave because Roger and Sandy wanted to stay the weekend. The Major deflected any hasty decisions and invited Abdul Wahid to lunch; he accepted, but noted that most of the pork-based dishes would be off limits to him for religious reasons. Mrs. Ali, English, born and bred, an obvious outsider has a lot to deal with in the village. How is she acting, how is she talking, and most importantly, who is she talking to? She's a woman that lives by the values closely aligned to her culture, yet Major and her grow fond of one another in an organic way, worthy of exploring. Set-in-his-ways retired British officer tentatively courts charming local widow of Pakistani descent. Mrs. Ali (Jasmina) – A Pakistani shopkeeper, a bit of an oddity in the small village of Edgecombe St. Mary, smart, kind, I found the character development in Major Pettigrew's Last Stand to be particularly strong, and it helped to draw me into the story.

Ok, Marys and Davina, I agree 100% with your insights. I was trying to put my finger on why I liked this book so much, and I think you hit the nail on the head. The characters weren't instantly likable or even knowable - - and I thought that made ... - againstthetide

The Major decided to write a letter to the Planning Officer, but worded it carefully to avoid being disinvited from the upcoming shoot at Lord Dagenham’s place. Since he was in town, he decided to stop in to see Mrs. Ali to see how she was doing. After some polite conversation during which the Major noticed that Mrs. Ali appeared distracted, she revealed the source of her distress. The Major acted surprised when Mrs. Ali admitted that Abdul Wahid was George’s father. Mrs. Ali had mentioned before that her nephew had recently returned from a long period living in his homeland, and the Major now realized that trip was a response to his situation with Amina. Mrs. Ali insisted that Abdul Wahid did not know about the pregnancy, but tension had arisen over Mrs. Ali’s decision to let Amina and George stay with them. She sensed that the girl was virtually penniless and might run. Mrs. Ali was amazed to find herself already so attached to her great-nephew, George. I think I threw the turkey out the window,"said Roger. "Or maybe I threw it throught the window. There's a big draft in here." The Major and Mrs. Ali had arranged for a Sunday meeting at his house because she had the afternoon off and her nephew was accustomed to her being out. As the Major fussed over the tea set, he came across two cups that he and Nancy had acquired early in their marriage. It reminded him of Nancy, but he convinced himself he felt no sense of conflict in his growing attachment to Mrs. Ali. To busy himself until Mrs. Ali’s arrival, the Major began to work on the restoration of Bertie’s gun. He was dismayed to find it in very different condition than his own meticulously cleaned rifle. He knew that a slow and laborious restoration would be required to convince Ferguson that the two were a set. So go and fecth it," said the Major.Needless to say, this was a delightful, entertaining, wonderful read.

The writing style deserves special mention. Not only the novel is never boring, but it is written with an Austen-like elegant humor which I don't come across very often in contemporary literature. 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??) Jasmina is an independent spirit, a reader, a Pakistani woman before her time. Her nephew, Abdul Wahli is working in the shop but Jasmina feels more than capable of running her husband’s business. Tradition dictates her place and she must consider allowing Abdul to take over but she won’t go out without a fight. The Major (Earnest, aptly named) – Retired British Army, military attitude, and strong values, almost stuffy with an air of ostentation.