Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

By: Winifred Watson

Narrated by: Frances McDormand

Set in 1930s London, Winifred Watson’s Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day recounts twenty-four hours in the life of a governess who turns up for a very unexpected first day at work. Watson’s comedic, light-hearted novel is read by Academy Award-winning actress Frances McDormand, who plays Miss Pettigrew in the 2008 film production.

Middle-aged governess Guinevere Pettigrew visits her employment agency one morning and is mistakenly sent to the glitzy home of a nightclub singer. Miss Pettigrew meets the glamorous Miss Delysia LaFosse and embarks on a whirlwind adventure. These two very different women soon become friends, and Miss Pettigrew proves to be the perfect companion. Instead of having to look after unruly children, Miss Pettigrew spends her evening at a party. But what will happen when the day finally ends?

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is part of the Persephone Audiobook Collection, a series of forgotten classics including neglected fiction and non-fiction by women writers. First published in 1938, this edition includes a preface by author and retired academic Henrietta Twycross-Martin.

Great reading!

Awesome performance! So well done and what a great story and lovesble heroine! Frances Mcdormand nailed it!

A fun read

Lots of laughter while listening. Uplifting. Entertaining. Captivating. Great to listen to while driving. Highly recommend.

Such a fun book!

This book is so fun! The story is great, the performance is amazing. I listen to this book almost every year & I enjoy it throughly every song time. Give it a listen, you won’t be sorry!

Beautiful Prose

great story with low emotional turmoil. reading was plain and lacked background music hearing the recording clicks was off putting. the story i loved!!! better than the movie. a fun romp of a forgotten era

One of my favorites

I had seen the movie only about 20 times or so when I learned it was a book. Given how that normally goes, I was hesitant to read it. But my goodness. While it is somewhat different from the movie in terms of events and a few minor character shifts, all the charm is there with depth added to Miss Lafosse and dear Miss Pettigrew