“Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand” by Helen Simonson

喜欢Jane Austen吗？ “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand” 应该正合您的口味。 这个故事的主题是背景设于英国东南小镇的黄昏之恋。 男主角Major Pettigrew是位68岁退休丧妻的老式绅士，女主角Mrs. Ali则是镇上杂货店老板娘，巴基斯坦后裔。 原本以为人生已经走到迟暮，不会再出现意外的彩虹，但两人因着对文学的爱好，对丧偶的怀念，逐渐成为彼此的心灵支柱。 他们的黄昏恋也很甜蜜很浪漫喔－－海边的漫步，探讨文学的下午茶，开着车兜兜风。。。而且，不仅是心灵更是身体的passion呢！ 哇啦啦。 

在这个传统、封闭的小镇上，肤色信仰迥异的这一对当然属于异数。 镇上的三姑六婆，高尔夫球俱乐部的成员，还有两人的子女亲戚，都对他们明嘲暗讽，甚至百般阻拦。 Major Pettigrew当然要勇敢地力排众议，打破成见，抱得美人归。

这是一本轻松的爱情喜剧，也同时探讨老人问题、种族差异和两代之间的亲子关系。 作者颇得Austen的真传，文笔机智幽默，书里的言语机锋，多处一针见血，叫人不禁莞尔。 同时对八婆村民们的狭窄心态也多有讽刺，但也颇有人情味。 只是人物刻画比较stereotypical，读起来不真实，像一群人在用力地上演一出话剧，还用喊的。 不过我喜欢Jane Austen，那种诙谐讽刺调调正是我的茶，读起来还蛮享受的。

Quotes:

“Unlike you, who must do a cost-benefit analysis of every human interaction," he said, "I have no idea what I hope to accomplish. I only know that I must try to see her. That's what love is about, Roger. It's when a woman drives all lucid thought from your head; when you are unable to contrive romantic stratagems, and the usual manipulations fail you; when all your carefully laid plans have no meaning and all you can do is stand mute in her presence. You hope she takes pity on you and drops a few words of kindness into the vacuum of your mind.”

“You are a wise man, Major, and I will consider your advice with great care—and humility." He finished his tea and rose from the table to go to his room. "But I must ask you, do you really understand what it means to be in love with an unsuitable woman?"
"My dear boy," said the Major. "Is there really any other kind?”

看看他多幽默:
“Men these days expect their wives to be as dazzling as their mistresses.”
That's shocking," said the Major. "How on earth will they tell them apart?”

“He cursed himself for having assumed the weather would be sunny. Perhaps it was the result of evolution, he thought--some adaptive gene that allowed the English to go on making blithe outdoor plans in the face of almost certain rain.”

“You must know that I am entirely yours to command."
"I see chivalry lives on," she said.
"As long as there's no jousting involved, I'm your knight," he said.”