the unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry review

Her work has been translated into thirty-six languages. Rachel Joyce is the author of the Sunday Times and international bestsellers The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Perfect, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, and a collection of interlinked short stories, A Snow Garden & Other Stories. All he knows is that he must keep walking. He has no hiking boots or map, let alone a compass, waterproof or mobile phone. When Harold Fry nips out one morning to post a letter, leaving his wife hoovering upstairs, he has no idea that he is about to walk from one end of the country to the other. About The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry Ultimately an uplifting story, I finished it on the day that the Man Booker Prize shortlist was announced – and while it wasn’t shortlisted, I have no doubt that many more people will read this touching tale in years to come. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a gripping and deeply involving read that explores the anguish of our inability, as humans, to change what has happened in the past. RELATED: Review: David Copperfield - Charles DickensĪs the story progresses readers soon learn of Harold’s heartache, giving a deeper insight into his and Maureen’s often lacking marriage. With lovely prose and a touching tale that winds its way through the narrative, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a deceptively simple read. While it lacks in much that I often seek in a book, it’s a beautifully understated book that captures its reader’s heart. On this account, I have no doubt that my father would adore The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, just as I did. It’s a habit I’ve picked up myself – descriptive writing that is, rather that the flair that Harris and Morrison posses – and is something I am constantly admonished for by my lawyer father, who believes that less is more when it comes to words. I adore the style of Joanne Harris and Toni Morrison who, while very different, both possess incredible flair for beautifully descriptive writing. On the whole, I’m something of a sucker for poetic prose. It tells the story of retired Harold Fry, a sixty-five year old who lives in Devon and who one day decides to hand-deliver a letter to Berwick-on-Tweed, some 600 miles away, in the hope of saving the life of his friend Queenie who is suffering from terminal cancer. Previously a playwright who has written for both BBC Radio 4 and BBC 2, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is Joyce’s debut novel.

And having heard rave reviews for the Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, I thought it sounded well worth a read.

Much to my shame I hadn’t read a single novel included in the long list – something I decided to rectify it immediately. Not long ago, the long list for this year’s Man Booker Prize was announced, followed by rife discussions on Twitter in which there was much debate over the titles that had made the long list and whether they were worthy.

The unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry review