The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

“Sometimes you hold onto things, not because you want to keep them, but because they are difficult to let go.”

This was a wonderful story. It's both equal parts adorable and sad. Arthur's loss and his love for his wife is evident on every page. He misses her so many little things remind him of the life they had together. The discovery of the bracelet and the adventures that ensue were full of silly coincidence but also of self discovery and stages of grief.

I rode each emotion with Arthur as he struggled to understand the woman Miriam was before she was his wife and the person he'd spent 40 years with. I loved his journey.

This is a coming of age story with a twist. The twist being, the coming of age person is 70. On the first anniversary of his wife’s death Arthur decides it’s time to go through her things and get rid of them. Dear old Arthur, that’s how I initially saw him, believed he and Miriam were soulmates. He did however, silently wonder why she ever married him. What on earth did she see in him? But all these years they’d been inseparable and happy, or so he thought. Since her death Arthur’s been lost, lonely and pretty miserable. He’d be the first to admit that life on his own is boring and repetitive however, the unexpected can always happen! While clearing out Miriam’s wardrobe he makes a discovery which proves a catalyst. Arthur show more is charming and I enjoyed going on his journey of discovery. Do we ever KNOW someone totally, even our nearest and dearest? Maybe now’s the time to start asking questions. Before its too late! show less

Are you ready to go on an adventure?

69 year old Yorkshireman Arthur Pepper isn't. Since his wife died exactly one year ago, he's clung to his routines and his house plant like life rafts and gradually lost meaningful contact with his children and the outside world. Then a chance discovery awakens a questing spirit he didn't know he possessed - but does he really want to know the secrets he's about to uncover?

-- What's it about? --

After 40 years of marriage, you might expect to know your spouse inside out. (In fact, you might well know them far better than you ever wished to!) But how much do you really know about their life before you?

Arthur Pepper thinks he knew everything about his beloved wife, Miriam, but a clear-out of her wardrobe show more reveals a charm bracelet he doesn't recall seeing before; the combination of a majestic elephant charm and an impulsive phone call leaves him reeling from the knowledge that Miriam spent time living in India before their marriage. What might the other seven charms be records of? Just who was Miriam? And was she really happy with Arthur? Suddenly, Arthur's idea of 40 years of happy marriage seems precarious. Did he ever really know Miriam at all?

-- What's it like? --

Charming. Thoughtful. Awkwardly paced.

Arthur himself is delightful, even when he's pretending to be a National Trust statue to hide from his over-friendly neighbour, or advising a man that he may not be marriage material. His disconnection from the rest of the world at the beginning of the book is beautifully captured in his thoughts about his neighbour's son:

'Nathan Patterson existed in that he had a body and a head and arms and legs. But Arthur wasn't sure if there were any thoughts inside him making his body operate.'

The joy of the whole book is watching Arthur come slowly back to life and gradually realise that loving his wife doesn't have to mean living to please her. This process moves in fits and starts according to the jolts and successes his adventures give him, which makes the pace feel a little uneven, especially when he determines to go no further in his quest, but when taken as a whole, the narrative perfectly captures the struggle to remember who Miriam was whilst also assimilating who she was before.

-- Final thoughts --

This is a delightful tale of an elderly man discovering that he and the world still have much to offer each other.

The characters met along the way are striking and, as is typical in these kinds of stories, it transpires that Miriam has had a surprisingly rich and varied life pre-Arthur, but it certainly makes for an interesting story.

The ending is touchingly crafted - though I felt including Miriam's voice was redundant and that Arthur was capable of reaching the conclusions he did without it - with plenty of closure and plenty of hints for the future of Arthur's new life.

This is at once a delightful adventure story and a touching meditation on loss, grief and the way our memories are shaped and reshaped by our shifting beliefs.

Recommended.

Many thanks to the publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less

This book is, well, charming. Arthur Pepper's wife, Miriam, died a year ago and since then he has lived his life in a very strict routine to help him deal with being alone. His children don't seem to have much interest in him and he's got himself into a rut. On the anniversary of Miriam's death he decides it is time to clear out her belongings and he finds a charm bracelet with eight charms on it. He doesn't recognise the bracelet or remember Miriam wearing it but he discovers a telephone number on one of the charms that leads him on a journey to discover the story behind each one. In doing so, he finds out things about his late wife that he never knew.

