Janice is a keeper of stories...... who doesn't think she has a story until she meets a delightful woman who makes her really take a look at her life. A delightful story of realizing that everyone has a story. It was fun to watch Janice grow into herself after all these years.

Often children follow the path of their parents but, here, Sally Page wrote her novel after her daughter, Libby Page, has published several. I think that Sally writes stories that are every bit as involving and heart warming as Libby’s (not that there is a competition. I loved Libby’s first novel The Lido).

As this story opens, Janice is working as a house cleaner. (See Phaedra Patrick for another good story about a cleaner). This job may not be high prestige but Janice brings a lot to it, including her curiosity about people.

In a way that reminded me of Maeve Binchy, in parts of this book, Ms. Page ably sketches the life stories of her characters. One, for example, has created a doll house but…it has an undertaker’s on the first floor. Readers will find out why.

Janice is an appealing and curious woman who enjoys reading and learning about people. What will happen as she learns more about herself? What will Mrs. B’s role be in this process? Read this enjoyable novel to find out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this title. I look forward to her next book. All opinions are my own.

This title was published in January 2023.

As a story teller, I loved this book! It is so true that everyone has one but few are asked or tell it. Well written and pleasing.

This was such a slow book in most places. There are stories being told inside this story by/of various people our main character meets. Some are interesting. It goes back and forth in between. That and dragging. It would hold me and then lose me. Back and forth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

While parts of the plot were somewhat predictable, I truly enjoyed this book. The well-developed characters and their relationships (not romance) made for an interesting story. Definitely had me rooting for for the underdogs :)

4 out of 5 stars and my respect to the author.

Ok so I am gonna start with the last 20% of this book needs content warnings for DV, child abuse, and….murder. I say this because this did not fit the first 80% of the book vibe and felt like a huge change in direction. I understand the author was likely giving depth and background to the main character but the lead up was not enough for this to make sense and then just be fine at the end of the book? The husband is gonna make you want to be a violent person. Our MC owns a cleaning business and cleans peoples houses but also has built these relationships with her clients as a part of a mutual support system. She goes through life collecting other people's stories while preferring to stay in the background. Now I recognize this is likely her response to early trauma and losing her understanding of self and wanting to be unnoticed while putting up with her husband's bullshit, it still felt like someone wrote the first 80% and someone else wrote the last 20% and wanted to shock everyone. Looking at this through understanding the main character's journey and growth I really enjoyed watching her find herself and find her voice while building the life and future she wants. I loved the relationships she built with her many clients and how she was able to be companions with people who felt shame needing the help of a cleaner. This book is for you if you like to be surprised and want characters with depth that is buried deep as well as justice and unlikely friendships.

This is a deceptively 'gentle' story that addresses complex issues with a light touch. It's about the importance of stories and how we sometimes tell the wrong ones about ourselves, even when we're careful not to do that about other people. And it's also about friendship, and how important making families is. You don't need to be related to people to make a family, and sometimes it's best if you're not. I loved Janice (I adore competent protagonists and really liked her ability to do pretty much anything she turns her hand to) and was rooting for her throughout. Plus there's a foul-mouthed fox terrier that's one of the best 'dog characters' I've read recently.

Janice is a housekeeper. She is kind and smart and tends to keep herself in the background where she is working. She gets her stories from the houses she works in. She has a husband that reminds her of the job she has even through she is the major breadwinner. She is lonely, a worrier and has many worries. She feels guilty but why? She doesn’t think she deserves happiness. As time passes, she ends up working for Mrs. B who is old and cranky. Mrs. B is aware that Janice has her own story to tell but Janice says no she doesn’t. Mrs. B does manage to get Janice’s story.

The author has written a novel describing how we often aren’t aware of our own story of our life. I loved how Mrs. B had a story she was willing to give Janice as long as Janice shared hers. It was amazing to see how people can be so selfish. Happily I saw that the author showed how kind people could be. It is a life affirming novel. I loved the story for that feeling I got when I finished reading the book.

The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page was a good read for me. There aren’t many stories that follow the seemingly ‘unimportant’ or unexciting characters, especially older ones. A middle aged woman working as a cleaner doesn’t seem to have a story upon first glance, but through this novel, Page expertly tells us that everyone has a story worth telling, whether they’re the Prince of the castle, or a simple knight guarding the palace walls.

I’ve never really come across stories about storytellers before. I originally suspected this book to be a sort of epistolary novel told through the perspective of Janice, the friendly neighbourhood cleaner, but I do like that she took the main stage and the story ended up being about her and her experiences, not just the people she cleans for. The writing style of the story was a bit hard for me to get into at first, but I eventually was able to adapt to it and I found that it fits the story, making it feel as if it is a story being told rather than a novel being read.

Although I believe that this book had a powerful story to tell, and I liked the themes and ideas it brought up, I felt that it was heavy handed at times. The story was adamant about Janice not being important and how she didn’t have a story, which made the reveal at the end about her family life seem out of place. It could be commentary on how most people view their lives as uninteresting despite the experiences they go through, but (without spoiling the book) I believe that someone who went through an experience similar to Janice’s would not view themself as storyless. Throughout the novel, Janice moves away from this idea that she has no story into thinking she has to hide her story - which kind of dampens the point that anyone can have an interesting story if the person in question already has an important story to tell.

