Winner of the Richard & Judy Readers' Award and Sunday Times bestseller

Also a lovely book. sad at times, amusing at others. Written with a sense of how the gentle side of human nature
behaves.Also looks at some of the crazy co-incidences of life.
How people can come together, through some inexplicable event, of a lost item..
I really loved it and read it after reading "Lost for words" by Stephanie Butlar. some of the little stories are quite surprising, some very amusing.
If you are looking for a peaceful book, for holidays, or night-time reading, you will enjoy this book.

It is a strange beginning, with a tin containing someone’s remains being left on a train. I had largely forgotten this incident until the end of the book, it wasn’t something that drove my curiosity, as Anthony collected so many strange things I just thought it was something else. Anthony is the keeper of lost things referred to in the title and since the death of his wife, it appears to have consumed his life. We only really learn his motivation at the end of the novel. He has lost something that needs to be returned and in helping others, he hopes to find what he is looking for.

Laura joins Anthony as his assistant after her husband leaves her and she needs to rebuild her confidence and find a job. When Anthony dies he leaves the house and his meticulously cataloged collection to her, on the understanding that she will endeavor to unite the owners with their lost property. After the funeral, Laura gains a new friend in Sunshine, a young woman with down syndrome who lives across the road. She is charming, thoughtful and loyal, with an element of psychic perception when it comes to the items which are lost. It is she that suggests Therese is unhappy and angry following Anthony’s death. Like Forrest Gump, there is a wonderful straightforward innocence about her which makes her both charming and endearing as a character.

Freddie is the gardener who stays to look after the rose garden, again planted for Therese before Anthony died. Laura finds it difficult to accept anyone would like her after her husband left and initially tries to drive Freddie away. He helps her with the lost property website and eventually earns her trust.

Eunice and Bomber form the second, parallel part of the story. Eunice applied for the job with the established publisher after becoming bored with her previous occupation. Despite the age difference, she spends over 30 years in his employ until his death. They form an abiding love and affection based on books and films. They laugh over Bomber’s sister Portia and her attempt to re-write Lady Chatterley’s Lover and then Jane Eyre. The funniest combination was the mixing of Harry Potter and 50 Shades which becomes a notorious bestseller, making her lavishly successful. When Bomber succumbs to Alzheimer’s it is to Eunice and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest that he turns. Under Portia’s direction, the funeral is an unintentional farce.

The ending sees everyone’s lost property returned to them and Therese’s ghost finally finding the peace which she has sought. Despite finding the antic’s of Therese’s ghost bizarre, I thought the characters were all warm and interesting. I particularly liked Sunshine and was glad that disability was shown in such a positive light. Having a disability doesn’t mean that you can’t make a positive and enriching contribution to other people’s lives.

The main storyline of The Keeper of Lost Things follows Laura who attempts to reunite lost things with their owners. Originally collected by her deceased employer, Anthony Peardew, the challenge the lost things poses for Laura leads to her discovering more about herself and the life she wants. Running alongside Laura's story is that of Eunice and Bomber's friendship which begins in the 1970s. Short stories written about the original owners of some of the lost things, and how they were lost, are interspersed with both of these timelines.

I was a little put off by the switches back and forth between characters and times, but I gradually became accustomed to them, and by the half way point I barely noticed them at all. I did wonder how all the stories would come together, and tried to pick up on all the hints and clues thrown along the way.

A good book is one that makes you care about the characters and I certainly did in this case. Each of the main characters was given enough complexity to feel real, and the secondary characters supported the storylines brilliantly. I became annoyed with Laura at times, even though she was a main character, and felt that Freddy's relationship with her was understated. I especially liked Sunshine and Eunice, and laughed a lot at Bomber's sister, Portia.

The Keeper of Lost Things is a beautifully written story about love and friendship, loss and redemption, with a little of the supernatural thrown in for good measure. It feels a little slow to get going in the beginning, but quickly builds up momentum. I wish I'd thought to keep a box of tissues handy – I never expected the ending to move me as much as it did.

Highly recommended for anyone wanting to read something a little different.

My thanks to Hachette Australia and Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of The Keeper of Lost Things.

