I am writing this review in exchange for an advance copy of the novel. I will be honest in my response to it.
The story is of Janice who works as a cleaner in various houses in Cambridge. She is unhappy and uncared for in her marriage to Mike and has developed a habit of collecting stories from those she meets. She collects true stories and also uses her imagination to create others around strangers. For example, her regular bus driver who she calls ‘the geography teacher’ and who she shyly watches from her seat on the bus.

The story has a story within the story too as one of Janice’s eccentric clients tells her the true story of Becky the lover of Edward VIII who got away with murder. Intertwined in all these tales is the journey takes from sad unfulfilled cleaning lady to a more empowered person who makes decisions and in the process heals herself from old emotional wounds.

What I liked in this book was the central character being someone who is traditionally invisible and undervalued. Watching Janice emerge triumphant, hearing her stand up at last to those who tried to bully her, was satisfying and joyous.

I was slightly disappointed in the ease of boy meets girl, or man meets woman, and live happily ever after. Such a predictable but highly unusual story. How lucky for Janice that after her poor choice of husband she managed to find an extremely sensitive and emotionally mature new man.
But its only a story after all and dont we all love a fairytale?

The other thing that slightly dissatisfied me was the character of Mike - he seemed to have no depth and was rather two dimensional. Also Tiberius, another flawed man.

However, I enjoyed the book and was happy to keep reading and to stay on till the (predictable) end. I loved the character of Decius the terrier and also liked the exchanges between Janice, clearly a strong woman under her meek and quiet exterior, and Mrs B who is a marvellous creation.

The writing flowed well and there were moments of wisdom such as when the bus driver found his way in to open a young mans broken heart.
There was humour and interesting snippets of information. I liked the chapter headings and there were stories and characters which I would like to know more about. Were there perhaps slightly too many stories? Perhaps, and maybe with fewer of them we could have gone deeper with some. But, I still enjoyed it.

Recommended and I look forward to this authors next book.

This is one of the few books that I have read in one sitting.
Janice works as a house cleaner in Cambridge. She is proud of her work, creative, diligent and much in demand. In contrast to her own sad home life, where her husband is a dismal failure in everything he touches, each character in the homes she visits gives her a joyful insight into their life stories. Each one a hidden history of joy and betrayals, love and loss.
Then she is asked to help the mother of one of her clients. Mrs. B is a feisty but elderly ex-spy who helps Janice to see that she can move on from her own dark secrets and is worthy of her own story and happy every after.
This is a wonderful story and beautifully written.
Definitely a book for the “keeper” shelf.

This is a very interesting read. I love the interact between Mrs. B and Janice. I adore the way she collects stories. It's very refreshing type of book. It makes you think about your own story. I like how how character driven this book is

4 what’s your story stars

Janice is an extraordinary cleaner and she is in high demand. While she does her work, Janice also collects stories and feels that each person has one story. We meet the various people that she cleans for, and I love some of the nicknames she uses – Mrs. YeahYeahYeah and Mr. NoNoNotNow.

She also develops a lovely relationship with Decius and dog walking him becomes one of the favorite parts of her day. There’s an opera singer in the mix, a new widow and her son, and a cranky older woman who has led a fascinating life. Mrs. B. is quick to see that Janice has a story of her own to tell and we finally get her story by the end of the book.

There’s a sweet romance in the book once Janice has kicked her no-good husband to the curb. The author has developed quite the cast of characters in this one and I definitely rooted for Janice to find her happy ending.

This one was a bit of a slow burn, but I did enjoy it and might just add “Vanity Fair’ to my reading pile now.

Janice is a house cleaner, and a collector of stories.

She likes all the people she cleans for except for one married couple who work from home-“Mrs. Yeah Yeah Yeah” and “Mr. No, Not Now!” She does however, love the dog that she walks for them-Decius-a Fox terrier who walks on his toes like a ballerina, and has such an expressive face that she just KNOWS when he is saying to her-“Don’t say a word. Not a f***ing word.” or “WTF?”

So, she isn’t thrilled, when her favorite Mr. and Mrs. ask if she would be willing to clean for Mrs. B-a prickly woman in her nineties who will have to be moved to assisted care living, if she doesn’t get help. Not wanting to feel responsible for that-Janice reluctantly agrees to meet with her.

Mrs. B wants Janice answer a question before she agrees to the help-“If you could only take one novel with you to a Desert Island, what would it be?” and when Janice responds “Vanity Fair” -Mrs. B agrees to hire her.

“I have a wonderful story for you, about a woman just like Becky Sharp (a character from that novel)” Mrs. B, proclaims recognizing Janice as a collector of stories, AND one with a story to tell.

