I added this to my list in 2021 and haven't read it until now because I knew it would be a heartbreaker. Turns out I was correct. Some things in life you can never actually prepare yourself for properly despite having an inkling of what they're about. This is one of those things. My grandmother had dementia and passed away in 2004, we were very close. Our main character Arthur who is in his nineties also has this dreaded disease.
This is a time slip novel and we visit the 1940's during Arthur's time in the war and also modern times with Arthur now being in his nineties.
Arthur's granddaughter has taken care of him for six months and the stress of it is too much for her and she is no longer willing to be his caretaker. She calls his other granddaughter who is divorced and has an 11-year-old daughter. The daughter plays a prominent role in the story but more in a bit about this. His new caretaker is compassionate and caring towards the old man. Still times are rough with his confusion, forgetting what things are called and forgetting how to do basic things. Evenings are the worse as "sundowners" appears, he is confused, wanders the house and is agitated. Arthur has a scrapbook of his wartime memories including lots of photographs. The young girl and her great grandfather bond over the scrapbook and she sees pictures of a beautiful woman who turns out to be his war time love. Unfortunately, he was sent home away from his love. He may have forgotten many things but not her. This child tries with the help of others to find this woman from many years ago for her grandfather to make him happy. Along the way we get another surprise. Told in alternating viewpoints, we easily see the anguish Arthur experiences as he has to leave his love in France and return to England and the lifelong effect it has had on him.
My heart was broken reading this but by the time I done reading it, it was healed again. Beautiful, and highly recommended.

Publication date 04 Mar 2021.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I very much enjoyed this story. I loved the characters and really became quite emotionally invested! Great work by Suzanne Fortin. My thanks to Netgalley and Aria & Ares for a digital copy to review.

Oh my gosh this book ruined me 🥺 it was so good and just as emotional as I thought it was going to be. Highly recommend but be prepared for an emotional read.

I am so glad I was given the opportunity to read this emotional dual timeline book. I fell in love with Arthur Pettinger. The characters are so well developed. As you get a glimpse into Arthur’s time serving in WWII, you want to discover what happened to the people he met. Puzzle pieces are slowly put together and you anxiously wait to discover Arthur’s story and to see what this means for the present. I am still shedding tears now that I’ve finished this beautiful and touching story. The author has done an excellent job of handling the reality of caring for individuals with Alzheimer’s. This is one I strongly encourage you to put it at the top of your to-be-read list. Your heart will be overflowing and tears will stream down your face as you close the book with a deep sigh.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

My goodness, I am an absolute mess after reading this, this book struck far too close to home for me and really hit my heart!

The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger is a heartbreaking, beautiful and bitter-sweet story of life, loss, family and absolute true love.

There are some very serious subjects threaded throughout, especially how Alzheimer's affects an entire family, and how it can take a person in such a cruel and unforgiving way. This story hit me far more than any other book ever has done, my grandmother was cruelly taken from us during that first lockdown by this very disease. before that, we saw my amazing grandmother's light dim as her memories faded and it's heartbreaking so this book and watching as the same thing happens to Arthur and how his life spirals and memories blur really hit home.

The author has handled this subject with real sensitivity and compassion, and the writing is compelling and highly emotional, this is the first I have read by the author but it certainly will not be the last, yet I doubt any book will stay locked in my heart as much as this one has.

An absolutely lovely read. Arthur is a great character who you immediately fall in love with and the story of his granddaughter trying to track down his lost love from the war is perfect. Great characters and storyline make this such a warmhearted book that you don't want to leave

Arthur Pettinger has my heart! The elderly man may be forgetting the present, but he hasn't completely forgotten the past. When Arthur's granddaughter Maddy moves in to take care of him, along with her daughter, Esther, he quickly forms a strong bond with Esther, helping both to cement Esther in her new home and to help Arthur follow a trail of memories that leads ho his long lost love. Esther and Arthur start a vlog talking about Arthur's past and his memories, bringing worlds together both for Arthur, and for Maddy.

This book is just heart wrenching but in the best of ways. Arthur is such a lovable character. Every reader should want him as their grandfather. When his memory starts to go, some memories from the war time come back. With the help of his granddaughter he keeps them alive. Weaving between past and present, this book is well worth reading!!!!

