I really, really wanted to enjoy this book. However, it just fell a little flat for me. After reading some of the reviews I'm glad I'm not the only one. There was absolutely promise, but I just couldn't get into it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This was an enjoyable book. Janice, is a collector of stories; but aren't we all at some level. I enjoyed how the book was told but did find the main character, Janice to be a tad irritating at times. Janice is a cleaner, she collects the stories of those she works for and others that she overhears and holds onto them in her head for days when she needs a story of bravery, or of happiness, or of sadness or inspiration. Janice's least favourite story is her own and part of her story she has never told another sole.

When Janice is hired to clean anotjher client's mother's house, she is instantly taken aback by this larger than life little old lady. Janice does not know how this one extra job is gong to change her life and her views of everything. Janice will find her inner self and realize she is stronger than she ever thought but will she finally be able to tell her own tragic story.

This book was well written and the stories of others enjoyable. I would definitely read another book by this author

The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page tells us the story of Janice, a hardworking mother and wife. She keeps her family afloat cleaning the homes of several families in the town, while her jumps from job to job. as she goes through her day, she collects stories from people. Sometimes people share, sometimes she overhears such stories and collects them as she listens. When Janice begins to clean for Mrs. B is when it all comes out. While Janice has lots of stories to share, she claims not to have a story of her own. It's during these interactions that Janice starts to find her story, buried.
I was waxing and waning during the first half of The Keeper of Stories, struggling at times. It wasn't until the last 25% that this book really sold me. I would like to read future works by Sally Page and will be recommending this to my book friends. Special thanks to NetGalley, Sally Page, and HarperCollins UK-One More Chapter Publishing for the advance digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 3.5 stars

What a wonderful life affirming, hopeful story this is. Main protagonist Janice is definitely not ‘just a cleaner’ as her wastrel of a husband refers to her, she is intelligent, empathetic and a collector of people’s life stories. The story is stuffed full of interesting, well depicted characters who the author makes it very easy to care about. I absolutely loved this and I finished it reluctantly, but with a satisfied smile.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Keeper of Stories is a collection of stories. The main character Janice, who is not just a cleaner, collects stories. Sometimes she listens to them on the bus, but most of the stories she collects through her work as a cleaner. When cleaning houses she meets different people, from different backgrounds and with different issues themselves. We get to know these people, through Janice's work life. When a new client shows interest in Janice's story. So we as the reader are also curious to know more about the main character and follow along.

It feels like I read a dozen different stories. I loved some of them, I got thrills from others. Some of them made me sad or angry. They are different in emotions and endings but they do well filling up the main story. And finally, near the end of the book, we get to know a little bit of the history of the main character.

I like the concept of The Keeper of Stories. I was intrigued by the different short stories of people she met or passed by in life. But sometimes I got a bit lost in the different stories and storylines. I also wanted to know a bit more about Janice, a bit sooner. So it got me interested at the start but sometimes lost me. Overall, it was a pleasant and entertaining read.

I recommend this book to people who are intrigued by different shorter stories that are contained in one overlaying story. A contemporary fiction filled with lots of different emotions and characters.

Aw, what a story and one many of us relate to. It told in such a fashion I could not put it down. You will both laugh and cry with this story, but mostly you will thoroughly enjoy this tale and struggle to put it down. MY first book from this author, but it will certainly not be my last.

Janice is content living a quiet life. It is what she knows and what she is used to and in her heart of hearts, what she prefers. The kind of person who wants to find the corner in a round room. She’s also a listener and has a head filled with stories. Other peoples stories. They are all woven together in a beautifully written way. It’s a gentle soft and yet powerful read.

Having been drawn to this book by the blurb, I have to say I found myself wondering whether I was actually going to enjoy it during the first few chapters. However, everything seemed to suddenly fall into place once we’d been introduced to all of Janice’s clients and she started visiting Mrs B. I enjoyed Janice’s humour and perception; it just shows how much you can learn about people from quietly observing them and listening. I enjoyed everyone’s stories and how they subtly intertwined with each other throughout the book. Mrs B was definitely my favourite character; such a colourful life and wonderful personality. As for Decius, the dog; I thoroughly enjoyed how Janice gave him a voice to help her voice her own true thoughts and feelings. Overall, a really enjoyable, feel good read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-arc in exchange for a review.

An enjoyable debut from Sally Page with an engaging plot and likeable characters. The story is based around Janice, a cleaner, and her clients who tell their stories. It’s an interesting concept and allows the reader to engage with the characters via Janice rather than the clients being the main focus of the story. Cleverly written, it keeps the reader intrigued throughout as the story progresses. This is a strong debut and should see readers returning for the author’s next work.

