The curious charms of Arthur Pepper - Phaedra Patrick

When Arthur Pepper discovers a mysterious charm bracelet in his late wife’s wardrobe, he sets off on a journey to discover, charm by charm, her secret life before they met.

Having been married for over 40 years, 69-year-old Arthur Pepper is mourning the loss of his wife. On the anniversary of her death, he finally musters the courage to go through her possessions, and happens upon a charm bracelet that he has never seen before.

What follows is a surprising adventure that takes Arthur from London to Paris and 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 healing, self-discovery, and love in the most unexpected of places. 

My thoughts:

I truly enjoyed this book, it was light, sweet, but still dealt with something tragic and it's a story about finding yourself again. ..At the age of 69.

Arthur is 69, he has lost his wife, he hides in his house. He has almost lost contact with his kids. His only friend is his plant. Poor Arthur. But then the story starts as he finds a charm bracelet and wonders why his wife never showed it to him. Did she have a secret past? Was she unhappy with him? You can see that that puts a few ideas in his head, and it is a good thing because it pushes him outside the door.

And outside there is a whole new world. Each charm also has their own chapter and we learn a bit more about his wife Miriam every time. She sure had secrets, and I kept wondering why she felt she had to hide them from him. But the answer will come

I also like how he meet new friends on the road. From having avoided people who opened up, let people in, learnt a few things, and made others feel better too. Good cheer all around.

Conclusion:

In the end he will be happy, others will be happy. And I was happy for having read this feelgood book. Go Arthur! 

Hardcover, 352 pages
Expected publication: April 7th 2016 by MIRA
Fiction
For review