*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I adored this sweet, understated novel. Gloria is a senior citizen who is rescued from her dilapidated house and cured of the need to hoard items as a substitute for comfort and security. As she moves forward with her life she begins, to her surprise, to embrace new people, places and experiences. Gloria's got balls, and I want to be just like her when I grow up! Highly recommended!

When I started this book, I wasn’t entirely sure where it was going to go and I could never have predicted the journey it takes on with Gloria.
Gloria is a hoarder and does this to protect herself from her losses, not realising that it is tying her to them. The book follows her journey to realising there is more to life and going on a real adventure.
I really enjoyed this book especially Gloria who I had become really quite fond of by the end.

A cute little story. Who couldn't fall in love with Gloria? Okay,so she keeps a lot of useless stuff. So? There are worse things,right? Lol #netgalley #thewomanwhokepteverything

Ooh, what to say. This book has to be in my top best loved books of 2018. I enjoyed every single page. There was never a dull moment. This is the kind of story that although entertaining and often light-hearted still carries an underlying message, in fact quite a few messages come to think of it.

At the beginning we meet Gloria, a 79 year old lady who lives alone in her own home surrounded by stuff and lots of it. Gloria is a hoarder, rarely goes out and struggles to even move around her house to cook and wash, her house is so cluttered. Her son Clegg has all but given up on her and she hasn’t seen her grandchildren for at least 10 years.

Quite soon on in the book all that is about to change when an electrical fault in her house means she’s temporarily moved into elderly residential care and it’s here that she receives help and more importantly a listening ear. She’s given counselling which helps her to understand how her hoarding habit started.

As a result Gloria reaches a turning point in her life and the rest of the book sees her trying new things, rekindling long lost friendships and making new friends. It’s a joy to read and at times melts your heart. It also makes you realise just how vulnerable the elderly can become, often unnoticed and forgotten. A very sad sign of our times.

But it’s not a depressing story by any means, there’s lots to smile at all the way through. Whilst written in the third person it is still Gloria who tells the story and Gloria who the reader is with all the way through with lots of other memorable characters thrown into the mix.

The most striking thing I noticed was that in the beginning the narrative was quite child like but as Gloria tried out more things, developing her independence, her confidence grew and along with that the story telling seemed to become so much more confident and mature. I just loved, loved this book it was brilliant. If you’ve read a Grand Old Time by Judy Leigh and enjoyed it, you will adore this book.

The ending made me laugh and cry at the same time, laugh because of the image it left me with and cry because, well, I grew to love those characters like they were real people and I’ll miss reading about them.

A wonderful story of a woman who emerges from her hoarders cocoon to reassert herself and embrace life, finding her voice , confidence and love. Along the way she encourages others to follow her example and finally reconnects with her family. Heartwarming and a lesson to us all about the compulsion that can blight a life .

I liked this book. It was funny, lighthearted and in a very easy way portrayed serious issues, like mental illness, the difficulties of growing old, being owner of your own life even if you are old aged.

Gloria is a 79 hoarder that will have a major turn in her life and will embark on a journey, physical but most importantly, of self discovery. Her main antagonist will be her son Clegg, that as it happens in real life, believes he has the right to make decisions on his mother life just because she is old.

It is endearing and fun at the same time, even though some parts of the plot seem a bit far fetched at times.

I recommend to all of those that like a light story, well-written.

Gloria is a hoarder, she doesn't just keep things, she keeps everything and anything. Piles of newspapers, boxes, everything. She can't get to her bath, can't use the majority of her home because of stuff piled everywhere. Her son rarely calls, she hasn't seen her daughter in law and grandchildren for years and she doesn't leave the house.

Until one day when there's a smell of burning and her son places her in a care home for two weeks. She gets help there and starts to understand the reasons why she was hoarding so much. She leaves the home to move into her sons house.

She discovers her son is selling her house and she knows staying with him and his family will never be a long term thing. She really doesn't want to go into a home.

She has a day at the beach with her friend and from there on decides to live a little, holiday, visit friends and make memories while she can.

This is a beautiful story and I loved it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Living among the pile of magazines, anything and everything she felt she can't get rid of, 79 yr old hoarder, finds a place for everything she can't throw away. She realizes she is getting too old for potato soup every day, and her only way of water from the outdoor rainwater barrel. Not much left from her pension , she has a strong will to make the best of each day .
Gloria, is on a pilgrmage to "find herself" after many mishaps among her son and wife, and not wanting to have anyone decide her life for her. Her late husband's best freind, Tilsbury , is at her side every way and helps her get everywhere with one credit card onhand that her son gave her.
One adventure Tilbury offers her for one day,leads to weeks of adventure and fun, while her family is worried sick not knowing where she is.
Noone will stop Gloria's high spirit and energy to keep living and enjoying life ,no matter what age one can be.
ALong her path of seeking herself, she helps old freinds along the way.
Meanwhile her son is selling her house behind her back. This is when she finds out and makes sure noone will put her in a care senior home nor take her house away for their own private sale.
The results of her sane mind decisions are charming and shows a senior who still has the strive to live fully with a brave and un- selfish heart.
This wonderful powerful loving story proves that the elderly also deserve respect and we can learn alot from them about forgiveness and that those little things DO matter in a senior's life.
A surprising twist and a fabulous wedding makes me wish I knew a Gloria Frensham in my life!

