The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

 

I knew in 2021 I wanted my reading list to be light-hearted, fun, and an escape!  I did Modern Day Mrs. Darcy’s Reading Challenge for the New year and there was a common theme in my answers!  I needed light-hearted this year and I’m sure after a tough 2020 many of you do too!

The first book that I chose for the New Year did not disappoint!  It was light-hearted, funny, and endearing!

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The book is called The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

the curious charms of arthur pepper by phaedra patrick

There are many people who think if you loved the book A Man Called Ove you will love this one.  I have not read that one yet, but it is on my to-read list.  There was actually a movie on A Man Called Ove several years back and now they say an American version of the film will feature Tom Hanks in a new movie.

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is about an older man who is still mourning the loss of his wife after the one-year anniversary when he finds a bracelet of hers that has some charms on it!  He doesn’t recognize it and he starts to wonder what the charms represent.  He decides to start a journey to find out.  This ends up taking him totally out of his comfort zone to many new places.

He begins to realize that his wife had a totally different life before he met her that he knew nothing about.  This makes him feel insecure and he begins to question why his wife who led this adventuresome life before him would settle down with him, who was so ordinary.
I love a story that has interesting characters and this book did not disappoint there!  There are neighbors and family and so many different kinds of people he meets along his journey that make this the perfect feel-good book!

 

It is a book that also makes you realize how complicated relationships can be but also how beautiful.  We are all complex people that are made up of different experiences that shape us.  You see this in the complicated relationships with his children and the love he had for his wife.

I actually listened to a lot of this on audiobook, I usually go back and forth with audio and reading.  I read so fast and sometimes I get impatient at the slowness of the audio, and although you can pick up the speed I don’t tend to enjoy it when it doesn’t sound like real talking.  I will say this audio is fantastic, the reader felt just like I pictured the main character in the book. It is English also (UK English) and I just love a great accent and a good English story!

To read more about this review check out my new book blog Crazy Book Lady