Janice is a cleaner and collects stories of people she meets and conversations that she hears. She has a story herself that she slowly reveals. A lovely heartwarming hug of a book

Written with humor and compassion, The Keeper of Stories highlights the fact that every person has a story ... even the unseen, unheard help. Janice is a cleaner for several "colorful" personalities and as she's always in the background she becomes proficient at listening and gleaming stories from the people she encounters. And in the listening, she begins to know her own story.

A well-written and interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read I exchange for honest review.

I have to say I was a little underwhelmed by this book. I didn’t take to Janice at all I struggled to relate. I did persevere and finish the book but I just struggled to get on board with the relationship between Janice and her husband and Janice and her employers.

This is a really lovely, gentle story that doesn’t lack depth or intrigue.
Janice is a cleaner that likes to collect stories. One per person, filed away in her mind to be revisited whenever she wants. Her clients provide the basis for many of these, and there is a wonderful mix of characters, each very different and each bringing another layer to the themes of the book.
It’s very much about the relationships we have with others and what they bring to our lives. How the stories we tell ourselves, are quite different to how others would tell our story. Janice uses her love of other peoples lives, to distract her from not really living her own. I particularly loved the character of Mrs B, a formidable woman in her 90’s with a fascinating life, who brings something out of Janice that has long been buried.
I really liked the writing, it’s hard to believe it’s a debut as the whole structure and flow felt really accomplished. It was a pleasure to read. I’d definitely recommend this book, it covers some quite hard hitting topics in such a sensitive and thought provoking way. I came away inspired to start collecting stories of my own.

This was an excellent story and I loved the characters. It was funny, heartwarming and pulled at my heartstrings. When a book has all of that, I love it.
Many thanks to HarperCollons UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really wanted to like this book, especially after reading positive reviews, but it just did not engage me. The main character was annoying, to say the least, and her stories not all that interesting.

Such an interesting book about a woman who wants more from life but doesn't always think she deserves it. A book full of stories of others where you can't help but get absorbed. This is also a story of a bizarre friendship that proves was more interesting than you would have believed. Wonderful from start to finish

I just expected something much more than that... I imagined someone who is collecting stories. Someone who has a great story to tell itself. But here... I don't feel it. Moreover, I was a bit disappointed cause at the beginning I was not used if the description on the cover does indeed match the book.

I did finish it but I was so tired of the main character. I was so tired of trying to find any connection with these pages, stories, lives.

So... this time I have to admit that this one was not for me. Not this time.

This was about people and their stories. Janice works as a cleaner and collects stories she hears as she travels to works and while listening to her clients.
Set mostly in Cambridge in the UK in the present time.
Janice has a group of people who hire her to clean their houses. Janice obtains new clients on recommendations, so most of her clients are connected or know each other.
Janice loves listening to their stories and when she is on her own she goes back over the stories she has heard, which helps her forget her own stories that have haunted her all her life.
Eventually Janice meets Mrs B who had an interesting life as a spy. Mrs B gradually starts delving into Janice’s story and trying to find out what Janice is trying to hide.
I loved the way the different people were connected and their interactions with each other. I liked the way Janice gained confidence in herself as she started telling her story to Mrs B.
This story was slow to start as all the characters and their stories were introduced. Half-way through the pace speeds up.
This was about families, grief and relationships.
I loved the descriptions of Mrs B’s house and the way she lived surrounded by her husband’s books.

I was sent a copy of The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page to read and review by NetGalley. To begin with I wasn’t too sure about this book and set it aside for a while. When I came back to it I found I must have been in exactly the right ‘place’ as I really enjoyed it! I loved the characters and I enjoyed the snippets of other people’s stories that protagonist Janice collected. I must admit that I became a bit weary of Becky’s story, told by Mrs B, even though it was based on a true story, but that was only a very slight niggle. This novel is insightful, amusing and heartfelt. It could easily be classed as a holiday read, but I think really it is much more than that!

This is an unexpectedly compelling story about a cleaner called Janice. This could be about the interesting stories she collects, but if all of these, hers is the most poignant. Here is a woman who loathes herself and underestimates her impact on others. Here is a woman who doubts her every move, who hides from being the star of her own life with other people’s stories. Here is a woman in search of love – friend love, platonic love, companionship love, unconditional pet love, passionate love, self love. Yet, she is not a pitiful character. She is wholly likeable. Janice unbeknownst to her, is actually quite enigmatic and draws people to her. Why? Because she actually gives a shit about them.

This book is also a story of societal behaviours, of prejudices and an antiquated class system. As a domestic cleaner Janice is treated differently by her clients which is a window into the stratification of our society. She is a friend, an ally, a maid, an employee, and most horribly by her husband who calls her ‘just a cleaner’. Just recently I feel that the value of cleaners and cleaning shot to the forefront as the most important part of societal infrastructure due to a global pandemic. Certainly they are skilled and important. Most recently, life savers.

I befriended Janice instantly, looked forward to joining her world for the evening and then found it hard to leave her. I highly recommend this book by Sally Page and look forward to her next one.