In my stories, and I do collect stories…” She feels a sense of relief at saying this out loud. “I love that normal people do the unexpected, that they are courageous, funny, kind … selfless. I know these people have faults - of course, that’s life.” Fictionophile’s OCTOBER 2023 Reading Wrap-Up #bookblogger #MonthlyWrapUp#Fictionophile October 31, 2023 THE AUTHOR: After studying history at university, I moved to London to work in advertising. However, in my spare time I studied floristry at night school and eventually opened my own flower shop. I soon came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and eventually I began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of non-fiction books. Later, I continued my interest in writing when I founded my fountain pen company, Plooms.co.uk. Mrs. YeahYeahYeah – is married to Mr. NoNoNotNow. They are very wealthy and snobbish. They are the owners of the fox terrier that Janice loves and that is the only reason she continues to clean their house. There are some really beautiful lines in the book, the most memorable being the ones related to stories. Sample this: “ Every man should leave a story better than he found it.”

The Keeper of Stories - HarperCollins Australia The Keeper of Stories - HarperCollins Australia

This is a story that offers something quite different. It is about a very quiet woman who seems to be on the outskirts of society, but has more power than she realises. I enjoyed reading her monologue of the dog she walks and appreciated seeing Janice’s lioness emerging as she finds her voice. For instance, I’m not sure I could have tolerated Janice’s husband as much as she had! I immediately fell in love with the main character the keeper of stories who’s collection of peoples essence of life stories are gained from amongst the clients she cleans for and the conversations she overhears on the bus driving aroundShe can’t recall what started her collection. Maybe it was in a fragment of conversation overheard as she cleaned a sink? Before long (as she dusted a sitting room or defrosted a fridge) she noticed people were telling her their stories. Perhaps they always had done, but now it is different, now the stories are reaching out to her and she gathers them to her... ABOUT 'THE KEEPER OF STORIES': Cleaner Janice knows that it is in people’s stories that you really get to know them. From recently-widowed Fiona and her son Adam; to opera-singing Geordie; and the awful Mrs ‘YeahYeahYeah’ and her fox terrier, Decius, Janice has a unique insight into the community around her. This was a well-written story that really focuses on characterisation. It is what I would consider an ‘observational’ drama, and this feeds into Janice’s character as a ‘story-teller’ or, as some may call her, a bit of a gossip.

The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page | Goodreads The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page | Goodreads

This is such a character driven tale and testament to the writing, I was not confused once as to who was who. The care that Janice provides to each of her clients is special - just like she is. There are some wonderful characters but it would be remiss of me not to give a big shout out to Mrs B and Decius the swearing fox-terrier. As Janice cleans and cares, she collects the essence of conversations she hears - some are special and many are very funny - but all very believable and relatable. What a perfect little gem of a book I really loved it a rare beautifully crafted piece of perfection .Two perfects on one sentence seems poor writing but sometimes just sometimes it’s needed ! As Janice is a “collector of stories”, there are many mini-stories that you’ll find in this book. All of these are part of Janice’s repertoire, and most of them are heartfelt and memorable stories in their own right. I enjoyed all of these little nuggets from Janice’s collection. Everyone has a story to tell. But if you don't have one, you become a collector of other people's stories.”The editing needed to be tighter and better. Some of the plot developments are too abrupt, almost entirely dictated by character and not by requirements of the story. The plot feels very cluttered and has a lot of convenient settlements at the end. Despite telling herself she has no story, Janice teases the reader every now and then, revealing snippets of what is in fact a very real story, one which she has kept hidden for so long, one with which she has punished herself for years. Ultimately, she faces her demons and finds her inner lioness. I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from One More Chapter/ HarperCollins UK via NetGalley at my request, for my own reading enjoyment and the writing of this review. EXCERPT: She can’t recall what started her collection. Maybe it was in a fragment of conversation overheard as she cleaned a sink? Before long (as she dusted a sitting room or defrosted a fridge) she noticed people were telling her their stories. Perhaps they always had done, but now it is different, now the stories are reaching out to her and she gathers them to her… Mrs B is my favourite character; she is a grumpy, old and wise ex-spy who doesn’t initially want a cleaner but soon becomes firm friends with Janice. Her detestable son, Mr Nonono is horrid, and his wife, Mrs yesyesyes, is very annoying and no better than him. However, their dog, the cursing fox terrier, Decius, is brilliant. I love how Janice reads his expressions and thoughts.

Sally Page on how The Keeper of Stories became a best-seller Sally Page on how The Keeper of Stories became a best-seller

Absolutely spellbinding...a warm-hearted, thoughtful, funny and yet deeply poignant’ Celia Anderson, author of 59 Memory Lane For Sally, it happened like this. ‘One day, in 2016, I woke up and had the idea for a story. I thought that I’d really like to try and write it and, as I did so, I discovered that I absolutely adored writing creatively and just couldn’t stop.’ The Keeper Of Stories is a fantasy novel by author Emily Rodda. It follows the story of two young children, Max and Emilia, who are taken away to the magical realm of Deltora. The realm is filled with strange creatures, magical powers, and untold mysteries.

Mrs. B wants Janice answer a question before she agrees to the help-“If you could only take one novel with you to a Desert Island, what would it be?” and when Janice responds “Vanity Fair” -Mrs. B agrees to hire her. Everyone has a story to tell. But what if you don’t have a story? What then? If you are Janice, you become a collector of other people’s stories.’ After studying history at university, Sally moved to London to work in advertising. In her spare time she studied floristry at night school and eventually opened her own flower shop. Sally came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and she began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of non-fiction books. Later, she continued her interest in writing when she founded her fountain pen company, Plooms.co.uk. If you ever feel like you need some light entertainment in between more serious or painful reads, then this is the right book for you. I certainly felt I could do with such a book and it filled that craving nearly perfectly. And the writing is pretty good, it is engaging and the flow is just perfect for this kind of book, which is way out of my comfort zone and therefor quite difficult to rate and review.