From the author of Rise and Shine Benedict Stone, soon to be a an original movie on Hallmark.“An endearing celebration of life.” -RealSimple.comPerfect for fans of A Man Called Ove, this curiously charming debut follows a lovable widower and his life-changing adventure of love and self-discovery.Sixty-nine-year-old Arthur Pepper lives a simple life. He gets out of bed at precisely 7:30 a.m., just … 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 and healing 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 joyous reminder of life’s infinite possibilities.
Check out these other heartwarming stories from Phaedra Patrick.
Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone
The Library of Lost and Found
The Secrets of Love Story Bridge
Book People
more
Wonderful heartwarming story. After reading it I immediately recommended it to family and friends.
I really enjoyed Arthur. It was a nice (although eventful) journey to discover his wife’s history. He could rest assured that his wife loved him very much.
This could be a book about anyone’s life. It reminds us to enjoy life with those you love.
Charming!
I thought it would be similar to Major Prttigrew’s Last Stand but it is not. it lacks the charm and wit. I was disappointed.
It held my interest, I liked the characters and it was a light read.
Feel good read.
just a charming book about an elderly man who is in process of shutting down his life after his wife of many years has passed on. He discovers a charm bracelet of hers which he didn’t know she owned and when his curiosity takes him in search of each charm his life opens up in new and unexpected ways. Simply delightful.
This book had an interesting plot and well drawn characters. However, it was not as well written as I expected it to be
An enjoyable read.
Quirky, delightful characters you hope overcome life’s challenges. I really enjoyed the story.
Choice of my book club. Interesting and thought provoking! Enjoyed it!
Charming.
I enjoyed it very much, although, as an older person able to empathize with the issues he was facing, I was a bit put off that his wife’s life had been so very unusual, and that the clues were so easily followed.
But the idea of letting go of preconceptions and delusions, and living for what things are — finding adventure at any age — yes. A wonderful story.
It’s been a while since I read this book but I just remember loving it.
This is what I would call a sweet book. A recent widower finds a charm bracelet that belonged to his wife and his curiousity about the charms leads him in several directions. He finds out a lot about his late wife and himself. Sometimes you just need a “sweet” story after reading a psychological thriller or two.
This is the story of Arthur Pepper. He is a recent widow. The story opens 1 year after his wife has died of pneumonia, and he is still mourning her loss. He keeps to himself, and doesn’t stray from his daily routines, even though she is gone. He is estranged from his two children, and barely leaves the house.
His daughter finally convinces him that a year is long enough and Arthur needs to pack up his wife’s things and donate them. When he starts to pack up her things, he finds a charm bracelet he has never seen before. It has eight charms, and as he studies it, he sees that one charm – an elephant – has a phone number on it. He calls them number and this starts his journey to discover that his wife had an entire life he didn’t know about before they were married. His journey takes him to India, London, France – just to name a few. Along the way he meets interesting people and does things he would never had done if he had not found the bracelet. He becomes a completely different person and learns to live again.
This was a really sweet book. It is an easy read, and all of the characters were very likable. I had a hard time putting it down – wondering where the next charm would lead Arthur and what he would find out about his wife.
I am sure there are many of us that had lives before we met our significant others. Things that we don’t readily share with others. Why Arthur’s wife chose to leave her past in the past and not share them with her husband of 40 years never really becomes clear. Maybe she felt it wasn’t important. Maybe she was embarrassed. But whatever the reason – she held the secrets close to her chest.
I encourage you to read this book. Maybe it will encourage you to take that adventure. Or share something of your past.
Lovely story. Unusual plot. Enjoyable read.
I loved this book. It was humorous and sad, happy and adventurous. It is about a man learning to live after the death of his wife. It sounds like a book about death but it is really a book about finding a new life. Loved the characters and the writing is great.
Given that the story is British, the most apt adjective for it is probably “lovely.” It really is. Phaedra Patrick’s The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is just a delightful little story of the recently-widowed septuagenarian Arthur Pepper, who discovers a charm bracelet as he is cleaning out his late wife’s belongings on the first anniversary of her death. Following its discovery, Arthur embarks on a quest to uncover the stories behind the charms.
His wife, Miriam, it seems led a varied and exciting life before she met him and settled down in the shadow of York Minster. In fact, the more of her life he discovers, the more he is certain that she couldn’t really have been as happy with their quiet life together as she had seemed. Arthur begins to ask himself if, even after 40+ years, you can ever really know another person.
As I said, this is a lovely story, a quick read, but with deeper issues to be pondered just below the surface. For Phaedra Patrick has really created a story about the malleability of memory, both what we choose to forget, as well as how what we remember can change shape with the passage of time. Patrick does this in a subtle enough way, never bludgeoning her reader with the heavy stuff, suck that one can just as happily read about Arthur Pepper’s adventures when seeking a light read as when in a brooding mood.
Most impressively, Patrick has created a bevy of unique characters about whom I cared and for whose successes I cheered. I finished this book wanting more, thinking about where a sequel might lead.
(This review was originally published at http://www.thisyearinbooks.com/2016/12/the-curious-charms-of-arthur-pepper.html)
About a man’s search for his wife’s life before he met her. My favorite fiction book of 2017…