I absolutely adored everything about this little gem of a book. Originally published in 1938, I'd never heard of it, and probably still wouldn't have, were it not displayed on a "librarian's choice" shelf in my local library recently.
In a nutshell, Miss Pettigrew is an aging, ineffectual governess down to her last chance when she rings the bell of the lithe nightclub singer Delysia LaFosse, she of the fine figure and decidedly loose morals (at least by Miss Pettigrew's standards). Without asking what her business is, Miss LaFosse puts Miss Pettigrew to work, but in the most unconventional way. A revolving cast of characters works its way in and out of Miss LaFosse's day - and Miss Pettigrew's life, causing the latter to wonder if she's really lived at all.
Winifred Watson's work is unlike any book I've read before, and I struggle to compare it to anything else. The illustrations are the icing on the cake. Love, love, love.
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