Thanks to NetGalley and Two Roads for offering me an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review.
Although I am not sure this is ‘the feel-good novel of the year’ I’d have to agree it is a feel-good novel, although perhaps not for everybody.
The novel tells many stories, although it tells two in more detail, those of Anthony and Laura (later of Laura and her new family) and Eunice and Bomber. Although those stories are separated by forty years, they are parallel in many ways: an older man who puts an advertisement for an assistant, a younger woman —very young in Eunice’s case— who ends up becoming a personal friend of the man and whose life ends up enmeshed and entangled with that of her employer, both men’s work relates to literature (Anthony is a fairly successful writer of short stories and Bomber is a publisher), both males die leaving some sort of legacy to these women (and also asking them to fulfil their final wishes). As we read on, we might suspect that the relationship between these two stories runs deeper than at first appears, but it is not confirmed until very close to the end.
There are other important elements in the novel, which functions also as a collection of short stories, as Anthony, after experiencing a terrible loss, started to collect lost things, cataloguing them and using his study for safe keeping, in an attempt at recovering something he had lost himself. Throughout the novel, there are stories about those objects (written in italics so it is easy to differentiate them to the rest) interspersed with the two main stories. We are told, later in the book, that Anthony used those objects as inspiration for several collections of short stories, but the novel allows for several possible interpretations of what these stories really are. Are they imaginary stories? Are they the real stories behind the objects? If they are imaginary short-stories who has written them? Anthony? Somebody else? Each reader can choose whatever explanation s/he prefers and I’m sure there are more possibilities.
I mentioned the two main stories that frame the novel and the short stories within. Each chapter is told (in the third person) from one of the characters’ point of view (mostly Laura or Eunice) and this is is clearly indicated, as it is the year, because Eunice and Bomber’s story develops from the 1970s up to the current days. We get to know his family and follow his father’s illness (Alzheimer’s) that unfortunately later also afflicts Bomber himself. There are comments on movies of the period; there is the wonderful relationship with Bomber’s parents, the two dogs that share his life and an unrequited and impossible love story. Ah, and Bomber’s sister, Portia, her awful behaviour and her even worse attempts at getting her brother to publish one of her rip-offs of well-known and loved classics, that make for hilarious reading, especially for authors and book lovers. I must confess that, perhaps because their story develops over time and it has none of the paranormal elements added to the other, I particularly warmed to it. I found the depiction of the dementia sufferers (both father and son) touching, humorous and bittersweet, and although we don’t get to know Eunice well (other than through her devotion to Bomber and his life-work), she is a character easy to like and some of her actions make us cheer her on.
Laura’s story is that of somebody lost, perfectly in keeping with Anthony’s life mission. She made some questionable decisions when she was younger, married too young and her knight in shining armour turned up to be anything but. She is very insecure and full of self-doubt and that makes her a less likeable character as she pushes people away rather than risk being rejected, but she is also the one who has to change more and work harder to get out of her shell. Sunshine, a young neighbour, Down’s syndrome, also shares her point of view with the reader at times and becomes a member of the family, although she has her own too. She is less hindered by concern about what others’ might think, or what is right and wrong, and she has a special connection (not sure ‘power’ is the right word) with the objects and with the paranormal elements that later appear in the novel. Fred, the gardener, is the love interest, handsome and kind, but he seems to be there to provide the romance and second chance more than anything else, and he is not very well developed.
I’ve mentioned the paranormal elements. There is a ghost in the house and that takes up a fair amount of the book as Laura keeps trying to work out how to make things right. I am not sure this added much to the story but references to Blithe Spirit (that is being performed by an amateur theatrical group in the neighbourhood) put an emphasis on the effect the writer might have been aiming for (each reader can decide how well it works for them).
This is a well-written novel, with effective descriptions of objects, locations and people. There are elements of chick-lit (the descriptions of Laura’s disastrous date, her chats with her friend…), romantic touches, some elements of mystery, plenty of loss, death and second chances, a fair bit about literature… The whole feeling of the story is somewhat old-fashioned (and very British. I’ve lost count of how many ‘lovely cups of tea’ are prepared and drunk during the novel, and although that is partly in jest, yes, there is a fair amount of repetition, foreshadowing and signposting, perhaps unnecessary in this kind of story). Some of the references, including songs and films, will be lost on the younger generations. Everything is fairly gentle; even the bad characters (Portia) are only moderately nasty and they are the object of fun rather than being truly evil. There are gossip and misunderstandings but nothing really awful happens. No gore details, no huge surprises, no hot sex (I think you’ll have to buy Portia’s stories of Hotter Potter for that), and even technology only appears by the backdoor (people send text messages and a laptop and a website appear towards the end, but this is not a book where characters follow mother trends).
Funnily enough, a publisher (rival of Anthony) sums up what the books he publishes should be like, thus:
I know what normal, decent people like, and that’s good, straightforward stories with a happy ending where the baddies get their comeuppance, the guy gets the girl and the sex isn’t too outré.
The structure of the novel and some of the short-stories are not at all like that, but the spirit behind it perhaps it and its charm might be lost on some readers who prefer more action and adventures and a more modern style of writing.
In summary, a gentle read, bittersweet, with plenty of stories for those who love short stories, of particular interest to lovers of books and movies set in Britain, stories about writers, the publishing world and women’s stories. It has sad moments and funny ones but it is unlikely to rock your world.

