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Join us to discuss The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick. Copies are available on request at the Fiction desk. We'll enjoy refreshments from East 59 during our meeting!
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The curious charms of Arthur Pepper
by Phaedra Patrick
Finding a mysterious bracelet among his late wife's possessions, 69-year-old Arthur Pepper breaks from his routine life for the first time since her death and embarks on a quest to learn about his wife's life before their marriage, a journey that leads to unexpected self-discoveries. 100,000 first printing.
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GoodReads.com-Sunday NovelTea Online Discussion
Our book discussion now has an online component! We will be posting our thoughts and questions on our monthly book as we read. Membership is only open to Hoover Public Library's Sunday NovelTea members. If you are a GoodReads member, just type Sunday NovelTea in the Search box and hit enter. Then click on "groups" underneath the search box and send a request to join the private group, Sunday NovelTea. If not, it's easy to join GoodReads by creating an account. If you would like to participate and need assistance with GoodReads, feel free to send me an email at amyd@bham.lib.al.us! To go to GoodReads, just click on the link below:
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Kirkus ReviewsAs cozy and fortifying as a hot cup of tea on a cold afternoon. Publishers WeeklyThis is a sweet story with an almost magical, but never saccharine denouement, as a newly whole Arthur Pepper emerges. Library JournalStarred Review. Tender, insightful, and surprising, this wonderful debut novel is a stunning addition to the popular genre of transformative stories of otherwise uneventful lives. It will instantly capture the hearts of readers who loved Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Nina George's The Little Paris Bookshop, and Antoine Laurain's The Red Notebook. Nina George, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop Phaedra Patrick understands the soul. Eccentric, charming, and wise, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is about finding courage, generosity, and compassion, even when all seems lost. With clear-eyed prose and a moving story, Patrick reminds us how selfless people can be – she reminds us to be brave. The Curious Charms is not just for those who are mourning over love or the past. This book will illuminate your heart. Sarah Pekkanen, internationally bestselling author of The Opposite of Me Once in a great while, a character like Arthur Pepper comes along and quietly steals your heart. Arthur might make you cry – but he'll also make you laugh, think, and feel grateful that you came along on his fantastical journey. I won't just be recommending this book to everyone I know, I'll be buying them copies. Marisa de los Santos, New York Times bestselling author of Love Walked In Filled with colorful, complex characters and adventure, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepperis a lovely story about grief and healing. I was moved by Arthur and his journey. You will be too. Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Daughter A touching tale of rediscovering someone you love. Arthur Pepper is utterly charming and endearing. These reviews can be found on BookBrowse
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Q&A WITH PHAEDRA PATRICK: AUTHOR OF THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER Phaedra Patrick’s delightfully heart-warming The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is published in paperback today (29 September) and to mark the release we asked the author some questions about her unassuming protagonist, his crazy adventures and whether we’ll be seeing more of the titular character in the future. Q. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper takes a seemingly mundane man and sends him on an intriguing journey of self-discovery. How did you come up with the story of the charms and the wild adventures that Arthur goes on? As I showed my own childhood charm bracelet to my son, and told him the stories behind each of the charms, the idea came to me about an elderly man who discovers a mysterious bracelet in his late wife’s wardrobe. I once holidayed in India and bought a small brass elephant pendant, and this was the inspiration behind the first charm that sets Arthur off on his epic journey of discovery. A few years ago I read a novel about a wedding dress shop, so that was the inspiration behind the thimble charm. At college I studied art for four years, so this influenced the paint palette charm. The tiger charm idea came to me when I saw the Life of Pi DVD in a supermarket. Q. There are some curious characters in the book but it’s really all about Arthur, who’s such a loveable fellow, a rare British gent. Is he based on someone you know in real life? Where does your character inspiration come from? I wanted to write a story straight from my heart, and create a character that people would want to cheer, laugh and cry with. I love to collect ideas in my head, so each scene and character in the book was influenced by someone I know, something I’d seen, or personally experienced. Arthur Pepper wasn’t based on anyone I know personally, but he does feel like a real person to me. A lot of his words and mannerisms are my own and I had a lot of fun putting poor Arthur into some tricky situations. Q. There’s a poignant theme at the heart of Arthur Pepper; it celebrates life, love and getting older. Just because someone is retired, doesn’t mean they no longer have anything to contribute to the world, and that’s such an important message. Do you feel that the elderly get forgotten about and dismissed? Was it something you wanted to specifically address or did it come about naturally? I think that such a lot of communication and togetherness comes about through working together, having things in common, or sharing with others. One of the things I miss about office life (now that I write full time at home) is hearing about films friends have watched, or bits of gossip, or general chitchat. If you’re retired then this might be the same too, especially for people who aren’t up to date with technology, or aren’t able to get about as easily as they once could. The message came about organically rather than as something I specifically wanted to address. I think the admirable thing about Arthur is that he takes things into his own hands, makes decisions and moves on them. And I think that’s what people need to do – to look at what’s around them, partake and maybe take themselves out of their comfort zone, rather than hiding themselves away and becoming ‘forgotten.’ In some cases, it’s easier said than done, I’m sure. I admire how my parents (now in their early seventies) keep abreast of new films and books, what’s going on in the area, helping out neighbours and friends, and my dad even took himself off to night school to learn how to use computers! Q. Your novel has been compared to the likes of The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Windowand Harold Fry…were you inspired by these other similar themed books? I’d previously written five (unpublished) novels about young women, so this time round I thought I’d attempt to write about an older man. I was already well into writing about Arthur Pepper when I read Harold Fry, and I admit that I haven’t yet read The Hundred Year Old Man… Rather than inspiring my work, Harold Fry told me that there might be a place in the market for fiction about an older character, and that encouraged me to keep writing Arthur’s story. Q. For a long time, reading about the elderly wasn’t particularly ‘fashionable’ for the younger generation. Do you think we need more fictional heroes in their twilight years? I think it’s important that all ages and demographics are covered. I don’t think older characters were particularly well-represented until recently, but all readers are getting older! The original forty-something readers of Bridget Jones’s Diary are probably now in their sixties. I think we also have more older role models that young people admire too, such as Mary Berry or even The Rolling Stones, proving that age shouldn’t stop you doing something that you love. Even if you’re not the same age as Arthur, you can view him as a dad or granddad figure. Q. This is the first novel you’ve had published, how have you found the whole process? The positive reaction from readers must make all the hard work worth it. It can seem overwhelming when you start to write 90,000 words, especially when you reach a sticky bit and the voices in your head kick in, asking if you really know what you’re doing! You’re also making up a story from scratch, so sometimes you have to be decisive and choose a route, even if you’re not sure where it will take you. Writing can also be very solitary so it’s good to have a support network of friends and family around you. Writing a novel is almost just the start of the journey. Then you have to submit to literary agents, edit your work, go through submissions to publishers (and prepare for rejection) and go through rounds of structural and copy edits. You have to be very determined and a bit steely-minded. It’s a long process but all worth it when you get to hold your book in your hands for the first time, or see it on a shelf. I’ve had lots of lovely reactions from readers and really appreciate it when people take the time to write a nice review, or even to send me a friendly note via Facebook. The book will be published in over twenty countries worldwide, so I have to use Google Translate to read some of the comments. One lady in Poland even painted me a picture of Arthur’s potplant! Q. Finally, it feels as if Arthur’s story is still going, will we see more adventures from him in a sequel? I personally know what happens to Arthur, Bernadette, Lucy and even teenager Nathan, but their stories are in my head. I don’t yet have another mission for Arthur to undertake, though I’d love to write about him again some time. The characters feel like friends who are currently doing their own thing without me, but one day I might drop in and see what they’re up to and if they want to share it with me!
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1. Would you call The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper an adventure tale? A romance? A mystery? 2. Arthur, at 69 years old, has led a pretty sheltered life. Do you think he is typical of many in his generation? 3. When someone rings his doorbell, Arthur often pretends not to be at home. ‘He screwed his eyes shut and pretended he was a statue in the garden of a stately home.’ (Chapter One). Why do you think he does this? Is it something you might do? 4. If you were in Arthur’s situation, bereaved after a long marriage, would you also devise strategies and routines to get you through the day? 5. Arthur’s daughter, Lucy, worries about him. ‘Lucy was more thoughtful. She sent thank-you cards and never, ever forgot a birthday.’ (Chapter One). Do you think that girls are expected to be more caring and thoughtful than boys? Is this a natural thing, or something that is passed on? 6.Arthur is a very decent man. Why has he grown estranged from his own children? 7. Bernadette looks after her ‘lost causes’ with home-cooked food? Why do you think she does this? Do you ever use food as a way of looking after yourself, or others? 8. What do you think teenager, Nathan Patterson, thinks of Arthur when his mother, Bernadette, strikes up a friendship with the pensioner and Arthur tags along on their trip to look at universities? Can inter-generational friendships work? 9. Arthur finds himself being entertained in the home of tiger-obsessed Lord and Lady Graystock. How does the Graystocks’ life contrast with Arthur and Miriam’s? Are there any similarities? 10. Arthur comes out of his comfort zone by travelling to London, Paris and India. When you have travelled to other countries, do you feel excited, or more apprehensive, about your travels? Were the places you travelled to as you expected, or were they very different? 11. Arthur encounters many people on his travels including tiger-crazy Lord Graystock, young homeless man Mike, Sylvie the French wedding boutique owner, Bernadette the busybody neighbour, caring daughter Lucy, illegal immigrant Sebastian, novelist Francois de Chauffant, and Indian doctor Mr Mehra. Which character did you feel most emotionally connected to, and why? 12. Young homeless man, Mike, tells Arthur, ‘Those charms might bring you luck.’ What is your own lucky charm, and what luck has it brought you? 13. Which is your favourite story behind the charms – heart, paint palette, ring, book, tiger, elephant, thimble and flower – and why? 14. Arthur learns more about technology through his conversation with Nathan (eg Nathan uses Facebook to find Sonny Yardley). Would Arthur have been able to trace each of the charms on Miriam’s bracelet without technology? Do you tend to shun or embrace technology? 15. The book tackles real life situations, but also asks the reader to accept life’s random circumstances. Have any strange coincidences happened to you? 16. Do you think most married couples keep secrets about their pasts from each other? What would you say is, ultimately, the most important thing that Arthur discovers about Miriam? About himself? About their life together?
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Phaedra qualified firstly as a stained glass artist before gaining her professional Marketing qualifications. She has worked as a waitress, stained glass designer, film festival organiser and communications manager. She enjoyed her first real writing success when she entered and won several short story competitions, and she now writes full time. Phaedra lives in Saddleworth, UK, with her husband and son. Her idea for The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper emerged as she showed her own childhood charm bracelet to her young son and told him the stories behind each of the charms. Phaedra is represented by Clare Wallace at Darley Anderson Literary, Film & TV Agency
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