August - The Keeper of Lost Things

I read received and this book after I came back from a short holiday and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an easy read but one which dealt with some difficult issues about loss - not just loss of objects, but loss of memory, loss of self esteem etc. The only part I found that stretched my incredulity was the poltergeist/ghost intervention by Therese but that didn't spoil my overall enjoyment of the book and the interwoven stories within the book.

What a lovely idea.
p.s you read all the things I liked to as a child-including gravestones!

A magical, charming book – its cover, characters and plot.
The cover is a circle of flowers with ‘lost’ things hidden in them – a key, button, jigsaw piece. Even the title is hiding in the flowers! Each lost item has a story to tell, which intersperse the narrative.
The characters are highly individual and well portrayed. Antony collects things after he lost something precious to him. Laura is a bit of a lost soul till Antony takes her on as an assistant. Antony lives in a time capsule, with no technology, he painstakingly labels each item he finds. After his death, Laura, with help from the internet, begins the seemingly impossible task of reuniting people and objects. In the process, stories emerge and connections between people and objects widen. In the end, the story connects to the beginning, like the circle of flowers.
I found the book an enjoyable read – funny, quirky and uplifting.
I was reminded of holidays when my children were young. We didn’t waste space taking toys, they looked for ‘found objects’ on the beach every early morning. These were woven into daily games – I often wondered who had lost what!
No questions - just a big thank you for a great book.

I enjoyed this book even though it was different from the type of thing I usually read and an unusual subject.
I particularly liked the scattering of the ashes.
A lovely story and I hope Ruth will write more books in the future.

Harrigran, I'm afraid DGC and I often pick up things in the street. Our latest find is a little diamante cat, part of a broken brooch.
An interesting idea for a novel. I particularly liked the story of the contents of the biscuit tin, and the characters Eunice and Bomber. Would Sunshine's Mum really be happy to let her hang out with Laura for most of her day, even though she was 19? Where was her brother who was meant to be looking out for her?
A nice Summer read.

I enjoyed reading the book. A delightful story. Entertaining, easy read, nothing too intense. I particularly liked the cleverly linked sub-stories. Thank you for a captivating well composed novel.

I enjoyed reading the book. A delightful story. Entertaining, easy read, nothing too intense. I particularly liked the cleverly linked sub-stories. Thank you for a captivating well composed novel.

I enjoyed reading the book. A delightful story. Entertaining, easy read, nothing too intense. I particularly liked the cleverly linked sub-stories. Thank you for a captivating well composed novel.

Thanks again, Gransnet, for introducing me to a book I wouldn’t normally have chosen. For me, the cover looked a bit ‘flowery’ and the descriptions ‘charming’ and ‘exquisite’ wouldn’t have attracted me to it. Lesson: Never judge a book by its cover! However, while I was sceptical at first, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and thought it was beautifully written: a feel-good novel but with a great deal of thoughtfulness. The characters are so lovingly drawn (except the despicable Portia!) but best of all is Sunshine, the “dancing drome”. The way the two stories of Eunice and Bomber, then Laura, Freddy and Sunshine dove tailed was very clever and worked so well to culminate into a very satisfying ending. The writing is always superb but really excels when the short vignettes of the memories attached to the “Lost Things” appear. There is undying love – some lost, some unrequited and some fulfilled. There are wonderful friendships. There is the unbearable sadness of people dying – in mind and body. The gradual slides into dementia are addressed with humour and heartrending pathos: “Pretty damn sure that woman was my daughter. But there have to be some consolations for having this ruddy awful disease.” That made me laugh out loud, and not many books do that. My thanks to Ruth for an excellent read.
My questions: Where did the initial idea for the novel come from? How long between initial idea and completion? And what next for your second book?

I have just finished reading this book, it was well written and the story flowed but the characters were OTT and rather irritating.
Anthony had issues, FGS who goes picking up jigsaw pieces in the street ?
I liked Laura and Freddy but Sunshine annoyed me by being ever present and claiming to know what the previous mistress of the house wanted.
This book would have been better if left as a story of an eccentric gentleman, turning it into a ghost story was the point where the book lost the plot.

I loved this book - especially the cover. I was drawn in to the whole story wondering how each object that was found was going to be reunited with its rightful owner. Plus all the lost things were interspersed with the characters and the parts they had to play throughout the story. I now find myself looking down at the pavement as I walk around to see if I can find any "lost things". The story flowed beautifully, even with all the added pieces about the lost items, and it was very easy to read. Thorough recommend.

I enjoyed this book because it was so well-written and as the chapters were so short, I often found myself picking it up and reading one throughout the day. I particularly liked the inter-woven short stories and the parallel story of Eunice and Bomber possibly because it carried on into old age.
However ,I find it difficult to suspend disbelief and I found the Therese bit, all the coincidences and Sunshine's constant malapropisms (is that the right word ? )a little over the top but that is more about me than the book which I too would label a fairy tale and should be accepted as such.
Congratulations Ruth on writing something a little bit different and the excellent characterisation that made you want to find out more about these people .I felt particularly sad for Anthony and later for Godfrey.
My question to Ruth would be why did Vince make a brief appearance instead of being left as a piece of Laura's past?

