The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry: A Novel | 
New episode just posted! This week we're discussing the successful debut from Rachel Joyce, “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.“ A charming, sad, and poignant novel that surprised and pleased us greatly. We had a great time discussing this novel...spoilers ahead!
Starting now.... This is another recent book borrow from a friend, so I can't really peel off that annoying sticker 😁😩
pickHarold Fry is a pensioner just stagnating in life, till one day he receives a letter from a long-ago friend telling him she is dying. Harold is roused into action and a desire for her to live, and so he starts walking from Cornwall to Berwick-Upon-Tweed in the belief that if he keeps walking she will keep on living. This was a really beautiful story and very well written. (Cont. in comments 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻)
so-soI'm really torn between a pick and so-so. I think I went into it with very high expectations to love it, and I just ... didn't. After a while the reading became a slog like Harold's walk.
This is the second Joyce book I've read and the second time I came away feeling like there's just a little something missing that's making it difficult for me to connect with the characters.
9/62
Just me, a cup of tea, and my book
😌
pickHarold had a friend at work, Queenie, who he hasn‘t seen in 20 years. He gets a letter from a care home that Queenie is dying of cancer. He decides to walk from south England to where she is on the Northern coast, and along the way explores his memories of his troubled marriage and broken relationship with his son.
Highly emotional, a deep dive into humanity and what is important in our lives. At times difficult, but also beautiful.
pickSurprised with delight. So many times I said, “Guys, I‘m reading a book about a guy who took a walk. That‘s it. It‘s just a guy walking.” I took my time and often thought of stopping, but this book had a moving completion and I‘m glad I stuck with it.
pickFinished my reread of this beautiful book. I think loved it even more the second time round- it is so moving and human. Highly recommend...although the themes of grief, death, suicide and Cancer are dealt with in a sensitive but brutally honest manner- it's good to be aware. Can't wait to see the film...although I'm nervous, I've heard it isn't a patch on the book. Anybody seen it? X
Rereading this before I go to see the film ❤️
“The letter that would change everything arrived on a Tuesday.”
#firstlinefriday
@ShyBookOwl
pickMy last book of January! I listened to this one in just a day- moving things around in preparation for my new bookshelves! I loved Joyce‘s MISS BENSON‘S BEETLE, so I went in with high hopes for this one! Recently retired, Harold Fry receives a letter from an old coworker with bad news and as he walks to the post box, he decides to keep walking all the way to her. His absence gives both him and his wife time to reflect on their lives together.
📕 (The) Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
🖊️ Nicola Upson
🎥 (The) Unforgiven
🎤 Ultravox
🎶 Under Pressure (Queen & Bowie)
#ManicMonday
#LetterU
@CBee
pickI loved every part of the book except when the other people joined him and the emphasis shifted to reality television. That turned me off and threw the magical pulse that had been building throughout the novel out the window. Fortunately, the author got rid of those annoying people, and Harold's quest continued.
I couldn‘t think of a book beginning u, but I‘ve heard good things about the tagged! It‘s still on my shelf!
#AlphabetGame
#Letteru
Everyone is tagged!!
Happy Sunday ❤️
Love this book and Harold‘s journey, and even better the book had a map of it. Love maps in books.
#ARTFULAUGUST #IncludesAMap
@Eggs @AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks
If you haven‘t read it, you really need to.
1. This is a four-way tie that I just can‘t break: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, The Road, and A Thousand Splendid Suns. I‘ve reread each and I cry just as hard!!
2. Historical Fiction followed closely by Fantasy/Magical Realism Fiction. I love escaping to and learning about another time/world.
3. I can NOT pick just one, so I‘ll pick the best I‘ve read recently: Matrix by Lauren Groff.
#WondrousWednesday
so-soJust finished in time for group tomorrow!
I've been slacking today as so much news to listen to about Boris's shenanigans and general rubbishness.
Anyway, I read more into it this time round but still not inspired to read more by her.
I read this many years ago and remember the overall story but No great detail. I'm re reading for my new book club.
pickI was surprised how much I liked this book. There‘s been so much talk about it. That made me skeptical.
There‘s so much depth here. The people he meets along the way all have something to convey. But not in an overt “here‘s the moral of the story way.” 5/5⭐️
#bigjunereadathon
#BookCoverChallenge
Day 55.
Here I will note 365 books (or as many as I will have before I get tired) that have shaped my taste in literature. No explanations, no reviews. Just the cover of the book.
I do not challenge anyone. You are all welcome to take part.
I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it. Some will be old, some will be new - don't judge me, I have a lot of books.
Day 108th
Join the fun if you want!
#tbrpile
pickI loved this unravelling passage of pain/regret/fear towards love. It‘s a perfect story & symbol for the promise of taking the first step, of following through, of perseverance & of allowing the journey to change. And what we find at the end may be beyond our beliefs. I love Rachel Joyce. I love how she crafts a story, creates lovable, incredible but ordinary flawed characters that shimmer & pulse with longing & hope. A superb writer. 4.5/5
pickFrom certain GR reviews, I'd expected this to be a rather slight and twee story of midlife crisis, and the beginning did suggest for me something of a chintzy Reggie Perrinesque tale, however...
Perhaps it's because elements of the story resonate with my own life experiences (no, I've never walked 600 miles!), but I was really moved by Harold, Maureen, David and Queenie, reduced to tears, actually.
