Some lovely descriptions and some very good insights into dealing with grief and the effects it has on all those who surround you.
The plot itself is weak and the ending not believable. The scenes in the cemetery made me constantly think of Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger. Different plot I know but that’s were my head kept going.

Having read and loved The Keeper of Lost Things, I was looking forward to reading Ruth Hogan's second book. Although I did not enjoy it quite as much, it is still a great book. The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes is a story of loss, grief and learning to live again with an ultimate goal of hope and happiness. I think the theme was a little too dark for me, although I'm sure many other readers will love it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy of this book in return for an honest review

Last year Ruth Hogan's first novel, The Keeper of Lost Things, seemed to be everywhere and I read it last July and gave it four stars so I was very excited to have the opportunity to read The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes a little early.

The central characters are pretty much all women; Masha, Alice and of course Sally. Twelve years ago Masha lost her two-year-old son Gabriel and is understandably still struggling to come to terms with her loss; she spends a lot of her free time visiting a Victorian cemetery where she meets and befriends Sally, an eccentric older woman with surprise, surprise red shoes.

The book follows Masha as she begins to open up to those around her about and begin to start putting herself first for the first time in a long time, she befriends Sally and Kitty; takes up swimming and starts to consider the possibility of dating again.

The characters in this were excellent and for me they were what made it enjoyable, even the slightly less central characters, like Kitty and Flo were well rounded and believable.

After a bit of deliberation I ended up giving this three stars as personally, I was slightly disappointed; there was a build up to a fairly dramatic reveal which I'd been waiting through most of the second half of the book to have my suspicions confirmed about, which then fizzled where I was expecting a bang. I can see why this may have been done as the drama/fallout may have affected the tone of hopefulness the book ended on.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A moving story about grief and learning to live again, The wisdom of Sally red shoes was an emotional read. I struggled with the first couple of chapters and found them hard to get in to. I am glad i persevered and would give this book three and a half stars. Thank you to the author, Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read.

I am afraid this wasn't for me, which I was really surprised at because her previous book was so good. It was a bit confusing at the beginning and really it was just about grieving and mourning. Sorry.

I was so happy when I was given an advance copy of this to read as I loved the Keeper of Lost Things bit this just didn't grab me in the same way. This book isn't really about Sally but instead it is the story of Masha and to a lesser extent Alice.
For the first quarter of the book I considered abandoning it as the story didn't flow and although it got better I was overall disappointed for three main reasons.
First the wisdom of the title is hardly mentioned. Secondly I don't feel Alices story was developed enough and finally like soany books I have read recently the ending disappointed me.
Not a terrible book but not the page turner I was expecting.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy of this book in return for an honest review

The Keeper of Lost Things was a great book, and this book was always going to be hard to follow.

Firstly, I have questions. A lot I probably shouldn't be asking here because I would hate to spoil it for anyone else, but I have questions. Simplier questions too, like what was Masha's real name? Secondly, I felt that this book was a little slow and laborious at the beginning, and then rushed at the end when it was really all starting to come together. I get why we're left with questions, it really does make sense, for a lot of it. But there are things that probably could have been expanded on.

Reading the acknowledgments this book is meant to be about hope and about moving forwards, and you definitely get the sense of that. The book starts off with Masha, who is drowning, in the pool, in sorrow in life, and in her ability to move forward from this unspeakable event. Alongside Masha we have Alice who will never be able to move forward, because there is no more forward.

I liked this book a lot. Honestly, probably more of a 3 1/2 stars book for me, but it was a good and enjoyable book to read. I just felt like I needed more. Sally was wonderful, Kitty was wonderful. They both bring incredible life to this story and it's much needed. Did it leave me with hope? Maybe. Did it leave me questions, far too many.

