Book Review and Giveaway: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry'
Author: Rachel Joyce


Format: ARC
Published: Random House; July 2012
Pages: 336
Genre: British fiction
Grade: C
Source: TLC Book Tours


Synopsis: Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. 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. Little differentiates one day from the next. 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. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye.

Harold pens a quick reply and, leaving Maureen to her chores, heads to the corner mailbox. 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. And thus begins the unlikely pilgrimage at the heart of Rachel Joyce’s remarkable debut. 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.

Still in his yachting shoes and light coat, Harold embarks on his urgent quest across the countryside. Along the way he meets one fascinating character after another, each of whom unlocks his long-dormant spirit and sense of promise. 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. As for Maureen, she finds herself missing Harold for the first time in years.

And then there is the unfinished business with Queenie Hennessy.

My Take: Sorry I was absent there for a little while faithful readers! My life got away from me and then I just needed to decompress and take a break for a bit. Hopefully I'll be back a bit more regularly now and I'll give you a full update next week. However, at the moment let's focus on this quirky little novel shall we?

This is Rachel Joyce's first novel and I quite liked it. I realise I didn't give it a very high-rating but honestly sometimes a middling grade just means that's it's ok. Not every book has to be ohmygodsoamazingIhavetotelleveryone. Some books are nice, quiet, slow paced books. I quite often find that British fiction is just that. More of a meandering story than a real fast paced, knock your socks off story line so perhaps that was fitting. 

The novel centers, as the title might suggest, around Harold Fry, and something unusual he sets out to do. He lives, let's be honest, a rather boring life. A retiree from a brewery, his wife and he have never done much of anything noteworthy. One morning he gets a letter from an old coworker, Queenie, letting him know that she has cancer and isn't long for this world. It affects him enormously and Harold soon feels that merely writing a letter of condolence back isn't enough. He must DO something. So he decides to walk to her. Right that minute. Granted it seems a little ridiculous because he is wholly unprepared since he will be walking over 600mi. in some not very decent shoes without the proper provisions without really telling his wife. But no matter. He is doing something about it and it gives his life some purpose for once.

So yes, Harold goes on a pilgrimage and while on that pilgrimage we learn about England and we learn about the life Harold has led and why he is the man he is. It's actually rather sad most of the time. For me, being that's it's summer and let's be honest, my life is slightly out of control right now, while I normally like weird Bristish stories, a random tale of wandering proportions may not have found me at quite the right time. However, you might be someone who needs just that. A nice, quiet little tale.

For other opinions on this book, please check out the full TLC Tour here!

Giveaway Details
Thanks to the author, I have one to give away! The deadline for this giveaway is July 20th; entries open to those in the US (no PO boxes please).

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3 extra entries available. Giveaway open until 11:59pm PST July 20th. I will draw the winners using random.org and announce them here on my blog. Good luck!