Sixty-nine-year-old Arthur Pepper lives a simple life. He gets out of bed at precisely 7:30 a.m., just as he did when his wife, Miriam, was alive. He dresses in the same gray slacks and mustard sweater vest, waters his fern, Frederica, and heads out to his garden.

But on the one-year anniversary of Miriam’s death, something changes. Sorting through Miriam’s possessions, Arthur finds an exquisite gold charm bracelet he’s never seen before. What follows is a surprising and unforgettable odyssey that takes Arthur from London to Paris and as far as India in an epic quest to find out the truth about his wife’s secret life before they met–a journey that leads him to find hope, healing and self-discovery in the most unexpected places.

I read and enjoyed another of Phaedra Patrick’s books, so I thought I’d give this one a try. The story of a 70-year-old widower is definitely outside my normal, but I liked Patrick’s writing before. I liked this one too.

I love that the book is about a charm bracelet because the best word I can come up with to describe this story is charming. It’s so sweet watching Arthur navigate life after the one-year anniversary of his wife’s death–he learns, he grows, he pushes himself. He has adventures as a grandfather that he never dreamed of when he was a young man. Plus, his “old fashioned” ways provide a moral compass that’s lacking in so many ways these days.

The book reminded me a bit of The Sowing Season by Katie Powner: not at all the typical type of book that I read, but absolutely delightful. I would read it again.

Rated PG/PG-13 for some language and a few implied or discussed adult-ish situations. Get your copy here!

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