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    The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper
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    The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper
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    The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper
    Ebook333 pages5 hours

    The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper

    By Phaedra Patrick

    4/5

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    About this ebook


    In this poignant and curiously charming debut, a lovable widower embarks on a life–changing adventure

    Sixty–nine–year–old Arthur Pepper lives a simple life. He gets out of bed at precisely 7:30 a.m., just as he did when his wife, Miriam, was alive. He dresses in the same grey slacks and mustard sweater–vest, waters his fern, Frederica, and heads out to his garden.

    But on the one–year anniversary of Miriam's death, something changes. Sorting through Miriam's possessions, Arthur finds an exquisite gold charm bracelet he's never seen before. What follows is a surprising and unforgettable odyssey that takes Arthur from London to Paris and as far as 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 hope, healing and self–discovery in the most unexpected places.

    Featuring an unforgettable cast of characters with big hearts and irresistible flaws, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a joyous celebration of life's infinite possibilities.

    “Filled with colourful, complex characters and adventure, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a lovely story about grief and healing. I was moved by Arthur and his journey. You will be too.” – Marisa de los Santos, New York Times bestselling author of Love Walked In

    “Once in a great while, a character like Arthur Pepper comes along and quietly steals your heart. Arthur might make you cry – but he'll also make you laugh, think, and feel grateful that you came along on his fantastical journey."  – Sarah Pekkanen, bestselling author of Things You Won't Say

    "Eccentric, charming, and wise, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is about finding courage, generosity, and compassion, even when all seems lost... This book will illuminate your heart."  – Nina George, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop

    “A touching tale of rediscovering someone you love. Arthur Pepper is utterly charming and endearing.”  – Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Daughter

    “Tender, insightful, and surprising... [Arthur Pepper] will instantly capture the hearts of readers who loved The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, The Little Paris Bookshop, and The Red Notebook.”  – Library Journal, starred review

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers Australia
    Release dateJun 1, 2016
    ISBN9781760374365
    Author

    Phaedra Patrick

    Phaedra Patrick is the bestselling author of five previous books. Her debut, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, has been translated into twenty-five languages worldwide and her second novel, Rise and Shine Benedict Stone, was made into a Hallmark movie. An award-winning short story writer, she previously studied art and marketing and has worked as a stained glass artist, film festival organizer and communications manager. Phaedra lives in Saddleworth, UK, with her family.

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    Reviews for The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper

