2018 reading challenge (advanced list): A BOOK WITH A FRUIT OR VEGETABLE IN THE TITLE

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What an utterly charming and enjoyable book.

On the one-year anniversary of his wife's death, 69 year old Arthur Pepper decides it's time to start taking care of her things. As he is cleaning out her closet, he finds a gold charm bracelet hidden inside a boot. He has no memory of her ever wearing it and he wonders about it. He sees a bunch of numbers engraved on one of the charms and realizes it's a phone number. Letting curiosity get the better of his usual self, he calls the number to discover it is for a home in India, and the people there knew his wife before he had ever met her.

Intrigued, he sets himself on a course to learn the stories behind each charm on the bracelet and find out about the life his wife lived before they met... a life of adventure he never knew about. Along the way he learns about his wife, her friends and more importantly about himself.

I found myself thinking that if this book were to be made into a movie, it would be in the genre that I have started calling "retiree adventure" and put it in with other movies such as "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and "The 100 foot journey". And in my mind I totally cast Anthony Hopkins in the role of Arthur.

All in all, a book I am glad I listened to and would recommend to others.



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