Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

We met at Emily's house to enjoy a gourmet meal (cooked by her talented caterer husband) and a discussion of our latest read.  We were down in numbers, as Nancy was sick and Elspeth has regretfully informed us of her need to take a hiatus.  But where 2 or more are gathered in the name of Literature, the book discussion (and eating…and drinking of wine…) shall go on.

May I take just a moment to sing the praises of fennel?  The scallops last night were amazing, but for me the hit was the raw apple and fennel salad with some kind of seeds and fabulous vinaigrette on butter lettuce.  Perfection.

Ok, back to the book by Helen Simonson, her first and only published novel (as far as we can tell.)
Some of the topics we discussed were:

• Parent relationships with adult children
• Opinions on race and status and how critical events can prompt changes in these opinions, even if they have been held a very long time
• The symbolism of the Churchill guns
• Inheritance, greed, and how that plays out between generations in the book and in life
• The intense descriptive detail and dialogue of the book

Fun Facts:
A surprise visit from Cody (who's watching the kids?!?)
Emily's advanced timing system on her living room lights
Erin's getting crafty during meetings
Someone was 1 day into her 40's
Stock up on contact solution.  Trust me.  Just do it!