Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired) leads a quiet life in the village of St. Mary, England, until his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But will their relationship survive in a society that considers Ali a foreigner?
A pleasant, well-written, if sometimes heavy-handed, story of love and romance after 60. That sounds a bit milquetoast, but that's not what the book is; it may not have stirred my soul, but it was easy to pick up and hard to put down.
Small village, small minds, race relations and a dying class system set the scene for a plot that is not unpredictable. But Simonson excels at writing rich characters that come alive on the page; the only time she failed for me was Roger. Roger had no redeeming qualities and should have been disinherited posthaste. Otherwise, the characters are what make the story.
A very solid 4 stars.
Reading updates
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17 June, 2018:
Started reading
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19 June, 2018:
Finished reading
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19 June, 2018:
Reviewed