The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy

Not since Tolkien has so much walking been so exhaustively recounted, yet been almost completely tangential to the actual story. (And though there weren't any eagles, there were, like, cars and stuff to explain away.)

Harold is quintessentially British. I completely lost count of the times where he did something like walk into a shop and feel compelled to buy something because the worker was staring at him, and he was the reason they weren't able to close yet.

When he finds out an old friend with whom he's lost touch is dying of cancer, he finds that he can't find the words to say. I'd blame this on the Britishness, but I really don't know that any nationality has the proper phrasing for this, with exception of possibly hakuna matata, which is actually Swahili but not the phrasing anyone who speaks Swahili would actually use.

Anyway.

He goes to mail a trite letter, only when he gets to the postbox he decides he's going to walk to her instead. 600-some miles away.

That's probably enough of the plot. It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. Except it's not really about the journey, either. It's more about Harold's life, and the walk is a penance for all of it. It's purgatory for his wife, who's at home and has held Harold in a subconscious begrudging resentment. And it's a little slice of heaven for the neighbor, Rex, who hasn't had so utility for or interaction with other people in months.

The heartache and emotion that's screwed out of Harold with every step is riveting, if punctuated with several gut-punches. The plotting of the walk itself gets fairly repetitious, as Harold vacillates between rapture and despair with numbing regularity. But peoples' reaction to Harold, his walk and the inevitable nonsense that encircles all of it are eminently believable, especially in the age of social media. And the ending, while not exactly Disney-happy, feels satisfying and earned.

I'm not saying I'd want to read a whole trilogy about the walk (and we're already two-thirds of the way there), but it's worth the effort to amble through.

If you picked this book it is because you were intrigued by the premise, maybe because you like gentle British fiction that explores more of the rest of the population rather than the full British stereotypes. You probaly like [a:Alan Bennett 11781 Alan Bennett http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1234747177p2/11781.jpg] and as the book begins i found myself thinking Alan Bennett could have written this so much better. But I am so glad a marched on with Harold because when he hits his stride so does the writing, the characters flesh out. From a very shaky start and logic to his journey the flaws and thoughts start to be revealed and as the journey progresses you start to will Harold on instead of slapping him around for being such a dunce.The conclusion is as it should be, the trip ends up being without dramatic denouement but I think it would have been disappointing if there was one. Started two stars but i ended up really liking this book

I'm of two minds about this book. Partly, I felt it was sentimental fluff and the main characters were stereotypes of an older couple whose marriage had gone bad. Partly, I wanted to find out what happened, and I did like the characters that Harold meets along the way in his journey from the south of England to the north. I liked the simple, unadorned prose style of the story, and I appreciated that it was told from both sides of the unhappy couple. The book grew on me as I read, but then I was really irritated by the climax of the story and the resolution of the problem. Apparently there's a companion novel about Queenie Hennessy, the woman Harold walks the length of England to say goodbye to–but I won't be reading it.

This is a well-crafted book about a quest, and it is filled with charming characters and misfits. In the end, though, I found it overly sentimental and melodramatic. If you like that sort of thing–lots of people do–maybe this is for you.

The story is about Harold Fry, a retiree who learns that an old colleague is dying of cancer. He writes her a letter, but decides that isn't enough. He's going to go visit her. On foot. It's the least he can do because of something that happened 20 years earlier. We don't find out what that something is until the last few pages of the book, however, which contributes to the melodrama. This and other bits of information are withheld from the reader solely to keep us turning the pages. It's one thing when the narrative consciousness discovers information along with the reader. It's another thing, and for me a turn-off, when the information simply isn't being revealed.

So, be warned. There are things Harold isn't telling you.

The story starts on a Tuesday, when Harold, a 65 year-old, receives a letter from an old friend. In her letter, Queenie tells Harold that she has cancer. He promptly writes a letter, and sets out to mail it, but when he gets to the mailbox, he starts walking to the next one, and to the next one, until he's inspired by a girl working in a garage and decides to walk all the way to deliver the letter in person. Harold believes that if he walks, Queenie will survive.

