Delightful story. KIRKUS REVIEWNothing otherworldly happens in this feel-good debut novel, yet the story of an English widower who goes rummaging in his late wife?s past has the quality of a fable.A mild-mannered pensioner from York, the title character¥described by an ex-girlfriend as ?timid and a bit twitchy?Â¥is tethered to his domestic routines, hardly ever leaving the house. All that changes when he happens upon a mysterious gold braceletÂ¥with eight distinctive charmsÂ¥that belonged to his beloved wife, Miriam. Screwing up his courage, he embarks on a journey that will take him far from his comfort zone as he tracks down the story behind each ornament. Along the way, our 69-year-old hero finds himself fending off a tiger, having an audience with a famous author who may or may not have been his wife?s lover, getting mugged in a Tube station, and posing naked for an art class. Unsurprisingly, he learns as much about himself through these adventures as he does about Miriam. The writing is breezy, and Arthur?s escapades are, well, charming, at least some of the time. The book flirts with real emotion, too: Arthur?s grief over the loss of his wife is palpable, and his sadness at the estrangement of his adult children feels quite genuine. You may even, against your better judgment, shed a few tears as he endeavors to set things right with them. Yet each bad turn in the book comes wrapped in a teachable moment; each cloud has an unmistakable silver lining.The author?s outlook remains relentlessly upbeat, and in the end, this sentimental novel is as cozy and fortifying as a hot cup of tea on a cold afternoon.

A good character study of a elderly man in morning finding out about himself and others while looking into the past of his departed wife. Feel good book. ( )

A cute premise. Unfortunately, it wasn't executed well.

There wasn't much conflict within the plot - everything came too easily; the male characters' dialogue struck me as very feminine; the sexual references and themes were completely unnecessary; there is some language; the characters (particularly the main character Arthur) are not consistent in their personalities.

I don't normally mind unrealistic settings or plots (they can make for great stories), but this story was completely unbelievable in a bad way. Supposedly Arthur and Miriam had a wonderful 40-year marriage, but he doesn't seem to know anything about her - he doesn't even know her mother's first name!

I don't recommend this book. ( )

This is a coming of age story with a twist. The twist being, the coming of age person is 70. On the first anniversary of his wife’s death Arthur decides it’s time to go through her things and get rid of them. Dear old Arthur, that’s how I initially saw him, believed he and Miriam were soulmates. He did however, silently wonder why she ever married him. What on earth did she see in him? But all these years they’d been inseparable and happy, or so he thought. Since her death Arthur’s been lost, lonely and pretty miserable. He’d be the first to admit that life on his own is boring and repetitive however, the unexpected can always happen! While clearing out Miriam’s wardrobe he makes a discovery which proves a catalyst. Arthur is charming and I enjoyed going on his journey of discovery. Do we ever KNOW someone totally, even our nearest and dearest? Maybe now’s the time to start asking questions. Before its too late! ( )

As the book began, I started to worry it would be a big ripoff of _A Man Called Ove_ (an absolute favorite of mine). You've got a grieving man who doesn't like cats and a cast of neighbors. But it's NOT Ove we have here. I really enjoyed this light read - after the last book I finished, a heavy, difficult holocaust memoir, this was welcome fun. I didn't develop the deep connection with Arthur like I did with Ove, and the premise is a little shaky, but overall it was a good listen. ( )