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The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

(Harold Fry #1)

Rachel Joyce

3.90 · Rating details · 129,720 ratings · 16,014 reviews

A 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.

Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everythin ...more

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Hardcover, 320 pages

Published July 24th 2012 by Random House (first published March 15th 2012)

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Best Books of 2012

3,324 books — 9,474 voters

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

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2012 Man Booker Prize Longlist

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Jul 25, 2012 Florence (Lefty) MacIntosh rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Those who believe life's problems can be solved with a nice cup of tea

Recommended to Florence (Lefty) by: Hooked by Title and Cover

Shelves: family, 2012, favs-recent, lit-brits, debut, reviewed, wacko-realistic-fiction

The Harold Fry that leaves to mail a letter to his dying friend is drained by life, full of self-loathing and incapable of mending his ruined marriage. ‘For years they had been in a place where language had no significance’. He just keeps walking in the belief that his journey will save her life. I wanted to shout “keep going Harold!”, to remind him of the adage ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ because Harold’s journey was testament to its truth.

A journey just as much about having the cour

...more

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Jun 27, 2013 Lisa Kay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: authors-j, authors-r, zzcover-green, genre-fiction, theme-inspirational-msg, setting-england, bom-nbrc, buddy-read-nbrc, 2013-rlftci-group-challenge, challenge-nbrc-tower

Found at The Sunday Edition:

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is the story of one man's faith in his feet. (OneEighteen/photopin)

★★★★★ So well narrated by the wonderful Jim Broadbent. If you'd like to hear a bit of it, go here and click on the pod casts. It touched my heart.

Jim Broadbent

North Devon coastline

Clovelly, North Devon

Taunton, U.K. You can see the paving stones.

Walled gardens in Taunton.

Glastonbury England - The Resting place of the Legendary King Arthur

Mendip Hills

horse chestnut

Eu ...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Richard Derus rated it liked it

Three star review has moved to Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud.

But really, there are better ways to spend your eyeblinks than reading this mawkish treacle.

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Jul 19, 2017 Jaline rated it it was amazing

Shelves: xx2017-completed

One of my favorite places to read during nice weather is out on my balcony. At one point in this book I was out reading, sunglasses on to cut the sun’s glare, and the story gripped my heart to the weeping point. Do I go in so my neighbours don’t see? But I’m wearing my sunglasses. Yes, but the tears are falling from under the sunglasses and rolling down my cheeks.

I did come in from outside (no tissues on my balcony) and then I thought, if Harold Fry is brave enough to walk so many miles and is n ...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Isabelle rated it it was ok

I have just browsed through a bunch of reviews that are literally glowing with praise, so I feel rather embarrassed that I cannot be more enthused about this novel.
I was really taken in by the premise and rather enjoyed the beginning of the book, probably until celebrity, hype and disciples befall Harold.
From that point on, I started to find the book predictable, if not a little trite even. I also think that while I have nothing against a good dose of pathos, this may have bordered on the overdo ...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Lynne Spreen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: midlife

I just finished this lovely book, and I'm never going to forget it. To those who say nobody wants to read about "old people", I'd say, read this book. The fact is, as long as you're alive, you should be open to growth and change, right? But how many of us stop growing after middle age? We find a formula that works and we stick with it, missing opportunities to experience joyous awakening. Maybe we start saying things like, "I'm too old to do X any more." And we shut down, close off. We fail to n ...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Jennifer rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-books, owned

stil mulling this one. sometimes i really liked it and other moments i was...a little bored. there was definitely an overuse of "put one foot in front of the other" that verged on becoming a drinking game. the premise of the story is lovely but it did get a bit schlocky and mitch albom-y for my tastes. mentions of both facebook and twitter in the book were curious.

edited to add (pasted in from my comment below, in case people don't read the comments here):

you know, the further i get from reading ...more

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May 28, 2013 B the BookAddict rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Dale, everyone

