Author Topic: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson - April 1 (Read 87538 times)

JoanP · « **Reply #280 on:** April 23, 2011, 09:30:48 AM »

The Book Club Online is the oldest book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone. We offer cordial discussions of one book a month, 24/7 and enjoy the company of readers from all over the world. Everyone is welcome to join in.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

April Book Club Online

"When Major Pettigrew, a retired British army major in a small English village, embarks on an unexpected friendship with the widowed Mrs. Ali, who runs the local shop, trouble erupts to disturb the bucolic serenity of the village and of the Major’s carefully regimented life.

"As the Major and Mrs. Ali discover just how much they have in common, including an educated background and a shared love of books, they must struggle to understand what it means to belong and how far the obligations of family and tradition can be set aside for personal freedom. Meanwhile, the village itself, lost in its petty prejudices and traditions, may not see its own destruction coming." New York Times (best seller)

"...a wry and witty love story set in a little English village where small town prejudices, and race and religious intolerances are alive and well. With gentle insight, the author captures the thrill of falling in love after 60 and the disruption romance can introduce into a well-settled life."

Discussion Schedule:

April 1-7 ~ Chapters 1-6]
April 8 - 15 ~ Chapters 7-12
April 16 - 24 ~ Chapters 13-17
April 25 - April 30 ~ Chapters 18-25
May 1-May 3 ~ Epilogue, Final Impressions, Visit with the Author

*****

For Consideration
April 25-April 30 ~ Chapters 18-25

1. Has there been much change in the village in the aftermath of the ball brawl? Do you think the changes in the Ali's shop will affect the business?

2. Why does Abdul Wahid cold shoulder the Major? Does he hold him responsible for what happened? Does Abdul's appreciation for the Major's hospitality seem contrived to you?

3. Can you believe the Vicar's words of consolation to the Major on the loss of his lady friend? Do you think 'theological incompatibility' reflects current Church attitudes? Do you think the Major is experiencing a crisis in faith or, is he simply at odds with Christopher's brand of Christianity?

4. Would the Major and Grace make a good team for life? Does Grace really share the Major's outrage and disappointment over Jasmina's departure?

5. Were you surprised at Grace's refusal to the Major's offer? Does she bring to mind one of Barbara Pym's ladies?
"Without passion people living together may be lonelier than if they lived alone." Do you agree with the viewpoint that passion is a necessary ingredient for marriage at their age?

6. Though distraught, is there any indication that Roger has changed? What did you think of the Major's attempt to explain love to his son? Did he understand what his father was trying to tell him?

7. Is it obvious why the Ali family wants to keep Jasmina with them? What greater good did Mrs. Ali try to accomplish by giving up the shop?

8. Sandy: “A cottage in the country is a dangerous dream.” Mrs. Ali: " I allowed myself to daydream." Do both women share the same dreams wrapped in a cottage? Is the Major's admiration for Sandy decision to leave and get on with life similar to his request of Mrs. Ali to show her courage to leave?

9. "Let's just drive right off the map.” Does the story take on a fairy tale aspect at this point? Is it madness, or can it possibly work?
10. How does the stress of living with one foot in modernity and one foot in the traditions of an ancient culture affect Abdul Wahid? Why could Amina, from the same traditions, choose to live out her passion for dance rather than marry to cover shame, whereas Abdul Wahid turned to the tradition of haram to escape from his shame?

Related Links:
SeniorLearn Readers' Interview with Helen Simonson, Part 1;
SeniorLearn's Questions for Helen Simonson; NPR's Interview with the Author; Churchill Rifles - "World's Finest" ; Churchill Method: Rules of Shooting; The India-Pakistan Partition

Discussion Leaders: Barbara & JoanP

JoanP · « **Reply #281 on:** April 23, 2011, 04:42:20 PM »

See how great these discussions are! All along I was picturing the white cliffs of Dover - thinking Dover was in Sussex. Rosemary, I didn't know those steep chalky cliffs were so extensive. Can't you just imagine a young boy playing ball near the edge of such a cliff? The mother of four boys cringes at the thought - knowing how focused on the ball they get when playing a game....

