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Keziah Frost
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The Reluctant Fortune-Teller: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Keziah Frost (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 77 ratings
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A retired accountant finds a new calling as the town fortune-teller in this “charming, warm, and wittily told” debut novel (Kirkus Reviews).

Norbert Zelenka has always lived life on the sidelines. It’s why at seventy-three years old he’s broke and alone except for the company of a Chihuahua. But when “Carlotta’s Club” —three strong-willed seniors with plenty of time on their hands—decide to make Norbert their latest project, he reluctantly agrees to their scheme: establishing himself as the town’s fortune-teller. Soon his life begins changing in unexpected ways.

It turns out that years of observing other people make Norbert an excellent card reader. As Norbert’s lonesome world expands with new friendships and a newfound self-confidence, he finally finds what he never had—a place to belong. But disaster looms on the horizon. When a troubled young woman goes missing after a bad reading, Norbert must find a strength beyond the cards to bring her home safely.
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  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Park Row
  5. Publication date
    March 6, 2018
  6. File size
    1245 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

''Charming, warm, and wittily told.'' --Kirkus Reviews

''Frost's cast of senior citizens shine in her comical debut... The Reluctant Fortune-Teller will charm any reader looking for a sweet, witty, zany read in the foreseeable future.'' --Booklist

''A warm, charming story you read with a smile.'' --Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg, #1 bestselling author of The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules

''It's easy to foresee a great future for this delightful debut. Insightful, charming and intriguing, Norbert Z show us that it's never too late to change the cards that life deals us.'' --Phaedra Patrick, author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

''Through learning to listen to others, Norbert discovers his own intuition-and in doing so, launches himself out of his ordinariness. An extraordinary book by an extraordinary new author.'' --Benjamin Ludwig, author of Ginny Moon

''Delightful. Norbert Z is warm and real and we rejoice in his growth throughout the story. This is a real comfort read in an uncertain world.'' --Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author

About the Author

Keziah Frost works as a psychotherapist who specializes in pet grief. She developed The Reluctant Fortune Teller while enrolled in the Faber Academy under Tom Bromley. She shares her life with five little dogs, one audacious cat, and her encouraging human family. This is her first novel.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B071GL6J62
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Park Row; Original edition (March 6, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 6, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1245 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 77 ratings

About the author

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Keziah Frost

Keziah Frost

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It is my greatest pleasure to sit quietly, get in the zone, and let the characters that come to me live out their dramas and comedies on the page. Especially their comedies. I hope that you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoy writing them.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
77 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Darlene McLean
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!!
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2023
Verified Purchase
Great book! I highly recommend this book for light fun reading.
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FranknJack
4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable, compelling read
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2018
Verified Purchase
Kudos to the author for putting in her first book an intriguing and creative story line that made me want to come back as soon as possible whenever I put it down. The characters were rich, well-defined and interesting. And the dialogue was real: each of the characters spoke with their own personality—very difficult to accomplish, but the author did it seamlessly.

Now that I have the creative-writing critique out of the way, I can say that I truly enjoyed the book. The rich details, such as taking us deep into card reading, piqued my interest and was woven well into the story. Norbert, the card reader, moved quietly through the book, always providing context as he grew in confidence, skill, and observation of the crazy world around him.

Watching him enjoy Carlotta’s Group but never giving up what he was in order to be accepted made for some wonderful conversations.

The setting came alive subtlety: the Café, the homes, the learning center, the lake, and the cabin were easy to see when I was reading. Even the weather was a key to a few scenes, but its role was perfectly understated.

