Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

I just love this book. It is a marvelous first novel by Helen Simonson. It is about a retired English major, Major Pettigrew, who lives in Edgecombe St. Mary, a small English village. He is widowed and is becoming close friends with Mrs. Ali, a Pakistani woman who owns the local grocery shop in the village. The book is so much more than that though. It involves prejudices, the new versus the old beliefs in life, and a thoroughly engaging protagonist who learns as much about himself as he does about his son and his village friends. This is a great book that I'm reluctant to finish since this is Ms. Simonson's first novel. I'm hoping she comes back with another one real soon.