They really are chalk! My son brought home chunks of it for each of his nieces and nephews - and printed out a picture of the white cliffs to explain where he got it. Someday they will remember that if/when they see these cliffs themselves.

Rosemary, I looked up the Newhaven - Dieppe ferry line. It is still operating. (and of course, it is in Sussex as you say - Can imagine the villagers making a day of it, taking the ferry, shopping in Normandy (and having lunch there!!) and then walking home with string bags full - right by Mrs. Ali's shop...

JoanP · « **Reply #282 on:** April 23, 2011, 04:56:19 PM »

Steph - my dream - every birthday that's all I ever asked for - a horse! Lucky you! (Did you ever wish for a bike instead?

) I believe you are spot on - "the Major was the sort of father who simply could not understand his son being different than he was." The Major would have valued his own father's bike...just as many of you would consider it an honor to receive a bike from an older sibling or cousin. But Roger is an only child. Most of his stuff is new - no hand-me-down clothes for him - or toys - his were all shiney new. I just reread that scene in the toy store. Eight year old "Roger tried to impress upon them the enormous importance of the bike and the necessity for purchasing it at once." Isn't this the same Roger that we are talking about now?

Is the Major beginning to understand him a bit better when "he wonders whether it was possible he had been too strict wiht Roger as a child and thereby inspired his son to such excesses." If he keeps thinking along these lines, maybe there is hope for some sort of understanding between these two before the book is over. Funny how we have begun to talk about these characters as if they really exist!

JoanP · « **Reply #283 on:** April 23, 2011, 05:03:22 PM »

9. What was the cause of Mr. Rasool's outburst that led to the bruhaha abruptly ending the entertainment?

10.. What stopped the Major from running down the driveway to take Mrs. Ali home?

Can we focus a little on these two questions that conclude the scene at the ball? Monday, we'lll begin to discuss the aftermath and the book's conclusion...

What sort of memories are triggered by the performance - on the train. The British are leaving India. What is Colonel Pettigrew doing on this train? Is he there to save the Maharajah's daughter - are her kidnappers Pakistanis?

serenesheila · « **Reply #284 on:** April 23, 2011, 08:03:51 PM »

Question 10.....10.. What stopped the Major from running down the driveway to take Mrs. Ali home?

I think it was his pride. He was embarrassed about everything that happened, during the melee.

9. What was the cause of Mr. Rasool's outburst that led to the bruhaha abruptly ending the entertainment

I think he was embarrassed, and angry, over the way the Brits were portrad in the incident on the train. The Brits were shown to be so superior to the Pakistanis.

2. How do you score on first impressions? Has your first impression of Sandy changed? Perhaps she herself has changed? Do you see a future for Sandy and Roger?

Yes , my impression of Sanday is changing. I am begining to wonder how the Roger/Sandy sittuation will play out.

Sheila

CallieOK · « **Reply #285 on:** April 23, 2011, 09:25:06 PM »

From Chapter 11, "(The Major said) 'My father served at Partition. That's the end of the English in India.'"

Link to an article on The India-Pakistan Partition Note the first sentence in the second paragraph.

During Mr. Rassol's outburst, "(Mrs. Rasool Jr. said), 'My father-in-law is only a little confused. His own mother and sister died on such a train.'"

JoanP · « **Reply #286 on:** April 23, 2011, 09:33:39 PM »

Oh, Callie! I forgot that! No wonder Mr. Rasool lost it! Were the British responsible for their deaths - or was he upset because the British were treating it lightly. (I can't get that link to Partition to work.)

Sheila, I can't decide if Sandy is changing as she lives in the cottage in Sussex - or if we're just learning more about the real Sandy, who was there all along.

CallieOK · « **Reply #287 on:** April 23, 2011, 09:36:00 PM »

Joan, I found another article and changed the link.

As well as bringing back horrible memories, I think he saw the entire performance as an insulting parody of his culture.

JoanP · « **Reply #288 on:** April 23, 2011, 09:52:11 PM »

From the article Callie brought us - no wonder the Rasools lost it when watching the silly British skit. Do you think he held the British responsible for leaving the Partition to chance - and chaos?

