10 perfect books for Valentine's Day gifts

8. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, by Helen Simonson

Can a retired British army officer and widower find happiness with a brainy widowed shopowner of Pakistani descent? That's the central drama of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, a delightful comic tribute to the possibilities (and impossibilities) of late-in-life love. If you tend to like novels set in small English coastal towns and believe in the power of lovers to bond over Kipling, this is the definitive love story for you. (CSMonitor review 3/19/10)

8 of 10
You've read 3 of 3 free articles. Subscribe to continue.
CSM logo

Why is Christian Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you’ll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences – a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us