Of course, Janice cannot resist.

So begins a charming tale that shows us how literature (and dogs) can bring people together and enrich their lives-and that sometimes the people you are overlooking can have QUITE an interesting story to tell!

We all have a basic need to BE SEEN and BE HEARD.

So, why just 3 ⭐️?

I was not familiar with the novel Vanity Fair-William Makepeace Thackeray-a novel published in 1848, so perhaps I missed something that would have made the telling of “Becky’s story” more interesting? It didn’t really resonate with me-but you just might find it fascinating! I did find the relationships that were formed in the present day, to be heartwarming.

A buddy read with DeAnn. Please be sure to check out her wonderful review, and to read a sample of others as many other reviewers have loved this! AVAILABLE a on February 28th, 2022.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK-One more Chapter for my gifted copy. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

A lovely heart warming story of grief and loss.
Janice and her fellow characters evoke sympathy and empathy, whilst spinning their own story.
A thoughtful insightful look at how guilt can blight a blameless life and a remarkable read to savour and remembered long after the final page has been read

Everyone tells their stories to Janice but no one asks her about her own until she meets Mrs. B. Janice is a cleaner who has a lot on her plate but no one knows about her husband or anything else because she's part of the scenery to them. Mrs B, however, is a 92 year old who wants to stay in her home and she sees something in Janice others don't- and can sense there's a secret. This seems a little scattered in the beginning as multiple people sort of babble but then Janice goes to work for Mrs B and things begin to gel. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read about being conscious of others among other thing.

Janice is a cleaner and she spends all her time collecting stories be it on a bus or from her customers. The story of Fiona and Adam is a sad one and she helps them heal. The story of Mrs Yeahyeahyeah and her husband Mr Nononotnow and their dog Decius is untold until she meets his mother Mrs B who is quite a character. Over the course of her cleaning visits they develop a friendship and Mrs B tells her the story of Becky in instalments. Mrs B is also the only person who asks Janice for her story which over Brandy she finally shares.
This book is very different from what I expected but in a good way. I really enjoyed reading the various stories and I was sad to reach the end of the book. I highly recommend it as it’s a very good read.
Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest views and opinions.

This is a feel good story with a happy ending, who could ask for more when looking for an easy read but well written novel? The characters are nicely drawn and believable, I really love the character of Mrs B but probably relate more to Janice but without her back story. However the star in this has to be Decius, so a must read for any dog lover, who all believe their dogs talk to them. The relationships between the main characters and their families is interesting and very believable....not everyone of whom is a nice human. Thank you Netgalley etc. for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely book! Our heroine - Janice is a cleaner and a very good one too. Not only can she clean but she can turn her hand to just about any problem. But she is not happily married. Her life is centred around her clients - some she likes very much but others she decidedly does not. They are the subject of her stories, oh and the people on the bus too especially the driver who looks like a geography teacher. She takes on one more - almost against her wishes but this client turns out to be a person to aids and abets a crucial and pivotal turning point in her life. I urge everyone to read this delightful tale and enter Janice's world.

Cleaner Janice is a recent addition to the cast of marginalised women toiling on the margins of society that have been populating recent literary fiction output. Janice is so sympathetically drawn that readers will want to root for her from the beginning. Trapped in a stale marriage that has run its course and seemingly devoid of a story of her own, Janice instead collects the anecdotes of the colourful, idiosyncratic people she cleans for - until one of her clients becomes interested in her story after all, But what will happen when Janice starts reflecting on who she actually is?
I thought this was a wonderful novel about uncovering the extraordinary in mundane situations, and in the strength of human character. It is worth persevering past the initial pages, and getting to know the fairly large cast of ancillary characters, to uncover this important message in Sally Page's novel. I warmly recommend this novel that is full of warmth, little but important insights, and goodness, and I cannot wait to see what Ms. Page will write next!

Oh Janice. You have left an indelible imprint on my heart!

"The Keeper of Stories" is about human nature with all its flaws and inconsistencies. A fabulous story about storytelling and about guilt. It showcases people who are selfish and narcissistic as well as people who are kindness personified. It also portrays the blessings of friendship, and the influence parents have over their children, both good and bad, and the love of a good dog (with a foul mouth).

The writing, the way the story was told and how it flowed, reminded me greatly of the work of Fredrik Backman. Anyone following my reviews will know that that is high praise from me indeed. Written with empathy and humour, it conveys the author's love of books and story-telling with aplomb. It also serves to remind us that the elderly, the people with the richest and most abundant stories, should never be underestimated.