A story of loss, need and survival with an ultimate goal of hope and happiness.
Masha just wants to live her life instead of just surviving.
Sally believes that life is full of small joys if you know where to look for them.
These two women form an unlikely friendship in a cemetery, where they go for different reasons.
The characters in this book are just wonderful and the story do readable yet so different. Stick with it through the first part as everything becomes clear later on. Certainly a story to remember

I received this novel from Net Galley and John Murray Press in return for an honest review.
I read Ruth Hogan’s debut novel The Keeper of Lost Things in 2017 and I absolutely loved it, so when I saw she had another novel published in May 2018 I couldn’t resist requesting it!
I loved Hogan’s writing style in her debut novel, and so I was particularly excited to experience more of her style, and she didn’t disappoint. Her writing style is beautifully expressive, and she has a stunning ability to write about sensitive and emotional subjects, and this novel is another perfect example of these features.
There are 2 narrative threads that run through this novel. The main narrative thread concerns Masha, who is struggling to cope with her grief, and spends a lot of her time in a Victorian cemetery. However, when she meets 2 individuals, they help her to see that by living her life a different way she could allow her grief space to exist, while still being able to live without being smothered by it, and someday be able to enjoy life again. The second narrative follows Alice, who is struggling with her own demons, and trying to look after her teenage son.
These 2 narrative threads run simultaneously, but they only become clearly linked in the last 30 pages of the novel. I really didn’t see this link coming, and I really enjoyed experiencing the shock of seeing the two threads come together. These two narratives also tie the whole novel up very neatly, which gave the novel a very satisfying ending overall.
I very much enjoyed Hogan’s characters in her first novel, and she continues this trend in this novel. She is very talented at writing fully fleshed and developed characters who are three dimensional and lifelike. I particularly enjoy the eccentric and unusual characters she writes, who are unique and quirky, but very endearing and easy to support and emphasise with. Masha’s group of friends are such an amazing, eclectic group to read about, they were all fabulous, and I completely fell in love with all the characters! Despite the sombre and at times dark mood of this novel, the characters made this novel a complete pleasure to read, they were the light in the novel that kept things from getting too dark.
I personally preferred Masha’s storyline to Alice’s. Although Masha’s on the surface dealt with the darker and more intense storyline, there was a constant undercurrent of hope through her story, and I always felt that things could and would get better for her. Whereas, Alice’s storyline, although on the surface appearing the more positive had a strong undercurrent of negativity and darkness, and I always had a strong sense of foreboding when I was reading it.
Overall I really enjoyed this novel. I loved Hogan’s first novel, and after reading her follow up, she is fast becoming one of my favourite contemporary authors!

Having read The Keeper of Lost Things, I was looking forward to reading Ruth Hogan's second book, and this poignant tale is certainly served up in similar style: two seemingly unrelated stories, one momentary almost-encounter, and a convergence of the stories to conclude.

Hogan has the ability to weave a story of extraordinary depths of emotion, yet with a sensitive and light touch, as the reader is drawn into the lives of Masha, Alice and Mattie

Given the title, I had expected Sally Red Shoes to be dispensing more wisdom than she does in the book, but perhaps the wisdom that she does offer is pivotal enough in enabling Masha to deal with the overwhelming grief she still feels over the death of her young son many years previously.

Alice's story, and the gradual revelations of her past, are sensitively depicted, as is her teenage son Mattie's struggle to come to terms with her illness.

The whole book very deftly evokes sympathy without judgement for Masha's and Alice's flaws and weaknesses, while providing great comic relief in the dinner party, the local Gilbert and Sullivan Society and in some of Masha's clients. We are also treated to a cast of quirky friends, each of whom has a contribution to Masha's healing.

In fact, my greatest disappointment was that the book ends rather abruptly, just as the lives of the two women converge, at the point where I wanted most to know: what happened next? Instead, there is a brief epilogue watching two of the characters at a distance, with the implication that all has been resolved.

So four stars instead of the full five from me, but still very much a recommended read, and I hope to see more from Ruth Hogan.

I absolutely loved this book. I could not put this down and read it in a few days. This book really does provide food for thought and is something we can all relate to in our own lives. I really like the way in which Ruth Hogan writes. Her books flow so effortlessly and are so engaging you really get drawn into them. I loved the characters and their own personal stories which all interweave and make you aware how valuable friendship and life is. This book sensitively deals with some difficult issues and helps you to prioritise and appreciate the things we have in our lives. I loved Masha’s tales of the Graveyard and how she took comfort from visiting graves and souls lost long ago. Such a thought provoking book. I would highly recommend this but be sure to have your tissues at the ready.

My initial thought towards the book after a few chapters in were; it seemed very disjointed at the beginning and there were moments of confusion too but as the author' perceived herself with her previous novel I had a haunch that story will improve with time. I was delighted to have persevered with it. An emotional recollections of two ladies, Marsh and Alice coping with death of a loved one through pursuing certain obsessions and behaviours which distract them from their sadness or even hidden guilt from the past.
The words are so beautifully written radiating colour, warm and chuckling moments throughout the story.
Wait for the twist at the end!

