the unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry review guardian

'There's tremendous heart in this debut novel by Rachel Joyce, as she probes questions that are as simple as they are profound: Can we begin to live again, and live truly, as ourselves, even in middle age, when all seems ruined? Can we believe in hope when hope seems to have abandoned us? I found myself laughing through tears, rooting for Harold at every step of his journey. This funny, poignant story about an ordinary man on an extraordinary journey moved and inspired me.'-Nancy Horan, author of Loving Frank 'When it seems almost too late, Harold Fry opens his battered heart and lets the world rush in. As for Maureen, she finds herself missing Harold for the first time in years.Īnd then there is the unfinished business with Queenie Hennessy.Ī novel of unsentimental charm, humor, and profound insight into the thoughts and feelings we all bury deep within our hearts, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry introduces Rachel Joyce as a wise-and utterly irresistible-storyteller.Īdvance praise for The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry Memories of his first dance with Maureen, his wedding day, his joy in fatherhood, come rushing back to him-allowing him to also reconcile the losses and the regrets. Along the way he meets one fascinating character after another, each of whom unlocks his long-dormant spirit and sense of promise. Still in his yachting shoes and light coat, Harold embarks on his urgent quest across the countryside.

Harold Fry is determined to walk six hundred miles from Kingsbridge to the hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed because, he believes, as long as he walks, Queenie Hennessey will live. And thus begins the unlikely pilgrimage at the heart of Rachel Joyce's remarkable debut. But then, as happens in the very best works of fiction, Harold has a chance encounter, one that convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. Harold pens a quick reply and, leaving Maureen to her chores, heads to the corner mailbox.

Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye. Then one morning the mail arrives, and within the stack of quotidian minutiae is a letter addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl from a woman he hasn't seen or heard from in twenty years. Little differentiates one day from the next. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does, even down to how he butters his toast. NATIONAL BESTSELLER * LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE * NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST

The unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry review guardian