    4/5

    438 ratings62 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This is a nice, sweet book.
    • 4/5
      This book takes many turns in it for poor Arthur. I enjoyed it. It was a great debut novel with lovely characters.
    • 4/5
      Likeable characters.
      Journey to know a loved one.
      Growth and development of a family.
    • 5/5
      I love this book.! Arthur is a grieving widower . On the one year anniversary of his wife’s passing, Arthur decides its time to go through his wife belongings. The accidental discovery of a charm bracelet leads Arthur on a journey he never could have imagined. This is sad, funny, quirky and totally enjoyable
    • 5/5
      I loved this tale. Being in the same age bracket, I was immediately attracted to Arthur Pepper' s life after his much loved wife passed away. He reminds me of my husband who lives by a routine too and now I hope that he does not get stuck even more in that after I am gone. Arthur did things on certain days and at the same time of day like watering Miriam's plant with just the right amount of water, His son, Dan, lived in Australia with his family and there was not much contact between them but he missed Dan so much. His daughter, Lucy, does call him periodically but she had gone through a divorce and they found it difficult to connect on a feeling level. He was happy with his routine but only later did he realize that he was lonely.He decided to take Lucy's suggestion to get on with life and he went through his wife's possessions, deciding on which to get rid of and which to donate to a charity for cats that Lucy liked. In a closet , he found a heart shaped box with a gold charm bracelet. He did not remember her having it at all. He took it to a man who was reported to know about charm bracelets and that was the beginning of his quest, From then on, we go with him on his journey of tracking down each of the charms. I enjoyed the tales of how, when and from whom Lucy got the charms, He busted out of his routine and learned so much about his wife's life before she died. The ending is more than just satisfying, it is over the top with wonderfulness!
    • 4/5
      Charming story. Arthur is trying to move forward in his grief over the death of his wife. In the process of clearing out her things, he finds a charm bracelet he doesn't remember seeing before. His curiosity is piqued, and he decides to find out the history of each charm.A lovely story which explores the ways our behavior changes that of those nearest to us. Sometimes for good, sometimes not. A subtle story of relationships, and while not exactly uplifting, it isn't depressing, either. It is thought-provoking. I liked the way the story pulled me along. Not with drama or suspense, but because I cared about the characters and was curious to know what happened to them.
    • 4/5
      What a delightful book! Arthur Pepper, widowed for about a year, begins to sort through Miriam's belonging. Tucked inside a boot he finds a charm bracelet he does not remember seeing. On the elephant charm he finds an inscription leading him to make a phone call to India. He discovers his wife once took care of a young boy there. As he begins his quest to find the story of each charm, he not only learns more about his wife, but he learns more about himself as well. The book features interactions with his neighbors, his children, and people he meets in his efforts to learn the stories behind the charms. I loved this story, and although it's not great literature, it is the perfect book to just read and savor. I listened to the audio book read by James Langton who did a great job.
    • 4/5
      Sixty-nine year old Arthur Pepper is still grieving the death of his beloved Miriam. Approaching the one year anniversary of his wife's death, he decides that it is time to begin moving on. While emptying her closet of her clothing, he discovers a charm bracelet hit in the toe of one of a pair of boots. He is curious of its origins since he never knew his wife owned a charm bracelet. One of the charms is an elephant with an embedded emerald, which appears to have a telephone number engraved in its side. The decision to call that phone number begins a journey of discovering more about the woman before the two were married. More importantly, it is a journey of self-discovery and encouraging him to climb out of his pit of despair.I would have probably read this book earlier if I had known the title didn't to Arthur's personality traits. I enjoyed the series of discoveries spurred by one clue to the next as Arthur travels throughout England and Paris to learn more about his deceased wife's past. It was also pleasing to observe the protagonist's transformation from a man who had given up on life and his family to one who acquires a new purpose and appreciation for family and friends.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. The journey Arthur takes after his wife dies is such a difficult one but also full of grace. As Arthur discovers parts of his wife he was unaware of, he feels all these uncomfortable emotions, but his courage in facing the truth also brings deeper love and appreciation for her. And among the way his relationship with his children grows and is more meaningful. I loved this book.
    • 4/5
      A retired widower embarks on an adventure to discover his late wife's mysterious past. The story is written with clarity, the writing style is honest and simple. Underlying which there is a sensible message of kindness and caring.
    • 5/5
      I love thrillers, suspense and mystery novels. But the books that really stay with me are those that tug at the heartstrings. Books such as The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Rush Home Road, A Man Called Ove and Britt-Marie Was Here, to name a few.The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick is going to join that list. (And a lot of others - translation rights for this debut novel have been sold to twenty countries already!)After forty years of marriage, Arthur Pepper's beloved wife Miriam passes away. Arthur keeps the same routines and touches nothing in the house for a year. But after a year, he decides he needs to finally go through her things. And that's when he discovers a golden bracelet with eight charms tucked away (well let's say hidden) in one of her shoes. A bracelet that Arthur has never seen in their forty years together........Arthur discovers what he thinks to be a phone number on the elephant charm, calls it - and begins a journey to discover his wife's life before they met. A life that he had no idea about.Arthur is such a warm wonderful protagonist! The reader can't help but empathize as Arthur struggles to understand why his wife hid so much from him and cheer him on as his journey progresses. For with each charm and each new revelation, Arthur also moves forward, not just physically (his journey takes him to India, London and Paris), but mentally and emotionally as well. And although Arthur may not realize it, his calm, measured, friendly manner is also making a difference in the lives of those he meets along the way.I felt just as strongly about Arthur's neighbour Bernadette (and her son Nathan) - she has been trying to help Arthur over the last year with meals and company. At first I thought 'busybody' but my opinion changed. Her ever cheerful, upbeat mood is genuine despite her own problems.Patrick explores love, loss, grief, friendship and more with healthy doses of charm, wit, humour and reality in The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper. I absolutely loved this book! And Arthur.The title is quite clever - the charms themselves, Arthur himself and the story itself.
    • 5/5
      I didn't want this book to end! It was perfect and well written. I loved the setting, characters, beginning and end. It was funny, sad and full of feel goods.
    • 3/5
      The premise of this book was interesting - a widower discovers his wife's charm bracelet and learns about his wife's past as he researches each of the charms. And some of the individual encounters were sweet, but overall, the writing seemed stiff and contrived and there was too much 'tell' vs. 'ask'. Light and sweet, but not that memorable for me.
