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The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes

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The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes

By: Ruth Hogan
Narrated by: Jane Collingwood, Esther Wane
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About this listen

Loved Ruth Hogan's The Keeper of Lost Things? Keep on reading....

Masha's life has stopped.

Once a spirited, independent woman with a rebellious streak, her life has been forever changed by a tragic event 12 years ago. Unable to let go of her grief, she finds solace in the silent company of the souls of her local Victorian cemetery and at the town's lido, where she seeks refuge underwater - safe from the noise and the pain.

But a chance encounter with two extraordinary women - the fabulous and wise Kitty Muriel, a convent girl-turned-magician's wife-turned-70-something-roller-disco-fanatic, and the mysterious Sally Red Shoes, a bag lady with a prodigious voice - opens up a new world of possibilities, and the chance to start living again. But just as Masha dares to imagine the future, the past comes roaring back....

Like her best-selling debut, The Keeper of Lost Things, Ruth Hogan's second novel introduces a cast of wonderful characters, both ordinary and charmingly eccentric, who guide us through a moving exploration of the simple human connections that make life worth living.

©2018 Ruth Hogan (P)2018 John Murray Press Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Tear-jerking

Critic Reviews

"This is the first book I read in 2017 - and if another as good comes along in the next 12 months, I'll eat my special gold reviewing spectacles." (Daily Mail)

"A gem." (Huffington Post)

"Exquisite." (The Lady)

All stars
Most relevant  
Enjoyed this book until the end. I felt cheated! I wanted to know how the reunion played out etc

Ending was less than satisfactory

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Rarely do I write negative reviews, but this book is awful. The characters are paper-thin and cliched, and the story seems to doggedly stick to some predetermined formula. What a waste of time.

Lazy, cliched writing

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Dreary & slow. I couldn’t get into it. Dragged me down. Too much dull details of the everyday. I’m sure it got better, but I couldn’t keep going.

Too slow

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