Publication
One More Chapter (2022), 326 pages
Status
Available
Description
Fiction. Literature. HTML: A charming, uplifting debut novel�??full of humor and depth�??that has taken readers around the world by surprise. Everyone has a story to tell. But does Janice have the power to unlock her own? 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 had always done so, but now it is different, now the stories are reaching out to her and she gathers them to her ... Cleaner Janice knows that it is in people's stories that you really get to know them. From recently widowed Fiona and her son Adam to opera-singing Geordie, the quiet bus driver Euan, and the pretentious Mrs. "YeahYeahYeah" and her fox terrier, Decius, Janice has a unique insight into the community around her. When Janice starts cleaning for Mrs. B�??a shrewd and prickly woman in her nineties�??she finally 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 t… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member nicx27
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 her at difficult times, not because they're all uplifting stories, more that they are there for Janice when she needs them. It's only when she
The Keeper of Stories is a lovely debut novel. I loved Janice's story and the way she evolved throughout the book from a woman worn down by her circumstances to someone with such hope for the future. I really enjoyed the characterisations, particularly Janice's clients, both the delightful and the not so nice. All were portrayed brilliantly and I found myself smiling, either because they were so pleasant, or at Janice's wry observations about them. However, the star of the whole thing for me was Decius, the fox terrier who belongs to an unpleasant couple that Janice cleans for. Janice loves him so much and he's such a memorable character in this book. I think everybody needs a Decius!
The idea of collecting stories is what drew me to this book initially. I think it's quite a magical concept and it's a delightful read overall, a treasure trove of life experiences. This is a book with a number of different threads, some of them seemingly looser than others, but as they are all pulled together it is obvious that Sally Page has plotted this book incredibly well, drawing all the characters and their stories together to make something poignant, charming and a little bit quirky. I enjoyed it very much.
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starts cleaning for Mrs B that Janice realises that somebody might actually want to listen to her own story for a change and Mrs B gradually coaxes it out of her in a most skilful fashion.The Keeper of Stories is a lovely debut novel. I loved Janice's story and the way she evolved throughout the book from a woman worn down by her circumstances to someone with such hope for the future. I really enjoyed the characterisations, particularly Janice's clients, both the delightful and the not so nice. All were portrayed brilliantly and I found myself smiling, either because they were so pleasant, or at Janice's wry observations about them. However, the star of the whole thing for me was Decius, the fox terrier who belongs to an unpleasant couple that Janice cleans for. Janice loves him so much and he's such a memorable character in this book. I think everybody needs a Decius!
The idea of collecting stories is what drew me to this book initially. I think it's quite a magical concept and it's a delightful read overall, a treasure trove of life experiences. This is a book with a number of different threads, some of them seemingly looser than others, but as they are all pulled together it is obvious that Sally Page has plotted this book incredibly well, drawing all the characters and their stories together to make something poignant, charming and a little bit quirky. I enjoyed it very much.
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LibraryThing member LiteraryLeftovers
When you’re afraid to stand in the spotlight and examine your own story, it is far easier to instead collect other people’s tales like tokens, spinning each close to the heart. This is exactly what Janice, an isolated cleaner struggling with guilt and burdened by her history, has done with her
The pace builds softly but surely, with small images tossed out like scraps, feeding your imagination just enough to keep you reading the heartfelt scenes and vignettes with bated breath. Secrets are unwrapped slowly, one at a time, bittersweet confections with savoury tidbits encased inside. It is not often that a book remains magnificent from beginning to end, but The Keeper of Stories does not disappoint, and instead, through character, plot, and prose, it leaves a delicious aftertaste behind, one which is utterly satisfying.
‘Tis a book best enjoyed sitting in a cozy window seat, watching the rain fall as you sip from a cup of steaming hot chocolate that is lightly topped with a dash of marshmallows, cinnamon, and cream.
