"Major Pettigrew's Last Stand" by Helen Simonson.

Sometimes events converge.  This morning I see that Powell's Books posted a review of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, a popular novel from last year.  Last week my friend (and sister-in-law) started this same book, which I read last summer.  "Did you like it?"she asked.  "Well, I finished it," I replied.  This, as you may imagine, is not my most ringing endorsement for a novel.

I did finish Major Pettigrew's Last Stand because it is a readable and mildly engaging story about race, relationships, and community in a small, English village, but certainly not because it was lighting my reading world on fire.  For me the book read like sparkling water gone flat:  Acceptable, drinkable, but not what you hoped for.

Have you read this book?  Let me know what you think about it:  Fabulous or Flat?