The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page
Product Details
Web ID: 15775286A funny and charming debut novel!
Janice is a cleaner, she's married to Mike and they have a grown up son Simon. Janice spends her days catching buses, cleaning people’s houses, some of her customers are nice to her and others don’t consider she’s a human being and has feelings. To pass the time while she’s scrubbing a toilet, dusting or doing a task that the home owner despises she notices her clients talk and she puts together their stories. Janice’s head is full of her stories, she has been doing this for as longs as she can remember, some having meaning and others are floating around in her mind. Being a cleaner is like being invisible, she has heard some downright fascinating and odd things and she never repeats what she's heard. Some of her clients treat her like a friend, Fiona a widow and her son Adam, Geordie the famous opera singer all do and others she creates funny nicknames for. Like Mrs. “YeahYeahYeah” who treats Janice like dirt, the reason she continues to clean her home is because she takes her adorable fox terrier for a walk and they both enjoy getting away from the woman. Janice starts cleaning for Mrs. B, she's Mrs. YeahYeahYeah’s ninety two year old mother-in-law, she doesn’t want anyone poking their nose in her house in Cambridge and she knows her son is up to know good. Mrs. B is an educated women, she and her late husband were involved in the war and it’s was all very hush hush. Mrs. B wasn’t born yesterday, she might be old and frail but her mind is as sharp as a tack and she's smart. Mrs. B discovers Janice is a keeper of other people stories, she knows Janice has her own important story to tell, she is hiding her true self behind her duster and apron and she's built a wall around her heart and hides her feelings. The author Sally Page’s debut novel, a delight to read and the characters were so different, unique and fascinating. My favorites were Janice, Fiona, Adam, Decius the vegan dog, Mrs. B, Stan, Euan the bus driver and Fred. A charming story about life, it makes you think, especially about how some people are treated by others, don't let people take you for granted and treat you badly. I haven’t laughed so much in ages, his book is full of humour, whit and great lines. Mrs. B is an absolute hoot, a legend, utters the odd bad word, she’s flipping marvelous and so is Janice. Five stars from me and I can't wait to read the authors new novel, The Book of Beginnings.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fun read,
Engrossing, fun, likable lead character. Very colorful. Different. I hate to read the same books from the same authors with just the names changed as so often happens. I like to find different and delightful and this is it. Written by and English author and set in Cambridge England. Does not not bother me but may some readers. I think it’s on par with “ The Maid” and reads about the same. Loved it.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Do you have a Story?
Ms. Page held my interest on every page. Everyone I know from different walks of life as a story of their own. Hearing their stories helped her become the woman she really wanted to be.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Meandering Story
Genre: Women's Fiction Representation: BIPOC Trigger Warnings: mentions sexual behavior and suicide This book started a tad slow for me. I felt adrift like Janice is in her life as "just a cleaner" and storyteller. As I grasped this was a flowing story—like a river, wandering—I became more vested. Janice is bright, but like many women I know she doesn't take that lens of perception to herself and focuses on other peoples' stories. Once Janice meets Mrs. B—a feisty purple-robed, red-hatted, ex-spy, and mother of Mr. NoNoNotNow—her life changes. Mrs. B does this through a story. So, it's something of a story within a story at times. I felt the most engaged with the bus driver, the child Adam who lost his father, and of course, the fox terrier. It was quite amusing that Janice saw him as swearing all the time and wondered where he learned such bad language. The arc for Janice is genius. It's slow and builds over time. I really enjoyed this story.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A really neat story! Enjoyed it!
This is definitely a neat book! I love to listen to people'a tales and when they are true, you can alway come away with something if you really hear the journey! So--- naturally I truly got caught up with main character, Janice. She is a housecleaner, but OH so much more! She is a friend, confidante, dog walker and house cleaner, amongst other things. The stories and secrets she learns are amazing and this is just a very well told, interesting and warm novel! I would love to know her and now am able to feel as though I do! Well done and very well told! Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Blackstone Publishing for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com