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The Keeper of Stories
- Narrated by: Jessica Whittaker
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
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Summary
She can’t recall what started her collection. Maybe it was in a fragment of conversation overheard as she cleaned a sink? Before long (as she dusted a sitting room or defrosted a fridge), she noticed people were telling her their stories. Perhaps they always had done, but now it is different, now the stories are reaching out to her and she gathers them to her.
When Janice starts cleaning for Mrs B - a shrewd and tricksy woman in her 90s - she meets someone who wants to hear her story. But Janice is clear: she is the keeper of stories, she doesn’t have a story to tell. At least, not one she can share.
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Critic reviews
"I absolutely loved it! So different, clever, funny and charming." (Sunday Times best-selling author Katie Fforde)
"Funny, wise, moving and full of lovely moments.... The characters are endearing and unforgettable." (Hazel Prior, author of the Richard & Judy Book Club Pick Away with the Penguins)
"Absolutely spellbinding...a warm-hearted, thoughtful, funny and yet deeply poignant." (Celia Anderson, author of 59 Memory Lane)
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What listeners say about The Keeper of Stories
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Jaye22
- 01-05-22
*Endearing*
For some time now Janice has been collecting stories. She is a cleaner and she overhears lots of conversations because she is virtually invisible. It does not help that she has a husband of a thousand jobs. He is always coming up with hair-brained schemes as he eats into their savings mostly without even discussing it. He always refers to her as “just a cleaner” her job does not define her. With all these stories there is one story she neglects to think about is her own.
The people she cleans for are mainly rich and some high profile. One new client is the brusque Mrs B, the mother of the one she refers to as “Mr No, No, Not Now” his wife “Mrs Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” the only saving grace is their dog a fox terrier called Decius.
Mrs B is in her 90’s and there is far more to her than meets the eye. She is the one who wants to hear Janice’s story. Is Janice ready to reveal it? It is the most engrossing stories. One that has scarred Janice.
This book will make you laugh, especially the voice that Janice invents for what she thinks Decius is saying, it will make you smile and overall I just loved it.
2 people found this helpful
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- loulou
- 04-05-22
Beautiful story, was hooked
Beautiful and compelling story. Beautifully read (apart from Scottish accent 😆 but that really didn’t matter) Would listen to again and again.
1 person found this helpful
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- G. Marsden
- 02-05-22
delightful story highly recommended read
I couldn't stop listening such lovely book. Well worth reading made me laugh out loud and cry .
1 person found this helpful
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- minus32
- 18-04-22
Wonderful
The storey of cleaner and her clients and the rich stories of them-all.
Beautifully read. With a proper ending🙂
1 person found this helpful
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Story
- Christineb
- 14-04-22
A lovely read
It's rare to find a uplifting interesting novel that had interesting characters It managed to keep my interest Frankly l loved it Narrated beautifully
1 person found this helpful
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Story
- DDPI
- 12-04-22
Wonderful characters!
Liked the many stories within a main story. If you like warm, feel-good and life-affirming books, then you will enjoy listening to this one!
1 person found this helpful
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- Wendy Henderson
- 05-04-22
Brilliant - a true tonic , you just want there to be a sequel -so enjoyable
I bought this after reading a review and boy was it worth it,This is the first book that has made me laugh out loud for a very long time? I loved the dog Decius ,his comments were just spot on . Mrs Yeah yeah yeah,Mrs B and the subject of Jan’s husband Mike at times just made me laugh out loud .Hats off to Jessica Whittaker who narrated the story and really made it such a joy to listen to.Will be one of those books I will go back to.Money very well spent -a true tonic.
1 person found this helpful
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- louise breton
- 19-06-22
Don’t buy it
Not what I was expecting at all, none of the story had flow or excited me. Tried to listen but couldn’t do it, wish i new how to return it,and choose another book.
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- Miss L.
- 16-06-22
Not really for me
I found this a bit too slow and lacklustre. I almost gave up several times at the beginning but did stick with it until the end. It’s about normal life and the highs and lows of a normal person so I can see how some people would find it endearing but it was a bit too slow and dull for me and I didn’t love the voice of the narrator.
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-06-22
A life affirming story
As with all the best stories, this leaves you wondering what to follow it with
Great characters