At first, I really had a hard time getting into the story. Harold and his wife haven't been in a good relationship in about 20 years. They both sleep in different room and barely talk to one another. The author was able to create a really awkward and tensed atmosphere within the first few pages. I hated Harold's wife, Maureen. She was mean to her husband for no apparent reason; she talked to him as if he was an idiot. They talked about their son who sounded like a conceited prick, and then there was Harold who acted like a wimp. I couldn't care less about the characters, and I started to worry I wouldn't be able to finish the book.

But as I turned the pages, the story became a lot more interesting. Well, I don't think the beginning was bad. Not at all. I just personally wasn't pulled in. But then we slowly learn about Maureen and Harold's past. What their son was like when he was younger. I found myself not caring so much about Harold, but about all the other characters: Rex, the people he meets along his walk, and even Maureen.

Full review over @ The Hungry Bookster

It's an old story, the story of a man who sets off on a quest, and yet it's a new story, too.

Harold Fry wakes up one morning and heads down the road for his daily walk and impulsively decides to keep walking, to go all the way to the care center where an old friend is dying. He's just that day received a letter from the friend, a former co-worker he has not heard from in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and he wants to see her. He wants to walk to her. And she is six hundred miles away.

As long as he is walking, she will not die, Harold thinks.

Like all classic quests, Harold meets lots of helpful characters along the way and has lots of little adventures and, most importantly, along the way, he comes face to face with his own character and decides to become a changed person.

I kept reading a little and setting the book down for a bit and then reading a little more, the way I often do with books I don't want to end. But, of course, it must end and it did end. Unless you pick it up and read it, too, and then share your thoughts with me.

Harold Fry seems to get more fascinating the more you read about him. I thought, at first, the book would be too much like A MAN CALLED OVE for me to enjoy it, but I was so wrong. I actually think I imagined him getting handsomer as the story went on. And if you read this book and like it, then you must read Rachel Joyce follow on book, THE LOVE SONG OF MISS QUEENIE HENNESY. The Harold Fry book is complete on its own, but if you want the next layer, read Queenie's side of the story.

I've been to England and visited many of the cities that Harold passed through as he walked from Kingsbridge to Berwick-upon-Tweed. It was a lovely refresher of the English countryside. But I guess Harold's growth throughout the story really kept me reading, as well as the very unexpected revelations about his life. Particularly relating to his son.

I'll be reading anything else that Ms. Joyce writes. It's not often that you can say a book makes you a better person, but I think her books have so far. Well done!!

Finding purpose in your life after retiring may include checking items off your bucket list, starting a new hobby, or following the dreams of Peter Gibbons (office space) and doing absolutely nothing all day. Harold Fry, however, takes on a quest of great importance. He sets off on a pilgrimage to speak to a very old friend who has cancer before it is too late.

One day, Harold receives a note in the mail from an old colleague who informs him that she has entered hospice, has cancer, and has been told by the Doctors that she does not have long to live. Distressed, Harold writes a reply, but he feels like the note he wrote was too impersonal. So, as Harold makes his way to the post to drop off the note, he has an enlightening conversation about fate with a clerk at a convenience store about the situation. Inspired, Harold decides to travel a few hundred miles on foot to speak face-to-face with his friend. As the chapters go by, we learn more about Harold's upbringing, family, and why he started this grand journey without informing anyone, including his wife.

Have you seen the great show “The Trip” with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon? This book has many similarities. The only big difference is that Harold is not outgoing; he seems to be an introvert, which offers up an interesting dynamic with the people he meets along his quest.

The book really takes off as you learn more about Harold's past with both his wife Maureen, his friend he is traveling to see, Queenie, and his son David. It has more than enough charm and heartfelt moments to make up for its light plot, and the final conclusion was unique and satisfying. Well, satisfying is the wrong word. It's sort of like a recapitulation of the journey. Let's just leave it at that. It's hard to tiptoe around the end without some sort of spoiler.