Eurgh. Show Don’t bother. I’m in such a bad mood after reading this….you know when you feel like you’re wasting valuable reading time slogging through something. I SLOGGED FOR YOU dear reader. *Grumbles* Here’s the blurb:
The thing is, is the premise sounds solid. So much potential here: mystery, trauma, jeopardy, building relationships, twists, multiple POVS (one of my favourite things). It didn’t deliver. Most of the story is told from Laura’s POV. Laura is housekeeper for Anthony, a writer and the collector and keeper of lost things. When Anthony kicks the bucket he leaves the house, a whole heap of dosh, and his treasures to a slightly bewildered Laura, with the condition that she tries to reunite the objects with their owners. But that’s not all – oh no – there’s a B story. Whizz back forty years – it’s 1974 and Eunice is working as a secretary for Bomber, a successful publisher. Unrequited love ensues. As you would assume at some point the two plot lines meet. Now Laura is described as around forty. She appears to need everyone’s validation – and thinks she’s past it – which are frustrating qualities for a protagonist to have. I mean, I know our central character should be flawed, but REALLY? Whiny protagonist? Thinks she’s too old at forty? No thanks, it’s tiresome. What Laura really needs is to let go and bloody well start enjoying herself and not feel so damned guilty. And I know we are meant to think that too, love Laura and egg her on in this quest. But her guilt is just so BORING. She’s meant to have not made much of her life; she got married, had a bad relationship, she didn’t make the most of her education. Yawwwn. It’s written like the yoghurt adverts where gorgeous women simper at the idea of consuming five calories. Like STFU please, I don’t believe you. As you can gather any empathy markers have clearly failed to work on me. The ones I can remember (and I’m so loathe to comb through it again) are more pity markers. Anyway. Characters. Eunice is better, but falls into manic pixie-dream girl territory. Our supporting cast are a little more interesting. Sunshine is 19 and has Downs Syndrome. Somewhere near the beginning of the book she is described as a ‘young girl’. THIS IS NOT OK. A young girl is four to seven years old. Seven and above is a girl. Eighteen and above is a WOMAN. When a random character actually says Downs Syndrome I was all, whaaaattt?? Hogan, I thought you were talking about a child. (For those who have read this, I read the ‘she was 19’ description, as a description of Sunshine’s mother, not Sunshine). Freddy is a good-looking gardener in his mid-thirties (10 house-points for guessing why he’s in the book…). Bomber is…bland. Portia, Bomber’s sister, is wild wealthy misunderstood woman scorned (of course). Peppered throughout The Keeper of Lost Things is a series of very short stories, ‘written’ by Anthony about each of the items he finds. They’re the most interesting thing about this book. At some point the book swerves and tries to get all spooky. Not entirely sure why. The dialogue is largely expositional. Again, boring. Have a little faith in our intelligence please. The plot (giving these blasted objects back) starts far too many pages in. (Take a guess where it should be, now add half the book. Add a few more pages. Couple more. Now you’re there.) This was so not for me. To be fair I don’t read much chick-lit. But I do read some, and the trick is to make it HILARIOUS. Overall this felt tiresome, with dated female portrayals (leggy blonde anyone?) I don’t want to be patronising and say ‘oh well perhaps this book will suit women of a certain age’ because fuck that. Pretty sure my mother would ram this into the shredder too. – H Verdict: Promising premise gives way to Chick-Lit twee. Avoid. Read if you like: rubbish, gender expectations. The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan ★★
Find & Share Quotes with Friends The Keeper of Lost Things Quotes
127,539 ratings, 3.81 average rating, 11,744 reviews The Keeper of Lost Things Quotes Showing 1-30 of 58 “Her grandmother had once told her that one could blame ugliness on one's genes and ignorance on one's education, but there was absolutely no excuse whatsoever for being dull.” “the wonderful thing about books was that they were films that played inside your head.” “In this world, Daisy, we are tiny. We can’t always win
and we can’t always be happy. But the one thing that we can always do is try.” “Dreary beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and in the fate of this complication, to join together this man, Saint Anthony’ –she tapped the top of his urn –‘and this woman, The Lady of the Flowers’ –gesturing
towards the photograph with an upturned palm –‘in holy macaroni which is the honourable estate. Saint Anthony takes The Lady of the Flowers to be the lawful wedding wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, richer or poorer, to love and to perish with death now you start. And it still rhymes,’ she added proudly to herself. She paused again, long enough this time for it to be almost uncomfortable, but no doubt with the intention of underscoring the sanctity of the
occasion. ‘Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, funky to punky. We know Major Tom’s a monkey. We can be heroes just for today.” “A hush is a dangerous thing. Silence is solid and dependable, but a hush is expectant, like a pregnant pause; it invites mischief, like a loose thread begging to be pulled.” “We can’t always win and we can’t always be happy. But the one thing that we can always do is try.” “If you never get
sadness, how do you know what happy is like?’ she asked. ‘And by the way, everybody dies.” “We can’t always win and we can’t always be happy. But the one thing that we can always do is try. There will always be Baylee-Trashcan Johnsons”—a twitch of a smile crossed Daisy’s face—“ and you can’t change that.
But you can change how she makes you feel.” “It wasn’t the sunlight that poked fun at Laura’s imperfections, but the darkness with its looming doubts that mocked her in the sleepless spells that broke the night.” “Lilia’s own mother had taught her two things; dress for oneself, and marry for love.” “Laura looked unconvinced, but Sunshine had a point to make. “If you never get sadness, how do you
know what happy is like?” she asked. “And by the way, everybody dies.” “I think she has you in checkmate there,” Freddy murmured. Laura conceded defeat with a reluctant smile.” “Bomber said that the wonderful thing about books was that they were films that played inside your head.” “Her grandmother had once told her that one could blame ugliness on one’s genes and ignorance on one’s education, but there was absolutely no excuse whatsoever for being dull.” “And she did love him. Not in the silly, girlish way that she had been infatuated with Vince. This had, for her, grown stealthily into an abiding love, sparked first by passion and then sustained by friendship and trust.” “She was desperate to do something to make the
creature better; fatter, fitter. Happy. But sometimes not doing anything was what was needed, however hard that might be.” “They ate fish and chips for supper on Fridays, and salmon sandwiches and fruit salad with tinned cream for Sunday tea.” Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. How old is sunshine in the keeper of lost things?Portia: Bomber's odious sister, wants Bomber to publish her book. Godfrey and Grace: Bomber and Portia's parents. Sunshine: Laura's new friend, age 19.
Who are Eunice and bomber in the keeper of lost things?Parallel to Laura's story in the present, Eunice takes a job as an assistant to Bomber, a publisher. Eunice falls in love with Bomber. The two become very close, but Eunice knows there will never be more to their relationship because Bomber is gay.
Who are the characters in the keeper of lost things?The author approaches the story as a dual narrative spanning 40 years. In the modern day, the novel centers around Anthony, an aging man who has spent his life collecting lost things and mourning his long-deceased fiancée; and Laura, his secretary-turned-housekeeper, a middle-aged woman recovering from a bad divorce.
Who wrote the keeper of lost things?Ruth Hogan
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The Keeper of lost things Sunshine
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