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In return, when Mabel strives to 'help' her new friends by interfering in their lives, she comes close to jeopardizing her newfound friendships. They all have aspects of their lives which they wish to keep to themselves, as does Mabel. Everyone of them has secrets...
Wow. Seriously. Just beautiful. So many wonderful elements… So many memorable characters… Beautiful and utterly affecting.’ Louise Beech I love every word of this heartwarming novel with the odd tear and some profound moments. I feel so sad the book is over as it’s one I don’t want to end and so I slow down to savour the last few wonderful moments. Quite simply, I love Mabel. I finished this in the same 24 hours as I started it. Oh… what a beautiful story… Poignant and inspiring!’ Jennie Godfrey
What she doesn’t know is that her list isn’t just about finding her old friend. And that if she can admit the secrets of the past, maybe she could even find happiness again… I am not sure if the complete personality change in Mabel after Arthur's death was intentional in the "I am out of prison now, so I no longer have to pretend" or if it was just a plot device to show character growth, If it was a plot device, it failed for me, because the change was so dramatic. With the home health aide's help, Mabel develops three close friendships and reaches out on her own to a young adolescent. These three women come to support her in her quest to find her best friend, Dot, who disappeared right before her wedding to Arthur. The young adolescent allows Mabel to be giver.
Mabel and Arthur Beaumont live in a small Surrey town and have been married for sixty-two years. They are the best of friends. When she wakes one morning to find Arthur has passed away in the night, she feels adrift. They never had children and now she is completely alone... When Arthur was alive he structured their days around lists he would make. Mabel finds his last, unfinished list which says only "Find D". Her mind immediately goes to Dot, her best friend, whom she hasn't seen since before her marriage to Arthur. Did he want her to find Dot again? At the age of eighty-six, Mabel Beaumont loses Arthur, her husband of over sixty years. Mabel is a quiet and reserved individual and her husband was the one who was relatively more outgoing and expressive and also fond of making lists. As Mabel grapples with her loss, she finds her husband’s unfinished list with an item “Find D” on it. Mabel believes Arthur meant to find Dot, once Mabel’s best friend and her deceased older brother’s love interest. After Bill’s sudden demise and Mabel’s engagement to Arthur over sixty years ago, Dot disappeared from their lives. Mabel embarks on a quest to find Dot and finds a kindly and supportive group of people who are intent to help her – Julie, the new caregiver Arthur had arranged for her; Kristy a kindly neighbor and new mother in her thirties; Patty, a dance instructor in her seventies and Erin, a sixteen-year-old girl who Mabel meets in her local grocery store. For someone who has mostly kept to herself all her adult life, Mabel finds herself increasingly involved in the lives of her new friends, adding more items to her (Arthur’s which she expands upon) list and reflecting on people and events from her past – the people she loved and lost, her regrets and secrets about herself she has never been able to share with anyone. Mabel's quest for Dot and her plans to help her friends, (though efforts don’t always produce the desired results), each of whom is struggling with personal problems, gives Mabel a sense of purpose, in turn inspiring her to approach her own life from a fresh perspective. I adored every moment, I was hoping that this mystery quest would have a good resolution and that every character found the happiness they were looking for.All in all, this is a really sweet and touching book, filled with moments of love, care and concern. I guess the only negative for me was that even in its USP, it doesn’t venture much out of its comfort zone. Still, if you want a warm and fuzzy read, this is a great book for that mood. Mabel (86) and Arthur (89) have been married for over 60 years and when Arthur dies suddenly, Mabel is left completely alone. They never had children and Mabel’s only companion is Olly, an anti-social dog who only really bonded with Arthur. When Mabel finds a note written by Arthur, simply saying ‘Find D’ she is confused but then realises that the note must refer to her best friend Dot; someone she suddenly lost touch with 60 years ago and who she has never forgotten. year old Arthur and 86 year old Mabel have been married for 62 years. Though Arthur is more outgoing, more excited by new possibilities and Mabel is the introvert, not interested in new experiences, they can take the small silences that older marriages are comfortable enough to endure. This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Boldwood Books via NetGalley.
A completely heartbreaking, beautiful, uplifting story, guaranteed to make you smile but also make you cry. Perfect for fans of My Name is Ove, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and The Keeper of Stories.The friends she slowly begins to surround herself with (much to her astonishment) show her that everyone has their own secrets and struggles and that what you see on the surface might not actually reveal someone’s true inner story. People only tend to show the parts of themselves that they feel others can handle. Mabel slowly shows her new friends that despite having isolated herself for so long, she does actually have an innate understanding of the workings of the human spirit. She might not get things 100% right, but her perceptions are often spot-on. In turn, these women show Mabel the importance of having female friends, through all ages and stages of our lives, regardless of how strong our romantic and family ties might or might not be. Instead of experiencing deep regret for all the years she missed out on, Mabel instead embraces what she’s found, and makes the most of it, although she obviously wonders “What might have been?”. But then Mabel finds that Arthur left her one, unfinished list: “Find D”. It’s cryptic, to say the least, and Mabel’s really not in any frame of mind for game-playing. But once she’s taken some time to think about it and to realize that her life didn’t stop when Arthur’s did, she gives the ‘list’ some thought. Could Arthur possibly have known he was dying? And did he mean that she should go and find her long-lost best friend Dot? She hasn’t seen her since she suddenly disappeared just before Mabel and Arthur got married. It’s been a very long time! I was left with a range of feelings and questions about the consequences of our decisions, how life could be so different if we had chosen a different path. Written in elegant prose with superb characterizations and a realistic and relatable take on relationships – family, marriage, love and friendship -I found this to be a lovely story that will touch a chord in your heart. I wasn’t sure about Mabel at first, she seemed rather cold and a little uncaring but with unexpected support she blossomed and emerged from her previously constricting life into one of self discovery. I loved the element of intrigue surrounding her friend Dot; as the former fiancee of Mabel’s beloved late brother Bill, she would always be in her thoughts and Mabel’s quest for news of her friend kept me hooked. Why did she disappear so suddenly?
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