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Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
- Narrated by: Frances McDormand
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
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Summary
This charming, funny, light-hearted 1938 novel was a bestseller on its first appearance. Read by Academy Award winning actress Frances McDormand, who stars in the 2008 film as Miss Pettigrew.
Winifred Watson grew up in Newcastle and was a secretary until, in 1935, she married Leslie Pickering, the manager of a timber firm. She wrote six novels in all and died in 2002.
Critic reviews
"Pure Cinderella fantasy farce with beaus, bounders, negligees and nightclubs - Miss Pettigrew's blossoming is a delight to observe." ( The Guardian)
More from the same
What listeners say about Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- kerrymay
- 04-01-10
Uplifting story
Enjoyed the story but why was there an american narrator for an English book featuring English characters set in London? Not only was the american accent irritating but the reader used american pronunciation for words such as leisure.
28 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Brenda
- 22-04-09
do not miss this one
This is a delightful book, well written and well paced the narrator is well matched to the time and style of the period.
This is one that I will listen to again.
B.M. Wicklow Ireland
8 people found this helpful
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Overall
- June
- 01-05-09
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
The most wonderful lighthearted listen that I think I have ever come across. The reader sounded of the time so leading to deeper interest. Such a good listen that I find myself quite upset that the author appears not to have other titles to snuggle down with, so its back to Miss Pettigrews "new take on life".
7 people found this helpful
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- SMInc
- 14-04-18
Delightful story
A very sweet and funny tale.
The American accent was a bit jarring for a story entirely set in London and among the British. But it was very well done.
5 people found this helpful
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- S. McBride
- 05-11-17
Entertaining and engaging
Very well performed. was entertained throughout. Be warned - a few politically incorrect moments that will have you gasping. Not sure how to treat these moments but definitely worth a listen/read.
3 people found this helpful
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- Gunhild
- 20-08-18
Wonderful
Absolutely wonderfully sweet. The performance is excellent!
The story is sweet and endearing. Truly a little master piece.
2 people found this helpful
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- BookEditor
- 07-04-16
A gem of a story
I stumbled across this book by chance and I am so glad I did. It is a wonderful book - quirky, very witty and it has the most delightful heroine in Miss Pettigrew. A downtrodden governess and lonely spinster, she finds herself sucked into the glitzy world of night club singer Miss Lafosse. Miss P finds herself dragged into all kinds of situations she had never even dreamed about. But is she fazed? Far from it. She shows her true colours and in this one day she finally starts to live. The book is set in the 1930s and is completely captivating. I adore it!
2 people found this helpful
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- Melinda
- 14-01-10
Fun Read
This was just a really fun read. Yes, it did bother me a bit in the beginning that the narrator wasn't British, but she is a good reader and read the book well. The story itself was fun and hilarious at times. It's a thoroughly good book that I can recommend to anyone.
4 people found this helpful
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- marilyn. e. newman
- 15-02-21
Not a good casting
Francis Mcdormand is a fine actress just not right for this book maybe it was for the American market
1 person found this helpful
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- Nicola
- 06-01-21
Lovely
What a super story! A real hidden gem of a book. My only concern was the narration - a very English story set in London narrated with an American accent, jarred at times.
1 person found this helpful
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- bebe
- 17-04-10
such a cute story
This is a well done production of a really cute story. I love all the characters and the reader brings them to life. Just as Miss Pettigrew did, you will get swept up into a mad and hectic day full of surprise, laughter and fun. I did not want it to end. I enjoyed the story and this audible version so much that I got the latest movie version of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day; however, I was was very very disappointed in that movie because it failed to stick with the story line in the book - that was a big mistake. The audible book was much superior to the movie. The reader is talented and has great accents - it is well worth the purchase.
26 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 06-05-10
A sweet confection
This is a story I find myself returning to again and again. Brilliantly read by the incredibly talented Frances McDormand, who also played the title character in the film. An excellent case of a really good read taken to the the next level by a really good reader. This is why I love audiobooks!
20 people found this helpful
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Overall

- Jennifer
- 24-02-10
A wonderfully fun read!!