Part love story part mystery and part ghost story this wonderful book draws you in and leaves you with tears in your eyes and a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Antony Peardew has spent half his life picking up and cataloging lost things trying to make up for a broken promise. As he draws towards the end of his life he seeks someone to help him sort them out.

Laura is unhappy. Her marriage didn't work out and she is left lonely and depressed. When she gets a job working with Antony, her world begins to change. Charged with the task of returning them to their owners after his death she receives unlikely assistance from Sunshine the young girl with psychic gifts and the very handsome gardener. However she is also hampered by the ghost of Antony's lost love, who seems to be intent on trying to get a message through to her.

Loved this book to bits & I can't thank Netgalley & the publisher enough for introducing this fabulous cast of characters to me

I really enjoyed reading this book, it is not the best book I have ever read but I think it is because it was a completely different type of book than I would normally read.

It was a sweet easy story with lovely (and no so lovely) characters. Sometimes I felt there was too much unnecessary description but you get a good feel for the characters and their surroundings. Sunshine the "dancing drome" girl, who made the lovely cups of tea, was absolutely my favourite character.

The story itself was not exactly fast paced but it kept my interest from start to finish and I found myself not being able to put the book down. It was just so wonderful to read a story without detailed sex, gross murder or violent scenes. It is just about love, love lost, aging, death and real life in general.......(well except for the ghost!!) The character interaction was smooth and there was some great laugh out loud moments.

If you want to relax and enjoy a wonderful "cheer you up" story and while away a few hours this is the book to read. I would definitely recommend this book.

A wonderful, beautiful, poignant and ultimately happy read. I cannot wait to read another of Ruth Hogan's books. This was truly a wonderful find for someone who is not looking for mindless, simplistic writing. Every sub-story is intricately woven into the main story line and the characters all sort themselves out over the course of the book, each one making the writing richer and deeper. There are so many things we lose, not just the physical - a button, an umbrella, a dog - but also ourselves, our self-worth, our minds, memories, innocence or even a life. This book is enthralling. Take a chance, take some time, and read it well. Even after you put it down things will suddenly occur to you and you will want to go back and read it again and again.

I enjoyed this book, it's numerous stories and grew to like the characters immensely. Eunice, in particular, has got into my head, and I'm writing this review with an English accent (I'm Australian). It feels like such a long time since I've read something (actually I listened to it) that I haven't been able to put down - there was so much to discover. Most of the characters were thoroughly decent (which is refreshing) and Sunshine, in particular, was gorgeous. I loved the stories within the stories, they provided a check on the sweetness.

A story that is insightful and thought provoking. KLT is gracious and charming, with wonderful characters whose lives intermingle in mysterious ways. I read it a second time, realizing I had missed many of its life lessons the first time around. This novel with stay with you long after you've finished the last page. I'd give it more than five stars if possible. I've given a copy to all my friends.