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This beautifully written story of friendship, love, loss and second chances captured my heart. It's a tender and uplifting read and I adored Mabel and her unlikely gang of colourful characters... Leaves you feeling warm, hopeful, and satisfied.' Lisa Timoney, author What a beautifully written and heartwarming story about love, aging, friendships, self-discovery, loss, grief, loneliness, regrets and second chances. Most of all, it relates to having the courage to make a change and becoming the person you were always meant to be despite expectations of society. I absolutely loved this book so much!! The characters were so real and relatable and I was so emotionally invested. I could just picture myself spending time with this amazing group of women. I was hooked from the very beginning and could not stop reading! ALL the emotions!! 💙💙💙💙 Mabel is 86-years old and her husband Arthur has just died leaving her alone with their dog Olly who was only really fond of Arthur. Having had no children Mabel is very much on her own but her husband, the ultimate list maker, has left her one last list: “Find D”. At first Mable is confounded until she makes the connection. Arthur must mean for her to find her BFF, Dot, from sixty years ago. Dot took off without a word never to be heard from again and Mabel is sure Arthur is telling her to find Dot. 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.
Laura Pearson has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester. She lives in Leicestershire, England with her husband and their two children. Now that I have got that off my chest, we can proceed. I liked, but didn't love The Last List of Mabel Beaumont, just as I liked but didn't love Mabel herself. And the getting to like her took a while . . . 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.
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Love the character of Mabel, she undergoes such development and growth throughout the story. She’s lived a different life than what she wanted, not a particularly bad one with her husband, but she suffered losses of many kinds. Her brothers death changed things, her best friend departed without explanation and Mabel made the safe/sensible choice. I absolutely loved this book... I adore an older protagonist... who is feisty and not afraid to speak her mind. The story is like a warm hug - but it had spark and wit and humour too. I loved it, and was bereft when I finished it (far too) late last night!... Gorgeous!' Clare Swatman, author Mabel and Arthur have been married for sixty-two years and have never had children. He loved making lists and would leave them for her to find. Suddenly, Arthur passes away and Mabel doesn't know what she will do without him. Then she finds his last list he must have left for her. It had only one thing listed which was to Find D. What or who is D?? Mabel is convinced he meant her best friend, Dot. The problem is that Mabel has not spoken to or seen Dot in sixty-two years. Is Dot even still alive? Mabel decides to find Dot and add a few items to the list. Moving forward, she meets a group of women who are all in different stages of their lives. They become amazing friends and want to help Mabel find Dot. Mabel slowly finds herself opening up and not as lonely anymore. Secrets from the past are revealed as the search for Dot continues. Will Mabel find Dot? Will she have the courage to change and find happiness again?
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. It seems impossible. She doesn’t even know if Dot’s still alive. Also, every person Mabel talks to seems to need help first, with missing husbands, daughters, parents. Mabel finds her list is just getting longer, and she’s still no closer to finding Dot. This is a very uplifting novel. With themes of aging, loss, societal expectations, and the acceptance of change, it was a poignant and very satisfying story of female friendships. This novel is about finding new meaning in life, whatever your age, overcoming fears that have limited the possibilities that could have been, making new friendships that on paper shouldn’t really work and it’s really touching.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! It isn’t possible, to erase the lives we’ve lived. We only have today, and whatever future we’re granted.” Arthur was always the list maker but Mabel made her own task list to accomplish. Despite her age, her judgement seemed rather questionable at times although the decisions were made with good intent and I did worry at what the outcomes would be. Many thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. 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.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Boldwood Books via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. Mabel is not your most pleasant person and Arthur is such a kind soul. They have been together for 62 years and when Arthur suddenly dies, Mabel is left alone. She isn’t what you call a lover of life – not like Arthur. In fact, I wondered why they married at all. Going through Arthur’s lists (he is a list maker), Mabel discovers a notation ‘Find D’. This discovery marks the beginning of a new life for Mabel outside her comfort zone. A mystery to solve, making unlikely friends and doing things she has never done before. But now Arthur is gone. He died: softly, gently, not making a fuss. But he's still left her a list. This one has just one item on it though: 'Find D'. Eighty six year-old Mabel and 89-year-old Arthur have been married for more than sixty years. He’s all about moving forward, trying new things and loves a list, whereas she is about quiet contemplation and reflection. The couple are the proverbial chalk and cheese. Now Arthur has suddenly gone and it’s just her and what will she do without him? The final entry on Arthur’s last list says “Find D“. Does he mean Dot, a good friend who drops off the radar who Mabel hasn’t seen for 62 years? After some understandable wallowing due to his loss, she gives herself a metaphorical shake and makes a list of her own, five things which includes “find D“. Though this task seems impossible with the help of new found friends, Mabel is determined to try.
Mabel and Arthur Beaumont were married for over sixty years, and when he dies suddenly, Mabel is left isolated and grieving. Then she finds a list that he left her saying "Find D", and Mabel decides to act on it. Mabel Beaumont’s husband Arthur loved lists. He’d leave them for her everywhere. ‘Remember: eggs, butter, sugar’. ‘I love you: today, tomorrow,always’. In the end, what bothered me most is that while I understand Mabel's motivation, and I do feel sorry for her, she wasn't written as caring. Maybe if the author had balanced it a bit -- Not showing so much of her sorrow for the loss of her brother and best friend 62 years in the past but balancing it with examples of her caring for Arthur, or even being a friend to other people during her marriage. I was left feeling that 62 years were wasted, and she only came alive after he died. 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… 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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