I loved this novel! It was the perfect light read after Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner which was a dark subject and quite a dark novel. The Keeper of Lost Things is the complete antithesis of that, it's light, funny and whimsical, and has a warm fuzzy feeling throughout which I really enjoyed!
This is a beautiful story, with great storytelling from Hogan, and it was a genuine pleasure to read.
The basis of the story is a collection of lost objects that have been gathered over the years by an elderly gentleman called Anthony Peardew. Since his fiancee died, and he lost an object given to him by her, he has collected other lost objects. In his will, he leaves his assistant Laura his house, all the lost objects, and a task: to return the lost objects to their rightful owners. Laura doesn't have to complete this task alone though, she has help from Freddy the gardener, and her new friend Sunshine. Alongside this narrative we get passages about certain lost objects, about their owners and how they were lost in the first place; whether purposefully left or accidentally misplaced. We also follow Eunice, who is an assistant to a publisher. She is an integral part of the story, although this only becomes clear towards the end of the novel.
The stories/narratives that are inserted into the main narrative make this novel a quirky read, but I enjoyed this, it was a breath of fresh air in terms of narratives, and was created so skilfully by Hogan. She manages to link all the threads of the stories and narratives together so beautifully, it was lovely to read the completed novel and see how everything was woven around the central thread of the lost objects.
I especially enjoyed the chapters featuring Laura, Freddy and Sunshine. They were such a cosy three-some to read about, their family dynamic was very warm and comforting, I wouldn't mind reading more about them!!
All the characters are well developed in the novel, they are definitely an eclectic mix of people (and dogs!!) but all were wonderfully created and all had so many dimensions to them. Hogan has done a great job of writing quite a large group of characters, and managing to flesh them all out equally well.
Another aspect of this novel that I enjoyed was the touches of magic and ghost-like instances. This was a complete surprise to me, I had not read of this element in any of the summaries or reviews I had read, but it actually fitted into the novel really well. It was well handled by the author, and it developed the narrative, but it never crossed into the ridiculous.
Overall I really loved this novel, I gave it 5/5 stars and it's definitely one of my favourite reads of the year. I enjoyed the author's writing style and I look forward to reading more of her work when it is available!

From the moment I first read the synopsis for this book I knew I had to read it – what a brilliant premise for a novel! I love the idea of someone picking up and keeping safe all the lost things, and the idea of trying to reunite these items with their owners. It kind of made me feel that maybe some of the things I’ve been heartbroken to lose might have been picked up by someone who has looked after them over the years, rather than them having ended up in a bin. I admit that it made my heart sing.

The Keeper of Lost Things has two stories running through it. Anthony is the keeper of lost things – he began collecting lost things after his fiancee Therese died, and has carried on throughout the years. He is clearly still grieving for the love of his life but has channeled his emotion into trying to reunite people with their belongings – he seems to be focusing on this as a way atoning for his own loss. His story broke my heart – I felt such sadness for his loss and his pain. He reminded me a lot of my Grandad, who was forever mending things for people and when my Nan died he was broken himself and nothing could fix him.

‘It had been in his pocket as he stood waiting for Therese on the corner of Great Russell Street. But she never came, and by the time he got home that day, he had lost them both.’

Laura is Anthony’s housekeeper. She is dealing with the aftermath of a break-up and is feeling really low. She loves looking after Anthony and his home, but is shocked to find when Anthony dies that she is to become the holder of the lost things. Through this Laura meets Sunshine, who is a wonderful character. I adored her, her name really does suit her joyful personality.

The other story running throughout the book is about Eunice and Bomber. Their story is from the past and the way their story is woven through the novel with Laura’s story is wonderful. Bomber’s sister Portia is a wannabe novelist and this makes for comedy gold throughout the novel, there honestly were laugh-out-loud moments as Bomber read her latest attempt at writing.