    • 5/5
      The description of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper sounded appealing, and I was delighted to be able to read an advance copy of it. I did, in fact, find the story charming. It reminded me of some of my other favorites like The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and A Man Called Ove. The characters were great, and the author brought them to life. It was a great book to be reading during the holidays- a real feel good book.Although there were some heavy issues that were included in the book like the loss of a spouse, family relationships, reflecting on secrets from one's spouse, it was a fun journey and had a lot of quirky characters. I highly recommend it. I look forward to reading more from this author.
    • 4/5
      Another heartwarming story along the lines of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and A Man Called Ove. Arthur Pepper's wife, Miriam, died a year ago. As Arthur faces turning 70 without her, he finally gets the nerve to go through her clothes and finds a charm bracelet. One charm points to India, a place he never knew Miriam had visited. As he follows the stories of each charm, Arthur discovers a Miriam he never knew and begins to question their life together as well as the life he's leading without her.
    • 4/5
      Arthur Pepper, widower, is cleaning out his wife's belongings and finds a charm bracelet he's never seen before. Though set in his ways and as predictable as a clock, he would have said the same about his wife, so off he goes on a series of adventures, trying to find the stories behind each charm. Along the way, he learns that his wife had a life before him that he knew nothing about, and more than a bit about himself.It's a amiable and fairly predictable story about a shy and not-exactly-curmudgeonly man, somewhat like a Fredrik Backman story only not quite. I was kind of surprised to realize that, when I finished it, I had read it straight through. I guess I enjoyed it!Now after it's been set aside for a while, there are some niggling questions about the wife's behavior toward Arthur that bother me a little. They only bother me because Arthur seemed somewhat oblivious to them and he seemed smarter than that. A minor inconsistency in character.Still, I enjoyed it.
    • 5/5
      How could a charm bracelet stir up so many emotions and curiosity?After Arthur's wife passed away and he was cleaning out her things, his discovery of a hidden charm bracelet had him curious about what each charm meant. He also wanted to know why he never saw Miriam wearing it and why she had it hidden in the toe of a boot.This charm bracelet pulled him out of his hermit slump and onto adventures he never dreamed of as he traced where each charm came from and what their meaning was to Miriam. He had a few surprises.Every adventure made him wonder what his wife's life was like before she met him. He couldn't stop searching for the meaning of each charm. These adventures also made him feel guilty he never took Miriam anywhere.Arthur's finds and discussions with the people he met left him happier and more confident. He also was helping those he met come to grips with what they were dealing with.Arthur was an absolutely endearing, charming, sweet character for me. I really enjoyed his antics and his thinking and especially the adventures he took us on. We traveled the globe with him. I wanted to know the answers about the charms too and loved sharing Arthur's days.THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER is an adorable, enchanting, uplifting read. Be prepared to fall in love with Arthur Pepper.THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER has a very clever, enjoyable story line that gives you a nice cozy feeling. It felt like a big hug that you didn't want to end. Give yourself a marvelous treat, and don't miss reading THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER. There aren't enough delightful words to describe this book. 5/5This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      A quick read, great for light summer reading. Highly recommended for a vacation, especially with family. Lacks the depth of characterization of some other widower adventure works of fiction in recent years. Lots of heart.
    • 5/5
      This book is, well, charming. Arthur Pepper's wife, Miriam, died a year ago and since then he has lived his life in a very strict routine to help him deal with being alone. His children don't seem to have much interest in him and he's got himself into a rut. On the anniversary of Miriam's death he decides it is time to clear out her belongings and he finds a charm bracelet with eight charms on it. He doesn't recognise the bracelet or remember Miriam wearing it but he discovers a telephone number on one of the charms that leads him on a journey to discover the story behind each one. In doing so, he finds out things about his late wife that he never knew.I loved this book. It has many similarities with The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which went down well with me because I loved that book too. Arthur is a brilliant character and sometimes his actions made me laugh. This is also a very heart-warming story of a man coming to terms with the loss of a wife who he loved dearly and I ached for him as he had to reconsider everything that he thought he knew. Ultimately this is a feel-good book about a man embarking on a new phase in his life at the age of 69. I loved following Arthur as he made each discovery and met a series of interesting and sometimes eccentric people. Fantastic!
    • 5/5
      The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is the unexpected adventure of a recent widower. He discovers a charm bracelet in his deceased wife's boot. Arthur's curiosity takes him on a journey to discover who his wife was. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is an entertaining an unexpected story about love, family and aging.
    • 4/5
      The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is an easy to read, charming, fable-like tale. Arthur Pepper is a wonderful character who undergoes a later-in-life transformation. 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 perfect airplane book.
    • 4/5
      Arthur Pepper and I got together by one of those lists that offers e-books right there in your mailbox. I chose it because I wanted the reading equivalent of comfort food, and because I have dear friends named Pepper, who I miss a great deal. The novel starts with Arthur at that time of life I never want to be: one year after the passing of his wife. He's a bit of a stick in the mud, hiding from neighbors who only want to offer kindness, wearing the same drab outfit every day, grumbling about just about everything. His only friend is a fern he keeps on his window sill and waters daily. But, on that year anniversary, he decided it's time to clear out some of his wife's clothing from the wardrobe, and in doing so, discovers a charm bracelet, hidden away in the toe of a boot. It's a pretty little thing, and he's absolutely never seen it before.What happens next is a true journey of several sorts. Arthur begins on a quest to discover more about the charm bracelet and in doing so, discovers more about his wife of many years-- things he'd never known. But there's also the challenge of self-discovery and the possibility of reshaping his own life.A charming novel, for sure.Tags: 2016-read, e-book, first-novel-or-book, i-liked-it, read
    • 5/5
      Being married to someone for forty years would certainly lead one to believe they know their spouse well. Turns out Arthur's wife kept a few secrets from before they were married. Almost a year after his wife's passing Arthur finally decides to sort through her things and stumbles upon a charm bracelet he never knew she had. The reader joins Arthur has he embarks on several adventures to discover the origins of the charms and what secrets his wife had been keeping. Along the way the reader meets several interesting characters. As he discovers more about his beloved wife Arthur rediscovers himself.