"The death toll of this terrible episode remains very much contested. Hundreds of thousands of people died, as Hindus and Sikhs fled to India, Muslims to Pakistan, and many others were caught up in a chaotic transition. A consensus figure of 500,000 is often used, but the sources closer to the truth give figures that range between 200,000 and 360,000 dead. By other estimates, Partition resulted in as many as 1.5 million deaths. The word genocide did not come to the minds of observers at the time, though there were genocidal aspects to what finally developed."

"Ethnic cleansing" was another term used to describe the whole affair. Thanks, Callie. Just the information we needed. Do you think Helen Simonson assumed that we all knew about this horrible episode and that we would understand why Mr. Rasool couldn't sit through the "entertainment"? Wait, maybe I'm the only one who was ignorant of the facts...

I'm going to put that link in the heading, Callie.

Frybabe · « **Reply #289 on:** April 23, 2011, 10:04:14 PM »

I knew about the train robberies and massacres, but I didn't know how extensive it was. My book is downstairs, but did it mention if there were sound effects with the skit? If so, that would certainly have triggered memories or flashbacks in old Mr. Rasool even after all these years. I believe the book said he was six at the time. I am not sure Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome ever goes away, but fades a little over time unless there is a trigger event.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #290 on:** April 24, 2011, 02:20:33 AM »

JoanP - re the Newhaven ferry - yes, until recently there were numerous day trips, otherwise known as "booze cruises", that people went on to stock up in the hypermarkets at the French ports. The Eurostar train service has also made it extremely easy for people living in London and SE England to zip across to France and back in a day - my mother and her friends have done it. I think the shopping trips have fallen off a bit as prices have increased.

Why does the Major not follow Mrs Ali? I think it's just his essential Britishness and reserve. My Canadian friend is forever asking me why I did not do or say something (usually why did I not complain about something) - I say, Dorothy, I just can't, and she replies "Oh you British!".

Do you remember the train massacre scene in The Raj Quartet? I don't think I will ever forget that. From this vantage point we feel the British caused everything, but my mother's generation would probably say that it would have happened anyway, citing what has happened in S Africa and other African countries. But even when bad things appear to arise between native people, one wonders if the cause is years and years of colonial interference (whether British, French, Belgian, Italian or whatever).

Rosemary

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #291 on:** April 24, 2011, 02:54:20 AM »

EASTER
by Joyce Kilmer

The air is like a butterfly
With frail blue wings.
The happy earth looks at the sky
And sings.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #292 on:** April 24, 2011, 02:57:15 AM »

Barb - that is just what is happening here in Edinburgh this morning - I am standing in the kitchen looking out over the gardens to the Fife hills beyond, the sun is shining and all the birds are singing their hearts out.

Happy Easter everyone!

Rosemary

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #293 on:** April 24, 2011, 03:12:42 AM »

Lovely - thanks for sharing the view from your window...

Steph · « **Reply #294 on:** April 24, 2011, 06:14:34 AM »

Happy Easter.. Sun is not up here.
I remember reading about the partition and the horrors involved. I would guess my query would be why the Rasools brought the older couple. They knew what the theme of the dance was..
When you look at the problems in all of the countries that were posessions, there is a pattern.. Differences of religon or tribes brought on great terror and murder. Africa is still so trible and the Congo has not been in peace for so many years. Indian and Pakistan still have skirmishes over the border.. There is simply no way to please all..
The Major,, yes I think it was the famous English reserves working. At least he seems to know that he is not reacting well.

pedln · « **Reply #295 on:** April 24, 2011, 06:05:04 PM »

Steph, my guess would be that the older Rassools insisted on coming, that they considered themselves part of the business and felt it was their place to be there.

CallieOK · « **Reply #296 on:** April 24, 2011, 06:27:24 PM »

I agree with pedlin about the reason the older Rasools came to the dance.

However, if you remember, when Grace, Mrs. Ali and the Major met with the Rasools about the dance, the entertainment was to be traditional folk dancing.

It was later on when Daisy told the Major that the entertainment had been changed to "three or four scenes" depicting the story of the Major's father.

So the Rasools probably had no idea what they were going to see. What a shock it must have been.