Recommended to B the BookAddict by: saw comments by Michael and Lit Bug

Shelves: fiction

What to say about The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry; a lovely read, a phenomenal book, exceptional and captivating. How I lingered over this book; read it slowly to truly savour and appreciate the story. The author doesn't try to impress you with pretentious words nor does she bamboozle you with a convoluted plot. It's an unembellished story. The 'hero' is not good-looking or rich; he's a simple man who embarks on the journey of a lifetime. I loved the absolute clarity of foresight into the What to say about The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry; a lovely read, a phenomenal book, exceptional and captivating. How I lingered over this book; read it slowly to truly savour and appreciate the story. The author doesn't try to impress you with pretentious words nor does she bamboozle you with a convoluted plot. It's an unembellished story. The 'hero' is not good-looking or rich; he's a simple man who embarks on the journey of a lifetime. I loved the absolute clarity of foresight into the mind and heart of a very ordinary man.

Harold is an unobtrusive, tentative and unassuming person; he has been that way all his life. Now in his 60's, he is filled with regret; feels loss about situations he is no longer able to change. Since his retirement a few months prior, he has done virtually nothing but sit, much to the chagrin of his wife Maureen. Harold and Maureen's relationship has, over time, become one of simply sharing a house; rarely speaking and no longer even sharing a bed. The portrayal of their life together filled me with sorrow; two people in their 60's living together but each in a terrible aloneness.

One ordinary day, he receives a letter from an old work colleague, Queenie, who is in a hospice. He sets off to post his reply but upon reaching the post box, realises that a letter is simply not enough. Queenie has been a friend, someone who stood up in defence of him; Harold feels that as Queenie had once 'saved' him, now he will save her.

So he decides to walk to visit Queenie. It is indeed a pilgrimage; a walk of faith. He truly believes with all his heart and soul that his walking will save her. Each day he walks will be one day longer that she lives. I've been in Harold's position albeit with a loved one but I didn't walk; I cleaned. So I understand Harold's mission. I know just where he is coming from. The belief Harold has in his walk is infectious; as I read on, I found a little voice in my head saying in my head: 'I hope she lives, I hope she lives' .

Although his walk is basically a solitary one, he has some, mostly, wonderful encounters with strangers. He feels their tenderness towards him and as he realises "he feels his own tenderness towards them”. For the first time, “he realises that we are all alone, just putting one foot in front of the other”. But a solitary walk from one end of England to the other gives much time for retrospect. There are contemplations on his life with Maureen, painful reflections on his relationship with their son David and of course thoughts of Queenie. And, with no intent on his behalf, he becomes a minor celebrity: as he encounters people and towns, they cheer and barrack him on. This spurs him on with renewed vigour.

Having said that this is a lovely read, I will add that I found the last couple of chapters a bit harrowing: the letter to The Girl at the Garage and what he finds at the hospice particularly so. The ending is bitter-sweet; but I'm glad it was. I smiled in places and I cried in others; a big lump sat in my throat for the last ten or so pages. Ultimately, Harold loses something but also finds something else that he has longed for. Rachel Joyce doesn't offer a warm, fuzzy read; your spirits will soar and they will plummet. If you're going to read anything, then read this wonderful book.

Who knows, maybe we could all use a pilgrimage of our own? ...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Michael rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: five-star-books, favourites

Harold Fry has never done the unexpected, having spent the last 65 years living a quiet sheltered life. Retired for the last six months Harold shaves each morning and puts on a tie only to sit in the same chair with nowhere to go as his wife Maureen silently cleans. One day he recieves a letter from an woman from his past who informs him she is dying. Harold pens his reply only to be disappointed by his response so he makes a snap decision to walk across England from Kingsbridge to Berwick Upton ...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, read2012, location-uk, booker-winners-and-listed

I fear I am heartless.

Some people I respect as readers give this book five stars and I just can't.

Basically, it is about a man taking a walk. Beginning, middle, end. He gets bad news about an old friend and just starts walking, wearing the wrong kind of shoes and without bringing his 'mobile.'

