The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger: absolutely heartbreaking World War 2 historical fiction

Suzanne Fortin

Mar 2021 · Head of Zeus Ltd

About this ebook

'This story has great depths of emotion, highs and lows, and I found it utterly gripping!' Christina Courtenay

'A deeply moving story of love in all its forms – I adored it' Mandy Baggot

The secrets of the past won't remain hidden forever...

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?

Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Lucinda Riley, Karen Swan and Lorna Cook

What readers are saying about The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger:

'Five stars' Poppy Alexander

'Fantastic read. I have been completely unable to put this one down. I cannot wait to read more by this author' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This is a beautiful account that stops you dead in your tracks' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This book is the love story to end all love stories... I was hooked by the end of the first chapter and I didn't want to put this book down' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This book broke my heart in all the right places. OMG masterfully written... I could not put this down. Loved everything about this book. Happiness, tears, it had it all' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'What a read... Beautifully written with the depth and warmth of true love. I could not put this book down. Exceptionally intriguing' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ratings and reviews

An enticing tale of past and present. Arthur Pettinger is getting on in years and doesn't always know the names of those in his everyday life, but he can't forget the ones from his past. When his granddaughter and her daughter move in to look after him, it's Maddy's chance for a fresh start to get her life together, and Esther just loves spending time with Gramps. When Arthur ponders over Maryse, a woman he met many years ago, Esther includes an appeal for information on her Youtube channel and before they know it, it's gone viral. Maddy needs help in tracking down this missing woman in the hope it will bring a sense of peace to Arthur, and the only person she knows with the requisite skills is Joe - her ex. Travelling to France to places where the French Resistance operated, can the find the answers they seek? This is a tale which pulled me in from the very start and I think it explained dementia in an honest and understandable manner. Travelling from the present day back to the early forties in France, the story behind the story comes out bit by bit and there is always something new to consider. It is a wonderful story, written with understanding in a gentle, loving way and comes across almost as a true story. I imagine it's very near to the situation many found themselves in during the war. The author has done this tale justice and it makes for a memorable read. I'm happy to recommend this one, especially to anyone aware of a dementia sufferer and those who enjoy wartime novels, and give it 4.5*.

“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

About the author

Sue Fortin is a USA Today and Amazon UK & USA best selling author, with The Girl Who Lied and Sister Sister both reaching #1 in the Amazon UK Kindle chart in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Her books have sold over a million copies and translation rights for her novels have been sold worldwide. She was born in Hertfordshire but had a nomadic childhood, moving often with her family, before eventually settling in West Sussex where she now lives with her husband and family.