BookBrowse Reviews The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

BookBrowse:

A widower's chance discovery leads him on a path of discovery and growth in this charming novel.

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Laden with plenty of emotional discovery and pathos, this sparkling debut charmed many BookBrowse First Impression reviewers.

Readers enjoyed the protagonist's revelatory journey...
Arthur Pepper has been widowed for a year. He has avoided social contacts even with his son and daughter. Then he chances upon a charm bracelet that his wife had hidden, one that he has never seen before. It holds many secrets of her life before they met. Arthur goes on an adventure to find out the story behind each charm. Each encounter leads him to discover the life his wife had before they met and he rediscovers emotions he has kept hidden for too many years. This book is delightful, sometimes funny, and sometimes sad, but it will leave you with the belief that each day should be enjoyed to the fullest (Annette S).

...and the charming story
The story is "charming," sweet, and portrays an adult view of living and loving. Without using a soapbox, the author has gently said much about friendship, family, and the inevitable joys and sorrows of aging. All the characters are rendered fully (Marie D). The author has created people you will want to meet , and you can't help but cheer for Arthur as he puts the pieces of the puzzle together. A delightful read (Priscilla M).

The deeper themes struck a chord
This is the story of Arthur's journey of discovery, and also how it changes him, and his relationships with his friends and family. He starts to live again with renewed energy and appreciation of all that life has to offer (Patricia T). Phaedra Patrick has written a charming and interesting book about discovery and change that opened new horizons for a man who resisted, and then accepted change (Arlene M).

Most readers overlooked minor flaws
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 (Karen J). Although almost everything in the novel turns out well a little too well, Patrick tells the story in such a way that I was willing to believe in a world in which strangers turn up to help at just the right time, healing words can always be found, and people learn to see what they most need to see. A truly lovely story (Eileen P).

Recommended for...
This book is delightful, sometimes funny, and sometimes sad, but it will leave you with the belief that each day should be enjoyed to the fullest. It will promote a great discussion for book clubs (Annette S). I think this book will appeal to a middle-aged or older audience as it deals with aging and surviving the death of a spouse. That being said, I hope it is a book that younger people will read to get an appreciation for their parents or grandparents. There is plenty here to discuss in a book group (Donna P).

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in May 2016, and has been updated for the February 2017 edition. Click here to go to this issue.