I loved this book. It has many similarities with The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold show more Fry, which went down well with me because I loved that book too. Arthur is a brilliant character and sometimes his actions made me laugh. This is also a very heart-warming story of a man coming to terms with the loss of a wife who he loved dearly and I ached for him as he had to reconsider everything that he thought he knew.

Ultimately this is a feel-good book about a man embarking on a new phase in his life at the age of 69. I loved following Arthur as he made each discovery and met a series of interesting and sometimes eccentric people. Fantastic! show less

I love thrillers, suspense and mystery novels. But the books that really stay with me are those that tug at the heartstrings. Books such as The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Rush Home Road, A Man Called Ove and Britt-Marie Was Here, to name a few.

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick is going to join that list. (And a lot of others - translation rights for this debut novel have been sold to twenty countries already!)

After forty years of marriage, Arthur Pepper's beloved wife Miriam passes away. Arthur keeps the same routines and touches nothing in the house for a year. But after a year, he decides he needs to finally go through her things. And that's when he discovers a golden bracelet with eight charms tucked away show more (well let's say hidden) in one of her shoes. A bracelet that Arthur has never seen in their forty years together........

Arthur discovers what he thinks to be a phone number on the elephant charm, calls it - and begins a journey to discover his wife's life before they met. A life that he had no idea about.

Arthur is such a warm wonderful protagonist! The reader can't help but empathize as Arthur struggles to understand why his wife hid so much from him and cheer him on as his journey progresses. For with each charm and each new revelation, Arthur also moves forward, not just physically (his journey takes him to India, London and Paris), but mentally and emotionally as well. And although Arthur may not realize it, his calm, measured, friendly manner is also making a difference in the lives of those he meets along the way.

I felt just as strongly about Arthur's neighbour Bernadette (and her son Nathan) - she has been trying to help Arthur over the last year with meals and company. At first I thought 'busybody' but my opinion changed. Her ever cheerful, upbeat mood is genuine despite her own problems.

Patrick explores love, loss, grief, friendship and more with healthy doses of charm, wit, humour and reality in The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper. I absolutely loved this book! And Arthur.

The title is quite clever - the charms themselves, Arthur himself and the story itself. show less

On the one-year anniversary of his wife’s death, sixty-nine-year-old Arthur Pepper finds a charm bracelet while cleaning out her closet. Miriam and Arthur were married for forty years yet, through this bracelet, Arthur discovers that he knows nothing about his wife’s early life. Thus, he embarks on an odyssey to uncover Miriam’s secrets. As the reclusive Arthur breaks out of his shell and begins to travel, he discovers new friends and new experiences. Arthur’s journey, thus, becomes one of self-discovery. As he learns about Miriam and her exciting life before him, Arthur learns about himself, his marriage, and all the things he still has to live for.

This is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year! As I read The show more Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, I knew that the main character reminded me of someone, of a well-loved character in the back of my mind. It was only when I got to the art class scene (I don’t want to give it away) that I realized Arthur Pepper reminds me of Leopold Gursky, the endearing yet grumpy old man from Nicole Krauss’s The History of Love. If you know me, you know that The History of Love is one of my favorite books and Leo Gursky is one of my favorite characters. Like Leo, Arthur is eccentric and funny and lovable. I could not put this book down, mainly because I wanted to know that Arthur Pepper would be okay in the end. Phaedra Patrick has created a host of interesting supporting characters, but Arthur is the center of it all. I challenge you to read this book and not love the charming Arthur Pepper. show less

Arthur Pepper is a widower that has a set daily routine; up at a certain time, wearing specific outfits, eating at exact times, etc. Exactly one year after his wife's death he decides to clear out her belongings. He unexpectedly finds an inexpensive gold charm bracelet in a pair of boots and this sets him off on a quest to find out more about his wife's life before their marriage in The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick.

I found The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper to be a very fast-paced, cozy, and sweetly sentimental read. Arthur's quest to learn more about his wife is just as much a journey of self-awareness as it is a way to learn more about her past. Arthur discovers that each charm represents a fascinating chapter show more in her life. An elephant charm representing her brief period as a nanny in India, a tiger charm given to her by a renowned playboy figure that is fascinated by tigers (so much so that he keeps a few on his estate), and more. What he ultimately finds out is that his wife was a woman that had traveled and touched the lives of people, young and old. I rather enjoyed Arthur's travels and discoveries, as well as his rekindled relationship with his children. He also comes to realize that routines are nice, but breaking them won't cause the world to end. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper has a lot to offer, but the reason you should read it is simply because it is a delightful read. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Patrick in the future. show less