The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson - Book Review

Publication Date: 04th August 2023

Genre: Women’s Fiction 

4 Stars 

One Liner: Heartwarming (a little slow) 

Mabel Beaumont and Arthur have lived sixty years of their lives together. When Arthur doesn’t wake up one morning, Mabel feels overwhelmed by the changes. Being all alone at eighty-six is not easy. However, when she comes across one of Arthur’s lists with a single task – Find D, she decides to complete it for him and herself. 

Dot was her friend, one of the four in the group, with Mabel, Arthur, and Bill (Mable’s dead brother). Dot left without a word more than six decades ago, and no one knows if she is even alive. As Mabel tries to find her, she realizes that she needs to do a lot more than search for a friend. 

Along the way, Mabel makes friends with women of different ages, dealing with their own issues. Can she go through the past and accept the secrets she hid? After all, it could be her last chance to find happiness and peace. 

The story comes from Mabel’s first-person POV. 

My Thoughts: 

The book almost lives up to the cover and the beautiful premise. It is a story of love, loss, friendships, relationships, bonding, learning, acceptance, and being brave enough to go after what you want. 

The story begins with a sample of how Mabel and Arthur live and have lived for most of their married life. Right away, Mabel’s thoughts hint at things outsiders don’t see in a relationship. 

The pattern continues throughout, which is an advantage and a disadvantage. Mabel doesn’t reveal the details she doesn’t want to acknowledge. This means we keep trying to connect the dots until she is ready to share (at the end). 

I love how Mabel’s arc develops as she meets different women and comes to terms with the past and present. She starts off as a closed person who likes to play it safe and stay away from others. Yet, with Arthur’s absence, she begins to crave some company. Fortunately, she has Julie - the temporary caregiver, Erin - a teenage girl she meets at the supermarket, Patty - a lively dance instructor, and Kristy - Patty’s neighbor and dog lover. 

Olly is Mabel’s dog, or rather, Arthur’s dog, which doesn’t like people. It’s great to see how Mabel and Olly’s bonding is presented. It’s different from what one would expect, making it even more real. Furthermore, Mabel's lack of desire for children adds another layer to her character. It's refreshing to see a woman from her era defy the norms of having kids. 

The side characters are well-developed. Everyone has flaws and makes mistakes. It’s heartwarming to see women from different age groups and backgrounds come together and form a bond. They all have issues to deal with. Of course, things get worse when Mabel tries to ‘help’, but they learn and sort out. 

While the actual reveal, as such, is a common trope, the execution is effective and elegant. I would have preferred another approach to lead to the reveal (the current one leaves me with a couple of questions).

The narration is slow and steady, which suits the premise. It cannot be rushed. However, it’s not so slow or boring. Things do happen, to the side characters, if not to Mabel, and she invariably becomes a part of it. 

To summarize, The Last List of Mabel Beaumont is much more than finding a person or reconnecting with lost old friends. It is a story exploring different kinds of love and how the right friends enrich our lives. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #TheLastListofMabelBeaumont

***

P.S.: Note that the book can be a little heavy with different kinds of grief and longing. It has some lighter moments, but the overall heaviness lingers throughout.