JoanP · « **Reply #297 on:** April 24, 2011, 09:49:21 PM »

Callie, how do you remember so much!? Now I remember too - the plans changed AFTER the little tasting party with the Rasools present. Traditional folk dancing and the Rasools' menu should have been harmless enough. Does anyone remember when the plan changed to the dramatization and the focus on Colonel Pettigrew's rescue of the Maharajah's daughter. Whose idea was it to present the award to the Major? I'm going to bet that Ferguson was involved in some way. Ferguson and Dagenham want to butter up the Major because they know the success of redevelopment of the village rests on his getting the

Rosemary, Steph, I think the reason the Major turned back, leaving Mrs. Ali to get home without him, was more than the famous British reserve. Didn't he suddenly remember that his Churchills were inside, used for the entertainment? Isn't that the real reason he went back - to retrieve them?

I hope you all had a lovely Easter Sunday.

CallieOK · « **Reply #298 on:** April 24, 2011, 11:51:13 PM »

Joan, I'm always fascinated by how an author leads a plot or sub-plot along so I usually remember that "something" had happened earlier in a story. However, I have to go back and look up the details.

Does anyone remember when the plan changed to the dramatization and the focus on Colonel Pettigrew's rescue of the Maharajah's daughter. Whose idea was it to present the award to the Major?

I don't want to be the only one who answers these questions.

Go back to Chapter 11. If you have the hardback, look at page 152. I did not remember these details and was quite surprised to find who planted the idea in the minds of the committee.

I wonder what that person's motive might have been?

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #299 on:** April 25, 2011, 12:06:35 AM »

Yes, Callie and I think when we discuss the next few chapters we will have an explanation for Daisy that has been running around in our minds - the phrase that to me is telling is - "how we gave India and Pakistan their Independence" which puts Mrs. Ali in her place. Although Grace is a part of this I think she is looking more at trying to see and show the side of the Major and his father that would make her feel proud in order to fan her crush on him. Sure does look like the plans were changed big time after the meeting that included the Rasools to arrange the food and decorations.

Callie it may have been a full day for some of our readers since they probably had family for Easter or some sort of specialness to the day. When they join us again the new questions will be up with the last chapters of the book included in our conversation and we will see a fuller account of Daisy as well as Grace.

CallieOK · « **Reply #300 on:** April 25, 2011, 12:29:52 AM »

Barb, sorry - didn't mean to sound tacky.

Probably the teacher in me coming out. I'll go sit in a corner 'til I can behave.

I hope everyone has had a lovely Easter Day. My family were all here yesterday; they live in the OKC area but it's the first time we've all been together in one place at the same time since Christmas. After church today, I went to the home of a friend for lunch.

For the first time in almost two months, I can say, "It's raining in Oklahoma City." Hooray! I hope this severe drought has finally broken.

Looking forward to our final week.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #301 on:** April 25, 2011, 02:57:13 AM »

Golly I sure hope the front bringing rain holds together till it reaches us - there is rain again in the forecast for tomorrow and Tuesday but we have had promises and promises since last October with maybe a very light 5 minute drizzle here and there - we need significant rain - bucket loads of significant rain - hope it will happen and you having rain brings hope.

Steph · « **Reply #302 on:** April 25, 2011, 06:14:11 AM »

Central Florida is in the middle of a severe shortage of rain. We have been promised for two weeksn and gotten nothing.
Daisy is a troublemaker. She also wants the Major to be Graces. That would keep he and Gracie under her supervision..
I rechecked and the Major just seems torn at the end of the chapter.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #303 on:** April 25, 2011, 06:55:51 AM »

Poured with rain all Saturday up here! Rushed in and out of houses with house schedules on my head! If only we could direct it where it's needed...

Rosemary

JoanP · « **Reply #304 on:** April 25, 2011, 07:56:04 AM »

"Mrs. Ali has left the village."

And life in the village goes on pretty much as before... Christmas preparations make everyone forget about the brawl, even the real estate deal that threatens the serene little village. Didn't you wonder where Helen S. was going to take us from here?

Don't you love the way Helen S. kept us in suspense right up to these final chapters? Sheila says she's begining to wonder how the Roger/Sandy sittuation will play out. But we don't know how about any of it will play out until the end - for any of the characters. If it wasn't for that coat rack on the bookcover, I was prepared to believe that the Major would finally realize Grace's fine qualities. I loved Grace!

