The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson

EXCERPT: When Arthur woke, he asked what he had missed, and we told him nothing. But it wasn’t quite true, I don’t think. It felt like something had shifted infinitesimally, between the four of us. The truth was, and always had been, that he was the one I could have done without, the one I cared about the least. How strange he was the one I spent my life with, in the end.

ABOUT ‘THE LAST LIST OF MABEL BEAUMONT’: Mabel Beaumont’s husband Arthur loved lists. He’d leave them for her everywhere. ‘eggs, butter, sugar’. ‘I love today, tomorrow, always’. But now Arthur is gone. He softly, gently, not making a fuss. But he’s still left her a list. This one has just one item on it ‘Find D’. Mabel feels sure she knows what it means. She must track down her best friend Dot, who she hasn’t seen since the fateful day she left more than sixty years ago. 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. 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…

MY THOUGHTS: I felt sad for Mabel. To live with someone for sixty-two years with little emotional attachment on your side sounds . . . . I can’t find the words! What a waste. Arthur could perhaps have found someone to love who loved him back, like he deserved. And Mabel? Well Mabel maybe could have found herself sixty-two years before she did. Actually, I feel cross with Mabel, and sad for Arthur.

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 . . .

I liked the eclectic mix of characters. Other than Mabel there is Erin who works part-time at the local supermarket saving to go to university; Julie, a care worker whom Arthur had organised to look out and ‘do’ for Mabel before his death; Patty, a dance instructor; and Kirsty, a young mum estranged from her family. All have problems in their lives and Mabel blithely interferes without thought of the consequences.

There is nothing startling in the storyline; it’s all pretty predictable. And Mabel’s “secret” (What would Arthur have done if he had known? Well, sorry Mabel, but I think Arthur did know) was blindingly obvious.

There are a couple of neat little twists, and the final one concerning Arthur’s note “Find D” was delightful.

Another reason I didn’t warm to Mabel was Ollie, the dog. Mabel really didn’t like Ollie, couldn’t be bothered with him, and Ollie didn’t much like her in return. I always trust a dog’s instincts.

A perfectly pleasant but not memorable read.

⭐⭐⭐.4

#TheLastListofMabelBeaumont #NetGalley

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X: @LauraPAuthor @boldwoodbooks

#aging, #contemporaryfiction, #friendship, #slice-of-life

THE AUTHOR: Laura Pearson has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester. She lives in Leicestershire with her husband and their two children.

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.