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Ruth Hogan 4 Books Collection Set

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Please Note That The Following Individual Books As Per Original ISBN and Cover Image In this Listing shall be Dispatched

Ruth Hogan 4 Books Collection

The Wisdom of Sally Red
Once a spirited, independent woman with a rebellious streak, Masha's life has been 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 lido. Then a chance encounter with two extraordinary women - the fabulous and wise Kitty Muriel, a convent girl turned magician's wife turned seventy-something roller disco fanatic.

Queenie Malone's Paradise
Tilly was a bright, outgoing little girl who liked playing with ghosts and matches. She loved fizzy drinks, swear words, fish fingers and Catholic churches, but most of all she loved living in Brighton in Queenie Malone's magnificent Paradise Hotel with its endearing and loving family of misfits.

The Keeper of Lost
Once a celebrated author of short stories now in his twilight years, Anthony Peardew has spent half his life collecting lost objects, trying to atone for a promise broken many years before. Realising he is running out of time, he leaves his house and all its lost treasures to his assistant Laura, the one person he can trust to fulfil his legacy and reunite the thousands of objects with their rightful owners.

Madame
Imelda Burova has spent a lifetime keeping other people's secrets and her silence has come at a price. She has seen the lovers and the liars, the angels and the devils, the dreamers and the fools. Her cards had unmasked them all and her cards never lied. But Madame Burova is weary of other people's lives.

1392 pages, Paperback

Published March 28, 2023

30 people want to read

About the author

Ruth Hogan

10 books2,780 followers
I was born in the house where my parents still live in Bedford: 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: The Moomintrolls, A Hundred Million Francs, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the back of cereal packets and gravestones. I was mad about dogs and horses, but didn't like daddy-long-legs or sugar in my tea.

I studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths College which was brilliant, but then I came home and got a 'proper' job. I worked for ten years in a senior local government position (I was definitely a square peg in a round hole, but it paid the bills and mortgage) before a car accident left me unable to work full-time and convinced me to start writing seriously. It was 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.

I live in a chaotic Victorian house with an assortment of rescue dogs and my long-suffering partner (who has very recently become my husband - so I can't be that bad!) I am a magpie, always collecting treasures, and a huge John Betjeman fan. My favourite word is 'antimacassar' and I still like reading gravestones.

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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
240 reviews1 follower
January 30, 2025
I only read Madame Burova, but I couldn't find it as an individual item on Goodreads. Anyway, these are my thoughts on that book.

It is about ... hmm. By around half way through the book, I was wondering what it was about. Part of it is set in 1973-4 in Brighton. And part of it is in the present day. There are a cast of characters who — Billie and Imelda aside — didn't interest me all that much. No. Actually, Treasure was a wonderful character. I really felt for him.

Billie was a Foundlings baby. She was left in Imelda's booth (Madame Burova, fortune teller) as a baby, and Imelda had Billie adopted. Now her parents have both died, and she wants to find out who her parents were. Imelda knows who the mother is. The cards have told her. And the cards never lie.

Over the years, Imelda has heard everyone's secrets, and she has kept them to herself. She has also had her heart broken when the love of her life, the daring motorcycle rider, Killean Burns, dies. At the same time, Imelda loses her own baby, and then Billie is left in her booth. It's a lot to deal with. In addition, she wonders whether Killean is the father of Billie.

There is some mystery regarding the who the father (and mother) is. The dogs (Grecia and Mabel) are fabulous. But, on the whole, I just didn't engage with the characters or the story. I know there are many people out there who loved this. It just wasn't for me.
Profile Image for Kelly Burke.
66 reviews1 follower
August 9, 2025
A totally enjoyable read. I read this book in a matter of days, I couldn't wait to pick it up at every opportunity.
Imelda is a fabulous character. Her strength and loyalty are admirable.
I found myself predicting what was going to happen, and was correct, but it didn't take away from the mystery of the story.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews

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