The Last List of Mabel Beaumont - Laura Pearson - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Laura Pearson

GENRE: Women's Fiction.

RATING: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: A heartwarming story about friendship and love and accepting oneself. Interesting characters, though some of them could have been benefitted with more depth and less predictability.

Story Synopsis:

Eighty-six-year-old Mabel has just lost Arthur, her husband of sixty-two years. He loved lists, and while she is clearing his belongings, she discovers one last list by him. This has just a single item on it: “Find D”. Mabel understands that Arthur wants her to locate Dot, her estranged best friend whom she hasn’t seen since before her wedding. Is Dot still alive? Mabel is determined to find out. Without meaning to do so, Mabel finds a new set of friends who are willing to help her on her quest. Each friend is battling their own personal issue, and Mabel’s search ends up becoming a life-changing journey for all of them.

The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Mabel.

Honestly, I don’t have many points to talk about because the book is true to its genre, delivering sweet and sentimental scenes with regularity, and goes only a little beyond the tried-and-tested. As the title indicates, the book isn’t about Arthur’s final list but is “The Last List of Mabel Beaumont.” The items in Mabel’s checklist form the main events of the book.

Having a geriatric lead character is quite a trend nowadays, but to read about one who is willing to step out of her comfort zone is a nice experience. Mabel is an endearing protagonist, a good mix of interfering and caring. I love how she doesn’t restrict her friendships only to women of her own age, and isn’t judgemental about the younger generation. I also appreciate how the plot never made her justify her decision of not wanting children.

At the surface level, the story seems quite easy-going. But Mabel’s life contains many secrets, and as we learn her thoughts through her own first-person perspective, we understand how her life isn’t what it seems. While her biggest secret was quite guessable to me, it was still written well.

There is a minor touch of the surreal in the book, through Mabel’s habit of seeing Arthur around the house. I simply adored their relationship. How such a long marriage results in such compatibility and comfort despite certain basic differences in marital expectations comes out wonderfully through this story.

The rapport between Mabel and her new coterie of friends is lovely. These friends come from different age groups and financial backgrounds, though I wish there had been some cultural diversity as well. Nevertheless, these women have their own baggage to handle, and these create some interesting secondary arcs in the storyline, though most of these are quite predictable.

Some parts of the book reminded me of ‘The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle’, another British novel with a geriatric lead character, and this is what made me guess the big reveal. Still, both books have their own charm and uniqueness, and both are rewarding experiences.

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.

My thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Last List of Mabel Beaumont”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

The book is available for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.