Harold Fry's Unexpected Journey: A Novel by Rachel Joyce

Tatiana: Es una historia que te llega al corazón, te hace replantearte cómo estás viviendo tu vida, tu relación de pareja, la gente que te rodea...

Spain on Nov 05, 2023

janice potter: Didn’t manage to see the film, so thought I would read the book. Great descriptions which painted the scenes in the mind perfectly. Glad now I didn’t see the film. Glad I read all the other books in the series to answer all the questions I had.

United Kingdom on Oct 26, 2023

Kindle Customer: True to the inner feeling everyone has.
The piligrimage is truely a prayer with feet.
Suggested to peolpe with unsettled past.

United States on Oct 25, 2023

Richard Ballina: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a quite delightful book and certainly deserves all the praise it’s received.

It took me somewhat by surprise as it starts out as what seems a light hearted whimsical fable but, step by step, develops into something much more profound.

It’s a wonderful story that, personally, I found rather confronting at times as Harold finds a determination to face a troubling situation and as he does he comes to understand past events that have shaped his life.

It’s a transformational pilgrimage with a lot to offer readers.

Australia on Oct 02, 2023

RCVB: I had read Rachel Joyce’s Miss Bensons Beetle so looked forward to reading this book. I enjoyed the story as a whole, but found early chapters rather repetitive. I was incredibly annoyed at the fellow pilgrims who were there for their own selfish reasons. But in the end I couldn’t put the book down as I followed Harolds final miles to Queenie and the truth emerged.

United Kingdom on Sep 09, 2023

The Sleepy Reader: If you’re looking for a heartwarming tale about the power of friendship, humility, self-forgiveness, and human kindness, then Rachel Joyce’s novel The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is the perfect read for you! Read on for my review and find out why this book will give you perspective that you won’t soon forget.

This novel follows retired salesman Harold Fry on his journey from his home in Devon to visit an old friend in Berwick-upon-tweed, one of the northern most towns of England. As he sets off, all he has with him are a pair of yacht shoes, a light coat, and a letter from his former friend Queenie Hennessy. As Harold begins to walk the length of Britain, over 500 miles, readers are taken on an incredible journey as they watch him grow and learn more about himself along the way.

The story focuses on the need for communication within relationships and families. After 20 years of not communicating in his marriage, Harold is given time to reflect on life while his wife finally has time to miss him. This book proves that it’s never too late to communicate with those we love and build bridges with one another again.

The characters in this book are so...

United Kingdom on Feb 28, 2023

SandyJ21: 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 above the vacuum cleaner. 'Post.'

He thought he might like to go out, but the only thing to do was mow the lawn and he had done that yesterday. The vacuum cleaner tumbled into silence, and his wife appeared, looking cross, with a letter. She sat opposite Harold.

Maureen was a slight woman with a cap of silver hair and a brisk walk. When they first met, nothing pleased him more than to make her laugh. To watch her neat frame collapse into unruly happiness.

'It’s for you,' she said. He didn't know what she meant until she slid an envelope across the table, and stopped it just short of Harold's elbow. They both looked at the letter as if they'd never seen one before....

United States on Oct 31, 2018

Eric Selby: When I heard Rachel Joyce interviewed by Diane Rehm on National Public Radio, I thought I'd just "give this novel a go." (Do I sound a wee bit British there?) And when I began my journey into it--my reading pilgrimage albeit not exactly an unlikely one--I knew immediately I would have to make myself read at the pace of Harold Fry's walk. Slow. He suffered blisters. I suffered nothing except the annoyance of telling myself that this was like a box of chocolates--no, I am not about to Forrest Gump you: enjoy the taste of one at a time, one chapter at a time because otherwise I would be far too quickly done. Some novels are to be savored. And this is certainly one of those.

This novel is, as the Brits say, "brilliant! Just brilliant!" Harold has been married to Maureen for over forty years, has recently retired from a job he disliked in most respects with a truly horrific boss. And one day "the post" delivers a pink envelop addressed to Harold and in it a short note from Queenie saying she has been diagnosed with cancer and is now in hospice care. He worked with Queenie. She is in Berwick-upon-Tweed which, according to the map at the beginning of the novel, is just over the...

United States on Aug 04, 2012