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Start giftingThe Keeper of Stories
Narrator
Jessica Whittaker
This audiobook uses AI narration.
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Length
10 hours 16 minutes
Language
English
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 to tell?
After studying history at university, Sally Page moved to London to work in advertising. In her spare time she studied floristry at night school and eventually opened her own flower shop. Sally came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and she began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of nonfiction books. Later, Sally continued her interest in writing when she founded her fountain pen company, Plooms.co.uk.
In her debut novel, The Keeper of Stories, Sally combines her love of history and writing with her abiding interest in the stories people have to tell. Sally now lives in Dorset. Her eldest daughter, Alex, is studying to be a doctor and her youngest daughter is the author Libby Page.
Reviews
“I absolutely loved it! So different, clever, funny, and charming.”
“A treasure of a book. Beautiful, emotional, and heartfelt with a cornucopia of characters you’ll love spending time with.”
“Funny, wise, moving, and full of lovely moments…The characters are endearing and unforgettable.”
“Absolutely spellbinding…Warm-hearted, thoughtful, funny, and yet deeply poignant.”
“Heartwarming, intricate, and empathetic, Sally Page has given us a treasure of a novel. You’ll love all the characters, and yes, there’s even a great dog. Completely delightful and warm.”
“This is a deceptively ‘gentle’ story that addresses complex issues with a light touch. It’s about the importance of stories and how we sometimes tell the wrong ones about ourselves, even when we’re careful not to do that about other people. And it’s also about friendship, and how important making families is. You don’t need to be related to people to make a family, and sometimes it’s best if you’re not. I loved Janice (I adore competent protagonists and really liked her ability to do pretty much anything she turns her hand to) and was rooting for her throughout. Plus there’s a foul-mouthed fox terrier that’s one of the best ‘dog characters’ I’ve read recently.”
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