Although the book in sensitively written I did not enjoy the themes and found it a bit bleak. After reading 'The Keeper of Lost Things' it was not what I was hoping for. I think it will be an excellent quality read for many people, it just wasn't really for me. Good luck with it and Thank you.

This book follows the story of Masha, a mother whose son has died many years ago but she is still consumed by grief. She swims to the end of the pool each day and sinks to the bottom, staying there as long as possible. During one of her regular visits to the graveyard, she meets Sally - an eccentric lady who helps to bring her back to life. Her friend Edward is also a key part of the story and a well rounded character. Alongside this, we read the story of Alice who is receiving treatment for cancer. The portrayal of Masha’s grief and Alice’s illness are done incredibly well and you have such empathy with these characters. My only criticism is that, when the two stories intertwine, this is really quite unnecessary.
My thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy in return for an honest review,

I really enjoyed this book. The main character, Masha, was the sort of person you want to get to know, and her relationships with her dog and with Sally Red Shoes were beautifully developed. This was a book that you really wanted to read to find out what happened to all the characters. The plot was a little predictable from the way the stories of Alice and Masha were interwoven, but the book was none the worse for it.
If you liked 'The Keeper of Lost Things', you will love this.

I liked this book although found it to be slow starting. The books deals with grief in a beautiful way and the overall result is a very charming novel. The characters are well written and really hook you in. Though some reviews have said it isn't as good as the authors previous book I'm inclined to disagree!

It took me a while to read this book as I just couldn't get into it. I had breaks inbetween reading it then came back to it. It was a sad emotionable book but it wasn't my cup of tea sorry to say.

This book is well written and has an engaging cast of characters (particularly the minor ones who add dashes of quirkiness). I wanted to love it as I'd heard such good things about Hogan's first novel, but I found it actually quite depressing.

There were some lovely touches, such as the sparky, lively Kitty Muriel and lovely Flo at the cafe. However, the theme - child death and bereavement - was just too miserable and I found it difficult to want to read on. This was compounded by the main character's obsession with a Victorian graveyard, where a lot of the novel is set. All in all, quite bleak.

Not one for you if you want an uplifting read!

I am so sorry not to feel able to rate this higher. I was very taken with Ruth Hogan’s first novel and had high hopes of enjoying this one equally, but it didn’t quite hit the spot for me. In her afterword, she says she worried she had ‘already used my best plot, most engaging characters and cleverest phrases’ and I fear there is a grain of truth in that. The whimsy and quirkiness of the first novel that I enjoyed so much - its characters, their interaction and dialogue - were lacking for me in this one. The comic scenes (the dinner party and the amateur operatics) seemed forced and predictable.

On the plus side, she deals here with darker themes with care and sympathy. I appreciated her engagement with difficult issues. I like a bitter-sweet ending and she certainly gives us one of those. Ironically given my first paragraph above, at this point I would have liked the story to have continued as, for me, it started to get interesting just as it was ending. I see other readers have rated this novel highly so I guess I am just feeling jaded with this sort of thing - uplifting, heartwarming stories where someone is lifted out of a life of grief and sadness by the advice and example of an unlikely new friend. My loss - I hope this second novel does well and I look forward to reading whatever she tackles next.

Many thanks to John Murray Press via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I have given five stars to this book and that is something I don't do very often.
I have not read her previous book, although I have been tempted to get it a few times but I am well impressed with this.

It is about Masha a woman who has experienced a great loss and has not recovered from it. She spends her free time in a cemetery or in a swimming pool. She spends time thinking about people long dead whose graves she visits regularly. People she has never met.
She is also lucky that she still has some kind of support network provided by a few good friends.
But she makes a couple of new friends and it is these friends who somehow show her the way to come out of her never ending grief. It is a book about loss and friendship and renewal. It is about realising that no matter how much we have suffered there are other people who have been through similar experiences and can understand. It is a book about the ability to connect with others and how empowering that can be.
The book is not just sad, some of it definitely is but there are also some great characters who are eccentric and well described and provide a lighter touch to the book.
Some chapters are apparently unrelated and are about a woman called Alice, you will find out in the course of the book why they are there.
It is a fusion book, taking elements from a few genres, it is contemporary fiction but there is also romance and even has some ideas taken from a psychological thriller to some extent.