In this series, we ask women who rock our worlds to recommend books that rocked their world. Every week we will bring you a book that every woman should read.
Anita Roy is commissioning editor for the Young Zubaan list. She also a freelance writer and critic for newspapers and magazines including Outlook, The Hindu, Biblio, The Indian Express and others. She is the author of the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness guide to India, along with co-author Manini Chatterjee. When we asked her to recommend a book she sent us a “heartfelt recommendation”. Read on to find out what she has to say.
Imagine Cinderella where the princess is a dowdy middle-aged governess and her fairy godmother a ditzy strawberry-blonde showgirl. Miss Pettigrew lives for a Day is as delicious, delightful, as naughty but nice as a silver platter of petit fours.
This forgotten gem was rediscovered and reissued by the wonderful Persephone publishers in 2001. Skip the 2008 film, and Flipkart yourself a copy of the book: you won’t regret it.
The story zips along with dips and bounces, as twinkle-toed as Fred Astaire. The dialogue is snappy and sharp: impossible to choose from my many favourite one-liners. So allow me to share my top three:
- “!!! … ??? … ??? … ??? … !!!” is what you get when a devilishly handsome alpha male meets his most unexpected match.
- Next, one of the most swoonyily romantic lines in modern literature: “A common belief in woolen underwear was a bond to shatter the last barrier of constraint.”
- And finally, a line guaranteed to put lead in your pencil: “The Scarlet Peacock… and make it snappy.”
Whenever the spirits dip, the heart sinks, the modern world seems too fast and hard and careless, I return to “the sweetest grown-up book in the world” (India Knight) and emerge, a few hours later, nose powdered, stockings straight and with a marcel wave in my hair. Try it.