A Keeper: The Sunday Times Bestseller

Product Information

But nobody seems to know anything about Edward Foley, and the deeper she digs she discovers that she knows nothing about where she came from. I had a couple of “eye roll” moments with this book, and I noticed several detail oversights, but this was an excellent read for me.

There is always a soft and homely humour in the background of his books, and his traditional characters shine through with personality. The two treads of the story, current and historical , presented in parallel are an easy read and except for one element the plot is totally acceptable: where are Mary's relatives? His characters have a cardboard quality and he has jammed the plot with events that never quite come together in a believable way. Of course, she is not there for guidance so she turns to her divorced husband to step in and be a father, something he has done little of before this. I was determined to finish it, although was proud of myself to see it out till the bitter end which,although sad, ended on a positive note.It is a mesmerizing read and so unexpected ,had no idea what would happen and it was all alarming and upsetting and yet i could not put it down. Loneliness features in the lives of several of the characters but Elizabeth’s life is more positive at the end of the book. This is a hugely compelling family drama, of mothers whose children are everything, and of the darkness, heartbreak, intrigue, mental health issues and secrets that bubble within the facade of families, past and present. While it took Margaret Mitchell 10 years to compose 'Gone With the Wind', and 12 years for Victor Hugo to finish 'Les Miserables', Graham Norton appears to have thrown this together over the course of a rainy Saturday afternoon and published it the following Monday without any further thought or attention. In the wardrobe she finds a box with some letters that appear to be written by her father, a man whom she has never known, who she believes passed away when she was but an infant.

Elizabeth’s loneliness is ever present though never overplayed, and her difficult ties with her extended family oscillate between frustration, anger, regret and resignation. Urged on by a friend she answers a lonely hearts ad in the Farmers’ Journal and meets Edward Foley, a taciturn farmer who lives in an isolated cottage with his domineering mother. I love Graham Norton's writing and I would have read it in one sitting if I could, but I needed some sleep in between.I wasn't bored for one minute, I thought the story unfolded very well , with new snippets of information added all the time. The book goes back and forward in time telling the story from both Elizabeth in present day and her mother Patricia in the past. I read Graham Norton's first novel mostly out of curiosity but found the writing very good, now after reading this book I will look out for his novels for the entertaining emotive writing. Graham was soon approached by the BBC to front his own self-titled chat show The Graham Norton Show in 2007.

She didn't really stay in touch with her mother and even when she was dying didn't seem to see the need to be there. i loved this book it had me in from the first page it moved at a quick pace a heartbreaking story that will play with your emotions as it did mine.To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. My only complaint is that Graham Norton's diction is not always perfect, and at times he reads too fast. As she clears out her mother’s personal effects, she discovers a bundle of letters that appear to be from the father she has never known. She is less than keen on her remaining family, riddled with conflict and devious machinations, but she has to clear her mother's house with a view to selling it.

While I certainly understood Elizabeth's quest for information, I felt she was a fairly impulsive character. This was powerful storytelling, with depth of both character and plot, the threads joining both eras all strongly interwoven.This novel will never be nominated for grand literary prizes, but I believe it makes an enjoyable read for those who like a good story with twists and turns. In clearing out her mother's wardrobe Elizabeth comes across a wooden box containing letters from her father whom she knows very little about. It is also such a warm and moving book - i can only recommend the author and will immediately be looking for other books that he published.