Interspersed among the two story strands are the stories behind some of the lost things that Anthony has found and kept over the years. I loved these short snapshots of the life these items may have had before they were lost, it really made me think about all the times we see lost things in the street and often it seems like rubbish but some of these items will have been loved by their owners and probably much missed. The lost items exist in reality but it’s almost like they’re also metaphors for all the bigger losses we experience in out lives. The items are representatives of the moments that matter in our lives. The items we keep after we’ve lost a loved one became so much more precious because they’re all we have left, and our memories are so wrapped up in each item, so the thought of ever losing those things is almost too much to contemplate. Anthony’s collection of lost things seems filled with all the memories of people he has never met but he knows they need to be safe-guarded. It does give a sense of peace to know that someone like Anthony might be keeping our lost things safe.

The Keeper of Lost Things is one of those novels that will break your heart, but it will mend it again. It will make you cry, it will make you laugh and it will leave you holding your treasured items, and more so the people you love, a little tighter. It’s a beautiful novel, one that everyone will be able to identify with, and it’s one that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.

The Keeper of Lost Things is out now!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

hilarious and full of heart, I loved it.

https://www.waterstones.com/reviews/the-keeper-of-lost-things/ruth-hogan/9781473635463/86855#review-86855

This book is an absolute delight to read: an unusual story (with stories within), mystery, love, friendship, kindnesses and ghosts. Superbly crafted and beautifully written, it transports the reader into its world and is one of those you can't wait to finish but don't want to end. A total pleasure, deserves to be widely read and would be an interesting book club choice.

This is the most charming, delightful, funny book that I have read for many a long month. The basic premise that people have lost things and there is a tale to tell about the things, provides a base but the real story is the present day one of Laura, Freddy and Sunshine with the intermingling of Eunice and Bomber starting a few decades ago and working forwards. Great tales both and a satisfying ending. Sunshine is an absolute star, I shall never forget her marriage/funeral speech, and the book stays the right side of twee (I hate twee) with romance, humour, sadness and loss intermingled to make a feelgood tale that warms the heart.

Laura has just started a new job looking after a beautiful house and it's delightful owner.
Eunice has just started a new job at a publishing company, working for Bomber, who she will fall madly in unrequited love with.
When Laura is left the house, the task of trying to give back the contents of a room full of lost things seems
extremely daunting. Luckily she finds support in unexpected places.
The stories of the two women from different times intertwines and builds up to an eventual meeting of the two.
I'm recommending this to everyone, it's a wonderful book.

This is a beautiful story about love and loss. And dogs. An elderly gentleman, Anthony, has amassed a huge collection of lost items since losing the love of his life, in the hopes that he can atone for a guilt he feels. The story is mostly light and occasionally downright comical, but there is sadness too. And a little magic. With a wonderful cast of characters, human and canine, this is one not to be missed.
...
I really liked the little references to St Anthony and 'Padua'. Very clever, Ruth Hogan ;). I often find myself asking St Anthony to help me find items I have misplaced and he rarely fails to help.

Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Collecting lost items and writing stories about them, he has been seeking redemption for losing an important keepsake himself. As the end of life nears, Anthony leaves all his belongings and his quest to return the lost items to their owners to his assistant, Laura. She inherits his treasures, his house, and the irritable ghost living in it. As the new keeper of lost things, Laura strives to uncover the key to Anthony’s redemption and lay the spirits to rest.

I really liked the inclusion of ghosts in this story. They’re relevant and active, but they don’t take over the story. The focus is very much on the living. We follow two timelines, one with Anthony and Laura, the other following Eunice and Bomber. The two timelines are loosely connected, but the link is tenuous until the end, so it is very much like reading two separate stories at once. The book also includes short stories about the lost objects. This was a nice detail but the many different stories did detract from the main plot at times. There’s good character development within both timelines, which is quite impressive considering the array of different characters. However, I found it hard to bond with the characters, especially Eunice. Whether this was because I had very little in common with them or because there were just so many of them, I can’t be sure. In some ways, I found Bomber’s ghastly sister Portia the easiest to understand (although it’s possible that this says more about me than about the book).

