Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
What we're reading

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

Original poster

📖 'Rather Dated' March: Winifred Watson's 'Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day' 📖

37 replies

MotherofPearl · 01/03/2023 13:17

Welcome to the Mumsnet 'Rather Dated' Book Group, where we are reading and discussing fiction from the 1930s to the 1990s that would have been described as 'contemporary' in its day. We are reading one book a month. Spoilers are permitted!

We started the chat thanks to a thread where we kicked off with a discussion of Penelope Lively, The Road to Lichfield.

Currently we have these separate threads:
November: Anita Brookner, A Start in Life
December: Margaret Drabble: A Summer Bird-Cage
January: Elizabeth Jane Howard, The Beautiful Visit.

This month we are reading Winifred Watson's 'Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day', originally published in 1938.

Please do post your comments here when you are ready. I am only about a third of the way through the book so far, on account of finishing Whipple's 'Greenbanks' (which I loved, incidentally).

So far I'm enjoying Miss Pettigrew, though trying to adjust to the conceit of the whole set over just one day.

OP posts:
Walkinginthesand · 03/03/2023 10:48

I’m just about to start reading ‘Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.’ I took a rather delightful diversion as I mistakenly downloaded the charming but poignant ‘Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont’ by Elizabeth Taylor. It was a fortuitous error!

ChessieFL · 02/03/2023 18:50

I love this book. I love how you can see Miss Pettigrew grow in confidence as the day goes on, and realise how different her life could be.

I haven’t seen the film, but I have listened to the audiobook read by Frances McDormand and I hated it. The book is set in London and is very British, so to have it read in an American accent was really jarring. Is the film set in America? I have when they do that.

ASimpleLobsterHat · 01/03/2023 20:52

Good choice, I loved that book. I shall go back and read it next. I probably won't get to it before the end of the month as I only read on the train to work and while DS swims, which doesn't add up to much each week, but I'll enjoy the discussion nonetheless. I'm currently on Elizabeth von Arnim's 'Father', which actually reminds me slightly of Miss Pettigrew.

Original poster
MotherofPearl · 01/03/2023 20:35

frustratedacademic · 01/03/2023 18:34

Thanks for the shiny new thread, @MotherofPearl. I've read and seen the film, so looking forward to this discussion.

N.b. If you report your own post you can ask MNHQ to add the book emoji. They've done so for me in the past .

Thanks @frustratedacademic. I'm afraid I am in fact so inept that I began by reporting your post instead of reporting the whole thread. Blush Then I wasn't specific enough about the book emoji so we have white books instead of red and green! Still, it was good of MNHQ to try to help. I'll do a better job next month I promise!

OP posts:
FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 01/03/2023 19:19

Thank you, MotherofPearl. Looking forward to this!* *

frustratedacademic · 01/03/2023 18:34

Thanks for the shiny new thread, @MotherofPearl. I've read and seen the film, so looking forward to this discussion.

N.b. If you report your own post you can ask MNHQ to add the book emoji. They've done so for me in the past .

FinallyHere · 01/03/2023 18:21

One of my favs, too. Comfort reading at its finest.

Suggested it for BookGroup when it was my turn to choose and they (sob) really, really hated it. I even went back to check I had posted a link to the correct book.

Some to find some other fans here.

Neverknowinglysensible · 01/03/2023 17:34

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is one of my favourite comfort reads. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s feeling a bit down. I love the illustrations in the Persephone edition too.

Original poster
MotherofPearl · 01/03/2023 17:28

ImJustMadAboutSaffron · 01/03/2023 14:12

Just a question - has anyone ever seen the film with Frances McDormand?

No, but I really love Frances McDormand, so am going to seek this out. Thanks for mentioning it.

On a separate note I see I failed to put the book emoji in our thread title, and now don't know how to edit it! Sorry. Blush

OP posts:
ImJustMadAboutSaffron · 01/03/2023 14:14

I'm starting mine tomorrow evening. I have two mega-busy days and an evening event tonight so no time. Looking forward to the chat about this one!

ImJustMadAboutSaffron · 01/03/2023 14:12

Just a question - has anyone ever seen the film with Frances McDormand?

Original poster
MotherofPearl · 01/03/2023 13:24

I wanted to post the beautiful endpapers of my Persephone copy, taken from a 1930s furnishing fabric apparently.

📖 'Rather Dated' March: Winifred Watson's 'Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day' 📖
OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread