The Keeper of Stories: The most charming and uplifting novel you will read this year!

Product Information

Cleaner Janice is a recent addition to the cast of marginalised women toiling on the margins of society that have been populating recent literary fiction output. Janice is so sympathetically drawn that readers will want to root for her from the beginning. Trapped in a stale marriage that has run its course and seemingly devoid of a story of her own, Janice instead collects the anecdotes of the colourful, idiosyncratic people she cleans for - until one of her clients becomes interested in her story after all, But what will happen when Janice starts reflecting on who she actually is? There are so many wonderful stories in The Keeper of Stories that I really want to sit down and listen to this all over again. In all honesty, this is a gentle read where not much happens. But, actually, I quite appreciated this story for the absence of twists and turns. The scenes between Mrs B and Janice were dominated with dry wit and sarcasm which I thought added to the entertainment of the story. It is definitely a novel about character personalities over everything else, and this reinforces the slower pace of the book.

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. MY THOUGHTS: I love to sit in cafès listening to the conversations going on around me. Sometimes it's amazing what you overhear. That may be why this book really resonated with me. Janice and I have a lot in common. We both collect stories, although she is far better at it than I am. And my practice husband, as I like to refer to him, and her husband Mike, could be twins. 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. This book really isn’t something I would’ve found organically and chosen for myself to read, but I was actually pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it in the end. If you want something a little bit different, and you’re the kind of person who makes up a little narrative about every stranger they people watch on public transport - you might really like this one.

Customer reviews

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 ! Geordie– a famous opera singer who, aptly, hails from Newcastle. He admires Janice both as his cleaner, and as a woman. I deal in other people’s stories every day. Everyone does indeed have a story to tell, and like Janice, I believe it is a privilege when someone chooses to share their story with you. That’s what is at the heart of The Keeper of Storiesand what made it a poignant and lovely book to get lost in. The people are so real all totally believable a fabulous selection of British eccentrics .I particularly loved the ex spy Mrs B from her first appearance disguised in kimono and hat with mouldy cherries on the top 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…

The Keeper of Stories” is about human nature with all its flaws and inconsistencies. A fabulous story about storytelling and about guilt. It showcases people who are selfish and narcissistic as well as people who are kindness personified. It also portrays the blessings of friendship, and the influence parents have over their children, both good and bad, and the love of a good dog (with a foul mouth). 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.’ In a Nutshell: The book tries hard to match up to the outstanding cover but after a point, it just bored me. I have a feeling that my rating would have been lower had I been actually reading this instead of listening to it. But it does have its good moments.

Sally Page

The people she cleans for are mainly rich and some high profile. One new client is the brusque Mrs B, the mother of the one she refers to as “Mr No, No, Not Now” his wife “Mrs Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” the only saving grace is their dog a fox terrier called Decius. 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.