The Keeper of Lost Things is a very interesting story. I liked the general concept, liked the ghostly aspect and the diverse characters (namely, Sunshine), and there was a nice amount of humour and romance. But I didn’t love it. I didn’t find it especially charming or moving, and I was never fully drawn into the story. It’s good, but it’s not great.

Well I think I can say with some confidence that this will definitely be in my Top Ten books of the year. It had everything I look for in a good read, a cracking plot, great characters, a will they, won't they romance, some whimsical quirks and just for good measure a collection of adorable dogs. The fact that it also had a supernatural strand that I would normally avoid like the plague, mattered not one jot. It felt perfectly acceptable and by that stage I was so involved in the plot I'd have probably even accepted zombies (OK maybe not).

It's a simple basic plot, but it's cleverly sewn together with back stories, side stories and cleverly inserted vignettes of likely scenarios to explain how each item came to be lost. The result is a delightful read that will ultimately produce a welcome and satisfying resolution. The Keeper of Lost Things is actually Anthony Peardew, who, on the day his fiance died, lost not only the love of his life, but, it later transpired his beloved keepsake from her. From that day on, he has collected any lost and misplaced items with the intention of re-uniting them with their rightful owners. These acts of restitution were meant to help atone for the loss of his own keepsake but sadly he dies without having re-united anything. This daunting, if not nigh impossible task, is a job he leaves, along with his house, to his trusted assistant Laura.

The book develops with the unfolding story of Laura and her plans to fulfill Anthony's wishes while coming to terms with her own personal problems assisted by her new neighbour and young friend Sunshine and the existing enigmatic gardener Freddy. A parallel thread features Bomber and his personal assistant Eunice. Theirs is a moving story that has unknowingly featured in Anthony's life and will also feature in Laura's.

What really makes this book though are the characters, a real mix of lovable, vulnerable and adorable through to sexy and sympathetic, with the odd pantomime villain thrown in for good measure. My favourite though has to be the delightful Sunshine, who has Downs Syndrome or as she tells everyone "dancing drome". She has a unique (and often comic) way with words, more than a hint of the psychic and an innocent naivety that often cuts through to the heart of the matter. She is never backward in coming forward and knows all occasions can be made better with "the lovely cup of tea". She is at times incredibly childlike and at others she extends a wisdom way beyond her years, and I adored her.

As a debut novel, this book is a very accomplished piece of writing that manages to evoke a range of emotions. The themes of love and loss are explored within families, friendships and relationships, and always with empathy and feeling. There were moments of real sadness and others of sheer hilarity which just served to make me love the book more. It's hard to categorise this book, it's a story of hope and redemption, it's a story of about friends and family and it's a ghost story but ultimately it's about love and appreciating it in all its forms. Anyway who needs categories, all you need to know is, it's heartwarming, beautiful and engaging what more could you want.

If I'm totally honest about this book, it bored me. Was expecting a story of lost and found with romantic undertones and I suppose this was there to some extent but not in real depth. The best character in the whole book was sunshine as that is exactly what she was to this story.
The books main focus was on the life's of Anthony and bomber. I did like the use of the time difference here but still felt both their lives were quite dull.
I also liked the short inserts on the owners of the lost items but there was never and connection between 'the keeper' and those who had lost something.
Definitely a tale of love and loss but I found myself more lost than loved in this book. I also didn't quite get the point of the lost spirit and Sunshine's ability to 'feel' things through touch. Yes they added a little extra to the book but they could have been explored a little bit more. Neither came out as being extraordinary and just felt like they were part of everyday life.
I was looking forward to reading this book and it started well but it just didn't capture my imagination enough. Have awarded 3 stars as I did finish the book but I wouldn't recommend.

With thanks to John Murray Press for the opportunity to read this book.

A delightful novel - engaging characters, poignant relationships and a plot that held my interest throughout. I was particularly struck by the character of Portia and her pastiches of Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice etc - just brilliant and far more entertaining than some published novels and film screenplays I’ve seen based on other classics. I loved Sunshine too and her alternative vocabulary. Utterly charming and I’ll be recommending widely.