Most of the book is about regret and finding his way back to what matters. So, I get that, but it didn't poke through my tough exterior, I guess. You have my permission to call me heartless.

I listened to t ...more

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Sep 27, 2015 Kevin Ansbro rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Yacht shoe-wearers, eternal optimists, mature readers.

Shelves: quest, inspirational, redemption, heartwarming, uplifting, gentle-humour

Attention all yacht shoe wearers! Please unite for this wonderfully heartwarming, sometimes heartbreaking tale of loss, sorrow and redemption.
*REVIEW CONTAINS NO SPOILERS*
For reasons unimaginable, some (ahem!) fair-minded readers have offered this cleverly-crafted book an oh-so-generous one star, out of five! Seriously, WTF?
It may be true that TUPOHF is more likely to be better-received by mature readers and would also appeal to Anglophiles who are the wrong side of forty (effectively old gits, Attention all yacht shoe wearers! Please unite for this wonderfully heartwarming, sometimes heartbreaking tale of loss, sorrow and redemption.
*REVIEW CONTAINS NO SPOILERS*
For reasons unimaginable, some (ahem!) fair-minded readers have offered this cleverly-crafted book an oh-so-generous one star, out of five! Seriously, WTF?
It may be true that TUPOHF is more likely to be better-received by mature readers and would also appeal to Anglophiles who are the wrong side of forty (effectively old gits, similar to myself), but come on!

Unworldly Englishman, Harold Fry, a retired brewery salesman pops out to post a sympathy letter to an old work colleague (Queenie), who resides 627 miles away. But instead of doing this, he spontaneously heads off in her faraway direction, wearing clothes that are better-suited for a trip to the local garden centre.
In an unconscious attempt to exorcise his own demons, his accidental journey somehow becomes an inspirational, perhaps heroic, pilgrimage.
There is something delightfully Quixotic about his unrealistic quest, and readers of this story will find themselves walking with him, in spirit, each painful step of the way. The crudeness of modernity and the grunge of the great outdoors are the antithesis of his usually disciplined existence; the fractiousness of other members of society offers a comedic contrast to Harold's unfailing innocence.
Joyce optimistically recognises the kindness of strangers, who are happy to contribute to a good cause; although (because I am English) I would have at least expected a box of KFC bones to have been hurled at his head from a passing car, or for a farmer to have gurgled, "Get off my land!"

This tenderly-written novel is the best I've read all year: it will cause you to chuckle from time to time, and there's a good chance it will bring a tear to your eye.

So, if raw life experiences have left you mature beyond your years, or if you're a wrinkled old coffin-dodger, about to pop your clogs, this might be right up your street!
And please abandon whatever it is you're reading. Release your inner Harold and join his pilgrimage!

*Immediately after reading this, if you enjoyed Harold's pilgrimage, please read its companion book: The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy* ...more

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Mar 08, 2018 Julie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-books, worthy-of-another-read, you-ll-need-a-hankie

A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place.

And, whether that holy place has an actual, physical location, like a Mecca or a Jerusalem, or is still yet to be determined by the traveler, “your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.” (Joseph Campbell)

The pilgrim in this story, Harold Fry, may be the unlikeliest pilgrim as all. He's a 65-year-old recent retiree who hasn't seen his son or slept in the same room as his wife in twenty years. Harold has “made a mes ...more

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Oct 13, 2012 M rated it did not like it

What the heck, Goodreads?? What the HECK?

Though I did not finish this, I feel that is proof enough of this book's ridiculousness. Maybe I am all the more indignant because I was all, hey, check it out, it got this crazy good rating, and yay, my library managed to get it before I got too old to read, and isn't goodreads amazing because wow it alerts me to wonderful books and SO I DON'T HAVE TO READ BAD ONES ANYMORE EXCEPT THIS TIME I STILL DID!
What is it with you people? I mean seriously?? Let's ...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Michael rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, england, travel, grief

