April book club w/ mom
what a great book. I'm so glad we chose this one.
it was a light entertaining read and I loved the pictures! ( )

There are def. some unfortunately dated bits, including a sample of anti-Semitism. But for its time, it was pretty progressive, acknowledging that women are sexual beings and can value career over matrimony. And it was a fast read, so much fun, so amusing.

I looked at trailers for the recent movie and am def. not convinced that it's an effective adaptation.

And I liked the information in the intro. well enough that, even though Watson's other books are very different, I'd like to read them. ( )

Governess Guinevere Pettigrew is about out of luck, steps from going to the workhouse, when the employment agency gives her the address for a possible position. When she arrives she finds an elegant apartment, no sign of a child, and a lady just arisen and frantic to get her lover out the door. Miss Pettigrew gets him to leave by some tricky verbal maneuvering and so begins a day that changes her life. Before Miss Pettigrew can explain why she is there, Miss Delysia LaFosse, nightclub singer, explains that Phil had to leave because Nick (who pays for the apartment) is coming back a day earlier than expected, is very jealous, and somewhat of a gangster. When Nick arrives and Miss Pettigrew again is able to solve the immediate problem Delysia is in awe and begs her help with other situations, taking her with her all day. This is so reminiscent of the 30s screwball comedies, where the heroine does all the necessary things through naivete or mimicking former employers or actresses from the films. In the end she finds a satisfying life, all problems are solved and even a gentleman suitor. Great fun! I'll have to check out the movie version; hope they don't change the story too much. ( )

This is a charming and comforting book to read when, for example, the weather is awful and you’ve been sent to Milton Keynes for work and you’re tired and the train journey takes more than five hours and the hotel is so cheap that it considers wifi an optional extra. I imagine enjoyment also correlates to identification with Miss Pettigrew, which I certainly confess to. I am a plain-looking spinster and happened to be wearing a tweed jacket and brogues as I read; governess garb if ever there was any. The account of Miss Pettigrew’s exciting day is delightful for its naughtiness and melodrama, as well as the allure with which luxury is described. I liked that the titular lady is quite bowled over by the beauty of the men and women she encounters, as well as the places and events. Some anti-semitic references aside, there is a very pleasant escapism to be found in ‘Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day’. The romantic incidents almost recall Wodehouse, although I don’t think he was ever quite so bold as to mention cocaine by name.

On the other hand, I couldn’t help comparing Miss Pettigrew with [b:The Post-Office Girl|2376087|The Post-Office Girl|Stefan Zweig|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347760549s/2376087.jpg|2382997] by Stefan Zweig, in which a younger woman in equally wretched poverty is taken on a luxurious holiday by relatives. The difference is that Miss Pettigrew’s life is only shown for a day, whereas the reader watches Zweig’s girl going back to her moribund life at the post office to seethe at the unfairness of wealth inequality. By showing us only the snapshot of Miss Pettigrew’s day, the gulf between rich and poor is elided and depoliticised. It is nonetheless interesting that the several of the people she encounters and befriends in the beau monde confess to humble origins – her benefactress Miss LaFosse is an actress who lives off her boyfriends, Miss LaFosse’s beautician friend married for money, and both Miss LaFosse and Miss Pettigrew’s man friends are from working families. Miss Pettigrew thus gains entry into the noveau riche rather than the aristocracy and learns that letting go of staid respectability allows one to have a lot of fun. The implication is that luxury comes to those with the confidence to make the most of chances. I didn’t analyse the political subtext while I was actually reading, instead letting myself get briefly swept into a glamorous world of gowns, cocktails, and flirtation. Like Miss Pettigrew, I enjoyed the fantasy of escape from mundane daily life. ( )

A delightful Cinderella story set and published in London in the 1930s. Miss Pettigrew is a timid, dowdy and very respectable spinster governess. One day the employment agency mistakenly sends her to the door of the flamboyant actress and nightclub singer Miss Delysia LaFosse. Miss Pettigrew steps into a world of glamour and scandal, finding herself both shocked and enthralled. With her mixture of naïvety and wisdom she manages to help Delysia navigate the chaos of her complicated love life. It is all a grand adventure for Miss Pettigrew in which they strike up an unlikely friendship over the course of a day that changes them both. A lovely feel-good story. Has an occasional remark that wouldn't be PC by today's standards but probably realistic for the 1930s. ( )