Living among the pile of magazines, anything and everything she felt she can't get rid of, 79 yr old hoarder, finds a place for everything she can't throw away. She realizes she is getting too old for potato soup every day, and her only way of water from the outdoor rainwater barrel. Not much left from her pension , she has a strong will to make the best of each day .
Gloria, is on a pilgrmage to "find herself" after many mishaps among her son and wife, and not wanting to have anyone decide her life for her. Her late husband's best freind, Tilsbury , is at her side every way and helps her get everywhere with one credit card onhand that her son gave her.
One adventure Tilbury offers her for one day,leads to weeks of adventure and fun, while her family is worried sick not knowing where she is.
Noone will stop Gloria's high spirit and energy to keep living and enjoying life ,no matter what age one can be.
ALong her path of seeking herself, she helps old freinds along the way.
Meanwhile her son is selling her house behind her back. This is when she finds out and makes sure noone will put her in a care senior home nor take her house away for their own private sale.
The results of her sane mind decisions are charming and shows a senior who still has the strive to live fully with a brave and un- selfish heart.
This wonderful powerful loving story proves that the elderly also deserve respect and we can learn alot from them about forgiveness and that those little things DO matter in a senior's life.
A surprising twist and a fabulous wedding makes me wish I knew a Gloria Frensham in my life!

I really enjoyed this quirky, different novel about 79 year old Gloria. As years went by after becoming a widow, Gloria becomes a hoarder, living a sad, lonely life, upsetting to her son, Clegg. When Gloria is forced to leave her home, she is counseled and begins to understand why she surrounded herself with things. Gloria starts living life to the fullest, taking vacations, meeting people and turning her story around. With quirky characters and a great storyline, this book is sure to be a favorite.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Gloria sounds a bit like me with her hoarding but saying that what a lovely wonderful read.

A scary story especially because I know a lot of hoarders and people who won't throw things out. It didn't really explain any thing and I would not recommend.

This is a heart-warming, life-affirming story of a 79-year-old grandmother who reinvents her life after having to leave her unsafe house. After decades of hoarding, she's forced to confront her issues and moves from blaming those around her and passively letting the world pass her by to actively working to overcome her hoarding tendencies,. She goes on adventures around the English countryside, makes new friends, and renews old friendships. It's a bit light on details -- it's not exactly a matter of a few weeks to actually overcome a lifetime of hoarding -- but it's still well done and nice to have an elderly heroine who decides to take charge of her life.

I was instantly intrigued by the title and then when I read the plot, I knew I needed to get my hands on The Woman Who Kept Everything by Jane Gilley.

I absolutely love quirky books like The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry, The Rosie Project, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Frye, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper. I highly recommend all of those books!

The Woman Who Kept Everything is a heartwarming story, we really need more books like this one. Here’s what you need to know:

79-year-old Gloria Frensham is a hoarder. She lives amongst piles of magazines, squashed cardboard boxes, surplus carpet rolls, heaps of towels and knick-knacks littering the stairs. She hasn’t left her home for years, until a loud bang and a sudden smell of singeing sets in motion Gloria’s unwilling exodus from her home…

That day is the start of a journey that will never return Gloria back to her beloved, hoarded possessions, nor to her son’s house to live. For it is the start of her journey to discover life again – and she’s going to make some good friends and defiant decisions along the way, with just one very small suitcase in tow…



This book comes out in early December and you can pre-order now. Only $1.99 on Kindle!

I received this book "The Woman Who Kept Everything" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. This book has very interesting characters. I enjoyed reading this book and it was an easy read. Gloria really turned her life around and it could have turned out differently if not for her friend that took her for a crazy ride to the beach. Gloria at age 79, sort of "runs away" and so her adventure and new life begins. I really thought that her adventures were awesome! She helps out and friend, crosses a few things off her bucket list and begins to really find herself. Just a fun read and Gloria is someone who you want to know in your life.

This is the story of Gloria, an elderly woman who has developed a hoarding problem after the death of her husband, Arthur. However, circumstances lead her to be taken into state custody and released to her son, Clegg. Gloria, up until this point, has not had very many experiences outside of her home for some time and takes the opportunity to expand her horizons and see more of the world, check items off of her bucket list, if you will. Very reminiscent of "The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared," this book was light-hearted and uplifting. I found myself cheering for Gloria at different points during the book and hating her son just a little bit more. It reminded me that we only have one existence upon this Earth and she was making the best of hers. I definitely enjoyed this book because of the interesting characters, the unlikely heroes and the wonderful story.
Highly recommend!

A heart warming easy read - perfect for an autumn afternoon read! I loved Gloria the main character. This book made me smile and also brought a tear to my eye

If you enjoyed reading a man called Ove and Harold Fry and that genre, you will definitely like this book. It touches on a huge spectrum of topics not just focusing on what you would imagine by its title.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this arc.

I thought this was an endearing "coming out of hibernation" story -- as opposed to a coming of age story. Depression can truly be devastating. And Gloria was horribly depressed.... closing herself off from the world with her "stuff," limiting her time spent with family and friends, allowing her mental deterioration to dictate her physical state, etc. until a crisis at home happened and it became obvious to those around her that something had to change.

Fortunately, Gloria is the feisty type who recognized her own need for change and took action. Change is possible even for a seventy-nine year old!

Such a beautifully written novel that opens ones eyes to the elderly and the mistreatment some face by their own families.
Definitely puts into perspective the love one is meant to have for their family and to always take care of their family, there’s always time to.
The novel also deals with mental health with hoarding and the bottling up of emotions, as well as the stereotypes of men not being able to freely display their emotions.

I expected a great deal more focus on the hoarding aspect, but this story quickly turns away from it. Nothing really new here, but fans of Ove, Elsie, and the like will find comfortable, enjoyable ground here.

This delightful book will enchant any reader who has a soul.

Gloria is literally thrown out of her house by her son, Clegg, and temporarily deposited into a nursing home when her piles and piles and more piles of stuff (she’s a hoarder). While in the home, she spends several fruitful hours with a very intelligent social worker who helps Gloria get to the root of her hoarding. After about three weeks, Gloria moves in with Clegg and his wife, Val, neither of whom are what you would call gracious hosts, and, mysteriously, the grandchildren are nowhere to be seen.

While Gloria has been cured of hoarding and has become very neat and tidy, she chafes at the boredom of living with her family. She has a few friends nearby, but she doesn’t drive. After a few weeks, she just packs a little suitcase and runs away from home.

This act of elderly rebellion (Gloria is 79) turns out to be life changing in ways that are totally delightful and unexpected, for not only Gloria, but her widening circle of friends, and, ultimately, her family. She ventures far beyond her comfort zone, which had been encumbered and encased with clutter since the death of her husband. If ever there were a coming of age story about an elderly woman, this is it.

I loved this book. It’s an easy read, and the characters are relatable, but the message - essentially carpe diem - is deep. Highly recommended.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.