The Keeper of Lost Things: A Novel Hardcover – February 21, 2017

I liked this book from the very start (maybe from reading the premise), but it took me a while to figure out that there were actually three story lines—Anthony, his housekeeper/secretary Laura, Freddy the gardener, and Sunshine (more later); Anthony and his deceased fiancée Therese (now a rather irritating ghost; and Bomber, a publisher, and his devoted friend Eunice who loves him despite his being gay.Laura is the string that ties all of the stories together. Following a painful divorce, she is both thrilled and relieved to be hired by author/publisher Anthony to be his assistant. He has stopped writing, but is a faithful and generous employer and friend to Laura. She does not know that he has a collection of lost things.When Anthony dies, she is shocked to find that Anthony has left her his house and all his worldly goods. The condition that she try to find and return all the lost things he has picked up over the years. He began collecting them when his fiancée died on the very day he himself lost the St. Therese of the Flowers medal she had given him.There are lesser conditions as well. One is that Laura befriend a young neighbor with Down’s Syndrome. The other is that she be nice to the gardener. Sunshine, the young neighbor, is absolutely charming and intuitive. Her speech patterns are a little unusual but she grows delightfully as a person throughout the novel.Well, I could go on and on describing the different threads of this lovely novel. But the best thing would be that you make “the lovely cup of tea” (per Sunshine), sit down and read it yourself.

To paraphrase the words of Belle, I have just finished the most magnificent book. I LOVED this book!Anthony hires Laura as his housekeeper. Laura is divorced and lonely. She needs something different to do. Anthony has been a finder of lost items which he brings home and meticulously records when and where he found them. Upon Anthony's passing, Laura is left his home with instructions to find the owners of the lost things he has found through the years. Can she do it?These characters are wonderful. I laughed. I cried. I saw things come full circle. There are three stories in these pages. Anthony and Therese's story is the first and, for me, maybe the most tragic. Eunice and Bomber's was, perhaps, the funniest though it also brought me to tears. His sister, Portia, made it both funny and sad. Laura and Freddy, the gardener, was the most recent. Each story has its highs and lows. Each person must determine what is right and best for them. At times I was not sure if the choice was right. But I grew to love these characters.Another character, Sunshine, Anthony's neighbor girl was a bright spot. She saw with the heart. She was honest, even when people did not want her to be so honest. Her openness was wonderful as she knew stories of the things Anthony found.Stories came full circle at the end. My heart ached for the endings at times. Other times I was cheered by those endings.This is not a book to be overlooked or forgotten. It is a wonderful story full of magic and love. It is a keeper!

A story filled with memories, the reclaiming of lost items and happy endings. Thank you Ruth Hogan for the smiles , the tears and the laughter.

This is a delightful story with a bit of magic sprinkled on the pages. All I can tell you is to let it unfold. Don’t over think it, waste time trying to analyze, or look for pitfalls. Just roll with it and enjoy the magic.The chapters flit back and fourth between present day Laura and forty years ago Eunice before gradually merging into the present day. I admit, this took some concentration at first until I got used to the rhythm between Laura and Eunice.The main characters are gradually and meticulously developed. I felt a disconnection at first and then a gradual sense of an “ahha moment” looming. It kept me turning the pages and more importantly, thinking about the story after I had placed my bookmark and then finally closing the book.Sunshine is the sun of the story, who despite her handicap sees things so much more clearly than those around her. The Keeper of Lost Things is a weaving of many stories to create a literary picture of life with a touch of magic. What’s not to love?A Sunny ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Unexpectedly good with a great heart!

This book is so lovingly written. It’s sweet and infuriating, classic romance in the new set way possible. Would highly recommend this read!

What a heart warming story! The characters are full of what makes us human. Our insecurities, our willingness to reluctantly try life.

Alternately sad, heartwarming and laugh out loud funny, this book brought me to love the characters, especially Sunshine. I loved her open innocence and her ability to read a situation perfectly. For me, she was the star of this book. Freddy was also a lovable, level headed character.The similarities between Laura and Eunice were strongly tied together and until well into the book, I kept wondering exactly what tied the two together. This book was just a beautifully written piece of prose and I highly recommend it.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The short stories about the missing items are unusual and interesting. It just goes to show how every lost thing has so much to tell! Even Laura, Freddy and Sunshine were lost people who found each other. It is amazing how everything comes together at the end. I will definitely recommend this book to every age and genre of readers.

Couldn't find it in any bookstore in my town but Amazon helped me find it.As for the book, reading it gives you the feeling you get standing under the sun on a winter morning in a garden full of flowers. Even in its crescendo, it is as smooth as a wave toppling over before hitting the beach.

Very well written, liked the story. Interesting plot. I would love to read more books written by the same author.

Lovely story

ummm it’s a book . . . I read it!!