Title: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
Author: Phaedra Patrick (Author Website)
Genre: Literary Fiction (British)
Publisher: MIRA; First Edition edition (May 3, 2016)
Length: 336 pages
Source: Ramsey County Library
About Book: (from Good Reads)
In this poignant and sparkling debut, a lovable widower embarks on a life-changing adventure. Sixty-nine-year-old Arthur Pepper lives a simple life. He gets out of bed at precisely 7:30 a.m., just as he did when his wife, Miriam, was alive. He dresses in the same gray slacks and mustard sweater vest, waters his fern, Frederica, and heads out to his garden.
But on the one-year anniversary of Miriam's death, something changes. Sorting through Miriam's possessions, Arthur finds an exquisite gold charm bracelet he's never seen before. What follows is a surprising and unforgettable odyssey that takes Arthur from London to Paris and as far as India in an epic quest to find out the truth about his wife's secret life before they met--a journey that leads him to find hope, healing and self-discovery in the most unexpected places.
Featuring an unforgettable cast of characters with big hearts and irresistible flaws, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a curiously charming debut and a joyous celebration of life's infinite possibilities.
About Author:
Phaedra qualified firstly as a stained glass artist before gaining her professional Marketing qualifications. She has worked as a waitress, stained glass designer, film festival organiser and communications manager.
She enjoyed her first real writing success when she entered and won several short story competitions, and she now writes full time.
Phaedra lives in Saddleworth, UK, with her husband and son, where she enjoys walking, eating chocolate, and arts and crafts. Her idea for The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper emerged as she showed her own childhood charm bracelet to her young son and told him the stories behind each of the charms.
My Review/Rating: Phaedra Patrick’s debut novel, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is an enjoyable read with endearing characters. The main character Arthur Pepper has lost his wife and is struggling to find a rhythm, meaning to his life after her death. In a effort to move on, he decides to clean out her closet and finds a charm bracelet in the process.
This charm bracelet starts Arthur on a journey to learn more about his wife, Miriam’s life before he met her. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a story of discovery of Arthur learning about his wife as well as about himself as well. Arthur is an endearing character looking to find his way through his grief and to healing.
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper had me think what would I do if I suddenly lost the most important person in my life. The journey Arthur goes on brings him healing but also helps him to rediscover love and life after his wife’s death. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is an enjoyable read, a slower paced read with very well developed characters that you will enjoy spending the afternoon with. It was a nice change of pace for me. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a 3 star read for me. I look forward to future books by Phaedra Patrick.
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick was also reviewed by Rhapsody in Books, Smart Bitches Trashy Books, and Blog Critics
My Rating Scale: 1 – didn’t like it; 2 – it was ok; 3 – liked it; 4 – really liked it; 5 – it was amazing
Happy Reading!
Never Let You Go: A Novel – I am looking forward to starting Never Let You Go – Chevy Steven can sure write a suspenseful thriller. I am sure this book will be no different. Never Let You Go will be available for purchase on March 14th, 2017. Don’t forget to get on the reserve list at the library as the list is sure get very long for this one!
