The Keeper of Lost Things

Product Information

There followed a general discussion about other titles this group has read, and how some books promote debate while others, though well written and readable, do not. Two main stories alternate and meander gently through the book, interspersed with lovely anecdotes about the lost things. I studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths College, University of London where I hennaed my hair, wore dungarees and generally had an amazing time. Laura befriends Anthony’s gardener, Freddy, and a 19-year-old neighbor, Sunshine, who has Down's syndrome. When I finally picked it up I found a gentle and charming story about an elderly gentleman, Anthony, who collected and catalogued items, found and presumed lost.

Whilst owning Padua brings security and delight to Laura, the real prize turns out to be the task Anthony sets for it offers Laura a path toward resurrecting her life again, tenuously learning to trust people and connect with the world again. I really sniggered at many of the humorous passages: the WI lady's knowledge of something Italian she'd had in a restaurant, incidents with Portia and Sunshine's honesty. My leading man, Anthony Peardew, was inspired by a former neighbour of mine who, I was told, became a reclusive hoarder after the tragic death of his fiancée. My only criticism is that there are a few instances of curious things happening and these are never explained.What makes this one good are the details such as stories about the lost objects and Laura's friendship with a neighbourhood girl.

For ten years I had a successful if uninspiring career in local government before a car accident left me unable to work full-time and was the kick up the butt I needed to start writing seriously. The final pages of The Keeper of Lost Things manage to bring all of the plot threads together quite neatly, perhaps a little too neatly for some readers. And I’ve already put her new novel, The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes on my list for when I need a small dose of frothy, feel-good bookishness. There's much to love in this prompting towards kind-hearted caring for lost things, accidentally lost, leaving gaps in lives, or clues to significant moments. Then a chance encounter with two extraordinary women - the fabulous and wise Kitty Muriel, a convent girl turned magician's wife turned seventy-something roller disco fanatic, and the mysterious Sally Red Shoes, a bag lady with a prodigious voice - opens up a new world of possibilities, and the chance to start living again.Hogan's writing has the soothing warmth of the cups of cocoa and tea her characters regularly dispense. In fact, I doubt anyone would want to claim Portia, the one actual sibling of a main character, as family.

Sometimes when you are reading a book, you feel you want to join the characters, have some tea and biscuits with them, share their laughter and sorrows and cheer them in their journeys, be a part of them, be with them.I would describe the novel as a modern day fairy tale in which fantastical events intertwine all of the characters and their fates.

But there is also another interweaving story line - Eunice, who has lost something and lost the love of her life (literally).However the group loved Sunshine and found her character quite sensitive and funny in an endearing way (though it was noted that it seemed a bit odd that her parents let her spend so much time with complete strangers for so long). The story really begins to flow after the first forty pages and the pieces of the stories begin to connect. But, like objects, people do not stay around forever, and Anthony eventually leaves this ongoing quest in the capable hands of his caretaker, Laura, who appears equally as “lost” as his beloved objects. It is very easy to read and a great story, both from the point of view of the “lost things” and also from the way the lives of the characters in the book develop. There is an altruistic tone to the story rather than an obsessive covetous desire to amass belongings.