Full of character, wit, and wisdom, The Keeper of Lost Things is heartwarming tale that will enchant fans of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Garden Spells, Mrs Queen Takes the Train, and The Silver Linings Playbook.Lime green plastic flower-shaped hair bobbles—Found, on the playing field, Derrywood Park, 2nd September.Bone china cup and saucer—Found, on a bench in Riveria Public Gardens, … September.
Bone china cup and saucer—Found, on a bench in Riveria Public Gardens, 31st October.
Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects—the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidently left behind—and writing stories about them. Now, in the twilight of his life, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners. As the end nears, he bequeaths his secret life’s mission to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, leaving her his house and and all its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost.
Recovering from a bad divorce, Laura, in some ways, is one of Anthony’s lost things. But when the lonely woman moves into his mansion, her life begins to change. She finds a new friend in the neighbor’s quirky daughter, Sunshine, and a welcome distraction in Freddy, the rugged gardener. As the dark cloud engulfing her lifts, Laura, accompanied by her new companions, sets out to realize Anthony’s last wish: reuniting his cherished lost objects with their owners.
Long ago, Eunice found a trinket on the London pavement and kept it through the years. Now, with her own end drawing near, she has lost something precious—a tragic twist of fate that forces her to break a promise she once made.
As the Keeper of Lost Objects, Laura holds the key to Anthony and Eunice’s redemption. But can she unlock the past and make the connections that will lay their spirits to rest?
A charming, clever, and quietly moving novel of of endless possibilities and joyful discoveries that explores the promises we make and break, losing and finding ourselves, the objects that hold magic and meaning for our lives, and the surprising connections that bind us.
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Thanks to NetGalley and Two Roads for offering me an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review.
Although I am not sure this is ‘the feel-good novel of the year’ I’d have to agree it is a feel-good novel, although perhaps not for everybody.
The novel tells many stories, although it tells two in more detail, those of Anthony and Laura (later of Laura and her new family) and Eunice and Bomber. Although those stories are separated by forty years, they are parallel in many ways: an older man who puts an advertisement for an assistant, a younger woman —very young in Eunice’s case— who ends up becoming a personal friend of the man and whose life ends up enmeshed and entangled with that of her employer, both men’s work relates to literature (Anthony is a fairly successful writer of short stories and Bomber is a publisher), both males die leaving some sort of legacy to these women (and also asking them to fulfil their final wishes). As we read on, we might suspect that the relationship between these two stories runs deeper than at first appears, but it is not confirmed until very close to the end.
There are other important elements in the novel, which functions also as a collection of short stories, as Anthony, after experiencing a terrible loss, started to collect lost things, cataloguing them and using his study for safe keeping, in an attempt at recovering something he had lost himself. Throughout the novel, there are stories about those objects (written in italics so it is easy to differentiate them from the rest) interspersed with the two main stories. We are told, later in the book, that Anthony used those objects as inspiration for several collections of short stories, but the novel allows for several possible interpretations of what these stories really are. Are they imaginary stories? Are they the real stories behind the objects? If they are imaginary short-stories, who has written them? Anthony? Somebody else? Each reader can choose whatever explanation s/he prefers, and I’m sure there are more possibilities.
I mentioned the two main stories that frame the novel and the short stories within. Each chapter is told (in the third person) from one of the characters’ point of view (mostly Laura or Eunice) and this is is clearly indicated, as it is the year, because Eunice and Bomber’s story develops from the 1970s up to the current days. We get to know his family and follow his father’s illness (Alzheimer’s) that unfortunately later also afflicts Bomber himself. There are comments on movies of the period; there is the wonderful relationship with Bomber’s parents, the two dogs that share his life and an unrequited and impossible love story. Ah, and Bomber’s sister, Portia, her awful behaviour and her even worse attempts at getting her brother to publish one of her rip-offs of well-known and loved classics, that make for hilarious reading, especially for authors and book lovers. I must confess that, perhaps because their story develops over time and it has none of the paranormal elements added to the other, I particularly warmed to it. I found the depiction of the dementia sufferers (both father and son) touching, humorous and bittersweet, and although we don’t get to know Eunice well (other than through her devotion to Bomber and his life-work), she is a character easy to like and some of her actions make us cheer her on.
Laura’s story is that of somebody lost, perfectly in keeping with Anthony’s life mission. She made some questionable decisions when she was younger, married too young and her knight in shining armour turned up to be anything but. She is very insecure and full of self-doubt and that makes her a less likeable character as she pushes people away rather than risk being rejected, but she is also the one who has to change more and work harder to get out of her shell. Sunshine, a young neighbour, Down’s syndrome, also shares her point of view with the reader at times and becomes a member of the family, although she has her own too. She is less hindered by concern about what others’ might think, or what is right and wrong, and she has a special connection (not sure ‘power’ is the right word) with the objects and with the paranormal elements that later appear in the novel. Fred, the gardener, is the love interest, handsome and kind, but he seems to be there to provide the romance and second chance more than anything else, and he is not very well developed.
I’ve mentioned the paranormal elements. There is a ghost in the house and that takes up a fair amount of the book as Laura keeps trying to work out how to make things right. I am not sure this added much to the story but references to Blithe Spirit (that is being performed by an amateur theatrical group in the neighbourhood) put an emphasis on the effect the writer might have been aiming for (each reader can decide how well it works for them).