The book was just a little pleasure to read, and I look forward to Keziah’s next novel.
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karyn pritz
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, fun and enjoyable--but not TOO light!
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2020
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I just read this with my book club and really enjoyed it. I'm now passing it along to a friend. The writing is very good--my favorite part of the book is not one part, it's how the character of the fortune teller grows throughout the book, from a lonely, kind older man lacking confidence to one that grows slowly and ends up being strong and enjoying life. The growth is fun to watch as he helps more and more people make decisions in their lives, he builds and grows his own life. Strong character development, not only with the character but the club of ladies that he befriends. Great writing, very tight story line, and just an overall good read.
4 people found this helpful
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Deanna K. Swauger
3.0 out of 5 stars A Charmer
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2018
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I read this book to review for our book club where most of the women are of a certain age. Nothing too heavy or off color. This is the perfect fit. Charming and I plan on presenting a card reading for one of the ladies with the instructions given in the book. Fun!
One person found this helpful
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AngieQue
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice quiet read
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2018
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I enjoyed this book so much, as a welcome breather from murder mysteries and thrillers. The characters were mostly engaging and the Norbert stays true to himself even while doubting himself is relatable. There wasn't a lot of drama, just ordinary people going through their own experiences and doing the best they can. Norbert uses his listening skills as a way to get to know people's best solutions, a skill that is rare. I recommend this book if you enjoy character development and thought provoking dialogue, while not going too in depth.
3 people found this helpful
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Jade Lee
4.0 out of 5 stars Charming
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2018
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I enjoyed this book. A easy read with charming characters. I recommend it to people as a relaxing stress-free read.
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Matt V.
5.0 out of 5 stars I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking for more from ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is charming novel is also Keziah Frost's first. Norbert Z is a senior who is down on his luck until town busy body, Carlotta comes to him with an idea to make money as the town's fortune teller. The events that follow lead Norbert Z down a path he never could have imagined. This story teaches that it is never too late to become who you were meant to be. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking for more from Keziah Frost in the future.
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Tim From Hinsdale
5.0 out of 5 stars Charming, intriguing and fun!
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2018
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Loved this book! It is charming and fun but also intriguing and thought provoking. I didn't want to put it down and couldn't wait to get back to it. I've never read a story like it and found it thoroughly enjoyable. I truly hope that Keziah Frost continues writing and I will be looking forward to her next novel.
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Top reviews from other countries

A.Riedl
5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful book!
Reviewed in Germany on September 3, 2020
Verified Purchase
The novel is witty and entertaining and made me smile a lot. I love the hero, Norbert. Watching his personal growth at quite an advanced age was inspiring. The characters are well developed and seem so real, that you almost think you know these people from your neighborhood. On the whole this book is an enjoyable read, thought-provoking and fun at the same time.
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Indydriven
3.0 out of 5 stars Uplifting and Entertaining
Reviewed in Canada on June 3, 2018
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Norbert Zelenka is a 73 year old widower and retired accountant who despite faithfully saving is now broke due to people taking advantage of his willingness to help others. He is so broke in fact that he is having to resort to obtaining food from his local food bank and has been receiving final notices on utility bills.

Along comes Carlotta’s Club which consists of three seniors – Carlotta, Birdie and Margaret, who have figured out Norbert’s predicament and are determined to help him turn things around financially. Their plan is for Norbert to become a fortune teller and to ply his trade at Good Fortune Café who is owned by Carlotta’s niece, Hope Delaney.

Norbert diligently studies the card-reading books he is provided by the three women and practices by doing readings for them. What the women and Norbert himself didn’t appreciate at the time was how intuitive and observant of people he is. Norbert has been a great observer of people and things and is adept at bringing these skills to his new profession. For example, a customer comes in for a reading from Norbert and he immediately notices that they are holding their arm in a peculiar manner. He has observed two other people in his past that held their arms in the same manner and the common denominator was that both people had home-cared parents who had had strokes. After a long period of caring for these stroke victims they had unconsciously started mimicking how the victims held their “dead” arm. Immediately Norbert asked his customer if they looked after someone who had had a stroke. The customer confirmed his insight and soon news of Norbert’s success at foretelling the future and the past spreads and he quickly becomes solvent again.

This book is about friendship (old and new) and it was entertaining to see Norbert’s confidence grow while at the same time, his loneliness faded as he became the unofficial fourth member of “Carlotta’s Club”. It was a cute, quick read.
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