I was really pleasantly surprised with this book. It was my first Graham Norton (missed his debut) so I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book was so readable and the characters were so well-drawn and compelling. There was real substance to the story which you sometimes don't get when the book is also "readable".

I'm a real sucker for dual-timeline narratives, and this was no exception. Throw in some family secrets and old letters and I'm invested. I really enjoyed spending time with these characters and it was a perfect fall read. I don't read nearly enough fiction set in Ireland, so I'm hoping to do more of that and go back and also read Holding.

Recommended!

This is a beautifully written story by the wonderful Graham Norton. Endearing and engrossing, I was totally lost in this amazing book. Highly recommended.

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This book proves how great storyteller Graham Norton is. It’s a lovely read and so worth it.

This is a rare and splendid story. It transports you out of time, out of place, into a world you can feel as your skin.
Many thanks to Atria Books, and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Having never read a book by Graham Norton before I had no idea what to expect and to be honest I was wonderfully surprised.

Well written with a great balance between wit and pathos I greatly enjoyed this book about self-discovery and accepting who you are. Told from the perspective of Mother and Daughter in both the past and the present for anyone with an interest in identity and what defines who we are it is a must-read.

This will definitely not be the only book I read by Mr. Norton.

A Keeper is a novel that I feel could only really be set in Ireland. It is a story of tragedy and betrayal but filled with hope. The book centers around Elizabeth who has gone home to Ireland to clean out her mother's house after she passed. While there she discovers a box of letters from her unknown father.

The story alternates between mother and daughter as they go on their own journeys to find love and truth. This is one of those books that is nice to read because it is not trying to scare you or be an epic; it is just a nice, quiet novel that you will enjoy reading.

Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC of A Keeper by Graham Norton.

When Elizabeth reluctantly returns to Ireland after her mother's death, she not surprised to find her mother's home full of junk. Never truly feeling like she knew her mother, Elizabeth is shocked to find a stack of letters that, while confusing and inconsistent, start to unravel the mind boggling tale of her mother, and how Elizabeth came into the world.

This was not AT ALL, what I was expecting. It was horrifying, but also...not? Somehow, despite it's content, it still ended up being charming, and easy to read through quickly. Definitely worth the read.

I do like Graham Norton. He’s like a naughty uncle at Christmas. Always jolly and scathing at the same time. I’m not actually sure what I was expecting when I picked up this book but it absolutely was not what I was expecting.

So Graham Norton is a funny guy. Quick witted and good with people, looks like he would be a great laugh on a night out (or in). But after reading this book I’m slightly wary of him. Because this story is dark. There are a whole host of tragedies, inappropriate relationships, fallings out and just downright ugly happenings. Which is not to say that the book is an unpleasant read, it’s actually quite a straightforward and easy read. But the storyline is dark. Very dark.

The book was well written and paced well. I enjoyed reading it and would rate it 4/5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this first reading experience with a Graham Norton book, which I was intrigued to read.
It had an ‘old fashioned’ feel...even the present time didn’t feel in contemporary times but as I read I could see this as a really good TV series.

Admittedly I took a little while to get the flow of the book with ‘now’ and ‘then’ chapters.(It didn’t help that I missed the headings in the first couple). This wasn’t a book where I felt connected to the characters but more of an interested observer.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

I love the Graham Norton Show, but had no idea that he was an author ... and a very good one at that!  I enjoyed A Keeper and will be picking up a copy of his first novel, Holding.

Elizabeth Keane is a divorced mother who escaped her unhappy childhood in Buncarragh, Ireland, and never looked back.  When her mother passes away and Elizabeth is called back to Ireland clean out her mother's house and put it up for sale.  She is not expecting the dirt, the grime, the piles and piles of junk ... and, especially not the rats!  Amongst all of this, she comes across a pile of letters that make her question everything she believed about her mother, her childhood and herself.  As the story unfolds, it switches between Elizabeth's timeline and that of her mother. 

(NetGalley ebook -  I received a complimentary advanced reader copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I was taken back when I realized that I was reading a book written by the "Graham Norton".

A Keeper, was a beautifully, and well thought out written Novel. It's definitely a page turner that keeps you in suspense, with all the twist and turns of all the secrets throughout the book. It was pure perfection. This made my top 10 favorite books of 2019

Rating 4

This book was such a delight to read. It is set in Ireland and the author did a fantastic job in describing the locations. It's a mystery/ family drama that kept my attention the entire time. I would recommend this book. I received a free ebook via Netgalley for my honest opinion.

I did like this book, but not quite as much as some of Norton's other works. This one seems very dark, and gave me the feeling of being quite cold. Perhaps this is because I never really felt attached to any of the characters. It does well with the suspense, and the wrap-up is quite nice. I would recommend this.

What a beautiful story! It flowed off the pages with lightness and joyfulness. I truly enjoyed the simple story and the lovely Irish characters that came alive in front of my eyes. The story went from past to present which kept my attention completely and I really could have read it in one go. Excellent work Graham Norton. .

I'll admit I was drawn to The Keeper because of the author. I so enjoy Graham Norton's quick wit and sense of fun and I hoped he would reflect that in his writing. I wasnt disappointed! The Keeper is a well woven, evenly paced, entertaining read. There are two timeframes in the novel, and I thought that Mr Norton excelled at setting the scenes and differentiating them with beautifully detailed settings. His character portraits are layered and clear voiced. I really appreciated his ability to write female characters, their inner and spoken dialogue seemed to fit both character and the scenarios. Mr. Norton kept the promise of the premise and I would definitely read more from him.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation

What an interesting story this was! I haven't read the author's first book, but have heard so many great things that I was excited to give this one a try. It was filled with really great characters that just popped to life on the pages and I especially enjoyed the tour around parts of Ireland. The plot was interestingly twisted and kept me incredibly engaged throughout. It was like a breath of fresh air to read. No disgusting, grisly serial killers, no dark psychopathic thoughts - just a good old mystery of normal people's lives.

