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The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes cover art

The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes

By: Ruth Hogan
Narrated by: Jane Collingwood,Esther Wane
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Summary

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

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)  

What listeners say about The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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So disappointing...

Found this such a depressing story - really struggled with the topic and negative theme. Such a surprise from her brilliant first book. Very disappointing and very happy when I'd finished it.If you want an uplifting book , give this one a miss.

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13 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Three or five stars, still not sure!

This book is beautifully written and I am torn between giving three or five stars. An incredible story with inspiring moments but also heartbreaking. Best not to listen to it if you are feeling loss. I read some of the book as I wanted to speed through the most sorrowful parts. I know death is inevitable but I quite like books which take me from the sorrows of life.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Oh my goodness......

After reading Ruth Hogan’s first book ‘The Keeper of Lost Things’, I loved it so much I felt bereft. So there was nothing left but to read the second novel ‘Sally Red Shoes’. However, it was not without some trepidation that I downloaded ‘Sally’. Would it live up to ‘Keeper’? Would the narration be as excellent? What if.....?

I needn’t have worried, the plot and the characters are just as engaging, the theme, primarily about loss and recovery were gripping and I lived life through the eyes of our heroine, Masha, and the other characters real and imagined, who people Masha’s life. The other smaller thread which runs through the book about Alice and her son is also interesting and bubbles away below the surface until the final denouement at the end and a twist in the plot which I didn’t see coming.

Loved every second of this book and the narrators are also amazing. I am looking forward already to Ruth Hogan’s third novel.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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heartwarming

i liked keeper of lost things and loved this. a heartwarming story that takes a tragedy and manages to make it sad but not depressing whilst employing funny characters for light relief. wouls suit fans of eleanor oliphant, and goats n sheep.

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7 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • 12-06-18

Not quite there!

I loved 'The Keeper of Lost Things' but this audiobook just didn't grab me in the same way.

I didn't believe that the narrators were living the story. It felt very much like a book was being read out loud to me by someone who was reading it for the first time and hadn't quite got their head around the sentence structures, pauses, flow etc. The performance wasn't right.

There were some great characters, some lovely quirks and the story had a good concept but in the end it just didn't quite marry up as well as it could have done. Alice's story needed more development.This book seemed like a first draft to me.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Wisdom and fun from all the cast


This was heartwarming and heartbreaking, laugh out loud and very sad.

Unfortunately for my tastes, all wrapped up in a butterscotch sweetness, which made it very chick lit, when it could have been more.

That said it was good, and worth a listen, tackling some difficult situations, if perhaps a little too conveniently sugar coated.

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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Did not even bother to finish The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes

Could not make head nor tail of this. Another disappointment. Need to be more careful with my choice of books

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Gorgeous book but ended too quickly

This is another brilliant book by Ruth Hogan but needed at least one more chapter as the ending seemed cut off .. I feel a bit cheated that I didn’t get to experience the emotion of the unveiling at the end.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Missing a few chapters.

Having read the authors book The Keeper Of Lost Things which I loved I had high expectations for this book.

I did enjoy it, and it built to what I expected to be a crescendo but instead we skip to an epilogue.

A good, if somewhat frustrating read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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I wanted more

Beautiful and heartwarming, I didn't want it to finish although I was very happy at how it ended. Perfect summer listen.

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1 person found this helpful