Good morning, Steph!
Daisy IS a troublemaker - she's into everyone's business, isn't she? Does that come with being the Vicar's wife? She probably knows the intimate details about most of his congregation. She seems as full of advice as he is! I'm not sure I could live in this little village, as idyllic as it may seem.

The question is still on the table - why did Daisy and the ladies of the congregation decide to change the theme of the dance from the Mughal Empire, costumes and folk dancing - to the performance focusing on the horrible events of the 1947 Partition in India? Can't believe that it was Daisy's idea.
The decision changed the whole dynamic of the ball - of the entire story, didn't it? Callie has noted the answer lies in Chapter 11 - page 152 to be exact. It's fortunate (and rare) that the hardcover and paperback page numbers correspond.

Frybabe · « **Reply #305 on:** April 25, 2011, 01:39:17 PM »

If I remember it correctly, someone (the Major?) told the bunch that the Mogul Empire and the Partition did not exist in the same time period. Therefore, the festivities would not have been historically accurate.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #306 on:** April 25, 2011, 05:22:36 PM »

Don't you just love the Major's quips when he visits Sandy and eyes the "Christmas in Hades" tree that Roger "considered very chic" and that Sandy explains "it cost a fortune" and it will be "out of fashion by next year" - however, she agrees "it's hideous." and the Major follows up with "Perhaps you can rent it out in the spring to clean chimneys." - Than he remarks on the sparseness of the decor with "The floors look very clean."

I would love to know the Major and have him a part of a small group conversation - I do not get the impression he is the life of the party but he sure knows how to dead pan a zinger at every turn.

"A cottage in the country is always a dangerous dream..." - wow - you can read all sorts of things in that statement - not just for Sandy but I think of my own 'cottage-in-the-country dreams' - sort of an agrarian utopia.

Gumtree · « **Reply #307 on:** April 26, 2011, 02:15:32 AM »

Yep - the Major sure has a quip for every occasion and they break me up too but I think for him it's just a natural and unconscious or subconscious reaction to the situation.

My cottage in the country dream is a cottage on the beach at a town on our southwest coast which is in easy reach of my favourite forests - I'd like to move between my city home and that beach about every six weeks - best of both worlds. Dream on...

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #308 on:** April 26, 2011, 02:30:17 AM »

Oh yes - mine always centres around a thatched cottage on an English village green. Just now reading Louise Penney, and the Quebec village she describes sounds similar. Of course I always imagine everyone (inc me) having lived there all their lives and knowing everyone, all of us being frightfully artistic and homely and never a cross word.

As you say, dream on

Rosemary

Steph · « **Reply #309 on:** April 26, 2011, 06:20:35 AM »

Mrs. Ali seems to have overreacted to what happened. Gracie is nice and the Major tries, but he has already lost his heart and simply must deal with it.. I love the way the book merges so many themes all at once and you realize where she was going and how she did it.. Amazing..She ties all of the themes and some of them work quite differently than you imagine.. A glorious ending..

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #310 on:** April 26, 2011, 01:40:18 PM »

ahh Rosemary an English Village - sounds like a village much as Helen Simonson has depicted - although your village does not sound like the country club is the center of society.

Gumtree your 'cottage-in-the-country' is a Beach house near a forest - sounds like best of both worlds - I remember thinking of living in a Forest till I remembered the rain that makes the forest green - but a Beach House would be where you could put up your feet with the wind coming in with the waves - so you could only dip back into the Forest when the days invite the ramble.

I cannot figure out where to locate my 'cottage-in-the-country' - I've it all planned out with every piece of furniture, pot and pan and gardens - but location - now that is 'the' issues - that is when practical things come to play - my 'cottage-in-the-country' is planned for a piece of land that is 90 feet by 150 feet - much larger than the average in-town lot that may be 70 wide but more likely 60 and depth could be 150 but more likely 114 to maybe 140. Than outside of town there are problems of utilities and few neighbors - The ideal would be a few acres but then I am not about to take on the maintenance of so much land alone at this stage in my life - so the practical enters the dream and I am right in Sandy's shoes.

