Sally Page is the author of the international word-of-mouth sensation The Keeper of Stories. She lives in Dorset in the U.K. Her eldest daughter, Alex, is a doctor, and her youngest daughter is the novelist Libby Page. After studying history at university, Page worked various jobs, including running a market research company and a flower shop--which, in part, inspired her new novel, The Secrets of Flowers (Blackstone Publishing, February 25, 2025), a heartwarming story about a grieving woman who rediscovers herself by uncovering the lost story of the girl who arranged flowers on the Titanic.
Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:
A hopeful story about how flowers can connect and heal us. The book also reveals that the Titanic was "a ship full of flowers."
On your nightstand now:
A bit of a strange mix! I have a proof copy of Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop by Kenji Ueda. The wonderful thing about being an author is that you get sent new books to read. This story particularly appealed as I adore stationery, so much so that I once set up a fountain pen business. Alongside this is A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver. I have often come across her poetry and wanted to read more. And finally, Want, a collection of female fantasies, gathered by Gillian Anderson. Truly fascinating and at times not a little surprising.
Favorite book when you were a child:
When I was about nine or 10, I read the poignant and otherworldly When Marnie Was There by Joan G. Robinson. Anna is a little like Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden--awkward and pushing people away. During the book, Anna learns to connect with people, but there is a very satisfying twist in the tale. It takes place on the wild and beautiful coast of Norfolk, and is one of the reasons the book I am writing now is also set there.
Your top five authors:
Donna Tartt: you may have to wait a while for a new book, but it is so worth it.
Amor Towles: I started with A Gentleman in Moscow, but I think my favorite is Rules of Civility for its New York setting.
Libby Page: How could I not mention my daughter's books?! Particularly Mornings with Rosemary.
I love Anthony Trollope books for the sense of history and the tongue-in-cheek humor. For the same reason, I would also choose the Georgette Heyer books set in Regency England. The first was my dad's favorite author, the second my mum's, so they always make me think of them.
Book you've faked reading:
I was supposed to read George Eliot's Middlemarch for college, but in the end just watched the TV series. Thank you, BBC!
Book you're an evangelist for:
I love Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead and encourage everyone to read it. The language is exquisite for its imagery, pathos, and at times, humor. I then go on at length about David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, which is well worth a visit after reading Kingsolver's book as the parallels are so thought-provoking and again, at times, humorous.
Book you've bought for the cover:
Courtesans by Katie Hickman. The title--combined with an image of woman in a beautiful Edwardian dress, looking over her shoulder--intrigued me. I have a great love of history; I studied it at university, and each of my books, which are contemporary, has a historical thread running through the narrative. Courtesans tells the true stories of four women who became famous courtesans in their day. It is perhaps no surprise that my first novel includes the tale of such a woman.
Book you hid from your parents:
The Godfather by Mario Puzo. I was quite young when I stole this off my Dad's bookshelf and I thought he might be shocked at me reading the sex scenes!
Book that changed your life:
I have loved so many books and relish the memory of the impression they made on me, but there isn't one single book that stands out among so many wonderful writers. So, in honesty, I would have to say my first book, The Keeper of Stories, completely changed my life. I was an unknown author, approaching 60, who had written five books but could not get a publishing deal. Rejection was just part of what I experienced week in week out. I did take heart from hearing the author Elizabeth Stout interviewed, who when she was facing yet another rejection, told herself, I will just have to write better. When eventually I did get a small publishing deal, I don't think anyone imagined it would be the amazing success it turned out to be--driven by reader word of mouth and now published in 30 countries. Today I am part of the Blackstone list and am looked after and supported as never before. This means I can concentrate on writing for my living, which is a dream come true.
Favorite line from a book:
" 'Oh! my Daddy, my Daddy!' That scream went like a knife into the heart of everyone in the train, and people put their heads out of the windows to see a tall pale man with lips set in a thin close line, and a little girl clinging to him with arms and legs, while his arms went tightly round her."
Who doesn't love this line from The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit, which I still reread at Christmas or when I have a really bad cold? Old children's books are often the best medicine.
Five books you'll never part with:
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. I have a huge soft spot for the steady, gentle, and unlikely hero Gabriel Oak.
The 24-Hour Café by Libby Page. It is difficult to choose just one of Libby's books, but this one made me cry--in a good way!
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer. When my mum died, I inherited her complete collection of Georgette Heyer books. In the back of this one I found she had written something. I was surprised as my mum never wrote in books. Looking closer I could see it was my daughter's name, and I realized this was the only thing she must have had on hand when she heard she was born and wanted to try out her name.
Still Life by Sarah Winman. A joyous, hopeful book that needs to be savored and reread for its wonderful prose and characters.
Color: Travels Through the Paintbox by Victoria Finlay. A quest by artist and writer Victoria Finlay to reveal the secrets and history behind each color. It is fascinating to read plus I have kept it as a reference book.
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. There is something wonderful about loving a book that is also so well regarded by the book world. I can't say I have always found that with Booker Prize winners!