DATo
Active Member
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson tells the story of Gunievere Pettigrew, a 40ish spinster who is down on her luck. Her background includes parents who were very straight-laced and proper and she had been raised as a girl to believe that virtually everything that puts a smile on your face is wicked. As a result she has never realized anything which remotely resembled fun or excitement in her life. She has never had a cocktail, danced or been kissed by a man. She is sensitive to her mousy appearance and her less than fashionable clothes but does not know how to do anything to improve her life as she has virtually no EXPERIENCE of life.
As her autumn years approach she finds herself chronically unhappy, or perhaps more precisely stated ...miserable, living an everyday existence which finds her moving from one job to another as a self-described "terrible governess". She constantly finds herself in positions with children who are spoiled brats and parents who berate her and unjustly make her feel worthless to the extent that she has come to believe their accusations. She has now been without a position for some time and is unable to pay her rent. Her despicable landlady has told her she will be put out tomorrow if she is still unemployed.
In desperation Miss Pettigrew calls at a placement office and is told there is an opening for a governess. She grits her teeth and prepares for the worst. But by a happy accident she finds herself embroiled in a drama she had not expected which within 24 hours totally transforms her life.
This is very much a Cinderella story and I must admit I am not partial to such truck, but this book put a huge smile on my face. It is written in the manner of a Frank Capra movie such as his famous It's A Wonderful Life and .... OK dammit, I'm man enough to admit it brought a few tears to my eyes too. My God, did I actually write that, for the entire world to see (if they looked)???
I can heartily recommend this 1938 gem which much like its main character had been long ignored and lost, but also like the main character has recently risen like a phoenix to its rightful place in the hearts of a newly found fan base.
As her autumn years approach she finds herself chronically unhappy, or perhaps more precisely stated ...miserable, living an everyday existence which finds her moving from one job to another as a self-described "terrible governess". She constantly finds herself in positions with children who are spoiled brats and parents who berate her and unjustly make her feel worthless to the extent that she has come to believe their accusations. She has now been without a position for some time and is unable to pay her rent. Her despicable landlady has told her she will be put out tomorrow if she is still unemployed.
In desperation Miss Pettigrew calls at a placement office and is told there is an opening for a governess. She grits her teeth and prepares for the worst. But by a happy accident she finds herself embroiled in a drama she had not expected which within 24 hours totally transforms her life.
This is very much a Cinderella story and I must admit I am not partial to such truck, but this book put a huge smile on my face. It is written in the manner of a Frank Capra movie such as his famous It's A Wonderful Life and .... OK dammit, I'm man enough to admit it brought a few tears to my eyes too. My God, did I actually write that, for the entire world to see (if they looked)???
I can heartily recommend this 1938 gem which much like its main character had been long ignored and lost, but also like the main character has recently risen like a phoenix to its rightful place in the hearts of a newly found fan base.
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