Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

What phrases come to mind when describing Winifred Watson's 1938 comic novel MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY? *** "The mouse that roared? *** "The end of innocence? ***"It's never too late for love?" *** "Cinderella updated?" *** You get the idea. Pushing 40 maiden lady Miss Guinevere Pettigrew has no friends, no family, is underfed, poor and a very inadequate governess. The novel is about the final chance she has to land a paying job to keep her literally from a British poor house. She is mousy, terrified, desperate when she turns up at 10:00 a.m. (or 10.00 a.m. British-style) on a cold November London morning at the home of gorgeous, oversexed young singer/actress Miss Delysia LaFosse (born Sarah Grubb). The employment agency had mixed up Miss LaFosse, whose maid had just quit, with Mrs Hilary who wanted a governess. And MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY is well launched by page three. *** The text is famed for its black and white sketches by Mary Thomson of the Great Gatsby world of pre-World War II class-conscious Britain. The plot is charming. Strait-laced Guinevere Pettigrew is swept as an uncomprehending social equal for several intense hours day and night into a world of dashing men (including one older male who will call upon her next day with romance in the offing), gorgeous women who care for their complexions, figures, hair-dos and parties. *** Miss Pettigrew mothers in her own fashion much younger Miss LaFosse as well as London's greatest independent hair dresser Miss Dubarry. She helps them find and land the right men to marry. Where on earth did this churchy mouse find such wordly know-how within her psyche? She drew lessons on how to behave in such a frothy social world from her weekly immersions in escapist movies. She also blossomed simply because for the first time in her life someone treated her kindly, with respect and absolutely trusted Miss Pettigrew to get her out of one romantic jam after another. *** The narrator invites us to answer this question: "How do we know what latent possibilities of achievement we possess?" (Ch. I -- titled 9.15 a.m. -- 11.11 a.m.). Read MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY once. And you will want to chuckle through it again and again. -OOO-