Hogan, Ruth. The Keeper of Lost Things. New York: HarperCollins 2017. Print.
First Sentences:
Description:
Sometimes a plot line is enough to compel me to read a book from cover to cover. Such is the case with Ruth Hogan's The Keeper of Lost Things. It is a love story, a series of mysteries, an inner peak into the minds of several very interesting, unique individuals, and a beautifully-written tale.
The story centers around elderly Andrew Peardew, the Keeper of Lost Things. He comes across minor items in his daily life - a button, a puzzle piece, a biscuit box containing the cremains of an unknown person - and brings them home to his study. There he carefully catalogs each item's description along with the time and place of its finding before storing them in orderly bureau drawers and shelves. The reason? He has a desire to return them somehow to their owners.
He continues to find small things, but has little success identifying owners. But he eventually starts writing fictional stories about possible scenarios and people explaining how these items were lost. The stories are collected into highly popular books that support him during his quest. We get to read a few of very brief gems of stories that beautifully envision the events that led to the separation of an item from its owner. These snippets are another highlight of an already delightful book.
But always in his mind is his yearning for his fiancee from years ago. Her death just before their wedding was the beginning of his collecting. Andrew eventually does hire Laura, a recent, sad divorcee, to help with his collection and eventually take over the responsibility of finding these unknown owners. How he or she will ever accomplish this task is unknown,
Sounds like a simple story, and it is. But in the skillful hands of Hogan, the story and these people, come alive as secrets and yearnings are slowly uncovered. And I haven't even mentioned the love story behind Eunice and Bomber, the small press publishers of Andrew's stories. and Sunshine, the next door neighbor who befriends Laura and aids in the quest for owners. Wonderful characters and stories all.
This is such a gentle, lovely read that I highly recommend it as an antidote to the anyone needing a reassurance about the goodness of people and the individual love that can be displayed to our fellow humans..
Allende, Isabel. The Japanese Lover
Charles Bramwell Brockley was traveling alone and without a ticket on the 14:42 from London Bridge to Brighton.The Huntley & Palmers biscuit tin in which he was traveling teetered precariously on the edge of the seat as the train juddered to a halt at Haywards Heath. But just as it toppled forward toward the carriage floor it was gathered up by a safe pair of hands.
Description:
Sometimes a plot line is enough to compel me to read a book from cover to cover. Such is the case with Ruth Hogan's The Keeper of Lost Things. It is a love story, a series of mysteries, an inner peak into the minds of several very interesting, unique individuals, and a beautifully-written tale.
The story centers around elderly Andrew Peardew, the Keeper of Lost Things. He comes across minor items in his daily life - a button, a puzzle piece, a biscuit box containing the cremains of an unknown person - and brings them home to his study. There he carefully catalogs each item's description along with the time and place of its finding before storing them in orderly bureau drawers and shelves. The reason? He has a desire to return them somehow to their owners.
He continues to find small things, but has little success identifying owners. But he eventually starts writing fictional stories about possible scenarios and people explaining how these items were lost. The stories are collected into highly popular books that support him during his quest. We get to read a few of very brief gems of stories that beautifully envision the events that led to the separation of an item from its owner. These snippets are another highlight of an already delightful book.
But always in his mind is his yearning for his fiancee from years ago. Her death just before their wedding was the beginning of his collecting. Andrew eventually does hire Laura, a recent, sad divorcee, to help with his collection and eventually take over the responsibility of finding these unknown owners. How he or she will ever accomplish this task is unknown,
Sounds like a simple story, and it is. But in the skillful hands of Hogan, the story and these people, come alive as secrets and yearnings are slowly uncovered. And I haven't even mentioned the love story behind Eunice and Bomber, the small press publishers of Andrew's stories. and Sunshine, the next door neighbor who befriends Laura and aids in the quest for owners. Wonderful characters and stories all.
This is such a gentle, lovely read that I highly recommend it as an antidote to the anyone needing a reassurance about the goodness of people and the individual love that can be displayed to our fellow humans..
It was a sweeping story of love and loss, life and death, and, above all, redemption. It was the story of a grand passion that had endured for more than forty years and finally found its happy ending.
Happy reading.
Fred
(See more recommended books)
________________________________________
If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
________________________________________
If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
Allende, Isabel. The Japanese Lover
A young woman working in an old person's home discovers one of her elderly residents has a very mysterious past, and a secret that might still be pursued in the present. (Previously reviewed here.)