For me it started a bit slow, but once I got into the story I was captivated. What a unique idea - saving every day lost things and keeping them safe. The story has two or three threads running at the same time, which all come together so beautifully at the end, when many of the objects find their way home and we get to understand just how they got lost in the first place.

I read the book in two days, just didn't want to out it down. So well written and a lovely change from mystery, suspense and murder !

Famous author Anthony is a collector of lost things, reminders of something precious that he himself lost many years ago. On his death his assistant Laura is left an inheritance on the condition that she reunites the items with their erstwhile owners. Meanwhile in another time and another place, Eunice is working in publishing and is suffering unrequited love for her boss. How the two stories meet is part of the charm of this warm, funny and poignant book. A delightful debut.

Ok, so what follows is the official blurb for this book…

“FROM THE ATTENTION-GRABBING OPENING PARAGRAPH, TO THE JOYFUL CONCLUSION, RUTH HOGAN HAS STIRRED TOGETHER A CHARMING FAIRY TALE IN WHICH THE PEOPLE MAY BE MORE LOST THAN THE THINGS… ALSO, THERE ARE DOGS. DELIGHTFUL’ Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand.

MEET THE ‘KEEPER OF LOST THINGS’
Once a celebrated author of short stories now in his twilight years, Anthony Peardew has spent half his life lovingly collecting lost objects, trying to atone for a promise broken many years before.
Realising he is running out of time, he leaves his house and all its lost treasures to his assistant Laura, the one person he can trust to fulfil his legacy and reunite the thousands of objects with their rightful owners.
But the final wishes of the Keeper of Lost Things have unforeseen repercussions which trigger a most serendipitous series of encounters…

With an unforgettable cast of characters that includes young girls with special powers, handsome gardeners, irritable ghosts and an array of irresistible four-legged friends, The Keeper of Lost Things is a debut novel of endless possibilities and joyful discoveries that will leave you bereft once you’ve finished reading.
BECAUSE, AFTER ALL, WE’RE ALL JUST WAITING TO BE FOUND…”

It sounded good to me, and the cover is beautiful too – definitely worth a punt! But sadly this was not a book for me and I’m very grateful that I didn’t actually spend any money on it.

It is supposed to be light and feel-good and in that I think it probably succeeds. But for me there wasn’t enough substance, the character’s weren’t believable, the writing was schmaltzy and quite frankly it bored me.

It might be ok for a holiday read if you have plenty of time and no other books waiting for your attention. I gave up on it halfway through – maybe the second half is better. However I would say wait till it comes out in paperback as it isn’t worth the hardback cover price.

1 Bite

NB I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in return for an honest review. The BookEaters always write honest reviews.

Part love story part mystery and part ghost story this wonderful book draws you in and leaves you with tears in your eyes and a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Antony Peardew has spent half his life picking up and cataloging lost things trying to make up for a broken promise. As he draws towards the end of his life he seeks someone to help him sort them out.

Laura is unhappy. Her marriage didn't work out and she is left lonely and depressed. When she gets a job working with Antony, her world begins to change. Charged with the task of returning them to their owners after his death she receives unlikely assistance from Sunshine the young girl with psychic gifts and the very handsome gardener. However she is also hampered by the ghost of Antony's lost love, who seems to be intent on trying to get a message through to her.

Loved this book to bits & I can't thank Netgalley & the publisher enough for introducing this fabulous cast of characters to me

I really enjoyed this book.

It's delicately written and gently delivered. It's a beautiful idea of collecting lost things and envisaging the stories of the owners who left them behind. The narrative is emotive and stirring, and will certainly get you thinking about the objects in your own life and their significance to you.

Hogan is a strong and talented writer - I would certainly read something by her again.

Absolutely brilliant. Very different and quirky. Loved every single character.

