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Read advance reader review of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick, page 3 of 4

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The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

by Phaedra Patrick
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  • First Published:
  • May 3, 2016, 336 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jan 2017, 288 pages
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Page 3 of 4
There are currently 22 member reviews
for The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
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  • Arlene M. (White Oak, PA)
    The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
    As a long-time married man, Arthur Pepper thought he knew everything about his wife, Miriam - until she died. While cleaning out his wife's possessions, he discovers a charm bracelet hidden in a boot and this sets him off on a sometimes dangerous and often comical adventure that takes him from the U. K. to Paris and to India.

    Along the way, he meets several people that relate to the charms and tell him stories of his wife that he found hard to believe.

    Phaedra Patrick has written a charming and interesting book about discovery and change that opened new horizons for a man who resisted, then accepted change.
  • Patricia T. (Fallbrook, CA)
    The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
    This book is a romantic mystery, not of course a criminal mystery, but it definitely deserves the description "cozy". Our protagonist, Arthur, is a widower, his long term conventional, comfortable, and loving marriage to Miriam having ended with her death a year ago. He finally decides it is time to go through her belongings. He finds something that makes no sense to him, a piece of jewelry, a charm bracelet, it is valuable and he has never seen it before. He embarks on a quest to discover its origin and meaning, and he finds out that, before she met him, Miriam had a life beyond his imagination. At first shocked, he quickly comes to terms with what this means. This is the story of his journey of discovery, and also how it changes him, and his relationships to his friends and family. He starts to live again with renewed energy and appreciation of all that life has to offer.

    The prose is straight forward, and the characters are well drawn. It is a sweet and gentle story, with a few tart touches here and there to cut what could become sentimentality. A relaxing read about a man we come to care about, and we love that everyone has a happy ending.
  • Teresa R. (Evansville, IN)
    Charming!
    Sweet and poignant widow who discovers things he didn't know about his deceased wife. He also rediscovers life, family, and friendship while investigating. Wonderful cast of characters and adventures!
  • Alyce T. (San Antonio, TX)
    The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
    This book was correctly named. Arthur Pepper discover something curious about his wife who has been dead for a year. This charming man takes us on an adventure to solve the mystery of his wife's past. As the tale unfolds each question solved gives a clue to solving the next question. It was an enjoyable book with believable but odd characters.
  • Marcia F. (Batavia, IL)
    The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
    This is a very sweet story of Arthur Pepper, a widower of a year in the depths of serious grief when he discovers a charm bracelet belonging to his late wife and how these charms lead him on a journey to discover their meaning but also an the journey of resolving his grief through new experiences, friendships and even new love.
  • Karna
    The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
    A thoroughly delightful story about a widower who discovers a gold charm bracelet belonging to his deceased wife and decides to uncover the relevance of each charm in his wife's life. At times laugh out loud funny and other times poignant, the author has created a wonderful protagonist. Each charm becomes a story in and of itself as Arthur's discovers a new life. This is a fun and imaginative read.
  • Karen J. (Bremerton, WA)
    Not Harold Fry
    Having read "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" I anticipated a similar experience with this story. Sadly, for me it was not. Both stories describe an interior journey as well as a physical one. And each character experiences a transformation as a result of his journey. Both stories begin slowly but where the former seemed to draw me in, Arthur's story felt belabored and I very much wanted the author to "get on with it". Nevertheless, I feel the message in the story makes this novel a worthy read and I would definitely recommend it for book clubs.

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