The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick–331 pages

Book Blurb:

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.

My Review: 4 stars

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The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is just a lovely little book filled with inspiration and heart. Reminiscent of Britt-Marie Was Here and Old Heart, this book begs you to believe that age is just a number.

While books about elderly people on adventures seems to be a popular trend in writing, this one added quirky characters that Arthur meets along his journey as integral players to the plot. I’m a firm believer of “being in the right place at the right time” and it seemed to happen to Arthur a bit too often as he searched for signs about his late wife, however it didn’t dampen the experience for me.

I enjoyed how secrets unfolded about those you love the most and usually are kept secret for a reason. For me, the moral of this story is that when, where and how one chooses to live life to the fullest doesn’t matter, it only matters that you do it!

Quotes I liked:

But there are always some people that you keep in your heart, yes? That you never forget.”

-“Arthur thought about how it was possible for memories to shift and change with time. To be forgotten and resumed, to be enhanced or darkened as the mind and mood commanded.”