Anthony Peardew is a elderly author, still mourning the death of his finance over 40 years ago.  He lives in a house called Padua which he has filled over the years with items other people have lost and he has found (St Anthony of Padua, Patron Saint of Lost Things - geddit?).   In the later years of his life he employs Laura as his assistant, a fragile woman who is bruised from a broken marriage and the loss of her unborn child.

One thing I did really enjoy was the insertion of  little snippets throughout the book about the lost things themselves - who owned them and how they came to be lost etc.  The chapters are also interspersed with the story of Eunice and Bomber, two publishers who work together from the 1970s onwards.  The links between the two sets of characters develop nicely as the story progresses, and this was another aspect of the book that I found interesting and enjoyable.

The main characters - Anthony and Laura, Bomber and Eunice - are likeable and well developed.  However some of the supporting characters, particularly Portia, Vince and Felicity, were rather two-dimensional pantomime villains who I found irritating and cringeworthy, rather than the comic turns I suspect they were meant to be.

The writing is a little flowery at times with lots of metaphors and adjectives thrown in for good measure, but the premise of people being reunited with long lost possessions intrigued me and kept my interest.  This is Ruth Nolan's debut novel and there really is a lot for her to be proud of here.

I have just spent a wonderful day reading this extraordinary book, accompanied by beautiful music and by turns laughing out loud and blubbing my eyes out. It is impossible to read this book and not be profoundly moved. The characters are so lovingly drawn (except the despicable Portia), but best of all is Sunshine, the “dancing drome”. Everybody needs a bit of Sunshine in their lives.
The writing is always superb, but really excels when the short vignettes of the memories attached to the “Lost Things” appear. Anthony’s final plea to Laura is to reunite the “sad salmagundi of forty years gathered in, labelled and given a home” with their former owners “so that if you can make just one person happy, mend one broken heart by restoring to them what they have lost then it will have all been worthwhile”. Each memento has a life of its own, a story to tell.
There is undying love – some lost, some unrequited and some fulfilled. There are wonderful friendships. 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.’” said the man “whose dementia was casting him adrift. A once majestic galleon whose sails had worn thin and tattered, no longer able to steer its own course but left to the mercy of every squall and storm” and whose “reason had set sail for faraway climes … he occasionally took a brief shore leave in reality, but for the most part the old Godfrey had jumped ship”; another gentleman developing “a hairline crack in his solid, dependable sanity. … that in time he would be as vulnerable as a name written in the sand at the mercy of an incoming tide”. And also the joy of life and living.
I love this book, 5 stars is not enough. It deserves to be on everyone’s reading list – read, enjoyed and then shared with all your friends.

This was an absolute delight of a read! Found it to be charming, emotional, insightful and fun! Not often that a story can mix all those qualities so well!

We follow the story of Anthony Peardew who finds himself collecting up items he finds on his travels - be that on a train, or by a park bench. These items are all catalogued and kept in his study which is off limits to his housekeeper Laura, who is intrigued but respects the privacy he demands.

We also see the story through the eyes of Laura who has her own tales of a troubled personal life, but all seems brighter when she started working for Anthony, but she knows he isn't getting any younger and finds herself worried for the future. It is a really touching relationship between the two and upon his death she finds that she inherits his home, her sanctuary, and all that is inside - and that includes the Lost Things which he wants her to try and find their rightful owners.

Throughout the story we also hear the story of Eunice during the 1970's and on, and you do wonder about the significance of this storyline but it is cleverly woven in and provides another insight .

One of my major loves of this book as the character of Sunshine. She is a wonderful breath of fresh air with her innocence and outlook and she seems to have an extraordinary gift for picking up on the emotions behind the Lost Things.

I really loved the flow of this story - it is full of poignant stories that has you thinking about the stories attached to random items as they must have meant something to somewhere sometime! As Laura, Sunshine and Freddy the gardener begin their quest to reunite items the significance of the task that Anthony set them becomes clearer and re-awakens some old ghosts.

Beautiful debut and will definitely be looking out for future Ruth Hogan books!