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Book Review of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
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As Arthur Pepper tackles sorting through his deceased wife's belongings he comes across a hidden charm bracelet. A bracelet that he believes he has never seen or heard about, but definitely stirs his curiosity. And so the transformation begins...
This odyssey takes Arthur to India, Paris and London, as he searches for answers. Along the way he begins to doubt his 40 year marriage to Miriam. As he meets the people who correspond with the charms on the bracelet he sees another side of his wife ~ her life before him. He questions her love for him, he questions his acceptance by his grown children, and he questions why Miriam would stay with him and their uneventful routine life.
This book is the story of slow healing, better understanding those you love, and not only accepting the things you cannot change, but also changing with life's journey.
I really like the character development in this book. I started out not liking Arthur and ended up loving him. There were spots in the book that were very touching, that in fact, brought me to tears. Arthur's journey was realistic, as were most of the accompanying characters. The novel was a heartfelt, well written, easy read, in the manner of Elizabeth Berg or Anne Tyler, and one that you don't want to put down. This is the debut novel for this author, but I am sure not the last.
Received this ARC from First Reads for an honest review~~