de Ruth Hogan
A charming, clever, and quietly moving debut novel of of endless possibilities and joyful discoveries that explores the promises we make and break, losing and finding ourselves, the objects that hold magic and meaning for our lives, and the surprising connections that bind us.
Lime green plastic flower-shaped hair bobbles—Found, on the playing field, Derrywood Park, 2nd September.
Bone china cup and saucer—Found, on a bench in Riveria Public Gardens, 31st October.
Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects—the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidently left behind—and writing stories about them. Now, in the twilight of his life, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners. As the end nears, he bequeaths his secret life's mission to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, leaving her his house and and all its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost.
Recovering from a bad divorce, Laura, in some ways, is one of Anthony's lost things. But when the lonely woman moves into his mansion, her life begins to change. She finds a new friend in the neighbor's quirky daughter, Sunshine, and a welcome distraction in Freddy, the rugged gardener. As the dark cloud engulfing her lifts, Laura, accompanied by her new companions, sets out to realize Anthony's last wish: reuniting his cherished lost objects with their owners.
Long ago, Eunice found a trinket on the London pavement and kept it through the years. Now, with her own end drawing near, she has lost something precious—a tragic twist of fate that forces her to break a promise she once made.
As the Keeper of Lost Objects, Laura holds the key to Anthony and Eunice's redemption. But can she unlock the past and make the connections that will lay their spirits to rest?
Full of character, wit, and wisdom, The Keeper of Lost Things is heartwarming tale that will enchant fans of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Garden Spells, Mrs Queen Takes the Train, and The Silver Linings Playbook.
A charming, clever, and quietly moving debut novel of of endless possibilities and joyful discoveries that explores the promises we make and break, losing and finding ourselves, the objects that hold magic and meaning for our lives, and the surprising connections that bind us.
Lime green plastic flower-shaped hair bobbles—Found, on the playing field, Derrywood Park, 2nd September.
Bone china cup and saucer—Found, on a bench in Riveria Public Gardens, 31st October.
Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects—the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidently left behind—and writing stories about them. Now, in the twilight of his life, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners. As the end nears, he bequeaths his secret life's mission to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, leaving her his house and and all its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost.
Recovering from a bad divorce, Laura, in some ways, is one of Anthony's lost things. But when the lonely woman moves into his mansion, her life begins to change. She finds a new friend in the neighbor's quirky daughter, Sunshine, and a welcome distraction in Freddy, the rugged gardener. As the dark cloud engulfing her lifts, Laura, accompanied by her new companions, sets out to realize Anthony's last wish: reuniting his cherished lost objects with their owners.
Long ago, Eunice found a trinket on the London pavement and kept it through the years. Now, with her own end drawing near, she has lost something precious—a tragic twist of fate that forces her to break a promise she once made.
As the Keeper of Lost Objects, Laura holds the key to Anthony and Eunice's redemption. But can she unlock the past and make the connections that will lay their spirits to rest?
Full of character, wit, and wisdom, The Keeper of Lost Things is heartwarming tale that will enchant fans of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Garden Spells, Mrs Queen Takes the Train, and The Silver Linings Playbook.
