The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

By: Phaedra Patrick

Narrated by: James Langton

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

In this poignant and sparkling 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 gray 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 curiously charming debut and a joyous celebration of life's infinite possibilities.

©2016 Phaedra Patrick (P)2016 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited.

Disappointing.

I read many genre of books. Recently I discovered what I call my baby boomer stories, stories, which deal with the later part of their lives when things are winding down.
Baby Boomer Stories
They do not start with a bang. You have to be patient while the character unfolds and quite to hear the ache in his heart. Finally, you have to be willing to take that slow walk around the block with him as he tells his story.

So I did all that, twice, and I still never could take that walk with Arthur Pepper. I have taken a few walks with the author Fredrik Backman,which I highly recommend. This book was listed as a suggestion to read if you liked the Backman books. Well... Arthur Pepper could not motivate me to take a walk with him.

Read A Man Called Ove, by Backman and see who you would rather take a walk with.

Charming

A lovely, uplifting story. Arthur Pepper is a lovely character. If you liked "A Man Called Ove", "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" and "Major Pettigrews Last Stand", this will be a pleasure. The narrator didn't thrill me initially, but I grew to appreciate his reading as the story pulled me in.

sweet, predictable novel of widower's quest

This British novel is about a 69 year-old widower on the first year anniversary of his wife's death. The retired Arthur Pepper leads a boring life, ruled by his routines. And then he finds a charm bracelet of his wife's, one he had not ever seen. Curious, he investigates the meaning of each charm, and learns more than he wanted about his wife before they had met. It is also a story about change and self-discovery, and Arthur tries to reconnect with his adult children in the process. Yes, it is over-the-top sweet and manipulative. But it was an enjoyable "feel-good" story nevertheless. This novel fell short of my favorite of this genre (Us: A Novel by David Nichols and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce), but I still recommend this for readers who like sweet relationship stories about older people and families. The reader was perfect for this story.

Neat & Tidy

This book strives to be quirky in the style of Fredrik Backman's charmingly off-beat books. There is even a hint of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand in the tone. Somehow though, for me, it missed the mark. Maybe it was just a bit too sweet, a tad too perfect in the resolutions and neater and tidier than life often works out. I thought it just didn't ring clear with a strong sense of truth, probability and reality.

However, the narration was very good. It really was the driving factor that propelled me through a book that had me occasionally sighing and rolling my eyes as the story played out. Langton saved the day.

Overall, not a disaster, but not a favorite either.

LOVE

Any additional comments?

I listened to this book via Audible and I thought it was a very sweet story. I was instantly drawn to Arthur, he was a character that immediately stole my heart. It is about rediscovering somebody after you lost them and about embracing the life you still have to live. It is about grief and hope. It is funny, heartwarming and so sweet. This is a perfect book for summer and one I highly recommend! 5 stars

Heartwarming and poignant

Sweet and tender. Teaches us that we don't always know everything about our significant other's past, but that it's all about the life we build and share with that person which really matters most. Loved seeing Arthur Pepper's growth throughout his journey.

very sweet relationships / love tale

Widower finds out he didn't know anything about his wife's life before him. Many of his assumptions proved false. He comes to doubt her, then himself, and even his kids.

This is a sweet story of love, trust, commitment, life, family, self-discovery, and reconnections. Some of it might be a little hard to swallow, but it is still a good story, well read, and with a happy ending.

Sweet, charming, beautiful, heartwarming, happy

THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER is not my usual listening fare of action thrillers, but the story of 69 year old widower Arthur Pepper is heartwarming and charming. The story begins as Arthur laments the one year anniversary of the death of his wife of more than 40 years. He has settled into a boring and lonely friendless life including somewhat distant relationships with his daughter and son. Then he finds his wife's gold charm bracelet which he does not remember ever seeing. He decides to investigate the charms which leads to adventures he never imagined and a life that is far more satisfying.

British narrator James Langton is simply superb. I first became aware of him while listening to the six novel Tom Gray audio series by Alan McDermott. He has a great voice for audiobooks.

Sweet. Kept my attention. Left me smiling.

At first, the book was slow, but picked up speed, painting out the characters and drawing me into Arthur's motivations/relationships/history/adventures. For a somewhat limited plot line, the author did a good job keeping my attention. The characters were a little "flat", but overall, the book was still charming and made me smile. The narrator's voice was PERFECT!

Two thumbs-up!

This was the most charming book I've read in ages. Give yourself a treat and take a listen...you won't regret it.