The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

February 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.

Widower Arthur Pepper is going through his late wife's belonging when he comes across a charm bracelet that he never knew she owned. James Langdon 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. Langdon'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