Critiques-
-
Writer Anthony Peardew carelessly lost a keepsake from his fianc�e on the very day that she died. For 40 years, Peardew makes it his life's work to collect the items people lose, catalogue them, and create stories around them. Jane Collingwood offers a strong, believable performance as Laura, who answers Peardew's ad for an assistant. When Peardew dies, he leaves Laura his villa, Padua, and his collection, with the proviso that she locate the owners and return their lost things. Flashback to the '70s and Eunice, who answers a similar ad. Sandra Duncan gives Eunice a warm, mature timbre. As Eunice's life nears its end, fascinating connections are revealed. Collingwood and Duncan make Ruth Hogan's imaginative, sometimes magical debut novel a listening joy. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
-
February 15, 2017
Interlacing plots join this cozy, clever, contemporary English story, unveiling the layers of four lives brought together by the discovery of a biscuit tin full of human ashes found on a train. Laura, an unhappy 35-year-old divorcee, answers an ad for a writer's assistant. Years earlier, Eunice responds to a similar advertisement for a publisher's assistant. Enter Anthony Peardew, the writer, and Bomber, the publisher, who both have their own complicated romantic and family histories. The story involves Anthony's collection of lost items he catalogs and stores in the locked study at Padua, the Victorian villa where he lives and writes. He acquires items he finds in gutters, parks, and trains: jigsaw puzzle pieces, hair ribbons, umbrellas, etc. The novel includes short tales with the narratives behind each lost item. Laura decides to create a website to find the owners of the artifacts, including the human ashes. VERDICT Hogan's debut pulls in readers with each crafty chapter. Memorable minor characters add to the plot in this excellent selection for discussion groups.--Joyce Sparrow, Kenneth City, FL
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-
October 1, 2016
Forty years ago, Anthony Peardew's fiancee died on the day he lost one of her keepsakes, and since then he has mournfully acted as the Keeper of Lost Things. Nearing death, he bequeaths his mansion and its contents to his assistant, Laura, hoping she can return his findings to their rightful owners. A debut novel that buzzed at the 2015 London Book Fair and has been sold in 12 territories; with a 50,000-copy first printing.Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-
October 1, 2016
Forty years ago, Anthony Peardew's fiancee died on the day he lost one of her keepsakes, and since then he has mournfully acted as the Keeper of Lost Things. Nearing death, he bequeaths his mansion and its contents to his assistant, Laura, hoping she can return his findings to their rightful owners. A debut novel that buzzed at the 2015 London Book Fair and has been sold in 12 territories; with a 50,000-copy first printing.
Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-
February 1, 2017
Hogan's whimsical first novel weaves together the stories of two British assistants, one of whom works for a publisher in the 1970s and the other who, in the present day, works for an unusual elderly gentleman who has dedicated himself to assembling a room full of "a sad salmagundi" of 40 years' worth of detritus lost or abandoned by its owners.In the '70s, imaginative young Eunice escapes from a dull life into a job with the charming Bomber, who runs an old-school publishing house where he picks only books of which he is personally fond while trying to avoid the manuscripts sent to him by his shrewish sister, Portia. Forty years later, Laura, awash in Prozac and alcohol after dumping her caddish husband, lands at the door of Anthony, the titular "keeper of lost things." Soon after she's hired, Anthony dies, leaving her the house and the responsibility of uniting the lost things with their former owners. She finds herself involved not only with the project, but with the estate's appealing gardener; a mysterious young woman with Down syndrome and psychic abilities; and a peevish ghost. The two storylines entwine with the short stories Anthony has written about the former owners of his objects, most of which turn out to be surprisingly on target and all of which add a welcome dash of sorrow and disappointment to what otherwise starts to turn into a rather conventional romance. While the villainous Portia, who writes novels with plots plagiarized from Jane Austen and J.K. Rowling, quickly grows wearisome, the other characters have spunk and wit to spare, and if the plot requires considerable suspension of disbelief, Hogan's writing has the soothing warmth of the cups of cocoa and tea her characters regularly dispense. Readers looking for some undemanding, old-fashioned storytelling with a sprinkling of magic will find it here.COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
-
January 1, 2017
Reeling after a recent divorce, Laura takes a job as the housekeeper and assistant of eccentric writer Anthony Peardew and unknowingly steps into a world of lost things. Adrift herself, Laura finally feels at peace while at Anthony's estate and grows to understand his tragic past. After his sudden death, Laura is charged with the task of reuniting Anthony's collection of lost items and their owners in hopes of mending just one broken heart. This job seems insurmountable, and she soon discovers the house is filled with not just lost trinkets but lost souls, too. This present-day narrative alternates with the history behind each misplaced object as well as the life story of Eunice, who has both lost and found objects vital to Laura's mission. Although these story lines progress slowly and feel a bit detached, warm and quirky characters and the mystery of each lost item impel the reader forward. In the end, Hogan's first novel reveals how even discarded items have significance and seemingly random objects, people, and places are all interconnected.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)