      Really enjoyed this book. Very entertaining and held my interest the entire time. Heartwarming to watch Arthur rebuilding relationships with his children.
    • 5/5
      I loved it! Arthur finds a charm bracelet in a shoe as he is cleaning out his late wife's cupboards. He is curious about it and begins a journey to find out about the bracelet. The bracelet tells the story of her past. As he learns about his wife, he also learns about himself and where he fits in the world now that she is gone. An excellent character study. We learn of Miriam, Arthur's wife, as he learns of her. She was not only who he lived with. She was a different person from whom he spent 40 years with. As he discovers her anew, he discovers himself also. I loved him and the characters he meets in his travels and in his neighborhood. He is many different men depending on who is around him. He reconnects with people. I liked the mystery surrounding the bracelet and how each charm on it pulls back another layer of his wife. I wanted to know the meaning of the charms and where they fit into Miriam's life.I will read this author again. This is a keeper book.
    • 5/5
      Charming, quirky and endearing story of a sweet man, his loyalty and love for his wife's 40 years and how openness and vulnerability can yield surprising gifts. A really nice perspective on aging, love, generosity of spirit and the value of self-discovery at any age. Beautifully written and full of character(s). Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Weird and wonderful. An unhappy widower finds a charm bracelet he never knew his wife had - and finding out about the charms on it (the first one was easy...) leads him to find out a lot of things about his wife he'd never known. She'd had a very adventurous life for a few years in her teens and early 20s, before she came home to the small English village where she'd grown up, met Arthur, and married him. They had a very quiet life, as his had been before he married - finding out what Miriam had done and where she'd gone before they met was a great startlement to him. Some of what he finds out is hard for him to handle, but some is delightful; he meets some amazing people along the way (not all from Miriam's past, either). And he wakes up from his grey life and grief, does some repair on his drifting-apart family, and starts widening his own experience. I like Arthur, and Miriam as we get to know her. Arthur does spend some time with low self-esteem - was Miriam really happy with their quiet life? - but he manages to settle the matter in his own mind, eventually. I kept thinking of Trustee from the Toolroom by Nevil Shute - the stories don't really line up (Shute's hero has a much more concrete goal, for one thing), but elderly men discovering they can do things they never thought of doing echoes.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this book! The story was amazing and heartfelt. The gist is Arthur's wife died and he found a charm bracelet. He goes to find out more about his late wife with the different charms and opens up a whole new world for him. It was a cute story and I loved the ending. Must recommended read for anyone!
    • 5/5
      What a charming book! Arthur Pepper lost his wife one year ago and is just kind of muddling along, spending time with his fern, Fredericka and keeping to his lonely schedule. At the one year anniversary of losing his Marian, he decides he must gather her things and donate them to the cat rescue group. When he gathers up her boots, he finds a small heart shaped box containing a beautiful charm bracelet that he doesn't recognize. This bracelet sends him on a journey to find out about his wife's life before she met and married him. He leaves his safe little house and schedule behind and finds himself in London, Paris and even India. It's a wonderful journey we share with Arthur as we watch him step away from his confining routine to a new freedom. A real heart warming read...
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this story.It's the story of Arthur Pepper who on the one year anniversary of his wife's death he decides it's time to dispose of her things. He finds a charm bracelet in his late wife's shoe. He decides to track down the meaning of each charm on the bracelet he knew nothing about. In doing so he discovers things about his wife's past. A wonderful journey with many surprises. It was heartwarming, surprising, maybe a little shocking. I smiled and I cried. I enjoyed having Arthur Pepper in my life.
    • 4/5
      A pleasant story, if somewhat unlikely. I found it a little predictable, but it was a "charming" little read.