I loved this book!! I will listen to it again, I know it. The characters are fun, the story line is engaging and funny. The narrator is fabulous. Nothing really "deep" in meaning here, but just a really fun story. Will make you smile and laugh. I never saw the movie, but since a lot of this story is the description of what goes on inside Miss Pettigrew's head, I can't imagine that the movie would hold a candle to this book.
18 people found this helpful
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- Donald
- 24-12-10
Better than the movie
Not to knock the movie but the book shines with the character development that seems lacking in the movie. Frances McDormand who plays Pettigrew in the movie does an excellent job in narration. I enjoyed seeing Miss Pettigrew deal with the religious confines of her parental training as she tastes the freedom of spirit that Delyssia LaFoss seems to enjoy. The story shows how love can bring healing to a multitude of brokenness.
16 people found this helpful
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- readqueen
- 27-08-10
A delightful listen!
I was looking for something fun to listen to during a stressful period and this book hit the spot. I've seen the movie and enjoyed it and loved the book. The plot is similar, but not identical. Frances McDormand is a terrific actress and does an excellent job with each character. (I'd listen to her read the TV guide - she's great!) I highly recommend this recording.
16 people found this helpful
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Overall

- Ilana
- 17-05-11
Life is Full of Surprises
This 1938 novel, here narrated by the excellent Frances McDormand, tells a charming little story about a hard on her luck spinster who discovers life can be full of surprise when, applying for a job as a governess, she knocks at the wrong door. Instead of the disagreeable housewife she usually must contend with in her line of work, at which she isn't exactly competent, she meets with a beautiful vision of a girl, just as glamorous and delightful as the ones Guinevere Pettigrew has only seen at the movies, her one greatest guilty pleasure until then. In less than twenty-four hours filled with thrilling events the likes of which Guinevere has never experienced firsthand before, this straight-laced vicar’s daughter discovers things about herself she never knew she had in her.
In the wrong hands, this quaint little story might have been a sickeningly-sweet kind of affair, which is absolutely not the case here. I had stumbled on the movie adaptation on television one day, which is when I experienced my first brief love affair with Miss Pettigrew, again portrayed by the remarkably talented Frances McDormand. The novel has even greater delights to offer, if only because one gets to spend more time with this unlikely heroine, who serendipitously sees her life transformed like a 1930s middle-aged Cinderella.
13 people found this helpful
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- Holly C. Salley
- 14-04-09
Adorable
This book was a delight. I enjoyed every moment of it. It is a great spring read. I saw the movie and loved it so I figured this would be an enjoyable listen. I am happy to report that this book is indeed better than the film. BUY THIS BOOK! :)
26 people found this helpful
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- Sher from Provo
- 11-06-12
So Much Fun
This has got to be one of the sweetest stories I have ever read. I loved every minute of it. I think I sort of fell in love with Miss Pettigrew myself. I wish I could know her in real life. She never knew how strong she was until given the chance to prove herself. I loved the characters, and although the plot was a bit predictable, I found myself rooting for Miss Pettigrew and hoping that this day would turn out to be as wonderful as it had started. I had a smile on my face the whole time.
Take a break from War and Peace or Ulysses, give your brain a rest and read this story. Although it will not tax your intellect, there are a lot of things to think about. AND you will have fun.
11 people found this helpful
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- S. Powell
- 13-08-10
Fun and delightful!
What a delightful surprise this book has been: a shy, timid governess experiences one amazing day that is nothing like her boring, monotonous life, and she experiences what life can be, if you just dare to live it. It's an absolute gem! Can't wait to see the movie!
9 people found this helpful
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- Janice
- 14-01-11
Cinderella meets Liza Doolttle
I have not seen the movie, but the trailers looked interesting, so I was enticed to download the book. I was completely charmed, and can't think how the movie could measure up, if only because I can't imagine how a movie could adequately convey the thoughts going through Miss Pettigrew's head that gave color and depth to her character and helped to carry the story along. Along with Miss P I looked forward to each new happening throughout her special day, watching her bloom into the person she was always meant to be. I was rooting for her all the way, delighting in her transformation. This is exactly what I enjoy most about audible books - an engaging story that makes me care about the characters, well read to bring those characters to life. I hated for it to end.
8 people found this helpful