Not what I'd expected, in a good happy/sad way 5⭐
Outside my usual baileywick, but my wife has just finished it, and I impulsively thought I'd try reading some fiction written since the new century dawned.
pickMy #DoubleSpin for back in May, just finished now and I am happy I did. This was such a great read: using as background a very unlikely walk of six hundreds of miles, with no proper equipment or planning or anything, we get to see deep into Harold's memories, with all the regrets, loses, never spoken thoughts and more. It rung so true to me, it was painful in parts. A pick!
@TheAromaOfBooks
Finished a few more books on my quest to get a bingo ⬇
I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it. Some will be old, some will be new - don't judge me, I have a lot of books!!
Day 2
#MMMTbr
pickHarold Frye is living an ordinary life. He receives a letter one day from an old friend who is writing to say goodbye. What unfolds is a journey on foot, Harold walking to his friend to deliver his reply in person. The journey is about so much more, and along the way Harold remembers the mistakes he‘s made and the life he‘s watched pass by. At the same time, Harold‘s wife remembers, too. A moving story about how it‘s never too late. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
pickThis was a sweet book, but I had to chuckle because I walk outside nearly everyday, and I‘m seldom in conversation with anyone. I must be a grouch!
Taking up my Sunday morning position with my reading buddies. One pup behind my head, one on my feet, a cup of coffee and my book. With about 80 pages left, I am going to finish Harold‘s pilgrimage to Queenie‘s bedside today and move on to the companion novel that tells the story from Queenie‘s perspective.❤️📚 #dogsoflitsy #sundaymorningvibes #booksandcoffee
Really enjoying Harold‘s journey, and his wife‘s as she awaits his return. ❤️📚
Getting in a little reading time before I have to move to my desk and begin work for the day. No more Fridays off! We added another Realtor to our little team, so the team lead (my brother) asked me if I‘d be willing to increase my hours to better support three people. I‘m going to miss my Fridays off, but I‘m excited at the growth of the team and the extra money is always welcome (I have to pay for my book habit, after all)! ❤️📚
“The letter that would change everything arrived on a Tuesday.”
I am really enjoying this story!
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl
#Saturdaymorningvibes Taking some me time this morning before I have to get moving. Making Galumpkis for dinner to honor my dad‘s memory because his birthday was this week. My son‘s GF is coming for dinner when they get back from skiiing/snowboarding today. ❤️ Already really enjoying this story.
I‘m a day late, but last night‘s festivities distracted me!
❤️🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸❤️
1. My most difficult adjustment was the death of my mother in September. As an only child, her death leaves me feeling unmoored and adrift. I do have my own family (husband and daughter), but this is something different.
2. I am grateful for my family and friends. Without them, these past few months would have been insurmountable. 🥰
🌿🌹🌿🌻🌿🌷🌿🌼🌿🌸🌿🌺🌿
pickHarold reveives a letter from his long-lost friend Queenie to tell him that she is dying. Rather than post the letter he writes he decides to walk to see her.
I quite enjoyed this one. One of my favourite parts was some of the characters Harold met along the way. And the flash backs to his past. However I did find that it lost its way mid way through and did almost scream in frustration at one point. I am intending to read the companion novel.
pickReally, really loved this one. So much more complexity and nuance than I was expecting.
#LitfortuneCookie @KVanRead
@Branwen thanks for the tag!
This book was just a great story about an elderly man who doesnt let anything stop him from getting to his old friend before she dies. It was funny and heartwarming
panI don‘t understand either the book or the hype around it. The beginning is a bit far-fetched but okay, I was willing to engage … Latest until (social) media and the pilgrims turn up. They add nothing, they just fill the plot. Very early in the book I felt that its essence is: Harold is walking. Considered that he‘s heading to a dying woman his trip gets more and more implausible. So I ended up not cherishing even the serious, profound passages.
@Freespirit @julesG @Erofan Thank you so much for the #Top6Reads-tag.
It took me a while to make my choices and I was surprised how difficult it was to me to find 6 picks. Few would‘ve been easier. 😊
My life is quite busy at the moment so I absolutely have no overview who already participated – which is why I take the easy exit: Consider yourself tagged. 😉
Sleepless nights are made for audiobooks, aren‘t they❓😉
I remember a recent conversation here on Litsy about this. I have forgotten with who (if it‘s you, holler 😉) but anyway – I _do_know_ that this book obviously is loved by many, so I decided to put it on my library-tbr to someday give it a try – even though I didn‘t love “Perfect” as much as everyone else obviously did …
But well, here I am already. 😇
I‘m not sure it counts as a #roadtrip if it‘s on foot but it‘s the closest I had! Harold thinks he‘s just #steppinout to post a letter to someone he knew in the past. What starts as a stroll to the letterbox becomes a walk the length of the country to save a life. #boundtogetherjune #jamminjune
I bounced between a few books yesterday before Harold Fry finally stuck. It‘s charming and sad so far, and while I don‘t think I‘ll end up loving it, I expect to like it very much.
Also, I‘m gonna read OUTSIDE tonight, because it‘s WARM! I‘m also gonna drink this not-at-all-sweet vodka soda a friend brought over, because Victoria Day is a good day for alcoholic beverages.