The narrative device of telling the story of Becky in parts was effective, but it began to lose its magic as the story went on and I became more interested in other plotlines. I liked how some of these threads weren’t completely resolved (not everything gets a good or even clear ending in real life), but at the same time the actual ending of the book ties up everything into a neat little bow that felt a little too perfect. Janice reaches out to all the people she was worried about speaking to, and easily reconciles with them. She leaves her husband, gets to keep the dog she loves, and finds the perfect man in Euan, the bus driver. It was definitely sweet, but a not-so dormant part of me wished for just a little bit of chaos to seep into things.

All in all, I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy this read. I liked reading about an older woman realizing that she wasn’t stuck in her life and that she could change things for herself. It was a healthy reminder that life doesn’t end when you turn 30, which is something I believe most of us could use every now and then. Although I found that this book couldn’t hold me (which is partially due to my reading slump), I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a short, comfortable read about starting over, finding magic in the mundane and discovering your story.

Review by Staff Creative Jaidah-Leigh Wyatt.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Keeper of Stories" and all opinions expressed are my own. This book was a slow starter. I kept thinking that I should give up and move on. But I ended up finishing the book. It felt a bit disconnected at times, I felt that maybe I was missing something of the story. I have no idea what the "Becky" story was about. I did like Mrs B, she was the best part of the book. Overall I did not enjoy the writing or the storyline. It took me forever to finish this book!

I absolutely loved The Keeper of Stories and have been telling everyone I know to read it. The book includes so many themes that I enjoy - intergenerational relationships, the importance of community, how stories can change our lives, humor, and more. Janice cleans home for a living and collects her clients' stories as she works. She doesn't believe she deserves her own story, but as the book progresses she slowly understands that everyone has a story. And there's the best dog ever in the book - he's a true standout. Add it to your list ASAP?

This book tugged on my heart strings for sure. The writing was a bit of a struggle at times but overall enjoyable.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

It is hard to describe this book since it is unique in the way it introduces the characters. Janice is at the center of all of the stories, a cleaner in an unhappy marriage. As she cleans houses, she hears many stories and sees herself as the keeper of the stories. She has not been able to tell her own story, but as the book progresses, and Janice comes to trust some of her clients, like Mrs. B and Fiona, she slowly starts to open up. Also, meeting Euan, the bus driver who also collects stories, gives her the confidence she needs to get beyond her past sadnesses. I recommend this book for the multitude of interesting stories and appealing characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I have to admit this book took me a while to get into…so many characters we know so little about. It seemed to ramble and become somewhat repetitive. I kept rereading, thinking I had missed something that connected the story line more. Perhaps a more in depth introduction to Jessica may have helped me be better prepared for the wealth of characters I would then meet. My most favorite was the dog who made me laugh out loud. I did enjoy the characters but all in all it felt very disconnected.
There were several quotes like little gems scattered throughout that I actually took notes on but now cannot locate them.
Having just finished several excellent books that tapped into my love for historical fiction it could have been the wrong book at the wrong time.
My thanks to Sally Page, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this book, to be published January 25th.

Janice is a cleaner and she collects people’s stories by being around their homes and belongings. However, no one has ever bothered to inquire about Janice’s own story until she cleans for an eccentric Mrs. B.
Janice’s story is compelling and sad.
It’s a tender story sure to tug at readers’ heartstrings.

I received an ARC of Sally Page's book, THE KEEPER OF STORIES, courtesy of NetGalley and One More Chapter Press. All opinions are my own.

Genre: Women's Fiction
Representation: BIPOC
Trigger Warnings: mentions sexual behavior and suicide

This book started a tad slow for me. I felt adrift like Janice is in her life as "just a cleaner" and storyteller.

As I grasped this was a flowing story—like a river, wandering—I became more vested.
Janice is bright, but like many women I know she doesn't take that lens of perception to herself and focuses on other peoples' stories.

Once Janice meets Mrs. B—a feisty purple-robed, red-hatted, ex-spy, and mother of Mr. NoNoNotNow—her life changes. Mrs. B does this through a story.

So, it's something of a story within a story at times. I felt the most engaged with the bus driver, the child Adam who lost his father, and of course, the fox terrier. It was quite amusing that Janice saw him as swearing all the time and wondered where he learned such bad language.

The arc for Janice is genius. It's slow and builds over time.

I really enjoyed this story.

I loved this book! It's funny and totally had me laughing out loud. It's such a great idea to take stories to help yourself cope with a hard job. Janice can't wait to hear a good story, She cleans houses and has the worst husband so in order to get through the day she enjoys something to keep her going. Her employers can be hard to work for and some are wonderful. Just a super great book. Don't miss this one!

A heartwarming, feel-good story about a down on her luck house cleaner who connects with a group of people as they share their stories with her. Full of heart and humor and incredible sadness, this will make you cry and laugh. Recommended for fans of authors like Phaedra Patrick or Mike Gayle. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Janice is just a cleaner, or so she thought. Janice is also a collector of stories and everyone has a story to tell. Collecting other peoples stories has helped her through some hard times, but she’s realizing that she doesn’t have to be the mouse anymore, she can be the lion. Janice collects others stories, but it’s not until she starts cleaning for the 92 year old prickly Mrs. B that she comes to grips with her own story. One she never thought she’d tell anyone and one that will finally set her free. This charming character driven debut was heartbreaking at times and heartwarming at others. So grab a cup of tea and get cozy because this delightful story will leave you with warm fuzzies and fill you with hope. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.