The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Rachel Joyce

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English

Black Swan
02 January 2013

Fiction & Literature; Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Series: Harold Fry

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.

By: Rachel Joyce
Imprint: Black Swan
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 127mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 262g
ISBN: 9780552778091
ISBN 10: 0552778095
Series: Harold Fry
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 02 January 2013
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Rachel Joyce lives in Gloucestershire with her husband and four children. She has written over twenty original afternoon plays for BBC Radio 4, and major adaptations for the Classic Series and Woman's Hour, as well as a TV period drama for BBC 2. In 2007 she won the Tinniswood Award for Best Radio Play. This is her first novel. She is at work on her second, Perfect.

Reviews for The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

One of the sweetest, most delicately-written stories I've read in a long time. One man's walk along the length of England to save the life of a dying woman. Each chapter describes a different encounter along the way, with a definite nod to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Philosophical, intriguing, and profoundly moving. -- Richard Madeley * Foyles website * Uplifting, funny and delicate -- Jon Stock * The Daily Telegraph * At times almost unbearably moving. * Sunday Times * A brilliant and charming novel: full of comic panache yet acute and poignant. * Spectator * one of the most moving, uplifting, inspiring novels I've ever read * Richard Madeley *