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I requested this book because I loved the cover so much...the story sounded like it could be a good one that might make me feel something...and boy was I right. I LOVED this book so much... You have Arthur as one of the main characters...he lives with one of his granddaughters so he won't have to go to a home since his memory is mostly gone...suddenly she decides she is done with him and his OTHER granddaughter comes to stay with him, along with her daughter. This is the good granddaughter and he gets along so well with her daughter...she loves to look through his old photo albums and sometimes he can get a memory or two to come back by doing that. Esther becomes so interested in his old life that she uses her vlog to try to get people in the World to help find his old love...all he wants is some kind of closure and she wants to be able to give it to him. Suddenly Maddie's phone is blowing up with reporters and people trying to get in on the action and that includes an ex boyfriend Esther had written to...From this point, we have great plots...one happening right now and Maddie and Joe try to find Maryse and one that happened during the war between Maryse and Arthur...I stayed connected to this book from the very beginning to the very end...Like I said, I loved this one :)

An engrossing and poignant family saga that kept me hooked.
Great characters, an emotionally charged plot and a well researched historical part.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book came after some disappointing reads. When I started this one I figured I was going to be let down again by my recent book choices. But by the time Arthur and Esther see each other my heart was hopeful. Arthur's body is failing but his mind is already gone and his family takes turns caring for him but it is little Esther and Maddy that turn his life upside down and take us back seventy years to when he was in his prime and being an old man relying on others was never a thought he had.
Author Fortin does an amazing job at making sure every character has some depth even those who only waltz through a few pages at the most. And you will love Arthur, feel for him, want to take care of him, but you won't have pity for him, he has lived his life and now that life is coming back in full-color glory.
Read knowing it isn't a commonplace WWII romance, it's a little different, a little more precious, a fantastic 5 star read.

From the outset I loved the character of Arthur Pettinger. He struggles to remember which slipper goes on which foot, he forgets names, he gets muddled and yet some things are remembered so clearly. The author does a really nice job of portraying with sensitivity this elderly gentlemans confused mind.

Grandaughter Hazel is at the end of her tether and needs to get away for a while so half sister Maddy and her daughter Esther come to stay.

Great grandaughter Esther is intrigued by Arthurs old scrapbook and in particular a photo of a woman called Maryse. Who was Maryse and what was her connection with Arthur? Esther wants to find out and it is through her the family begin to unravel Arthurs wartime past.

I found this an engaging read from the opening chapters, the author perfectly portrayed how dementia affects not just those suffering and also those who caring for the sufferer. This isn't a sad book, its an inspiring one, the dual timeline worked well taking the reader into a past that Arthurs family had no idea about. Totally recommended.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy, I was under no obligation and all opinions expressed are my own.

A lovely timeslip book that really tugs at the heartstrings. A great debut and I hope there is more to come

Suzanne Fortin will tug at the heartstrings with her haunting, poignant and atmospheric historical novel, The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger.

Arthur Pettinger’s memory isn’t what it once was. Things that he used to take for granted no longer come easy to him. He struggles to remember the names of his beloved grandchildren and he gets confused about which way round his slippers go or where he lives. Arthur’s short-term memory might be getting progressively worse, but the one thing that is as clear as day in his mind is Maryse. He remembers every single detail about this mysterious woman he might not have seen for decades, but who still lives on in his mind and heart. Not even old age can diminish the love he has for Maryse leaving his relatives to wonder just who was this woman? Is she still alive? And more to the point can they reunite her with Arthur before it’s too late?

Arthur’s granddaughter Maddy has not had the easiest of times lately, but moving in with her daughter Esther is the first positive step towards rebuilding her life and putting it back together. When they hear about Maryse, the two of them decide to do something about it, but they never imagined that the video they made for the mysterious woman would end up going viral and capture the attention of the world. Everyone wants to help Arthur find his missing Maryse, however, the one person who can truly help them in their quest is a face from Maddy’s past: Joe, the one who got away.

