Having totally enjoyed 'The Keeper of Lost Things', i just had to give this a read.

Mostly a book that deals with death, and how different people deal with death in its many guises.   I know, it sounds a bit morbid and miserable, but Ruth manages to pull this off without it being so.

As with 'The Keeper of Lost Things', Ruth creates a wonderful cast of characters that we can believe in and feel for.   People who have been hit by tradgedy and grief and have to learn to live on with it.   And Ruth does this with a wonderful compassion mixed in with just the perfect touch of humour to keep the story flowing along nicely while set mostly between a Victorian grave yard and a lido.

10/10 for taking a topic that most writers would shy away from and making it into a really enjoyable, thoughtful read, with quite a few titbits of genuine wisdom thrown in.

I really enjoy Ruth's writing, and you'll definitely find me reading Ruth's next book, 'Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel', at some future date. ( )

Slow, meandering, obvious. DNF ( )

What a wonderful, wonderful book. I didn't want it to end after many hours in the company of Kitty Muriel, her partner, Elvis (not the uh-huh-huh one, you can keep him, thank you very much), Edward, Marcus, Haizum (Irish wolfhound…I want one) and, of course, Sally Red Shoes. Delightful, joyful, colourful…nice people.

This was a book written by the author to try and show that from the quagmire of deep despair, there is life and there is love. Not least, because the author herself had her own battles to win (and did, I should add). In the book, it's Masha who needs to be shown the way…twelve years of grieving after her own tragedy was taking its toll on everyone, not least herself. Cue Kitty M and Sally Red Shoes. Two extraordinary, self-empowering ladies with the voices Masha needed.

Hogan is an artist with words. She paints a magnificent masterpiece with them. I lost count of the number of phrases I read and thought, oh, I love that, I must remember that. (How I wish I could!) This is a book bursting with grief and tragedy, poignancy, hope, love, humour, wit and candour. But there's no need for tissues, don't worry. Hogan's skill is wrapping sadness in a cacoon of humbling enlightment and surprise.

But what touched me most, let me tell you, is that in her acknowledgements, the author thanked her readers FIRST. Readers are usually in the….'and finally…'

Put this on your reading list right now! ( )

Didn't enjoy this one as much as her first book. While the story worked and there was plenty to keep me guessing, I feel like removing the Alice portion could have left more room for Sally and Kitty, both of whom I loved. ( )

Masha has been trapped in the past for twelve years, ever since her young son toddled away from her and drowned in a tragic accident. When she goes to the lido every morning, it isn’t to swim, to make her body strong, but to force herself underwater and to stay to the very point of drowning, so that she can understand what he would have felt. When she visits her loyal, supportive friends – playing the part of a functioning grown-up – everyone knows that there are some subjects which must be avoided. One of the few ways that Masha finds peace is in her daily walk through the rambling local cemetery, with her lolloping dog Haizum, where she conjures up fanciful histories for the people whose graves she passes. And it’s here, in the cemetery, that she encounters an eccentric old woman who, quite unexpectedly, opens Masha’s eyes to the possibility of joy. This is a heartwarming tale of old friends, new friends and new starts, which sometimes strays dangerously close to being mawkish, but might well leave a tear in your eye...

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2020/05/06/the-wisdom-of-sally-red-shoes-2018-ruth-hoga... ( )