The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

Title: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
Author: Phaedra Patrick
Published: January 2016
Published By: MIRA
Format Read: eBook
Genre: Contemporary
Date Read: January 25 2016
Rating: 3/5

I was sent a copy of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick from the publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

On the one year anniversary of his wife’s death, Arthur Pepper finally gathers up the courage to start sorting through her belongings. It is then that he discovers a strange charm bracelet he had never seen before. Arthur would learn that each charm represented a time in Miriam’s life from before they were married. Readers follow along as he goes on a discovery of his wife's past and in turn learns a lot about himself as well.

What I expected..

When I first saw this book offered on NetGalley, I thought that it would be a sweet story. I expected it to be a dual time period tale, switching back and forth between present day Arthur to pre-Arthur Miriam. 

What really was..

 While The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper was a sweet story, in its own way it was different than I thought. First of all this wasn’t a dual time period novel, although Arthur did remember back to the early days of his relationship and the years they spent together. However this story was more about Arthur finding himself, than it was about the woman his wife was before they married. 

About Arthur Pepper

This journey to uncover the meaning behind each of the charms awakened a sense of life inside him that he had never felt before. The situations he found himself in on these journeys were quiet comical and further added to the entertainment value. 

The Pro’s

I enjoyed how author Phaedra Patrick included a lot of wonderful imagery throughout. It really helped to set the tone for Arthur’s journey and paired well with his character traits. I also found that it was a good lesson in learning how to be mindful of the world around you. 

The Con’s

Although enjoyable, I can’t say that I got caught up in the story. In fact I struggled to finish it because of its longer than expected length.

Final Thoughts

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a whitty contemporary about a man finding himself after his wife passes away. I would recommend it to those who enjoy this genre and like tales with quirky characters.