Publishers Weekly
02/15/2016
Patrick’s debut novel evokes whimsy and poignancy. Since Miriam, his wife of 40 years, died a year ago, 69-year-old Arthur Pepper stopped living; he merely exists, until he finds a gold charm bracelet he’d never seen before tucked inside one of her shoes. The first of the bracelet’s eight charms is a bejeweled elephant inscribed with a phone number. He calls it and is shocked to learn that Miriam once lived in India. He sets about exploring the other charms—including a tiger, a locket, and a thimble—which take him from Yorkshire to a manor house in Bath long past its glory days, and further afield, to London and Paris. While unraveling Miriam’s past, Arthur realizes that his outward journey is also a journey within, and in a comically heartwarming fashion he attempts to embrace the unknown while slowly discovering his positive impact on others. This is a sweet story with an almost magical, but never saccharine denouement, as a newly whole Arthur Pepper emerges. Agent: Clare Wallace, Darley Anderson Agency. (May)
From the Publisher
"Phaedra Patrick understands the soul. Eccentric, charming, and wise, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is about finding courage, generosity, and compassion, even when all seems lost. With clear-eyed prose and a moving story, Patrick reminds us how selfless people can be she reminds us to be brave. The Curious Charms is not just for those who are mourning over love or the past. This book will illuminate your heart." -Nina George, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop
"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
"Pierces the heart. You root for [Arthur] every step of the way." -BookPage
"Patrick's debut novel tells a sweet and poignant story about marriage, grief, and memory. Readers will find bumbling, earnest Arthur utterly endearing." -Booklist
"As cozy and fortifying as a hot cup of tea on a cold afternoon." -Kirkus Reviews
"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. I won't just be recommending this book to everyone I know, I'll be buying them copies." Sarah Pekkanen, bestselling author of Things You Won't Say"
"Charming by name, charming by nature, this book is a balm for the soul and the heart." -The Sun, 5 stars
"It's a sweet quest and a thoughtful reminder that sometimes the person who loves us most knows us better than we know ourselves." -Marthastewartweddings.com
"Patrick's debut evokes whimsy and poignancy.... This is a sweet story." -Publishers Weekly
"An endearing celebration of life." -RealSimple.com
Library Journal
★ 02/01/2016
Arthur Pepper lives a simple life, eventless since his beloved wife, Miriam, died: same food, same clothes, same daily routine. On the one-year anniversary of her death, something changes. While painfully sorting through her possessions, Arthur finds an exquisite gold charm bracelet he never saw her wear. On the chain are an elephant, a tiger, a book, a heart, a palette, and other charms. Curious, Arthur begins a search for the origin of these trinkets that takes him from New York to London, Paris, and India. Not only is Arthur's life amazingly altered, but he learns much more about Miriam and the choice she made when she married him. VERDICT Tender, insightful, and surprising, this wonderful debut novel is a stunning addition to the popular genre of transformative stories of otherwise uneventful lives. It will instantly capture the hearts of readers who loved Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Nina George's The Little Paris Bookshop, and Antoine Laurain's The Red Notebook.—Susan Clifford Braun, Bainbridge Island, WA
JULY 2016 - AudioFile
Widower Arthur Pepper is going through his late wife’s belongings when he comes across a charm bracelet that he never knew she owned. James Langton gives a fitting narration as Arthur’s curiosity about the various charms leads him into many adventures that change the way he thinks about his wife and about himself. Langton’s narration is crisp, perfectly suiting the quirky story. His male character voices are entertaining, filled with various accents and speaking mannerisms. However, his female character voices sound unnatural, not quite fitting with all the rest. This is a minor flaw, and shouldn’t deter listeners from enjoying this lovely tale about how to carry on with the adventure of life in the face of grief. M.M.G. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2016-02-04
Nothing otherworldly happens in this feel-good debut novel, yet the story of an English widower who goes rummaging in his late wife's past has the quality of a fable.A mild-mannered pensioner from York, the title character—described by an ex-girlfriend as "timid and a bit twitchy"—is tethered to his domestic routines, hardly ever leaving the house. All that changes when he happens upon a mysterious gold bracelet—with eight distinctive charms—that belonged to his beloved wife, Miriam. Screwing up his courage, he embarks on a journey that will take him far from his comfort zone as he tracks down the story behind each ornament. Along the way, our 69-year-old hero finds himself fending off a tiger, having an audience with a famous author who may or may not have been his wife's lover, getting mugged in a Tube station, and posing naked for an art class. Unsurprisingly, he learns as much about himself through these adventures as he does about Miriam. The writing is breezy, and Arthur's escapades are, well, charming, at least some of the time. The book flirts with real emotion, too: Arthur's grief over the loss of his wife is palpable, and his sadness at the estrangement of his adult children feels quite genuine. You may even, against your better judgment, shed a few tears as he endeavors to set things right with them. Yet each bad turn in the book comes wrapped in a teachable moment; each cloud has an unmistakable silver lining. The author's outlook remains relentlessly upbeat, and in the end, this sentimental novel is as cozy and fortifying as a hot cup of tea on a cold afternoon.