What do we do with those dreams - now there is a story - like a what happens to various characters after they are dropped from the story or the story has them living happily-ever-after. Sandy couldn't go forward and be unhappy for the rest of her life - I do not see her as a person who would settle - and so after realizing the cottage dream was dangerous [which I take to mean she was giving up too much of her self and her fought for success] how did she choose to get back to her success making life and create a new dream - I cannot imagine she lived her whole life with a thwarted dream.

Hmm question for Helen when she returns - had she thought of a book telling us what happens to Sandy when she returns to her success making New York life after realizing the cottage was a dangerous dream.

Steph, yes, all the loose ends on all the threads or knotted and tied aren't they - How did you see Mrs. Ali overreacting to what happened - I was not sure if you meant what happened at the dance or what happened with the old Aunt and Abdul or what happened when she was in the house with her family - she seemed to have several instances when things happened - tell us what you were thinking and what you thought was her overreacting - please...

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #311 on:** April 26, 2011, 01:53:02 PM »

When you first read about the old Aunt could you ever imagine her history - her entire contribution to the story was all in this last quarter of the book - she is introduced to us in the store after the dance when Mrs. Ali is no longer in the village - Did you think the redecorating of the store reflected the old Aunt, Abdul or Amina?

JoanP · « **Reply #312 on:** April 26, 2011, 03:26:20 PM »

Gum, I got a kick out of the Major's dry comments too. Wasn't it Ferguson and also his aide who kept commenting on his sense of humor?
What's so funny is that the Major doesn't seem to think they are funny.

"Mrs. Ali seems to have overreacted to what happened." Steph
The cool, calm, voice of reason, Mrs. Ali - seems to have overreacted! I thought she could withstand just about anything - always so accommodating. Until we hear from Steph as to what she meant with this observation, I'm going to make a guess. She felt as if she belonged on that dance floor, with the Major at her side - didn't the two of them dance up a storm? Can't you see the other dancers standing back and admiring them? The Major was so proud of her. And then, following the melee, all of the Pakistanis were shown to the door - they were, weren't they? Did the Major continue to be her escort for the evening. ? No, he didn't. He stayed inside and let her find her own way home.

Does anyone agree that the reason the Major went back inside the club was to retrieve his Churchills? Do you blame him? What would have become of them if he left them inside? Would Roger have sold them to Ferguson? We aren't told that, but we do know that the Major was more concerned about those guns - which represented his importance in this society. More concerned than he was about Mrs. Ali.

Is this why she left town? She realizes that she will never be part of the Major's circle, his life after what has happened. Could she have remained in the shop working along side her nephew and Amina?

Does anyone know whether movie rights have been sold for this book? There are so many scenes that would translate to film, weren't there? - the duck hunt, the ball, the rescue from the brother-in-law's home, the fishing cabin in the woods, the scene on white cliffs with Abdul Wahid and the Major...

Barbara...a sequel? A good question for Helen Simonson. Our Sheila's question about her next book is still on the table.

Frybabe · « **Reply #313 on:** April 26, 2011, 03:42:35 PM »

I don't know about a full blown movie, JoanP, but a made for TV type mini-series. I can see it now. What a riot. It is something I would like to savor over a few weeks.

JoanP · « **Reply #314 on:** April 26, 2011, 03:44:10 PM »

Oh yes, a series - on PBS maybe...

Frybabe - that escape scene from the brother-in-law's house...did it remind you of the escape from the Church in The Graduate? The vows have been exchanged, he's too late to stop it. He's up in the choir loft pounding on the glass..."Elaaaaine" ... She turns, sees him - and runs from the church, the two of them in a glorious escape as they jump on a bus, she in her wedding gown...and presumably live happily ever after...

I loved it that scene. Had the same feeling when reading of the Major and Mrs. Ali - driving off the map...

Callie found out who it was who changed the focus of the evening's entertainment from the Mughal Empire in India in the 1700's to Colonel Pettigrew, the Major's father - and the bloody Partition of 1947. Had anyone remembered it was GRACE, who reminded the ladies of the story of the Major's father and his service to the Maharajah. It was at this point they decided to present the story in four scenes. When the Major protested, Daisy responded that it was all the same thing. "It's all India, isn't it?"

