You are about to travel to edgecombe st. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of...You are about to travel to edgecombe st. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of your own family. Among them is major ernest pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson's wondrous debut.