“It must be a bit like a tangle of wool. One memory string is pulled, but it brings with it a knot of other memories and it’s such a mess, there’s no hope of untangling it all.”

The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger is a novel by British author, Suzanne Fortin. Eleven-year-old Esther Pettinger-Shaw is excited to be moving to the village of Hemingford Grey with her mother, Maddy. She’s a little worried about starting at a secondary school where she knows no-one, but she’s ever so pleased to be living in The Old Rectory and its lovely gardens, with her great-grandfather. When Hazel leaves behind her French bulldog, Fifi, Esther’s happiness is complete.

Esther knows that Gramps has Alzheimer’s, but she loves the stories he tells her about when he was young. Certain photographs from the scrapbook of his life, though, make him sad: with every mention of Maryse, the pretty young woman he met in Brittany during the war, he repeats how sorry he is, and that she was the love of his life. This is clearly not Great-Grandma Joan. Esther makes a spur-of-the-moment vlog appealing to her YouTube followers to help find Maryse.

Maddy feels a little guilty that she didn’t realise just how much Gramps had deteriorated, so she’s happy to look after him now. Her half-sister, Hazel, devoid of empathy, has left a handbook of things to watch out for, and while the nocturnal wanderings don’t allow her enough sleep, and finding ways to distract Gramps when he fixates on a lost person or item can be challenging, his general good cheer makes it all worthwhile.

She’s utterly baffled when the first calls come in regarding the YouTube video she wasn’t aware Esther had posted. And she’s certainly not happy when Joe Finch, her ex-boyfriend from three years earlier, offers to help. But if that’s what is needed to stop Gramps from getting all tearful, she might have to agree to it. Travelling to France with Joe to track down a long-lost love is definitely not on the agenda. Is it?

At ninety-six, Arthur Pettinger is frequently exasperated by his uncooperative memory. So often, the memories are right there, but he just can’t grasp the one he wants. He’s not sorry to see that Moaning Minnie (Heather? Hazel,? Helen?) leave, and glad when Maddy, the nice granddaughter arrives with the girl (what’s her name again?). The girl doesn’t seem to have any friends, but is happy to listen to him ramble on about his youth. And the memories of Maryse? Those are crystal clear.

“He wished he could capture one of those memories properly. It was so frustrating. He couldn’t explain it to anyone; he wasn’t even sure he understood his own reactions or thoughts. Everything raced past him far too quickly to hold on to. It was like trying to catch the wind in your hands as it whistled through the tiniest of gaps between your fingers”

The story is told from three perspectives: Maddy in the present day, Arthur in the 1940s and in the present day. Fortin’s description of caring for a person with dementia, and her depiction of what the person with dementia experiences, are truly insightful, giving the whole present-day part an authentic feel.

“It was so cruel, so painful this long goodbye, watching her grandfather slowly disappear in front of her, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop the disease from ravaging his mind, stealing his memories, his ability to communicate diminished. ‘It’s like a grieving for him while he’s still alive. I feel like I’m losing him and yet being tortured as he’s still here.’”

Fortin easily evokes her setting and the era, and her characters have depth and appeal. This is a wonderful love story: funny, sad and ultimately heart-warming.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Aria and Aries

Absolutely loved this book. The inter generational friendship was so lovely. The dual timeline was interesting and easy to follow. The ending was not the obvious one and bought a tear to my eyes.

#ArthurPettinger #NetGalley

Special thanks to NetGalley and Aria publishing for providing me with ARC.

This novel is so good and heartwarming specially Arthur, he's lovely, carer and reminded me of my grandfather that i miss him so much.

This is the first novel to me by Suzanne Fortin but i loved it so much.

Set as a dual timeline in France during WWII and in the present time, this heartbreaking and heartwarming book is about new and old discoveries, cherished love, hope and the human spirit.

Arthur Pettinger's mean-spirited granddaughter/carer leaves and Maddy, another granddaughter arrives with her young daughter, Esther, to care for him instead. She and Esther have researched dementia to gain a better understanding of Arthur and his needs. Arthur's life is full of frustrations as his brain is cloudy and won't work properly but he does have lucid memories, good and bad, so Maddy and Esther, along with Maddy's first love Joe, look into his past in hopes of finding him happiness. Arthur's past is enmeshed in the horrors of WWII so it and his illness make the search challenging.

The author beautifully and gut wrenchingly writes about the trials of Arthur's aging, the long-term effects of war, lovely relationships and his crippling dementia. I like this particular focus and find it is undervalued.

Those readers seeking something unique and realistic ought to read this lovely book. The dual timeline is done well.

My sincere thank you to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for this gripping read.

The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger is a feel good, heart wrenching and warming must read for any historical fiction fans. Arthur himself broke my heart with his unending love for the lost but not forgotten Marsye. To add to the love story, this book brings you back the French Resistance and the strong woman that held it together through their courage and bravery, which Suzanne Fortin highlights well.

The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger is a dual timeline novel alternating between the present and the WWII era in France. Arthur has Alzheimer’s. His granddaughter Maddy and her daughter Esther move in to help him with his daily needs. Arthur and Esther become close. They start looking through old pictures from WWII and, of course, Esther has questions. Arthur starts to remember events from the war and Maryse, the lost love of his life. This is a great book. If you like historical fiction with a bit of romance, do yourself a favor and read this book. Thanks to the author Suzanne Fortin, publisher Aria & Aries, and NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. It was very thoughtfully written and at points your heart really does ache for the main leads. It was interesting how the past and present were tided together. The story is well thought out and I hold it in high regard. I really recommend this novel.

Fantastic read. I have been completely unable to put this one down. I cannot wait to read more by this author.
Full review to follow on publication.

Suzanne Fortin, in The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger to be published March 4, 2021, writes to show that sometimes the past won't stay hidden, it demands to be uncovered.

Synopsis:
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?

My thoughts:
This is a beautiful account that stops you dead in your tracks and forces you to question how you’d deal with a loved one battling Alzheimer’s. For the first 25% of the novel, the author gives you a rarely seen insight into how Alzheimer’s affects a patient. We get to understand how Arthur feels when he knows he should know a name and how he chooses to deal with not being able to retrieve the information quickly enough. This is the opening paragraph of the novel:

“He knew his name was Arthur Pettinger and he was ninety-six years old. He also knew he was in his bedroom because on the door was a picture of himself with his name written underneath. Tomorrow, he might not know any of this. Yesterday, he was twenty years old and loading bales of hay onto the back of his father’s tractor.”

We also get to see the differences in care the two granddaughters provide and how they each deal with Arthur. It made me appreciate how Maddy and Esther love Arthur through his struggles. Once readers understand Arthur’s disease, the author picks up the pace and the novel takes off. I loved the thrill of chasing down Maryse and watching the romance blossom between Maddy and Joe. Fortin crafted such beautiful characters that readers can’t help but love them, thus adding to the reading experience. Becoming invested in the characters propels readers forward eagerly waiting resolution. Fortin has stitched together a heartwarming family history, highlighting the French resistance as a backdrop for a beautiful love story.

Thank you to Suzanne Fortin, Aria & Aries, and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the love story to end all love stories. Arthur and Maryse meet when he parachutes into France during WWII just before the Allies land on the beaches of Normandy. What ensues is their time together interspersed with Arthur during present time as his Granddaughter Maddy and Great granddaughter Esther move in to take care of him as he has Alzheimer’s. Arthur speaks of Maryse numerous times and of Yvette. The story unravels as Maddy and Esther investigate the past. Arthur and Maryse love story becomes important to all of them and they want to help Arthur find closure, even if he can’t remember everything they hope it will help him settle subconsciously. I sobbed while reading parts of this book.

The author did an amazing job of creating such wonderful characters and of painting a picture of France during the war. I was hooked by the end of the first chapter and I didn’t want to put this book down. If you love romance or war stories, or if you have a loved one with Alzheimer’s you will want to read this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Aria and Aries for giving me this ARC to read.

This book broke my heart in all the right places. Omg masterly written with the time lines from past to present. I could not put this down. Loved everything about this book. Happiness, tears, it had it all.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

With thanks to netgalley and suzanne fortin for an early copy in return for an honest opinion.
Firstly thus is my first book by this author and what a read.
A twin time line that worked seamlessly going to aruthur during war time and present day
Beautifully written with depth and warmth of true love i could not put this book down exceptionally intriguing.
I can highly recommend this outstanding book.