The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick
Arthur Pepper has lost his wife Miriam a year earlier, and his grief is still very raw. He rarely goes out and spends his days vigorously cleaning every corner of his house, talking to his plant and avoiding his well-meaning neighbor Bernadette. When he finds a mysterious charm bracelet in his wife’s wardrobe, his curiosity is picked, and he sets out to discover the stories behind each charm. His quest will take him from France to India and will lead to his meeting all sorts of quirky characters. But will he find the answers he is looking for?
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is Phaedra Patrick’s first novel, and it is an impressive foray into fiction writing. As the title suggests, the story is charming and original. Arthur Pepper’s trials are told with humor and candor. In fact, he is a very lovable character, and his struggles with grief and the challenges of old age make him all the more human. In addition, the book illustrates perfectly the very real gap between the internet/mobile savvy youths and the more grounded-in-reality older generation. I highly recommend this novel. You won’t be disappointed.
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper was sent to me for free in exchange for an honest review.
Fun facts about the book and the author:
Phaedra Patrick came up with the idea of the book when she showed her son her own childhood charm bracelet.
Her first name is Greek, even though her family isn’t.
The author wrote the book long-hand during her commute to work. She now writes full time on a computer.
Her father was an undertaker, and she sometimes went to school in a limousine or a hearse.
Cécile Sune was born in Lyon, France, and her obsession with books started when she was 14. Her grandparents had lent her Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and she spent part of the summer indoors reading. Needless to say, her tan didn't really improve that year! It was also around that time that Cécile fell in love with the English language. Several years later, in 1999, Cécile moved to Toronto, Canada, with her cat and 5 suitcases. Her love of reading greatly increased when she discovered that English books were much cheaper than French novels. In 2013, she decided to start a blog to share her passion. Cécile now lives in Ottawa, Canada, with her husband and their daughter, and works as a freelance translator (CS Revision).
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