Wednesday, October 5, 2022

"The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper" Book Review

 

by John Zenoni


If you are looking for a novel that is light-hearted and yet also very moving, then I highly recommend ‘The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper.’ I would go so far as to say that if you are a fan of the brilliant, ‘A Man Called Ove’, then I think you will enjoy this one as well.

The story is about Arthur Pepper, a simple man who is still trying to adjust to life after having lost his wife the year before. He has no friends, never really leaves his house, keeps the same routine day-by-day and, while he and his two children love each other, they do not really have much of a relationship. In fact, neither his son nor daughter attended their mother’s funeral, much to his disappointment, but each has their own reason, which is explained later on in the novel. The adventures that Arthur goes through after finding a bracelet with charms that had been hidden by his wife, thus the ‘curious charms’ in the title, is enlightening, fun, and sad, at times.

This one has so many wonderful quotes in it and I love how it focuses on the passing of time and getting older. And missing those we love but then helping people realize that while we're here there's still more living to do. The writer looks at life from Arthur’s perspective as well as his children’s, particularly his daughter, Lucy. In describing her dad and going back home, Lucy says, ”Her father, once strong and upright, now seemed so much smaller, too” and “It had all happened so quickly. The innocence of being young and thinking that your parents would last forever had been broken.”

#bookfiends
#curiouscharmsofarthurpepper
#arthurpepper
#phaedrapatrick

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