It was such a pleasure to read this book.
I am a big fan of Graham Norton and The Graham Norton Show. Needless to say, when I picked A Keeper by Graham Norton (out of thousands of books on Net Galley), I thought surely this could not be the same Graham Norton. Imagine my surprise when I leaned that it was, in fact, the same Graham Norton.
I discovered two things while reading this book: 1) it turns out this book is a wonderful cozy mystery and 2) Graham Norton is a fantastic writer.
Written with alternating “then” and “now” chapters, this book is the story of a women who discovered the many secrets her mother left behind and its path to her biological father. With that being said, I suggest you make a pot of tea and prepare to fully immerse yourself in this fantastic book.

IRELAND
NOW: Elizabeth’s mother has just passed away, and she had arrived in Bunncarragh to get the house packed and get all the affairs in order. While cleaning, she finds many letters hidden away in the wardrobe. She soon discovers that the correspondence is between her mother, Patricia, and her father, Edward Foley (who died when Elizabeth was a baby). A week after her mother’s funeral, a letter from a lawyer shows up stating she had also inherited her father home, Castle House. According to the papers, it was only added on to the will 6 years ago. How could this be when he died after she was born? Following the path to her real father, Elizabeth uncovers many secrets along the way.
THEN:
Patricia carefully filled out a single ad in the Farmers Newspaper with the hopes of meeting a fine farmer. She was very delighted to have received a quick response by Edward Foley. When Patricia travels from her home in Bunncarragh to his home at Castle House, she is surprised to learn that in person, Edward Foley is nothing like the man who wrote such delightful letters. After their first awkward visit, Edward writes her again and mentions his feelings for her and the wonderful kiss they shared on their first meeting. Although, something didn’t feel quite right, their courtship was new and exciting and Patricia visits again. This time, the meeting doesn’t go as she planned and she comes face to face with a person who will stop at nothing to keep their family together.

A Keeper is a great mix of mystery and family drama. I read a decent amount of both genres, but this one seemed different from anything I’ve read before. It could be due to the fact that this book is very much Irish – which honestly took me a bit to get used to – but it just had a different feeling to other books I’ve read. I was not all that emotionally attached to the characters, but no less interested in what was happening to them, which was kind of an interesting experience.

I particularly liked the mystery element. I thought it was really well done. I’m really good at predicting twists, but there were definitely a few surprises in A Keeper. And not the kind you couldn’t possibly see coming because it wasn’t even hinted at until thirty pages before the end. I really liked the that all of the twists and turns completely made sense with the story, which really elevated this book in my opinion.

While I definitely needed a few chapters to get into this story, I could not stop reading once I did. I just needed to know what came next. There is so much going on in this book, but I do think it worked together well. Usually when there are this many plot lines, I can pinpoint one or two I could do without, but I do think Norton struck a nice balance here. Overall, I thought it was a great novel, and I am really glad I read it.

Elizabeth Keane is an expat academic who has returned from New York to Ireland in the wake of her mother Patricia's death. When cleaning up her mother's effects, she stumbles on some letters that give an insight into the relationship her mother had with Edward Foley, the father that she never knew.

Elizabeth is intrigued, and tries to find out more about Edward. As Norton recounts her search into her past, he also tells the story of Edward and Patricia, and of Elizabeth's birth. This story is a lot less romantic than Elizabeth envisages. As she pursues her inquiries, Elizabeth is distracted by alarming news about the teenage son that she has left in the care of her ex-husband, which she must also deal with.

This is a pretty good melodrama from Norton, a darker novel than you might expect given his TV persona.

4.5/5 stars
In this dual timeline tale, Graham Norton takes us on a journey through the lives, loves and losses of two women; a mother and daughter who never realised just how similar they actually were.

The setting: I loved the Irish setting and the atmosphere the author provides. The descriptions are not over done and still the reader is fully immersed in the Irish country side. It’s sometimes oppressive, sometimes glorious, sometimes eerie too. Whether we’re in the present or past version of the little town of Buncarragh, we get the feel of small town Ireland. The atmosphere is almost tangible when we enter the desolate Castle House in Muirinish in current day, and that sensation is only intensified when we visit that property in the past.

For the most part, the story has two protagonists, Elizabeth in the present and her mother, Patricia, in the past. The nature of each of these women is well developed as we follow them through their adventures, turmoil and challenges. Elizabeth seems quite lost and vulnerable as the story opens but when confronting her son’s issues, she shows her steely backbone. That backbone comes in handy for dealing with grabby relatives too!

Patricia meanwhile seems to have been left behind by society and life after her mother dies. Being her parent’s carer was the card dealt her and no amount of potential or dreams could change that responsibility. But Patricia shows sparks of determination and courage when she seeks a different course for her life. How that journey plays out and how she fights to regain herself is the story that reveals the true depth of her character.

One thing both these women have in common is love for their children. They both do what they have to do to give their child the best life possible under their circumstances.Theirs is a bond that they could never fully appreciate as too much was left untold.

The mystery of Elizabeth’s paternity, the missing father, is one that shaped her childhood. It is this mystery that we, the readers, hope to solve as we work through the pages of A Keeper. The mix of present day and past is very well-done and the suspense of what happens next in each time period is delightfully dragged out by the shifting time-scapes.

I don’t know that all is ever revealed to Elizabeth, but at least for us readers, we get the full story via thoughts and flashbacks from various characters. I think Elizabeth pieces together enough of the story to put most of the key events together and so gains a better understanding of her past and where she comes from.

Overall, this was an engrossing tale of two women, in two different times, connected through familial love.