I had been told by other readers that I would find Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson absolutely delightful and I did but I also found it rather bittersweet, which I had not anticipated. In the course of one wonderful, whirlwind day Miss Guinevere Pettigrew, a forty-year old down-trodden governess/maid-for-hire finds herself swept up in the wake of the glamourous Miss LaFosse and, as a result, Miss Pettigrew’s entire outlook is radically altered. It pure fairy tale, fantastical and wonderful, but, as with most fairy tales, there are dark shadows lurking at the edges.
Miss Pettigrew’s life, prior to this fateful morning, has been a dull regime of doing what is proper and what must be done, of living virtuously and unquestioningly and so, so alone. Her future is bleak: no family, no children, no wealth, no home even to shelter her as she grows older. Cinderella, let us remember, had her youth at least (not the mention her looks) and the optimism that youth invariably possesses (however misguided): Miss Pettigrew may have had that once too but life has taught her to be less fanciful. And then, by a quirk of fate, she suddenly has a chance to be reckless and to act out against all the rigid commandments that have shaped her life. She wears silk under things and makeup, drinks cocktails and dances at a nightclub. She is a woman awakening to the sensual pleasures of life and a delicious hint of sin lingers in the air, thrilling her all the more.
I found the following to be one of the most resonant passages in the book, as Miss Pettigrew reveals that, until today, she had never been tempted off the path of virtue. This seemed inexplicably sad to me (though, at the same time, a voice in my head that I recognize as my grandmother’s wonders if virtue untested is really virtue at all).
Simply and honestly she faced and confessed her abandonment of all the principles that had guided her through life. In one short day, at the first wink of temptation, she had not just fallen, but positively tumbled, from grace. Her long years of virtue counted for nothing. She had never been tempted before…She could not deny that this way of sin, condemned by parents and principles, was a great deal more pleasant than the lonely path of virtue, and her morals had not withstood the test. (p. 135)
Can one day, however magical, really alter the habits and values of a lifetime? Relax them, perhaps, as most experiences will, but in Miss Pettigrew’s case, in the situation she is facing at the end of the book, to continue would suggest that she live every day with the same indulgent spirit as she had just the one. Would she still find pleasure in such behaviour or would repetition dull the excitement? It seems that much of the joy of the day comes from the pleasure of rebellion, allowing Miss Pettigrew to feel quite wicked for the first time in her life. Does that ever last? Even the title seems melancholy: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. It is finite, suggesting that there is a limit to the delights and pleasures she may discover.
It is a charming work and I like it all the more for the questions it raised in my mind and for the darker themes that lurked behind the fantasy.
The Captive Reader 
This sounds like a really sweet book. Did you see the movie? Does it do the novel justice?
I have seen the movie and I think the spirit of it is true to the book, even if the particulars aren’t.
This is one of those books that I’ve wanted to read for quite a long time. You’ve written a wonderful review of the book.
Thanks Iris. It honestly hadn’t been on my TBR list but it was one of the few titles I was able to get my hands on for Persephone Reading Week and I’m very happy that I tried it.
I have yet to read this book, but I completely see your point about the bittersweetness. Even if she manages to make it life and her life does change after that one day, there are all those lonely years…
It’s not even the past that bothers me so much as the idea of a future chosen entirely as a rebellion against the person she was. It’s certainly something interesting to contemplate.
It is rather bittersweet isn’t it? I so like the idea that at least she “lived” for a day though – better that than nothing!
Very true!
I agree that it is bittersweet; Miss Pettigrew is quite the tragic figure and I was delighted that she was delighted in her day’s events … of course there is the hope that she lives even better from that day out.
There are a lot of moments of humour, for instance in the continued obstacles to her eating, but those are bittersweet too as she is going hungry because of her impoverished condition. It isn’t as frothy as it first comes across as.
I liked it so much better for being darker than I’d anticipated, which may seem rather strange. I like charming froth sometimes but this hit just the right notes for me because of Miss Pettigrew’s sad history.
This one is on my wish list and I hope to read it soon.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy it when you do get a copy!
Spoiler alert:
I found the movie less satisfying than the book, because it ends with the promise that she would be rescued by a man. The book ends with the promise that she will have decent employment (and a man too, but just as an extra, not as her support system)
Yes, I definitely liked that the book sorted out her future independent of any male companion.
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A really really great review. Thank you for reminding me about the bittersweetness in it – for isn’t life often bittersweet?
Glad you enjoyed the review!
I definitely see the bittersweet in it, for all the same reasons as you said in your last two paragraphs. This was my first Persephone and I adored it because it was so easy to read and such a deviation from the usual heavy stuff, but come to think of it, it isn’t as light as it seems to be. I, too, feel for her after that one day is done. But because I’m allowed, I can just think she lived on another day, and another, and other.. and so on.
It does have a nice ending that way, allowing you to believe that yes, every day from now on can be just as wonderful.
Yes, there’s definitely a bittersweet quality to this book. It was my first Persephone, my “gateway drug,” so to speak!
What a charming introduction! My first was Marianna and it definitely encouraged me to search out more Persephone books.
Fab review. I’ve spotted this in the library although am tempted to get my own copy.
Glad you enjoyed the review! I liked the book but I’m not sure I really feel the need to own a copy. Though I’m sure that feeling might change once my collection of Persephone books starts expanding…
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