Feb 24, 2023oscarmaterath rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A feel good book that asks relevant questions about living. Gets a little lost towards the end. Recommended. I am looking forward to reading the next two books.
Nov 16, 2022DavidSpencer99 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I’ve read a few contemporary pilgrimage books, e.g. Pilgrimage to Eternity (Egan) and A Time of Gifts (Patrick Leigh Fermor). As an English major, I’m familiar with classics like Piers Plowman and the Canterbury Tales. Joyce tells Harold’s…
Sep 11, 2022anonymouse1 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Highly unlikely, but many readers must enjoy the thought that after twenty years of boredom from the repeated performance of insignificant actions, a person can decide to attempt a very difficult task which can revive old memories of…
Oct 18, 2021CarolynPaulBranch rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is one of those books you can't describe adequately. It's just so much better than the bare plot sounds. A sixty-five years old man receives a letter from an old friend who is dying in a hospice on the other side of the country. He…
Sep 13, 2020NMostacada rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
I tried to like this book, I really did because everyone else seems to but half way through I gave up. Harold Fry receives news that his friend is dying in hospice and decides to walk to her across England in order to say goodbye in…
Jun 15, 2020Hillsboro_RobP rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A 65-year old man goes for a long, long walk and turns out to be a novel that couldn't possibly have been any better. Rachel Joyce makes writing powerful fiction look easy.
Mar 24, 2020AaronAardvark1940 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book had extra significance to us in our reading project, as we have been involved in a number of pilgrimages, as observers, participants, and facilitators. Before I read the final few chapters to her, we hypothesized as to Harold's…
Mar 10, 2020maipenrai rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
What a treat!! The audiobook is narrated by Jim Broadbent - one of my favorite British actors!! What a heartbreaking story of missed chances for love and understanding. Harold Fry sets out to save the life of a friend by walking over…
Feb 24, 2020JustaThot rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is a gentle and well-written book about life transitions forced upon an older couple just by virtue of their having lived into their 60s. Harold Fry is informed that a co-worker from years ago is dying, and he sets out to see her…
Dec 23, 2019lola_jane rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I was at times both frustrated with Harold and rooting for this unlikely hero. His trek across the country is matched by an internal journey in which he reflects upon his relationships with his son, wife and strangers. Joyce doesn't soften…
Sep 28, 2019sjpl_DanaLibrariana rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book was not what I expected, but I truly enjoyed it nonetheless. The author did a great job creating a cast of characters with whom we can relate. It's a book about stepping outside of comfort zones, facing demons and the hard work…
Oct 26, 2018glotet rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
In the course of her writings, the author offers up little truisms under the guise of her character's personal development along the way of his travel destination. Some of these give pause for personal reflection.
I found this book to be unexpectedly deep. It's not ONLY a "feel good read," it's also a smart and interesting take on loss, commitment, and finding one's self at any age. If you enjoyed this one, make sure to check out the partner book,…
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Jul 15, 2018hrogness rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
at first a little literary ditty similar to Man named Ova. But , gets somewhat deeper as the story progresses.
Jun 25, 2018Ghettostone rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
"The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry", a delight cozy novel that is both funny and mysterious at the time! Harold is retired and putting around the house under the feet of his over controlling wife, when he receives a letter from a…
Mar 17, 2018rogebc_0 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This journey story is a little too obvious and trite in many ways. I read it for my book club, and found that in spite of its corniness, there is a true element of the hero's journey in the story. Harold sets out to mail a letter to an…
Dec 14, 2017ArapahoeAnnaL rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
It's as if 20 years before the book begins, the main character had been frozen with grief. During the course of his pilgrimage he begins to thaw out and, at times, experience unbearable grief and despair. The tone is lightened by the…
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The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry