Book Review: the Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge,from Crooked Lane Books, via Netgalley, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own.


Ruth Hogan, the international bestselling author behind the The Keeper of Lost Things returns with an irresistible novel of unexpected friendships, second chances—and dark secrets…


the Wisdom of Sally Red Shoe cover


Synopsis:

They say friends make life worth living…

Once a spirited, independent woman with a rebellious streak, Masha's life was forever changed by a tragic event twelve years ago. Unable to let go of her grief, she finds comfort in her faithful canine companion Haizum, and peace in the quiet lanes of her town's swimming pool. Almost without her realizing it, her life has shuddered to a halt.

It’s only when Masha begins an unlikely friendship with the mysterious Sally Red Shoes, a bag lady with a prodigious voice and a penchant for saying just what she means, that a new world of possibilities opens up: new friendships, new opportunities, and even a chance for new love. For the first time in years, Masha has the chance to start living again.


Review:

What is one person's grief, may not be another's. There is no time table, nor instructions about how we move on, and continue. For some, like Masha, they end up swimming in circles, not venturing farther than their 'safe spaces' where memories are constant and they don't have to face uncertainity. How Alice and Masha come to met may require the reader to have a box of tissues nearby, but through their shared experience, they find what they both need to understand and find new meaning in their lives. Maybe not a typical Summer book, but one that WILL be talked about!

About the Author:

I was born in the house where my parents still live in Bedford, however my sister was so pleased to have a sibling, that she threw a thrupenny bit at me. As a child I read everything I could lay my hands on, so it was lucky my mum worked in a bookshop. I passed enough A levels to get a place at Goldsmiths College, University of London, to study English and Drama. It was brilliant and I loved it. And then I got a proper job.

I worked for ten years in a senior local government position: a square peg in round hole, but it paid the bills and mortgage. In my early thirties I had a car accident which left me unable to work full-time and convinced me to start writing seriously. It was all going well, but then in 2012 I got Cancer, which was bloody inconvenient, but precipitated an exciting hair journey from bald to a peroxide blonde Annie Lennox crop. When chemo kept me up all night I passed the time writing and the eventual result was THE KEEPER OF LOST THINGS, my first novel.

I live in a chaotic Victorian house with an assortment of rescue dogs and my long-suffering husband. I am a magpie; always collecting treasures (or 'junk' depending on your point of view) and a huge John Betjeman fan. My favourite word is' antimacassar' and I still like reading gravestones. For more on Ruth, check out her website: 
http://ruthhogan.co.uk

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