Fate has brought the two of them together again in the most unlikely of circumstances and as their mission to track down Arthur’s enigmatic Maryse takes them all the way to France and the French Resistance, will Maddy not only manage to find the missing pieces of this puzzle, but also mend her own broken heart and restore her shattered spirit?

Suzanne Fortin’s The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger is a superbly written tale that is so beautifully told that it will transport the reader to a world of danger, courage, hope and despair that will keep them completely and utterly transfixed from beginning to end. Suzanne Fortin writes with great warmth and compassion and plumbs the depths of the human heart with flair and sensitivity leaving readers reaching for their tissues on plenty of occasions.

An engrossing tale that is impossible to forget, The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger is a compulsively readable novel I thoroughly enjoyed.

This is such a glorious multi-generational tale. You end up caring about the current generation as much as those in the earlier part of the story, all connected to Arthur. It made me sob, but I recommend this story wholeheartedly. Everyone needs to meet Arthur Pettinger.

Thank you to NetGalley, Aria & Aries, and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book, and from my own (albeit limited) experiences interacting with people with dementia, I think that very large plot point was handled with sensitivity and grace. I genuinely enjoyed the characters and absolutely loved the relationship between Arthur and his great granddaughter Esther - it was the highlight of the novel for me.

The past story line was interesting and carried the novel well, but in a weirdly perfect way, it was also kind of underwhelming. I know it sounds like that wouldn't be a good thing, but it really was. It's probably one of the most realistic ways that the story could have gone and I appreciated the book all the more for that.

I definitely recommend this book to fans of WWII Historical Fiction! I loved the writing and was totally engaged throughout the entire novel - I finished it in less than 24 hours!

This is a story that grabs you from the outset and keeps you entranced throughout. Told in a dual timeline between the present day and the events of World War II, we learn of the life of Arthur Pettinger, now in his late 90s and suffering from Alzheimer’s and struggling to piece together memories both in the present day and from the past.

When granddaughter Maddy and great-granddaughter Esther move in to help with his care, the bonds they develop help Arthur to begin to recall memories that have long-since been locked away.

The beauty of this story is undoubtedly the theme of relationships which runs throughout, but mostly in the genuine, touching bond between grandfather and great-granddaughter. Esther seems to instinctively know how to interact with Arthur and, through sharing his scrapbook, sets off a chain of events which delve into the past not just for Arthur, but for granddaughter Maddy too.

The difficult subject matter of dementia is incredibly sensitively handled and the writing style makes you continually want to keep reading ‘just one more chapter’ to find out what happens next.

A wonderful book that is highly recommended!

The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger by Suzanne Fortin
Publication Date: March 4, 2021
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Description from NetGalley..
Sometimes the past won't stay hidden, it demands to be uncovered...
Arthur Pettinger's memory isn't what it used to be. He can't always remember the names of his grandchildren, where he lives or which way round his slippers go. He does remember Maryse though, a woman he hasn't seen for decades, but whose face he will never forget.

When Arthur's granddaughter, Maddy moves in along with her daughter Esther, it's her first step towards pulling her life back together. But when Esther makes a video with Arthur, the hunt for the mysterious Maryse goes viral.

There's only one person who can help Maddy track down this woman – the one that got away, Joe. Their quest takes them to France, and into the heart of the French Resistance.

When the only way to move forwards is to look back, will this family finally be able to?
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Thank you to @headofzeus @sue_fortin for inviting me to their book tour.
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Thank you to @NetGalley @ariabooks for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
Great read. In this story you read more details on what it was like to be Arthur, an English soldier hiding in France. Fortin gave a detailed account of being in a SOE mission: expecting and facing danger everyday. It truly was survival. There was a story of blossoming love for Arthur amidst the dangers of war. This was also a story of family and loyalty between Arthur, Mandy and Esther. Esther’s character was just adorable. Fortin also did a great job describing what was required in finding people. There were many who looked for lost loves from the war. But, what I truly appreciated was how Fortin sensitively described Arthur’s dementia: how it affected him and his family. It was so heartwarming to read about the secondary characters who were there for Arthur, as we should be for our elders.
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Arthur Pettinger is a man who has lived a long and eventful life, but at the age of ninety-six dementia now clouds his mind and he has forgotten rather a lot of it. However, some things are very clear to Arthur especially his memories of serving in France during WWII and the woman he met during his time there - his first love, Maryse.