I loved the purity and spare beauty of this sad but uplifting tale. At first I wondered how I could possibly get involved in this apparently absurd story. A retired salesman for a brewery receives a letter of goodbye from an old friend, Queenie, who is dying of cancer, and, on the way to the mailbox with a return reply, ends up setting out on a 500 mile walk to visit her. But it was a quick read and full of pleasant surprises and many special moments where the clouds of life’s travails and burie I loved the purity and spare beauty of this sad but uplifting tale. At first I wondered how I could possibly get involved in this apparently absurd story. A retired salesman for a brewery receives a letter of goodbye from an old friend, Queenie, who is dying of cancer, and, on the way to the mailbox with a return reply, ends up setting out on a 500 mile walk to visit her. But it was a quick read and full of pleasant surprises and many special moments where the clouds of life’s travails and buried mistakes clear away for sunlit visions of redemption and truth.

Part of Harold’s impetus comes from a stranger at a gas station who gives him the idea that faith and positive thinking can cure cancer. The other push is “that he wasn’t so much walking to Queenie as away from himself.” He has been shut down emotionally for a long time, with no apparent pathway to bring life back to his marriage or relieve his sense of failure over the raising of his son. I liked how his journey begins to get some flow out of the frozen river of his life:
In walking, he freed the past that he had spent twenty years seeking to avoid, and now it chattered and played through his head with a wild energy that was his own. He no longer saw distance in terms of miles. He measured it with his remembering.

When strangers he encounters on the way open up to him about secrets in their lives, I was bowled away by the perspectives it renders, as illustrated here:
He was a chap like himself, with a unique pain; and yet there would be no knowing that if you passed him in the street, or sat opposite him in a café and didn’t share his teacake. Harold pictured the gentleman on a station platform, smart in his suit, looking no different from anyone else. It must be the same all over England. People were buying milk, or filling their cars with petrol, or even posting letters. And what no one else knew was the appalling weight of the thing they were carrying inside. The inhuman effort it took sometimes to be normal, and a part of things that appeared both easy and everyday. The loneliness of that.

There are a lot of hardships on Harold’s journey, which often cast doubt on his new sense of purpose:
Harold’s mind grew limpid, and his body melted. Rain began to patter on the roof and against the tarpaulin, but it was a gentle sound, full of patience, like Maureen singing David to sleep when he was little. When the sound stopped he missed it, as of it had become part of what he knew. He felt there was no longer anything substantial between himself and the earth and the sky.

Joyce seems effortlessly eloquent in capturing feelings we all have about our insignificance:
His footprints, however firm, would be washed away by rain. It was as if he had never been in any of the places he had been, or met the strangers he had met. He looked behind, and already there was no trace, no sign of him anywhere.

There is more to the story than Harold’s walk, which would be a spoiler to reveal. A good part of the narrative deals with Maureen’s reaction to Harold’s mission, and there is slow unfolding of the meaning Harold’s relationship to Queenie, an accountant who worked at the brewery twenty years before. I was quite moved by the resolution of the tale.

I compare the experience of this read with the revelations of the power of secret grief in Harding’s Tinkers. I also find a nice parallel of outward and inward journeys as portrayed on a grander scale in Matthiessen’s The Snow Leopard. Others have pointed out a similarity in form of Harold’s walk with the running spree of Forrest Gump as an outlet for his inability to digest a tragedy in his life. Despite these similarities, Joyce’s rendering of the sweetness and sadness of Harold’s story stands out for me as brilliant and fresh.
...more

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Jul 08, 2018 Beata rated it it was amazing

A sheer delight to read! This novel will force you to slow down and reflect upon your life...

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Nov 21, 2012 Alison rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Pilgrims

Recommended to Alison by: Dini

"Harold could no longer pass a stranger without acknowledging the truth that everyone was the same, and also unique; and that this was the dilemma of being human."

I just finished this book on New Year's Eve, and I'm so happy I did, because this is a book about new beginnings, even the ones begun in the twilight of our lives.

