Witty, intelligent, funny, poignant, unusual, and satisfying. Helen Simonson's debut novel leaves me wanting more and Peter Altschuler's narration is spot on. Excellent all around.

What an enjoyable story! It was lovely and socially relevant. Peter Altschuler's ability to vocally embody the motivation of every move of each character made this story a delightful journey. Helen Simonson paints beautifully vivid word pictures that Peter Altschuler brought to life. They are a dynamic duo.

Probably not. I thought the narrator was painfully over dramatic and read things much differently than I would assume they were intended. I probably would have enjoyed the book more had I read it because of this--but not much more. The whole thing was just a snooze, not terrible, had some interesting elements, but I just didn't get the point. It did open my eyes to different people's lives in different stages of life and regions in the world, so that was of some value, but it was just so slow it like homework trying to finish it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It had interesting characters, a good story line & a great narrator.

Major (NOT Mr.) Pettigrew and Mrs. Ali were delightful characters. The major was stuffy and old-fashioned and yet very sympathetic. I even forgave his prejudice against Americans. The plot kept surprising me by not folowing the expected sterotypes. Roger, the Major's son, was the character you love to despise. I loved the characters so much I bought a paper copy of the novel and my husband also got hooked by the characters. A delightful story.

This book is a jewel and wish there were more like it. the characters are funny and good lessons are learned.

Yes, it was an easy listening story. Not too complex but charming.

It breaks a few social norms. The narration was colorful enough to paint a picture what the characters might look like.

Delightful!

A few chuckles but no extreme reaction.

WIt and Wisdom: The major has great insights and witticisms that made me laugh out loud. The characters are the perfect pitch for what is essentially a comedy and a romance.

The Major is old fashioned, yet forward thinking. He had very definite ideas of how things should be, but is also open minded.

NO. But I thought he was perfect for this.

The major,of course. Or actually the author. She must be a riot.

This book was entertaining from word one. I can't recommend it highly enough.

The Mitford series by Jan Karon

Major Pettigrew

Listening to the book rather than reading it enhanced the whole experience. Those in my book club remarked it was a difficult book to get into. For me, listening to Peter Altschuler narrate propelled me into the Major's life immediately. I was in his head, in his house and visiting his garden.

Yes it was time well spent. The story itself was a relatively light, but the contemporary social issues were interesting. The juxtaposition of the various character accents were nicely performed by the reader and helped the listener relate not only to the specific person, but also to that person's personality and attitude.