The Keeper of Lost Things

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A charming novel ... It covers love and loss, friendship and pain through beautifully written prose -- Carol Sampson Ha.... and that’s the way I prepare tea in my house every day, several times a day. Why don’t you believe me? I was very intrigued by the premise of The Keeper of Lost Things, a book filled with characters who strive to unite lost objects with their owners, and put it on hold at my library. The synopsis made it sound like a serious journey, with characters finding themselves too on their quest to reunite these lost things, but instead it fell short. Though the book has moments of greatness and of poetic writing, the main story manages to be shallow, due to its reliance on stereotypes and convenience. I was also not fond of the jarring phrases the author randomly tossed into her writing.

I really appreciated the meanings and morals behind this story. This is a multi-perspective, multi-timeline read with all the feels!

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.

But the final wishes of the 'Keeper of Lost Things' have unforeseen repercussions which trigger a most serendipitous series of encounters... Hogan's touching, funny and romantic debut is that rare and precious thing: a real story with brilliant characters * Daily Mail * How are we introduced to Laura? How would you describe her? Why has intimacy been such a problem for her? How does owning Peardew's house affect her? In what way does she become an agent of change and redemption?

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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.

Having said that, the group did enjoy Anthony's imagined stories for each lost item and found them very creative (the ones highlighted in the discussion were the jigsaw piece and the umbrella). Though Anthony's compulsion for collecting lost things to find peace and work through his grief did seem a bit over exaggerated eg a button isn't something people might even remember losing let alone try to find again. This seemed a little too bizarre.Anthony Peardew has spent half his life collecting lost objects, trying to atone for a promise broken many years before. 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 accidentally 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. Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancee, 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. There are two plot-timelines. Both were engaging—-but there was also a ‘third’ treat: stories within the storytelling. They were good! Afterall the Gentleman- Anthony Peardew, “Keeper of Lost Things”, was a writer! 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.

I am Alan Greenwell, aged 66, sole male member of Hartlepool Central Library Reading Group. My usual reading matter is military history, techno thrillers and fantasy. 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.… Hogan's debut pulls in readers with each crafty chapter. — Joyce Sparrow, Kenneth City, FL Talk about Sunshine, who describes herself as a "dancing drome." Did you appreciate her clairvoyance and connection with the irascible ghost? What do Freddy and Sunshine represent to Laura?

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If you are a lover of wonderfully told stories where people truly love one another, then this book is ever so right for you. It is told with such tenderness of a love story immersed within two love stories. It is a story of requited love and love that was felt but never could be carried through. It was a story of people, a bit broken at times, but with the strength and love we all possess and probably should show more of. I studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths College which was brilliant, but then I came home and got a 'proper' job. I worked for ten years in a senior local government position (I was definitely a square peg in a round hole, but it paid the bills and mortgage) before a car accident left me unable to work full-time and convinced me to start writing seriously. It was going well, but then in 2012 I got cancer, which was bloody inconvenient but precipitated an exciting hair journey from bald to a peroxide blonde Annie Lennox crop. When chemo kept me up all night I passed the time writing and the eventual result was The Keeper of Lost Things.