Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Winifred Watson

...middle-aged inefficient nursery governess called Miss Guinevere Pettigrew, who has no job, is broke and is in danger of becoming homeless.

When Miss Pettigrew’s employment agency inadvertently send her to the home of a young woman, Delysia LaFosse, a nightclub singer and actress, seeking a new maid, Miss Pettigrew gets caught up in a day that changes her life forever.
There is no way that this odd couple should get on, they ...
...After our shy protaganist helps Miss LaFosse out of a rather sticky position, she is transported into the new and exciting world of the rich and sophisticated.
What follows is a delightful, nice, sweet, pleasant (and any more similar adjectives you can think of,) tale in which Miss Pettigrew is transformed into a more elegant and scandalous version of herself.

I am itching to tell you more, but to do do would just spoil the ... more

'Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day'

Winifred Watson

I do hope that by reviewing this wonderful little book I introduce at least a few of you to the pleasure of reading the 250 pages in the book.

‘Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day’ reads like a fairy story, it is like a modernised version of Cinderella, when I say modernised I am referring to the 1930’s.

Really finding this book for me was like finding hidden treasure. The book had been published in 1938 and then seemed to disappear.
When Persephone Books was looking for title suggestions, Henrietta Twycross-Martin took in her mother's battered copy to the London office and the book was reprinted in 2000. Persephone concentrates in forgotten classics - "mainly neglected fiction and non-fiction by women, for women and about women."

In 2008 a film based on the book starring Frances McDormand and Amy Adams was released.

THE STORY

The book was written in the middle of the Great Depression and set in London's nightclub district. The story revolves around a dowdy, virginal middle-aged inefficient nursery governess called Miss Guinevere Pettigrew, who has no job, is broke and is in danger of becoming homeless.

When Miss Pettigrew’s employment agency inadvertently send her to the home of a young woman, Delysia LaFosse, a nightclub singer and actress, seeking a new maid, Miss Pettigrew gets caught up in a day that changes her life forever.
There is no way that this odd couple should get on, they come from completely different backgrounds and generations and, when it comes to social background and morals, are completely apart.

After our shy protaganist helps Miss LaFosse out of a rather sticky position, she is transported into the new and exciting world of the rich and sophisticated.
What follows is a delightful, nice, sweet, pleasant (and any more similar adjectives you can think of,) tale in which Miss Pettigrew is transformed into a more elegant and scandalous version of herself.

I am itching to tell you more, but to do do would just spoil the freshness and enjoyment of the book for you, and I do so want you to read this little gem.

WHAT DID I THINK

Well I am sure that you can tell I enjoyed this book, but why?
I found Winifred Watson's writing to be very confident and, despite when it was written, outstandingly modern. She gives her characters such wonderful witty and charming dialogue, dialogue that sparkles and keeps the story going at an incredible pace.
I loved the structure of the book where each chapter is divided into hourly time periods from 9:15am to 3:47m the following morning.
The characters are absolutely adorable (there are only two characters in the book that are anything other than charming people); the whole feel of the book is alluring, glamorous and special.
It is just the book to read after a particularly hard day at work, but be warned, you won’t put it down until its finished!!

The only trivial objection you could find in the book is the fact that there are some rather politically incorrect references to Jews and foreigners, and it is a little sexist towards woman.

But these details did not bother me as I felt that these were completely indicative of the time in which the book was written.

I read this book in a little over two hours – and how I enjoyed it, I think I could go as far as to say that I enjoyed it as much as Miss Guinevere Pettigrew enjoyed her day!!!

Please, please do read this book.

 

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