If you look closely, you might see a tear on my office Buddha’s cheek. I warned him that The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is one of the saddest, most touching novels I’ve ever read, while at the same time it is filled with humor and hope. It begins: “The letter that would change 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 that he wasn’t eating.” And from there, Harold takes off on an insane and incredible journey that kept me glued to the page and rooting for him, even though it’s a very quiet story that seems simple on the surface (but is so much more beneath). I loved Harold. I loved Queenie and Maureen and David. I loved this book. In fact, I’ve read it twice because it has so much to say, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything. As the story unfolds, some of what is revealed hit me like a punch in the gut and some of it made me laugh out loud.

Here’s a description of the story from the back cover:

Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does. Little differentiates one day from the next. Then one morning a letter arrives, addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl, from a woman he hasn’t heard from in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye. But before Harold mails off a quick reply, a chance encounter convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. In his yachting shoes and light coat, Harold Fry embarks on an urgent quest. Determined to walk six hundred miles to the hospice, Harold believes that as long as he walks, Queenie will live. A novel of 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. 

You can read more about The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry  (and buy it) here on Amazon. But while you’re here, why not subscribe to my soon-to-be launched Newsletter? If you do, you’ll get a FREE download of my romantic comedy novella Take A Little Risk  to read on your Kindle, your phone, or your computer. And you’ll be the first to hear about other FREE offers as well as news about my book releases and about other great reads. I won’t flood your inbox! You will receive at least four Newsletters per year, and no more than one per month. Subscribe here!

 

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