Synopsis
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...
When Janice starts cleaning for Mrs B - a shrewd and tricksy woman in her nineties - she meets someone who wants to hear her story. But Janice is clear: she is the keeper of stories, she doesn't have a story to tell. At least, not one she can share.
Mrs B is no fool and knows there is more to Janice than meets the eye. What is she hiding? After all, doesn't everyone have a story to tell?
Publisher information
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
- ISBN: 9780008453510
- Number of pages: 384
- Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 25 mm
- Weight: 260g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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An Entertaining And Engaging Read
Cleaner Janice knows that it is in people's stories that you normally get to know them. From recently-widowed Fiona and her son Adam; to opera-singing Geor... READ MORE
Wonderful storytelling
An absolutely wonderful unputdownable book full of delightful characters and their stories. Janice is an inspirational character and along with Mrs B, the ... READ MORE
Absolutely wonderful!
Isn’t it wonderful when you find a new favourite author? I absolutely loved every word in this beautiful novel and was sad when it ended (although the end... READ MORE
Simply fabulous!
‘Every man should leave a story better than he found it’ (Mary Augusta Ward)which is most certainly true of our storyteller Janice. Janice is an exception... READ MORE
Delightful, Fresh & Riveting
The Keeper of Stories is stacked with delightful characters and their stories. Janice is a cleaner in Cambridge. As she goes about her work she sees a lot ... READ MORE
Heart-warming, humourous, and eloquently written
Oh Janice. You have left an indelible imprint on my heart!
“The Keeper of Stories” is about human nature with all its flaws and inconsistencies. A fabulou... READ MORE
Lovely gentle read
Janice is a cleaner. It is a job she mostly enjoys & it gets her out of the house away from her feckless husband. She regards herself as very ordinary but ... READ MORE
Poignant, charming and a little bit quirky
Janice is a collector of stories. She's a cleaner in Cambridge, and it's mostly her clients who tell her stories that she stores away to provide solace to ... READ MORE
Totally brilliant
Janice is an excellent cleaner. She is also a collector of stories and adds to them regularly. When she is asked to help clean up an elderly lady’s home,... READ MORE
Slow burner
Although I found it a slow start the more I read of this novel of the cleaner who collected stories the more I enjoyed it.
In the end I was very keen to s... READ MORE
Wonderful read!
Janice is a cleaner and cleans for an interesting bunch of folk, some treat her like a good friend, some don’t, but they all have stories and over the year... READ MORE
Incredible Debut Book
Wow what amazing Debut book by the author, I loved this book and could not put these down, This Book tells the story of Janice who's a cleaner who cleaner ... READ MORE
Full of Life
Thank you very much to Sally for organising me a review copy.
This is a lovely story, I absolutely adore the characters especially Mrs B!
I don't like to... READ MORE
5*****
This was an unexpected 5* for me. It sounded like a nice enough story and an easy read but it ended up being one of my favorite reads of 2023. A gorgeous s... READ MORE
Lovely read
I really liked the idea of this book from the blurb. I engaged with all the central characters from the get go, even Janice’s awful husband! The employers... READ MORE
A story to treasure
Janice is an excellent cleaner, according to her clients. She is also an excellent listener. She 'collects' her clients' stories, keeping them safe as many... READ MORE
Buy it!
Absolutely Brilliant!!!
If you are pondering if you should buy this book then my advice is definitely do it. You will not be disappointed because it is st... READ MORE
Wonderful
I loved this book! It was such a delight. Janice is a cleaner, who goes around lots of different houses to clean, and when she does so, she gets to hear ... READ MORE
Definitely not ‘just a cleaner’
What a wonderful life affirming, hopeful story this is. Main protagonist Janice is definitely not ‘just a cleaner’ as her wastrel of a husband refers to he... READ MORE
The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page
The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page is the author’s debut book and I found it delightful, funny and sad. It was for me a near perfect read and I thoroughly... READ MORE
Unusual theme
An unusual theme and an excellent debut novel.
One constant is the character, Janice, who pulls the book together. Along the way we meet various character... READ MORE
Interesteing
This is a very interesting read. I love the interact between Mrs. B and Janice. I adore the way she collects stories. It's very refreshing type of book. It... READ MORE
A delight
What a delight. I took a while to settle into this as I was worried it might be a bit too twee but it wasn't. Janice is such a strong and interesting cha... READ MORE
Gentle and delightful
Janice is a cleaner, she's a very good cleaner but to her husband and her clients she is just a cleaner. Janice hides secrets and collects stories but whe... READ MORE
You go Janice!
With a main character as my namesake and the connection to
a florist in the story how could I resist this book - and it did not disappoint. I thought it ... READ MORE
Delightful story telling by the author
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it turned a somewhat mundane subject into an extremely heartwarming, empathetic story, it made me smile and also brought a ... READ MORE
Rather bland.
The premise for this book was appealing. However it did not live up to my expectations. I found the writing very childlike. Far too much detail was give... READ MORE
Everyone has their story to tell
I do worry a little when the marketing blurb pushing a new book speaks of it being ‘charming,’ or ‘uplifting’ and, especially ‘feel good.’ For me, however ... READ MORE
A wonderful debut novel that is at once life-affirming, humourous, and uplifting.
Oh Janice. You have left an indelible imprint on my heart!
"The Keeper of Stories" is about human nature with all its flaws and inconsistencies. A fabulou... READ MORE
Character-rich, life-affirming 'Uplit'. A wonderful read!
Oh Janice. You have left an indelible imprint on my heart!
"The Keeper of Stories" is about human nature with all its flaws and inconsistencies. A fabulou... READ MORE
Janice is great - and so are her supporting cast. A very good read
I loved this book. Janice is such a great character and the supporting cast is great too. Well written and a great read. Thanks go to the publisher for an ... READ MORE
What's Your Story?
Janice is an extraordinary cleaner and she is in high demand. While she does her work, Janice also collects stories and feels that each person has one stor... READ MORE
Charming
This was an engaging debut featuring an unexpectedly heartbreaking story, that of cleaner Janice who loves to listen to and collect her clients stories but... READ MORE
Lovely book!
Lovely book! Our heroine - Janice is a cleaner and a very good one too. Not only can she clean but she can turn her hand to just about any problem. But she... READ MORE
Heartwarming
Wow, what a fantastic book that kept me rooting for the main character, Janice. Janice had had a hard life and is married to one of life’s takers. She wor... READ MORE
Amazing Debut Book
Wow what amazing Debut book by the author, I loved this book and could not put these down, This Book tells the story of Janice who's a cleaner who cleaner ... READ MORE
A Fabulous Debut
The Keeper Of Stories by Sally Page is a delightful contemporary debut novel that enchanted me from the start.
We all have a story to tell. Some we want to... READ MORE
A great feel good read
Having been drawn to this book by the blurb, I have to say I found myself wondering whether I was actually going to enjoy it during the first few chapters.... READ MORE
I haven't lughed so much reading a book in years and a wondeful debut by Sally Page!
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... READ MORE
Really enjoyable!
I was sent a copy of The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page to read and review by NetGalley. To begin with I wasn’t too sure about this book and set it aside... READ MORE
A cleaner and a collector
In this book, we meet Janice. Who is a cleaner and a collector of stories.
People tell her their stories and she overhears them. When working or on the ... READ MORE