Life-affirming, hopeful fiction that can definitely fit into the 'Uplit' genre, this wonderful novel will definitely be on my list of 'Best Books of 2022'. Highly recommended!
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Everyone tells Janice their story when she cleans for them. She knows their secrets but they know very little about her. What is she hiding? Janice is so likeable. This book is so well written and I was so invested in the characters and the storyline.

A wonderfully quirky book, well-written and well-characterised.

Janice is a cleaner, married to a man who can't hold a job down and wastes her money. One of these days, she's going to turn around and walk back up the path instead of going through her own front door.

She collects other people's stories but keeps very quiet about her own. Will the bus driver, who looks like a geography teacher, manage to get it out of her? For that to happen, she'd have to meet him properly, maybe over coffee.

Janice has many voices in her head - Decius, the dog she walks for Mrs Yeahyeahyeah, Sister Bernadette, and the protagonists of all the stories she collects. She comes to realise, over time, that she is not just a cleaner, she is a friend to many of her clients, though it takes her some time to accept this.

This book is funny and sad and lovely. It has to have a happy ending, doesn't it?

This book was a different read to my normal, but i loved it, ir reminded me of my childhood when my dada would make up stories of Hobgoblins and leprechauns in the woods.....
It was a great read but full of suspence, and very powerful

A well written, enjoyable book. Janice is a cleaning lady with an interest in collecting life stories. She finds it intriguing to hear what people have to say and tell, as all conversations are different. An original take on a story about what life experiences she comes across. When Janice is given the task to clean Rosie’s home she is unsure if it will work out especially when on opening Rosie’s door she is told in no uncertain terms to go away. Janice has a troubled marriage and feels guilty for things she has done, but all is not as it seems - friendship and kindness help her with these.

I loved this book. Janice is such a great character and the supporting cast is great too. Well written and a great read. Thanks go to the publisher for an e-ARC to read and review

‘Every man should leave a story better than he found it’ (Mary Augusta Ward)which is most certainly true of our storyteller Janice. Janice is an exceptional cleaner, and also a collector of stories which she gathers wherever she goes such as the bus, the Laundrette and inevitably the people she works for. There’s Geordie Bowman, landlord and opera singer, grieving Fiona and her son Adam, Mrs YeahYeahYeah and her husband Mr NoNoNotNow whose few qualities are redeemed by their fantastic fox terrier Dacius who is a character in his own right and how! He has me hooting with laughter! Through Mr NoNoNotNow (otherwise known as Tiberius, I kid you not) Janice meets, cleans and becomes way more to his mother Mrs B, who is quite simply utterly marvellous and who tells her own equally marvellous story of ‘Becky’.

I love this character driven book and I’d go so far as to suggest it will be in my top 10 reads of 2022. It’s a gem! I love the way it’s so beautifully written with warmth, compassion and humour. Janice is fantastic and you thoroughly enjoy being in her company through thick and thin. It’s a great blend of funny, sad and poignant with big dollops of kindness, some equally large servings of selfishness with examples of things that make you cross on Janice and Mrs B’s behalf. There are little hints of mystery, again Mrs B and Janice and the latter can startle you at times and she is worthy of the ‘never judge a book by its cover’ description. Their relationship which starts unpromisingly becomes strong and true and they help each other. Through several characters but especially Mrs B, Janice changes and she finds her in a lioness and how. Some of this makes you cheer from the sidelines. Go Janice! This is a novel that starts in one place and takes you somewhere else with several layers to the storytelling, going deeper than you expect at the beginning. I love every minute of it, it’s heartbreaking and heartwarming and very hard to put down. In a word, wonderful!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins/One More Chapter for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Janice is a cleaner, not just any cleaner, but the best in Cambridge. Her soul-less marriage provides no happiness, she keeps stories of other people, but tells no-one her own story. Then one day she realises she must take charge of her life, leaves her husband and makes firm friends in her clients. Will this provide her with the happiness she deserves? A wonderful story, loved it.

Janice is a collector of stories, and as a cleaner, she has gotten to know her clients through the stories they have shared with her. When she starts cleaning for Mrs. B (who was my favorite character in this book!), she finally meets someone who wants to hear her story…but it’s not necessarily one Janice wants to tell. She’s known for being the keeper of stories and this is one she has kept bottled up for years. But Mrs. B is a headstrong and tricky woman, and she knows just how to peel back Janice’s layers.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I loved all of the dynamic relationships Janice had with those around her. She definitely had the gift of lending her ear to others and because of this, people seemed to easily open up to her so. But when it came down to her opening up to others, she really struggled. Mrs. B was a wonderful addition to this story, and I adored her and her stubborn ways. I truly think she and Janice entered each other’s lives when they needed it the most.

Highly recommend!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4529159975