Ruth Hogan’s second novel covers the attempt of the main character Marsha to overcome her grief at the loss of her infant son 12 years ago and rebuild a meaningful life. A second strand interweaves the relationship between Alice and her sone Mattie. The supporting class of characters is interesting but I found the Sally of the title the most intriguing. I didn’t find this novel as absorbing as Ruth’s debut, as the pace is relatively slow, but it tackles some very challenging topics and emotions sympathetically. I found it a worthwhile read in the end.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of the book.

Twelve years ago Masha lost her infant son and has not been able to move on and so spends all her time at the local cemetery or half drowning herself at the lido.......not a very happy life! Alice is very ill and she has a teenage son who she is very worried about.....who will look after him if the worst happens!

Doesn't sound a very cheerful topic for a book but this one is very well written with great characters and plenty of humour and is definitely one of those books that stay with you after you have finished reading it

This book really appealed to me. It was one of those books you could become engrossed in, despite the fact that not much actually happens. It's not action packed or tense or very exciting but the characterisation is excellent and the slow build to the heartwarming climax was perfect. The savage descriptions of the effects of cancer will remain with me. I will definitely read more by Ruth Hogan.

I am currently buying books for the library at school and I greatly enjoyed this title. I like to buy a good spread of books from YA to non-fiction so that the young people read as diverse a group of books as possible. I feel like this book would be a challenging, interesting and unusual pick, that would certainly give the young people at my school a great deal to talk about at our next Book Speed Dating events. I will certainly be recommending it to our school librarian and can't wait to hear what the kids think of it too!

Sally Red Shoes did not disappoint. The characters so beautifully described and brought to life with the description. You get to the storyline from the he synopsis so I won't retell it but I must say that if you enjoyed Ruth Hogans first book The Keeper of Lost Things you will enjoy this too. I cannot wait for the release of a third novel......

This was much more than I expected, a story that captures the emotions but keeps you guessing to the end. My only criticism is that it ended slightly abruptly in comparison to the length of the story.

I really did not want this story to end. Despite the tragedy at its heart this is a delightfully funny, very funny, novel with wonderfully engaging characters. Masha is mourning the loss of her infant son and spends much of her time roaming the local cemetery, talking to and about the dead. Alice is constantly fearful for her teenage son and knows that she is very ill. Ok, it sounds rather bleak and depressing but nothing could be further from the truth. Masha begins to realise that she needs to let her sorrow go, not just for herself but also for her friends and family. Alice knows that she needs to find a guardian for her son if the worst happens.

Masha is surrounded by a group of extraordinary individuals including the Sally of the title who is an eccentric retired opera singer, still living life to the full. Haizum is her wonderful wolfhound and a star in his own right. Along with Edward and his dog Lord Bryon, Elvis and his partner Kitty Muriel, the Olympian and Masha’s family, we journey through Masha’s return to living life to the full.

I enjoyed this book so much with its humour, flawless writing and important message about life. I would love it if a sequel was in the pipeline.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

A beautifully told emotional story which feels unique. This story is about love and loss. Ruth Hogan really knows how to write memorable stories.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A woman loses her toddler son in tragic circumstances. Twelve years from that terrible day Masha is still swallowed by an all encompassing grief so deep that she is unable to move on with her life, so much so that she spends most of her time either half drowning herself at the local lido or talking to the dead at the cemetery. Another woman, Alice, also has a son whom she loves dearly and is very, very protective of.

Despite the extremely sombre premise of this story, which is essentially about mourning and loss, it is often very humorous and lighthearted, helped by fantastic and mostly eccentric characters, none more so than the wonderful potty-mouthed 'Sally' and glamorous Kitty Muriel, both totally bonkers in their own adorable way.

Okay, the story's punchline is a bit predictable and I worked it out very early on, but that didn't spoil the story for me one bit. I am a huge fan of Ruth Hogan's earlier novel, The Keeper of Lost Things, but I enjoyed this charming, touching book, even more. I can only wish to have a fraction of Kitty's sass in my own little-old-ladyhood.

A most well written thoughtful story enriched with relevant quotations on the themes of death, bereavement, guilt, and mother love. There are two characters that is the focus of the story. The main one is a professional single woman who has lost an infant son thought to have fallen in a river and drowned with no body found. She is consumed with guilt and grief and in her spare time she frequents a cemetery where she contemplates the graves of children and fantasises about their life stories and speculates where her son would be buried if his body were to be found. On odd occasions she sees a little old lady who comes to feed the crows and sometimes sings to the angels in heaven with a beautiful operatic voice. It is an eccentric old lady that in time she gets to know who in her mind she calls Sally Red shoes due to her outlandish remarks and the outfits that she wears. The other lesser character is a single mother with a growing son that she loves dearly and she faces a dilemma when she knows that she will soon die of cancer. The story of how they each find salvation and the people they meet who help them on their way is told with humour and sadness and joy.

I was enchanted by Ruth’s previous book, The Keeper of Lost Things, and was hoping for another special read.
I was disappointed.
This story concerns Masha who has had much grief in her life, ands spends much of her time in a local cemetery, tending graves, and making up stories about the occupants. She has a support network of interesting friends, and becomes fascinated by a woman who feeds the crows, whom she calls Sally Red Shoes.
The other story being related is that of Alice and her teenage son, Matty, and she has a great secret that colours the whole of her life.
I had trouble relating to either of the main characters, and found the graveyard characters charming, but pointless in terms of the plot, and just when it got interesting, and the stories converged, the book ended.

