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The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

by Phaedra Patrick
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • Readers' Rating (28):
  • First Published:
  • May 3, 2016, 336 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jan 2017, 288 pages
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There are currently 28 reader reviews for The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
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Amy S. (Fort Wayne, IN)

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
Initially, I felt as if I had read this book before; depressed widower, unable to cope since the death of his spouse, makes a life changing decision-ultimately choosing life. Meh. So imagine my surprise when I found myself absolutely delighted by Arthur's enthusiasm as he embraced the mystery behind one of his wife's keepsakes, discovered hidden in a shoe. His search led to new acquaintances, both near and far ( human and animal), telephone calls and travels, and even a new wardrobe! Most importantly, Arthur found the man his wife always knew he was and loved and the ability to once again be a parent to his children.
Amy M. (Redmond, WA)

A charming read
This was a delightful, charming read. The characters were vividly drawn, and the story simultaneously tugged at the heartstrings and was a little ray of hope. It's exactly the kind of book you want to dig into on rainy weekend with a bottomless teapot!
Sue Zimmerman

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
This delightful story explores the journey that takes Arthur Pepper from paralyzing grief to being able to live a fulfilling life again. Arthur's beloved wife has died, leaving him bereft, lonely and unable to find any pleasure in life, despite the unrelenting efforts of friends and family. That is, until he makes a startling discovery that will start him on a mission to retrace his late wife's past. What he finds will change his life forever. I would highly recommend this book to book clubs as it is sure to lead to a most lively discussion
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.
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.

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