This is a well-written novel, with effective descriptions of objects, locations and people. There are elements of chick-lit (the descriptions of Laura’s disastrous date, her chats with her friend…), romantic touches, some elements of mystery, plenty of loss, death and second chances, a fair bit about literature… The whole feeling of the story is somewhat old-fashioned (and very British. I’ve lost count of how many ‘lovely cups of tea’ are prepared and drunk during the novel, and although that is partly in jest, yes, there is a fair amount of repetition, foreshadowing and signposting, perhaps unnecessary in this kind of story). Some of the references, including songs and films, will be lost on the younger generations. Everything is fairly gentle; even the bad characters (Portia) are only moderately nasty and they are the object of fun rather than being truly evil. There are gossip and misunderstandings but nothing really awful happens. No gore details, no huge surprises, no hot sex (I think you’ll have to buy Portia’s stories of Hotter Potter for that), and even technology only appears by the backdoor (people send text messages and a laptop and a website appear towards the end, but this is not a book where characters follow mother trends).
Funnily enough, a publisher (rival of Anthony) sums up what the books he publishes should be like, thus:
I know what normal, decent people like, and that’s good, straightforward stories with a happy ending where the baddies get their comeuppance, the guy gets the girl and the sex isn’t too outré.
The structure of the novel and some of the short-stories are not at all like that, but the spirit behind it perhaps it and its charm might be lost on some readers who prefer more action and adventures and a more modern style of writing.
In summary, a gentle read, bittersweet, with plenty of stories for those who love short stories, of particular interest to lovers of books and movies set in Britain, stories about writers, the publishing world and women’s stories. It has sad moments and funny ones but it is unlikely to rock your world.
This is the story of Lost Things. Anthony lost his wife and a favorite keepsake on the same day. Now he has spent the last 40 years without her, but collecting things that are lost everyday. He records them and catalogs them, and hopes that one day, he can return them to their rightful owners. Laura has wored for Anthony as his assistant for the last 6 years. Anthony – a famous writer by trade – brought her on the help with the typing and housekeeping, but lately, she has just been the housekeeper and carer of the house. Anthony – knowing that his time on earth is growing short – needs to decide if Laura can carry out his last wish – return as many of the lost items to their rightful owners as possible.
Laura – with the help of the gardener Freddy, and the young next door neighbor – Sunshine – work together to fulfill Anthony’s wish. Along the way they find people whose stories twist among Anthony’s and discover that life is full of losing and finding, and how objects hold stories about all of our lives.
This was a terrific book. I listened to it wthin a few days because we have been working on moving and it is keeping me entertained. That is two in a row of me of truly wonderful books. This book is full of back stories of the lost things that have ended up in Anthony’s possession, and Laura figuring out how to return them. It is a bit of magical realism. Sunshine – a young girl with down syndrome – seems to have a second sight when it comes to the objects and their past. And the ghost of Anthony’s dead wife haunts the house. But the magicial realism in this book is so slight compared to most books in that genre, that I would be hard pressed to catalog it as such. The story is beautifully told. Most characters easy to like.
Shouldn’t be missed. Check it out.
A slow and rich story which unfolds like a rose in the garden… The Keeper of Lost Things moved at its own pace, did its own thing, and threw in its own twists whenever it liked. A book which stands out this year. And yes, there’s a happy ending.
I tried, but just couldn’t get into this reading.
The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan is a foray into a world of possibilities, hopes, and dreams, quietly underscored by an especially insightful being, at first a seemingly minor character, but with such wisdom and heart, she holds a special place on the mantel.
I enjoyed being transported in a world of “could this happen” and “why not.” Dreams are possibilities and possibilities can come true.
Very sweet. Enjoyed it.
I loved this strange little story! An easy read, and somewhat unpredictable. A change from my regular genre, but a delightful one!
Imaginative introduction to characters and their relationships kept me glued to this book from beginning to end.
This awesome book is fairly hard to review because it is truly unique. Anthony is an elderly man who collects lost things, duly tags his finder’s facts, and then stores them in his study. He has hired Laura as a secretary, and she is working to earn enough to escape from her dreadful marriage. In alternating segments, but beginning in 1976 , we meet Bomber, a publisher, and Eunice, his secretary and best friend. What makes this book extraordinary is the other characters who populate the worlds of these four people. The characters might be endearing or disruptive or innocent or lacking self esteem, but they feel real, carefully drawn with depth and clarity. The book contains sadness but also great joy.
Made me happy to read
Nice set of characters that hold the interest of the reader. It is a light fluffy story that can make the reader relax and enjoy with no major stress. A good book to take your mind off real life.
This was a delightful read.
I had fun with this truly enjoyable read. I love how everything—even a broken hair bobble—has its own captivating story. I often think that when I see one shoe or one piece of clothing on the side of the road: what’s the story there? And now someone’s written up some of the possibilities, plus how we can be found ourselves.
Tender. Lovely. Gentle. Unexpected.
Loved this book! Truly developed characters you don’t wish to part with.
I loved this book and I had a very hard time putting it down. I wondered if there was a person who kept lost things the way Andrew did.
One of the best books I’ve read so far this year!
Sweet story with a nice ending
I loved this book. It was constructed like a puzzle with pieces slowly fitting together in a fully satisfying way. I didn’t want it to end because I didn’t want to leave the characters.
Love this author’s writing style and use of language! Great characters and story line. I will be reading more of her work.