Delightful
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I'd never heard of this book but read a film was being made of it, so thought I'd give it a try. What a treat! Of course it is very dated but still immensely readable. The transformation of Miss Pettigrew's dowdy life, and her delighted incredulity at what is happening her, just sweeps you along. A really charming 1930s fairytale.
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Pure Bliss
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This book is absolutely devine and should be made into a film. The main character is well written and has a quick wit that gets her into and out of trouble. The glamourious character takes a liking to her and ends up spending a whole day with her. Instead of ordinary chapters the book is cut into times of the day and the pencil drawings bring the book to life. This book takes to back in time and is a good bed time read with a happy ending.
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Radiant Read
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This book is a fairy tale story of a woman who by accident discovers that all the things she has been told in her life are good and proper are also the things that have stopped her from really living.
Miss Pettigrew arrives at Delysia La Fosse's flat a timid larvae and over the course of the day becomes a beautiful butterfly as the acceptance and trust placed in her by Miss La Fosse and her friends allows Miss Pettigrew to be herself for the first time in her life.
This book is a truely wonderful read, it is full of warmth and delight, I read it in one sitting and will return to it any time I feel the need for a little magic in my life.
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Hasn't dated well
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Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day begins as Miss Pettigrew, a dowdy spinster, arrives at the flat of Delysia La Fosse in order to apply for a post as a governess. Immediately she arrives she is swept up in the trysts of two girls-about-town, and is swept along to a few of their social engagements. This is a Cinderella-type story, as Miss Pettigrew has the best day of her life so far.
Persephone books are so beautifully presented, and the illustrations are so beautiful, that it is easy to be fooled into thinking that you have enjoyed this book more than you actually have. I liked it but I never really felt that engaged with the story, and I feel this is because the book hasn't dated particularly well.
Ok, just not brilliant.
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An enchanting, uplifting story
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"Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (1938) is an enchanting version of Cinderella, and the story of its re-printing by Persephone Books is also a kind of fairytale," writes Henrietta Twycross-Martin in the preface to this quite remarkable book.
According to Twycross-Martin, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day was her mother's favourite book and she, herself, read it as a teenager. When she discovered that Persephone Books was seeking title suggestions, she took her mother's battered copy to the London office and the book was reprinted in 2000.
If I ever happen to meet Twycross-Martin I will probably hug her for rescuing a truly wonderful, uplifting and inspiring story that would otherwise have been lost forever. Now, thanks to her efforts, a whole new generation of readers can experience one of literature's secret gems. For that is the best way of describing Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day -- a gem.
I read the book in two sittings, but I wanted to drag it out longer because I couldn't bear it to end. I've never quite read anything like it. Joyous without being cloying, light-hearted and fun without being frothy, are just two ways of summing it up.
The Cinderella-like story revolves around a downtrodden middle-aged governess called Miss Pettigrew, who is on the brink of homelessness. When her employment agency accidentally sends her to the home of a young woman seeking a new maid, Miss Pettigrew gets caught up in a day that changes her life forever.
By any stretch of the imagination Miss Pettigrew and her potential employer, the glamorous cabaret singer Miss LaFosse, should not get on. They come from completely different backgrounds, completely different generations and are poles apart when it comes to social mores and morals. But what ensues is an immediate 'chemistry' that bolsters Miss Pettigrew's confidence and has her doing things she's never done before: donning make-up, getting dressed up to go to a party, downing cocktails and dancing at a nightclub. She also plays match-maker and sorts out numerous lover's tiffs. All in all, she becomes the star of the show and it's wonderfully upbeat stuff. You can't help but cheer her on!
Throughout the book Winifred Watson's writing is confident and remarkably modern. The dialogue crackles and sparkles and drives the narrative forward without wasting a word, as does the structure in which each chapter is divided into hourly time periods.
My only quibble is that there's a couple of politically incorrect references to Jews and foreigners, probably indicative of the time in which the book was written, but if you ignore them this is pretty much a perfectly written tale about one woman's second chance at life. Do add it to your collection if you're looking for something a little on the enchanting side.
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