Thursday 22 September 2016

Review & Giveaway: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

TITLE: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
AUTHOR: Phaedra Patrick
PUBLISHER: Mira

PUBLICATION DATE: September 22, 2016

Amazon - Goodreads

40 Years of Marriage.
8 Golden Charms.
One Man’s Journey of Discovery.

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.


Today is paperback publication day for The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick and I'm happy to be hosting my review and a giveaway for the book as part of the blog tour. Read below for my thoughts on the book, and comment on this post before the end of the month for your chance to win one of two copies! 



The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is one of those truly lovely novels that are really quite impossible to forget. The premise to this book is a really interesting and thought-provoking one and I loved following the characters of Arthur Pepper and even his late wife, Miriam. It’s a charming and thoroughly heart-warming read.

Arthur Pepper has been widowed and he is desperately lonely following the death of his wife. He has little contact with his children and their encouragements for him to clear the house and move on feel, to him, like an extra cruel kick in the teeth. However, when he does start sorting through Miriam’s belongings, he finds in the bottom of a box that he’s never seen before, a charm bracelet that he’s also never seen before. His curiosity is piqued and with his first phone call to India, he begins to investigate. That’s when a beautiful, witty and poignant story begins to blossom, and from then on I was hooked on The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper to the stage that I refused to put the book down.

I really loved the author’s writing and the way she sensitively but honestly handles a grief-ridden, lonely character in Arthur. I felt the portrayal of Arthur’s feelings were very realistic, right up-to and including the dark humour he still possesses which endeared his character to me even more. Arthur is a difficult character not to care for and throughout this book, I felt like I could feel and connect with all his emotions as he battled his way through life, and the new life he had without Miriam in it.

Though Miriam is no longer alive, it was her part in the book that I enjoyed reading the most. Early on, we’re aware that she lived this life that even Arthur knew nothing about, and this was an extremely fascinating and engaging aspect to the book. Miriam’s mysteries led to so many adventures for Arthur which made me love both the characters even more. Some parts may have been a bit over-the-top, and some parts I enjoyed more than others, but generally the things the characters got up to in this book were great fun to read about. Miriam was definitely a fully-fledged character even though she had died before the story begins and the adventures Arthur embarks on because of her and this hidden charm bracelet made me laugh and at times maybe wipe away a tear or two as well.

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is an emotionally charged novel and a memorable one at that. Throughout the book and the adventures of Arthur, there is a tale of discovery, not just of the mysterious life he knew nothing about but of himself, and as Arthur begins to see things differently, this reader found it all very thought-provoking too. I think the author captured the feelings of an older generation brilliantly, and I found Arthur just as engrossing a protagonist as the younger characters I normally read about, if not more so. This book isn’t just about Arthur and Miriam, either, and there is a whole wonderful cast of characters which entertained me throughout. The story the author writes really does justice to the life of Arthur Pepper – and I found that I really adored this book from beginning to end.







Don't forget: Comment on this post for the chance to win your own copy of Arthur Pepper!

4 comments:

  1. I would love to win a copy!

    lauramarshall065 (at) gmail (dot) com

    xo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well-written review, Sophie!

    This book is practically in every single list I have seen this year. Has received many brilliant reviews too. I'm really looking forward to reading this book. And mentioning INDIA in the blurb has piqued my curiosity even more... ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Would love to read this Sophie 💕💕

    ReplyDelete

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