When Arthur's granddaughter Maddy comes to look after him with her daughter Esther, his penchant for sharing glimpses of his scrapbook and tales of the old days sets off a chain of events that finds them joining forces with Maddy's ex Joe to try to find out what happened to Maryse - and it's a trail that leads them all the way back to Arthur's wartime exploits working with the French Resistance behind enemy lines. This is a quest that will not only help Arthur come to terms with his past, but will also help his nearest and dearest decide the course of their future.

The story plays out in a dual timeline following the search for Maryse in the present, and the history of Arthur's wartime experiences, moving back and forth in time until all the little pieces fall into place to reveal the truth. This serves nicely to combine elements of wartime thriller with historical love story, rich in period detail that holds nothing back about the horrors of occupied France, and a delightful modern mystery story that encompasses a gorgeous contemporary romance to boot. Suzanne Fortin handles the myriad threads in both timelines with skill, bringing in shades of meaning that work beautifully in both the past and the present, and ties everything up in one of the most moving endings I have read in a very long time - whilst keeping Arthur central to the whole story in a way that sensitively portrays him as a real person, despite the ravages of his dementia.

Reading this was an incredibly emotional experience and lots of tears were shed along the way - both of joy and sadness. Love shines out of these pages, whether it be romantic or otherwise, and the way Fortin explores the capacity to love through both of the timelines in this book is enchanting. I adored every little thing about this tale of friendship, family ties and devotion: the characters and the beautifully drawn relationships between them, the backdrops, the nostalgia, the compelling storylines... I could go on and on, but instead I will just say that this is one of my absolute favourite reads of 2021.

I have been a fan of Suzanne’s work for a while now. I haven’t caught up with everything that she has written but I am getting there. I read the synopsis for ‘The Forgotten Life Of Arthur Pettinger’ and it certainly appealed to me. Without further ado I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my Kindle down and settled down for what I hoped would be an amazing read. I was spot on too because ‘The Forgotten Life Of Arthur Pettinger’ really is a fantastic read and I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of it but more about that in a bit.
I have to say that I liked the character of Arthur Pettinger from the start and he brought back so many memories. I don’t mean that my family were in the ‘Special Operations Executive’ because as far as I know they weren’t but one of my great aunts suffered with dementia and so much of how Arthur behaves in the present day was reminiscent of my great aunt. Arthur (& my great aunt) have definite short term memory loss but their memories of times gone by could be quite detailed when they had a lucid moment. I really felt for Arthur and I kept wanting to jump inside the pages of the book to give him a hug. Arthur is a fascinating character, who has led a fascinating life and now finds himself living with his granddaughter and great granddaughter. I loved the way in which his great granddaughter interacted with Arthur. She and her mother are so kind, caring and compassionate.
It took me no time at all to get into this book. I am a huge history nerd as well as being a book geek and I have a specific interest in the Second World War so you can probably understand why this book appealed to me so much. I think a lot of that has got to do with the fact that I didn’t know my grandparents as they all died before I was born and I couldn’t talk to them about the war, so reading books such as this one give me a better appreciation of the circumstances in which they found themselves. One I got into the story, there was absolutely no chance whatsoever that I would be putting this book down any time soon. In fact I didn’t put the book down at all. I was blown away by the story and by the characters. I found ‘The Forgotten Life Of Arthur Pettinger’ to be a gripping and emotional read that kept my attention from start to finish and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘The Forgotten Life Of Arthur Pettinger’ is superbly written. Suzanne has certainly tackled some difficult subjects but she writes about them in a compassionate and sensitive manner. Suzanne has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. I love the way in which she drew me into the story from the start. The book is written in a dual timeline. We have the timeline of events as they happen in the present day and we see how dementia affects Arthur now and the other timeline is an illustration of Arthur’s exploits during the Second World War.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Forgotten Life Of Arthur Pettinger’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Suzanne’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board can only be 5* out of 5*.