I have to begin by being perfectly honest which is, I feel, not only in keeping with the spirit of this book, but also the way that Harold would have wanted it. I feel like a ...more

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Nov 09, 2015 Gabriela Silva rated it it was amazing

“The people he met, the places he passed, were all steps in his journey, and he kept a place inside his heart for each of them.”

This was such a powerful book! I'm so glad I took the time to read it. I loved the writing style! BRILLIANT!

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Oct 30, 2018 Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018, audio, purely-for-pleasure, 4-star, contemporary-fiction, family-drama, coming-of-age

EXCERPT: The letter that changed everything arrived on a Tuesday. It was an ordinary morning in mid-April that smelled of clean washing and grass cuttings. Harold Fry sat at the breakfast table, freshly shaved, in a clean shirt and tie, with a slice of toast he wasn't eating. He gazed beyond the kitchen window at the clipped lawn, which was spiked in the middle by Maureen's telescopic washing line, and trapped on all three sides by the neighbours closeboard fencing.

'Harold!' called Maureen abov ...more

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May 11, 2013 Angela M rated it it was amazing

I have recently reread parts of this book in conjunction with reading The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy and I am revising my rating from 4 to 5 stars .

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Sep 19, 2015 PattyMacDotComma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: chcc-library, favourites-adult, award-win-listed, older-folks

5★

This is a journey to the past. Each slow step, each blister, each new person Harold meets reveals something of the truth of his life to him and to us.

An unwanted, neglected boy grew up to be an unremarkable man. But for a brief instant, he frolicked at a dance and attracted the loveliest girl, Maureen. They dreamed and planned and married. They made a lovely home with veggie gardens and had one son, David.

Harold worked at the brewery for 45 years for an obnoxious bully of a boss (like his fath ...more

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Mar 05, 2015 Cathrine ☯️ rated it really liked it

4.4★
An allegorical adventure that speaks to the reader gently, quietly, and personally. Harold’s odyssey if you will in Forrest Gump fashion taking it one day at a time.

Burdened by a life where he has ended up feeling like nothing he did mattered, in a souless marriage that appears to be well past its expiration date, Harold has a destination in mind but of course it’s all about the journey getting there. Haunted by buried memories and words left unsaid he takes a first literal step and then man ...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Cynthia rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-read-in-2012

Where to next Sancho?

Harold Fry is definitely an unlikely hero. He would also have easily been voted ‘least likely to go on a spiritual quest’. This makes him perfect for this story because it’s about unlikely thoughts, friendships, marriages, what have you. Harold’s quest begins with a letter from a former co-worker he thinks of fondly. They’ve shared a pivotal moment in Harold’s life. He reads the letter soon after he retires from said job and he reads it in front of his continually carping wi ...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Margitte rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014-read, british-novels, community, relationships, reviewed, curmudgeon-charm

I don't want to say much about the book, since so many have read and reviewed it already.
Touching, endearing, realistic, emotional, good.

It is one of the books on my To-Be-Read list that constantly landed on top, and I finally relented. I am not sorry at all. I took the time to venture off with Harold Fry with his letter to Queenie, felt the blisters, muscle spasms and emotional denouement as we walked 627 miles from south to north through England to deliver a letter personally. We dissected li ...more

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Nov 15, 2014 Karen rated it it was amazing

Sweet and wonderful story...

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Nov 09, 2018 Liz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I was going to wait a while to write anything about this because it was one of those books that opened me up to so much feeling that I wasn’t sure I could corral it all into a coherent summary. But whatever! Turns out that I couldn’t wait to say how breathtaking this story was to me, and how it made me feel.

I won’t try to distill the essence of this story in a paragraph or two, because that would be cheating it of so much of its value. I’m pretty sure it will be a personal experience for each r ...more

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Aug 01, 2012 René added it

Shelves: abandoned

I won't be pursuing this read. After the first few chapters, the book and I decided to sit down and seriously talk about where this read was headed. The conversation went something like this:

ME: Look, I don't mean to appear impatient, ok, I know you're doing your best to hold my attention in this read, but I have to admit to you, and I hope you can understand that this is in no way an indictement of the style or structure, but the whole plot feels rather contrived.