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life. She is quiet and unassuming, which makes her an ideal canvas, a manuscript whom others can lay their words upon. When Janice begins cleaning for an unusual client — a former spy who seems to see right through her — she is asked for the first time what her own story is, and must learn to rediscover her voice.The pace builds softly but surely, with small images tossed out like scraps, feeding your imagination just enough to keep you reading the heartfelt scenes and vignettes with bated breath. Secrets are unwrapped slowly, one at a time, bittersweet confections with savoury tidbits encased inside. It is not often that a book remains magnificent from beginning to end, but The Keeper of Stories does not disappoint, and instead, through character, plot, and prose, it leaves a delicious aftertaste behind, one which is utterly satisfying.
‘Tis a book best enjoyed sitting in a cozy window seat, watching the rain fall as you sip from a cup of steaming hot chocolate that is lightly topped with a dash of marshmallows, cinnamon, and cream.
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LibraryThing member shazjhb
Loved this book. Set in England. Cleaning lady who is a collector of stories plus a lovely romance
LibraryThing member bereanna
ARC
Charming story about a woman who is “just a cleaner” who is a collector of other peoples’ stories. She befriends many of her clients who make positive changes in their lives with her influence. In return she learns her own story.
Charming story about a woman who is “just a cleaner” who is a collector of other peoples’ stories. She befriends many of her clients who make positive changes in their lives with her influence. In return she learns her own story.
LibraryThing member FerneMysteryReader
Janice cleans houses, and as her clients confide in her, she savors the stories they tell her. Each story is different as each person is different. "She believes the stories need to be based on real life because they convince her that the unexpected can happen, that there is extraordinary strength
I loved the stories within a story, collected by someone who listened to others as she did her work. The stories reflect the lives of the different customers; each person’s life is different, depending on the blending of their age, past and present life experiences, their relationships, and the various factors contributing to their attitude and outlook. It is a story that gives us pause to reflect on how each person we meet contributes to our life journey and becomes a part of our story, sometimes for a short period, sometimes for the remainder of our lives. For me, it is a story of appreciation of each person’s life story and how our life story can be affected by our interactions with others, both as we receive and give to one another.
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and goodness within normal, everyday people and, because of this, there is always hope." Janice has also listened to her husband, and for the 30 years she’s known him, it seems like there is one part of his story that has become quite repetitive. But it is a client, Mrs. B., who unfolds the truth within Janice’s story connected to her husband's story that changes everything.I loved the stories within a story, collected by someone who listened to others as she did her work. The stories reflect the lives of the different customers; each person’s life is different, depending on the blending of their age, past and present life experiences, their relationships, and the various factors contributing to their attitude and outlook. It is a story that gives us pause to reflect on how each person we meet contributes to our life journey and becomes a part of our story, sometimes for a short period, sometimes for the remainder of our lives. For me, it is a story of appreciation of each person’s life story and how our life story can be affected by our interactions with others, both as we receive and give to one another.
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LibraryThing member pgchuis
Read for book club.
Janice, a cleaner who seems to spend more time talking to her clients than actually cleaning their houses, sees herself as a 'keeper of stories'. I thought this concept was a bit pointless really - we all overhear conversations on the bus and we all tell our stories to our
There were some good moments in this - the scene with Mike and his brushes had me fully engaged, and the Janice and Euan romance was sweet - but overall this was rather scattered, and some characters and plot elements just disappeared. What was going on with the mortgage for example? The 'Becky' story was unsavoury and entirely irrelevant to the plot and should have been edited out.
Still, at least I actually finished this month's book...
Janice, a cleaner who seems to spend more time talking to her clients than actually cleaning their houses, sees herself as a 'keeper of stories'. I thought this concept was a bit pointless really - we all overhear conversations on the bus and we all tell our stories to our
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friends.There were some good moments in this - the scene with Mike and his brushes had me fully engaged, and the Janice and Euan romance was sweet - but overall this was rather scattered, and some characters and plot elements just disappeared. What was going on with the mortgage for example? The 'Becky' story was unsavoury and entirely irrelevant to the plot and should have been edited out.
Still, at least I actually finished this month's book...
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Language
Original language
English
ISBN
9780008453503