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barriereads's review against another edition
3.0
Light, easy, slightly funny--but not in the laugh out loud way. It was nice that it didn't feel too far off from today, even though this is clearly an old classic. I wasn't head over heels, but it was refreshing to read something kinda mindless.
sarahrigg's review against another edition
4.0
This novel is about Miss Pettigrew, a down-on-her-luck governess who accidentally gets sent to the home of a nightclub singer instead of a family with small children. She gets drawn into the dramas and shenanigans of her host, Miss LaFosse, and her host's best friend, Miss Dubarry. Miss Pettigrew finds reserves in herself she didn't know were there and saves the day more than once. But what will Miss LaFosse do when she finds out Miss Pettigrew has arrived by mistake?
Very fun. There are some very backward remarks about race/ethnicity that spoiled this from being a 5-star read for me, but it was a fluffy bit of fun and not at all the drag you might expect when you hear something described as a classic. Recommended.
Very fun. There are some very backward remarks about race/ethnicity that spoiled this from being a 5-star read for me, but it was a fluffy bit of fun and not at all the drag you might expect when you hear something described as a classic. Recommended.
ginkgotree's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very entertaining and pleasant book, just the thing during a grim time.
synthecision's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable, lighthearted proto-feminism, albeit with a side of contemporaneous racism.
librarylad's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars. Here's a conundrum: how many stars to deduct from a sparkling, frothy, life-affirming book for its underlying core of undisguised racism? Do you add a star back, perhaps, with a grudging acceptance that the author came from a time when a little bit of jolly English racism wasn't anything to bother about? Oops, but now there's a helping of glorified male violence and machismo sprinkled into the mix. What to do!?
To my great surprise, by the end of the book, I had begun to care quite deeply about the fate of Miss Pettigrew, who stumbles into high society and finds an acceptance there she'd never allowed for herself. A shame she hates those foreigners so damn much, though.
To my great surprise, by the end of the book, I had begun to care quite deeply about the fate of Miss Pettigrew, who stumbles into high society and finds an acceptance there she'd never allowed for herself. A shame she hates those foreigners so damn much, though.
rprimrose's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dkathunt's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent, breezy read about a straight-laced out of work nanny caught up in the dizzying social circle of a decadent London socialite in 1939 Britain. A little dated in its attitudes toward women as well as certain groups (Italians, Jewish people), however the main character is so delightful as she slides off of her high horse and starts to enjoy her out-of-the ordinary day that the stereotypes are easily forgotten.