TUPOHF: Where is this headed? A ...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Noeleen rated it it was amazing

There is only one book that has ever made me cry. That book is The Kite Runner. I had always wondered if I would ever read another book that would make me cry and if so, which book would it be? Harold Fry… you made me cry and cry and cry and then when I thought I was finished crying…you made me cry again.

Harold Fry, now retired, receives a letter from an old friend and work colleague, Queenie Hennessy. Queenie, who hasn’t seen Harold for over twenty years, is saying goodbye. So begins Harold’s j ...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Darlene rated it it was amazing

It's a wonderful experience to come across a book that makes you think or one that takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions; but every once in awhile you discover a book that does both... The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is one of those books for me.

Harold Fry is an ordinary older man who has recently retired from his lifelong rather ordinary job. He spends his days in a regimented, very structured kind of way with his wife of many years, Maureen. It was on one of those ordinary days It's a wonderful experience to come across a book that makes you think or one that takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions; but every once in awhile you discover a book that does both... The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is one of those books for me.

Harold Fry is an ordinary older man who has recently retired from his lifelong rather ordinary job. He spends his days in a regimented, very structured kind of way with his wife of many years, Maureen. It was on one of those ordinary days that harold received a letter from an old co-worker and friend,Queenie Hennessy, telling him that she has terminal cancer and wishing to say goodbye. Harold, being an unemotional and non-demonstrative sort of man, felt very uncomfortable with Queenie's letter; however, he wrote back replying that he was sorry and wished her well. He set out that morning to mail the letter.... and what he was about to discover was that his entire world was about to change.

Along the way, Harold engaged in conversation with a young woman about how important it is to have faith.. to believe, really believe in something. It was in that moment that Harold seemed to awaken from what seemed a deep sleep.. he became aware of an inner voice telling him that his letter to Queenie needed to be delivered in person. Although he was far from being an impulsive man, in that instant Harold decided to embark on the 600+ miles to the hospice where Queenie was being cared for. Harold believed... he had faith that as long as he continued to walk toward Queenie, she would not die.

On the surface, Harold's idea may seem crazy but it began to make a lot of sense. Harold and Queenie were embodiments of the idea that belief in something , combined with sheer will can actually make things happen. And so Harold's journey began....

Although Harold started out as a sort of fearful, underachieving ,ordinary man.. full of regrets about things he had not done and things he should have said but had not... his journey transformed him seemingly into the man he was meant to be. although his journey was long and arduous and several times he nearly lost hope he would ever reach his destination, he reached deep down inside himself and found the courage to continue.. and the hope that continued to carry him forward.. one foot after the other.

Reading Harold's story reminded me of a quote by Mark Twain... "Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it." I don't think I would be spoiling this wonderful story by revealing that Harold did indeed reach his destination and although he spent just a few moments with Queenie, his life was forever changed by the journey he had undertaken. Yes, Harold still had regrets but he learned something.. to be gentle with himself.. to forgive himself for not being perfect.. and to let go of all of the things from his life which held him back and kept him from becoming the man he was destined to be.

Ms. Joyce has written a beautiful and inspiring story. I simply could not put this book down! As I read, I found myself drawn into Harold's story.. feeling his regrets and determination... even commiserating with him over the blisters on his feet and his painful leg cramps. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Harold is a character that will make you laugh and cry.. and most importantly, he will inspire you to take a look at your own life. Kudos to Ms. Joyce for writing an unforgettable story!

...more

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Dec 15, 2012 Larry H rated it really liked it

This sweet, heartfelt book reminded me of movies like Waking Ned Devine or The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. It even had some Forrest Gump-ian characteristics (without the Southern accent or the meteoric run through historical events). But despite some similarities, this was a unique book with a story all its own.