I really enjoyed this quirky, different novel about 79 year old Gloria. As years went by after becoming a widow, Gloria becomes a hoarder, living a sad, lonely life, upsetting to her son, Clegg. When Gloria is forced to leave her home, she is counseled and begins to understand why she surrounded herself with things. Gloria starts living life to the fullest, taking vacations, meeting people and turning her story around. With quirky characters and a great storyline, this book is sure to be a favorite.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Gloria sounds a bit like me with her hoarding but saying that what a lovely wonderful read.

A scary story especially because I know a lot of hoarders and people who won't throw things out. It didn't really explain any thing and I would not recommend.

This is a heart-warming, life-affirming story of a 79-year-old grandmother who reinvents her life after having to leave her unsafe house. After decades of hoarding, she's forced to confront her issues and moves from blaming those around her and passively letting the world pass her by to actively working to overcome her hoarding tendencies,. She goes on adventures around the English countryside, makes new friends, and renews old friendships. It's a bit light on details -- it's not exactly a matter of a few weeks to actually overcome a lifetime of hoarding -- but it's still well done and nice to have an elderly heroine who decides to take charge of her life.

I was instantly intrigued by the title and then when I read the plot, I knew I needed to get my hands on The Woman Who Kept Everything by Jane Gilley.

I absolutely love quirky books like The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry, The Rosie Project, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Frye, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper. I highly recommend all of those books!

The Woman Who Kept Everything is a heartwarming story, we really need more books like this one. Here’s what you need to know:

79-year-old Gloria Frensham is a hoarder. She lives amongst piles of magazines, squashed cardboard boxes, surplus carpet rolls, heaps of towels and knick-knacks littering the stairs. She hasn’t left her home for years, until a loud bang and a sudden smell of singeing sets in motion Gloria’s unwilling exodus from her home…

That day is the start of a journey that will never return Gloria back to her beloved, hoarded possessions, nor to her son’s house to live. For it is the start of her journey to discover life again – and she’s going to make some good friends and defiant decisions along the way, with just one very small suitcase in tow…



This book comes out in early December and you can pre-order now. Only $1.99 on Kindle!

I received this book "The Woman Who Kept Everything" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. This book has very interesting characters. I enjoyed reading this book and it was an easy read. Gloria really turned her life around and it could have turned out differently if not for her friend that took her for a crazy ride to the beach. Gloria at age 79, sort of "runs away" and so her adventure and new life begins. I really thought that her adventures were awesome! She helps out and friend, crosses a few things off her bucket list and begins to really find herself. Just a fun read and Gloria is someone who you want to know in your life.

This is the story of Gloria, an elderly woman who has developed a hoarding problem after the death of her husband, Arthur. However, circumstances lead her to be taken into state custody and released to her son, Clegg. Gloria, up until this point, has not had very many experiences outside of her home for some time and takes the opportunity to expand her horizons and see more of the world, check items off of her bucket list, if you will. Very reminiscent of "The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared," this book was light-hearted and uplifting. I found myself cheering for Gloria at different points during the book and hating her son just a little bit more. It reminded me that we only have one existence upon this Earth and she was making the best of hers. I definitely enjoyed this book because of the interesting characters, the unlikely heroes and the wonderful story.
Highly recommend!

A heart warming easy read - perfect for an autumn afternoon read! I loved Gloria the main character. This book made me smile and also brought a tear to my eye

If you enjoyed reading a man called Ove and Harold Fry and that genre, you will definitely like this book. It touches on a huge spectrum of topics not just focusing on what you would imagine by its title.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this arc.

I thought this was an endearing "coming out of hibernation" story -- as opposed to a coming of age story. Depression can truly be devastating. And Gloria was horribly depressed.... closing herself off from the world with her "stuff," limiting her time spent with family and friends, allowing her mental deterioration to dictate her physical state, etc. until a crisis at home happened and it became obvious to those around her that something had to change.

Fortunately, Gloria is the feisty type who recognized her own need for change and took action. Change is possible even for a seventy-nine year old!

Such a beautifully written novel that opens ones eyes to the elderly and the mistreatment some face by their own families.
Definitely puts into perspective the love one is meant to have for their family and to always take care of their family, there’s always time to.
The novel also deals with mental health with hoarding and the bottling up of emotions, as well as the stereotypes of men not being able to freely display their emotions.

I expected a great deal more focus on the hoarding aspect, but this story quickly turns away from it. Nothing really new here, but fans of Ove, Elsie, and the like will find comfortable, enjoyable ground here.