Why would Grace do this? I loved Grace. She is so well portrayed by Helen S. Maybe one of her strongest characters. I still believe that the Major would have been quite happy with Grace - even without the "passion."

JoanP · « **Reply #315 on:** April 26, 2011, 04:06:00 PM »

Barbara, how long between the dance and the time the Major went into the shop for the first time? It didn't take long to change the ambiance of the shop. That's a good question. Who is responsible for the cheap Christmas decorations, the beer ads...the Americanization of the shop? It doesn't sound as if Abdul Wahid or his auntie who speaks not a word of English would have been behind it. Amina?

How can a shop like this survive - especially if the plan to convert the village into an upscale location?

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #316 on:** April 26, 2011, 04:31:15 PM »

Well he was in bed for three days with a cold after the dance so that he walked into the tinsel storm that passed for Christmas on his way to the shop where "Christmas decorations helped obliterate any trace of Mrs. Ali. A forest of foil dangily things...none of Mrs. Ali's handmade samosas next the packaged meat pies in the cold case...the modest, hand-wrapped gifts baskets,...replaced by large cheap commercial baskets..." the only indication we have of the choice towards as the Major says, "excess...commercial imperative." is that Abdul blushes.

He was certainly getting rid of all reminders of Mrs. Ali and making the store his own. I do not think he had any realization that he would need to change to meet the needs of the new planned village any more than he saw himself meeting the needs of the current villagers. He was who he was and sold what he could easily get from vendors.

So we have to conclude it was either Abdul or the old Aunt or Amina who redecorated...I wonder who made the choices. Maybe it just happened because Abdul was attempting to please all his suppliers or, maybe he saw the need for decoration and Amina made the choices - I just wonder about the old Aunt at this point - would she have had a hand in the re-decorating of the store - she is just from Pakistan and probably has no clue about Christmas but then maybe her taste is similar to the bright colors and sparkle of the available Christmas decoration.

P.S. I think they survive like so many ethnic small convenience stores - because they are open at all hours and on the days when other establishments are closed and often if there is something like lottery tickets they will sell those where other stores do not get into that trade.

CallieOK · « **Reply #317 on:** April 26, 2011, 04:53:59 PM »

Chapter 18 opens with the Major laying in bed for three days with a "full-blown cold" as predicted by Mrs. Ali in the closing paragraph of Chapter 17. "By the time he was well enough to walk down to the village (a week later, maybe?), it was too late."
Wouldn't this have been enough time to redo the shop?

I think the characters are all beginning to "show their true colors" in this last section.

Up until now, Grace has been a "go along to get along" type of person who has allowed the Village Ladies to push her this way and that.
I wanted to cheer when she rejected the Major's patronizing efforts to, as he puts it at the beginning of Chapter 20, "succumb to the inevitability of Grace". Inevitability ?!?!? What a horrid basis for a relationship!

Good for her to firmly state that she will "refuse to play the dried rose and accept that life must be tepid and sensible" or "make any compromises with the rest of my life." I think that's exactly what her life with the Major would have been - tepid, sensible and compromising.
I'd bet that she won't be so willing to "go along to get along" with the Village Ladies from now on, either.

Edit: Oops. Sorry, Barb for echoing your post about the shop. You slipped in while I was typing

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #318 on:** April 26, 2011, 05:06:23 PM »

Well we agree - you gave him a few days to get back on his feet

and I bet your timing is more like what happened. - Really when you think of it - it only takes a few hours to strip a store of what is no longer being featured and then a couple more hours to decorate with the 'new'...

Hahaha

"inevitable" yep, Grace was not going to be Mrs. inevitable

salan · « **Reply #319 on:** April 26, 2011, 07:29:58 PM »

I was disappointed in the Major for not going after Mrs. Ali. However, I don't think it was entirely because of the guns. I felt that he, at that moment, was divided between two worlds. He chose the one that was traditional and more comfortable for him. He was disappointed in himself for not pursuing Mrs. Ali and even states that he wished he could be a different man.

What a great book this was!
Sally

News:

Author Topic: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson - April 1 (Read 87538 times)