Harold Fry recently retired from his job, and now doesn't feel motivated to do much of anything. His very presence seems to irritate his wife, Maureen. But the This sweet, heartfelt book reminded me of movies like Waking Ned Devine or The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. It even had some Forrest Gump-ian characteristics (without the Southern accent or the meteoric run through historical events). But despite some similarities, this was a unique book with a story all its own.

Harold Fry recently retired from his job, and now doesn't feel motivated to do much of anything. His very presence seems to irritate his wife, Maureen. But then again, their relationship has been strained for some time, full of hurt and anger both spoken and unspoken, especially since their son, David, left home.

One day, Harold receives a letter from an unlikely source—Queenie Hennessy, a former coworker he hasn't seen or heard from in 20 years. Queenie wrote to tell Harold that she is in hospice suffering from terminal cancer, and wanted to say goodbye. Harold is shocked by this news and touched by the memories Queenie's letter stirred up, so he quickly dashes off a note of support, and heads to the corner mailbox. Yet as he arrives at the mailbox, he realizes it is a nice day outside, and decides to keep walking to the next one.

On his journey to the post office, from where he figures sending the letter will allow it to arrive quicker, Harold has a chance encounter that changes everything. And then he decides he must keep walking, all the way to visit Queenie in person to help save her—despite the fact it is a 600-mile journey from his home in Kingsbridge to the hospice in Berwick-on-Tweed. Not to mention he hasn't had much physical exercise in many years, and isn't all dressed for that type of journey.

But walk he does, much to his surprise, and Maureen's shock, anger, and chagrin. Harold's walk opens his mind to memories both good and painful, as he relives his friendship with Queenie and tries to figure out exactly where his and Maureen's relationship went wrong. "Life was very different when you walked through it," he said, and along his walk he comes into contact with many different people and realizes that each has an interesting story to tell.

"The world was made up of people putting one foot in front of the other; and a life might appear ordinary simply because the person living it had been doing so for a long time." Harold's journey takes many interesting twists and turns, and people's reactions to it become almost indicative of the world we live in today. And during Harold's absence, Maureen tries to figure out the root of her anger with Harold, and whether her life is worth living without him.

This is a compelling, enjoyable, and warm story about the unlikely journeys we take, sometimes simply to prove we still have life inside of us. It's also a story about the things we say and don't say to those we care about, and the ramifications of both. I liked this book quite a bit, although I could have done without the events around the public's embracing of Harold's pilgrimage, as I felt it took the book into more satirical territory than the story needed. Beyond that, however, this book had charm, the special charm you feel after a whimsical movie like the ones I mentioned above. ...more

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Sep 23, 2013 Maxine (Booklover Catlady) rated it really liked it

Shelves: maxine-favourites, could-not-put-down, books-that-made-me-laugh, books-that-made-me-think, good-mood-books-read, tear-jerkers-read

Oh wow, and wow...a book that actually made me cry, I think that's a first. This book I so wish was chosen by my book club to read, it's so touching, so moving, so funny, so human and has one of the most powerful endings.

I felt like I knew Harold personally, I cheered him on with his pilgrimage walk.

This book is special, is about the human spirit, it felt so real at times it could almost be a true story, everyone should read this book.

Some breathtaking paragraphs that touched me so very deeply. ...more

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Rachel Joyce has written over 20 original afternoon plays for BBC Radio 4, and major adaptations for both the Classic Series, Woman's Hour and also a TV drama adaptation for BBC 2. In 2007 she won the Tinniswood Award for best radio play. She moved to writing after a twenty-year career in theatre and television, performing leading roles for the RSC, the Royal National Theatre, The Royal Court, and ...more

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“People were buying milk, or filling their cars with petrol, or even posting letters. And what no one else knew was the appalling weight of the thing they were carrying inside. The superhuman effort it took sometimes to be normal, and a part of things that appeared both easy and everyday. The loneliness of that.” — 198 likes

“I miss her all the time. I know in my head that she has gone. The only difference is that I am getting used to the pain. It's like discovering a great hole in the ground. To begin with, you forget it's there and keep falling in. After a while, it's still there, but you learn to walk round it.” — 176 likes

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