Thank you for my copy. What a lovely book, well written, heartwarming a lovely tale. I really enjoyed the scattering of Saint Anthony's ashes, it was laugh out loud funny handled in a sensitive way. I am passing my copy on to my Daughter who I am sure will also enjoy it.

Have thoroughly enjoyed this book!

There were a lot of 'lost' things in this tale; not only Anthony's collection of items but people too & it was pleasing that the cleverly intertwined plot had both objects being reunited & the various misplaced characters finding contentment in their 'home'. A very satisfactory resolution.
The character writing was strong; I particularly enjoyed Bomber & the glorious Sunshine - many of her utterances were priceless (the ashes scattering episode especially!) . The descriptive passages were well-observed & on occasion very tender.

Thank you Ruth Hogan for an enjoyable read. I see that you live in a Victorian house too, is there a little of your home in 'Padua'? I grew up in somewhere similar - there's something about old wood, moulded ceilings, mosaic-tiled floors & the deceptive space of a terraced Victorian villa, isn't there?
So, & from me & (the lovely cup of tea!)

I've just finished reading this wonderful book. I liked the portrayal of all the characters and I think the issues raised in the story were dealt with in a sensitive way.
I was wondering, Ruth, where you got your idea from (writing a story about lost things, I mean) and will you consider another story involving Laura, Freddy and Sunshine?

I finished the book last night and really enjoyed it. It was so different to others. I like the idea of caring for lost things. Can I ask what age Laura is? She talks about being old and past it, and not worthy of a relationship. I like the way all the ends came together and were tied up in a satisfying manner!

Just typed (and lost) a review. Gr. Here goes again:

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book, I liked the premise and the main characters. Loved Bomber and I especially liked Therese, she was so real!

That brings me to my question: have you had personal experience of similar goings on? (Re Therese, I mean, trying not to give too much away here).

Thank you for The Keeper of Lost Things it was a delightful book. The story touched on lots of subjects: Alzheimer's, love, loss, rape, ghosts and a broken marriage all intertwined into the story to make a really interesting book. The Bomber/Eunice story ran parallel to Laura/Anthony but every now and again the stories touched and it was like fate had set a path to the inevitable ending. I have to say that I loved the character of Sunshine, she's adorable as well as being so intuitive.

Not the sort of book I usually read but that's why I like this book club, your choices broaden my literary knowledge. My next book is The Agony and the Ecstasy, I don't think that will be so easy to read.

Hi Ruth,
I can't believe this was your debut novel, it was so accomplished.
Your story drew me in straight away, the characters jumped off the page, I could see and hear them !

I thought it was really good that you didn't try and be all 'Politically correct' in how you portrayed Sunshine and instead of trying to make her the same as other people, you really celebrated her difference and made her sing out because of it, I thought that was truly lovely.In fact, Sunshine was the most 'Together' person in the story, as most of the others had been upset in some way.
I loved how you weaved everything together around the found objects, and whereas I could have ignored things I might see in the street like a discarded shoe or a piece of lego, my mind is now going to be awash with thinking what the back stories to these items might be !!!
Some people have called it a 'Fairy story' but I think that does it some injustice, I think it's a story full of hope and about love lost and found.I thought it was beautiful.
Are you nervous about what the reaction will be to your second book now you have set yourself a very high bar ? I can't wait to read it.
Thank you and I wish you very good health after your rocky road.Keep writing !

Thank you so much for The Keeper of Lost things. What a delightful read. A lovely story, beautifully written. Thank you. (A follow up would be nice - so many directions to go in)

I read this book on a recent three day visit for a funeral. It was the perfect light reading which I could dip in and out of without losing the plot. Sunshine was a wonderful character and "the lovely cup of tea" still plays in my mind and makes me smile.

This was an original idea for a book, verging on a fairy story and it managed to keep the right side of twee. I am still unsure whether the Eunice and Bomber story needed to be part of Laura's though. That distracted me and felt disjointed. It was like eating a dinner featuring both meat and fish.

I'd love there to be a follow on book with what happened next to Laura and Sunshine. Any chance of that Ruth?

Thank you gransnet, my copy arrived and I started reading straight away. A splendid start and set up but I got a little muddled by some of the characters. However, it all became clear in the end as the stories wove and entwined. Laugh out loud moments and sad times too. A good read for summer.
After you had had the original idea Ruth, did you have to plan each thread individually or did you work them side by side from the start?

Thank you for my copy which I picked up from the PO yesterday as we have been away.I started it last night and found it difficult to put down.

Thank you so much for my copy which my neighbour took in for me earlier in the week. We have missed each other every day and I wasn't expecting any parcels so secretly hoped it would be this book. Looking forward to starting it this weekend.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down so read it in one sitting through the early hours of this morning. Ruth, how did you come up with the idea of writing about lost things? It reminds me of those pictorial games for children with a winding, tangled line to follow from owner to possession. It was so satisfying to see the connections. Douglas! Oh, Douglas is marvellous. Ruth, please tell me you don't have a Douglas amongst your rescue dogs.