Thanks to Netgalley and John Murray Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Masha has been many things in her life: a free spirit, a lover, and a mother. But right now she is none of those things – since her beloved little boy disappeared thirteen years ago she has become obsessed with drowning. Although she decided that she wanted to go on living she spent years visiting her local lido practicing how long she can hold her breath underwater – reliving her son’s final moments. She can’t speak to her friends or parents about how she feels, she can barely admit it to herself, she is just drifting. The only things that keep her afloat are her good friends Edward and Epiphany and her wolfhound Haizum but she only really begins to live again through her friendship with two older women – the magnificent Kitty Muriel, a force of nature in leopard-print and heels, and Sally who roams the local park, feeding crows and, sometimes, mistaking profanities for everyday conversation. In a separate strand of the novel another woman, single mum Alice, loves her fourteen year old son Mattie with a passion which threatens to smother him until her own health begins to fail. At this point the two stories start to move closer together and secrets are, finally, revealed.

The plot here is actually secondary to the wonderful, wonderful characters in some ways. There is a story (and it all hangs together perfectly well) but the really important thing is who is being affected by the events described. Masha is, at the beginning of the book, almost totally defined by her sorrow but, as she begins to rebuild her life, we see the vibrant woman she should have been all along. Alice is, initially, a deeply irritating character – giving her teenage son no freedom or trust, a total ditherer – but as we learn more of her life her actions become much more understandable. Kitty Muriel is never anything but the kind of woman I want to be when I’m in my 70s but Sally Red Shoes (Masha’s name for her) is my favourite character in the book. We find out about her earlier life – which seems it should have left her colourless and withdrawn but just plain hasn’t – but only in hindsight. Throughout the novel itself we just get to see her in her unrestrained, crow-feeding, tourettish glory: she teaches us, as she does Masha, that we don’t have to be the sum of the awful things life throws at us. If we are lucky we can learn how to be the best ‘us’ possible even when it seems too difficult.

I haven't read Ruth Hogan's debut, but I had heard great things about it so had a level of expectation for this title that was undoubtedly met. The subject matter includes some serious issues such as the loss of a child and on occasions is very dark, but ultimately there is an underlying feeling of hope and the opportunity of support from unexpected quarters if you're only willing to look. There are several strong female characters aside from Marsha who have all survived loss in one form or another and help her in rebuilding her life and take an active role in the world again. All their stories are testament to how messy life can be and feel very relatable because of that. It took me a little while to get used to switching between Alice and Marsha's narratives, but as I got to know the characters it became easier and only added to the sense of foreboding of where they intersected. This book did make me cry, but I didn't come away feeling miserable, instead I felt an appreciation for how well we can survive, recover and begin to live again. Definitely one to read.

I really loved The Keeper Of Lost Things so was looking forward to reading this book.

The characters in this are equally well written, and intriguing. However, as it deals with death, it’s darker than I was expecting, although there are still a few light moments.

It took a little time to get into the story and to get to know the characters enough to care about their stories, but when I did I found the pace of the story picked up and I enjoyed it more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

A gorgeous novel that touches at the very heart of what it means to be a mother.

Masha is a mother without a child and every day is spent in mourning for his loss. As a mother I could relate to her agony and also to her continual guilt over what happened then, and what is still happening so many, many years later. Through meeting other women who have experienced massive loss, yet have dealt with it in a different way, Masha starts to recover some of her previous self...and as she does, we meet another woman, another mother who carries her own guilt and grief and who dealt with the loss of her child very differently.

As such , the readers are shown four different ways in which women have lived through tragedy and done what they needed to do to survive it. Who are we to judge who is 'correct' and who is not?

A beautiful, thought-provoking novel that teases and charms till the very last page.

I wasn't sure what to expect having not read this author before and I found myself drawn into Masha's story with ease, despite it dealing with difficult issues of grief. The story was full of emotion, with a sprinkling of humour, which gave a good balance. I also enjoyed the secondary storyline involving Alice and the quirky characters/supporting cast of Sally Red Shoes herself and Kitty.

A story of friendship and recovery which ties up nicely at the end.

I found this book slow and difficult to warm to at first, but I'm so glad I didn't give up! I developed a real sympathy and interest as the character of Masha came to terms with her grief and began to live. An inspiring novel about living a life of Joy and laughter, celebrating the positives even when it's hard. Minor characters are quirky, engaging and entirely believable. A cheering read.

I had high hopes for this book following on from how much I adored The Keeper of Lost Things. I found this slightly more difficult to get engrossed in though - There was something about the swapping between characters and timelines that just stopped me connecting completely until around 50 pages in. The 2 main characters of Masha and Alice felt quite similar in character to me (Something I suspect from getting further into the book that was deliberate).
There definitely is something about Ruth Hogan's writing though that makes it worthwhile sticking with her books - She fills every paragraph with little gems and observations. There's no getting away that this book is a sad books - It explores grief, love, beautiful friendships, curiosity.

A beautifully written book of loss, love and learning to live again. Masha has lived a half life since her young son drowned spending her time in the cemetery making up stories of the people buried in the graves and practicing drowning in the swimming pool. Alice however is living her life for her son Mattie, struggling a little that he has grown into a teenager. Both stories are beautifully written intertwining and introducing some wonderful characters. A really good book which I throughly enjoyed.

Having loved The Keeper of Lost Things so much, I eagerly anticipated this book. Sadly this one didn't really hit the spot for me. Yes I enjoyed much of it but found myself becoming confused with the characters and how they were supposed to interact with each other... whilst the description of Sally and the rest of the characters gave me the insight into the lives, some of the people seemed to be only mentioned at the start and then never again.
I would recommend this book as each person would take from the story different things depending on experience, views and outlook on life but would like to see how the relationships developed between main characters....or is that being saved for another volume ?????