The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry: A Novel (original 2012; edition 2012)

This story was a bit farfetched but enjoyable non the less. Harold was a sweet man, full of regrets, on a trek to help someone who had really helped him. While reading the book, you know something bad had happened but weren't told until the end and then everything made sense. ( )

Harold Fry is an ordinary man. Newly retired, he has yet to find a hobby to fill his days. His wife has fallen out of love with him, and their relationship is a strained one. However, when a death-bed letter arrives from a former coworker, he finds himself shaken out of his lethargy and driven to do something. That something, as it turns out, is to walk across the country to save his friend. Beset by doubters, physical ailments, and issues with motivation, every step of Harold’s walk brings new discoveries and a new sense of self for both him and for his left-behind wife. Rachel Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is the extraordinary story of faith, love, aging, friendship, and of rediscovering oneself no matter what age.

Harold is a delightful man and a pleasure to follow on his journey. There is a placidity to his actions that is comforting, while his thoughts are insightful in so many ways. He remains humble throughout his journey, a difficult feat given the attention he soon garners as news of his pilgrimage hits the news media, but it is his observations about himself and humanity that truly make the novel. His simple faith in the goodness of people – at first internalized and then put to the test – is profound and a healing revelation given all of the negative news that dominates the headlines these days. His remorse at his estrangement with his wife, at the strained relationship with his son, and for other regrets shows just how unexpected life’s course really is. It is at once a great reminder to stay vigilant and fight for the truly important things in life and a heart-wrenching image of what could happen to all of us.

While Harold is walking, Maureen undergoes her own spiritual journey. Hers is every bit as profound as Harold’s, although hers happens under the comfort of her own roof. While Harold’s path shows how important it is to leave one’s comfort zone and do things, Maureen’s shows the importance of self-reflection and of holding up the proverbial mirror to the truth. Both are incomplete until the two methods are combined, and their reunion is made more powerful as a result.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is the type of novel that begs for an open map and web browser. His journey definitely arouses a reader’s curiosity to learn. Following along Harold’s route, looking up the tourist sites he visits, and checking out the scenery as he denotes its changes serves to enhance one’s understanding of his long journey. This is especially true for readers unfamiliar with England’s varied topography or even its geography. This multi-media interaction, however voluntary, also creates a better link to Harold’s struggling mindset, as it is easier to imagine the physical struggles that enhance his mental ones. The opportunities for learning more about English culture, geography, and people allows for a total immersion into this beautiful story.

Jim Broadbent, he of Harry Potter and Moulin Rouge fame, is the narrator. His delivery is very slow and deliberate, which can take some time to adjust to it. However, his methodical narration suits the plot so well that it soon becomes a nonissue. His is also a subtle performance, well-suited for the story. He does differentiate characters through intonation, pitch, and accent changes, the latter which also highlight Harold’s northward passage, and his emotional output is minimal. Yet, a listener can distinguish between the characters and, more importantly, can feel Harold’s ever-changing mood. Mr. Broadbent’s narration falls heavily upon the ear when Harold is struggling to find his motivation; similarly, the entire feel of his performance changes when Harold is most inspired and determined. It is a quite brilliant performance specifically because of its restraint.

Words fail to do justice to this beautiful work of prose. Each word is as deliberate as each of Harold’s steps, and the time Harold spends remembering and reflecting provides a natural inclination for readers to do the same regarding their own lives. Even better, Harold’s progress is not as one would expect. Just as in life, he starts, stumbles, doubts, continues, stumbles and doubts again, and so on. His pilgrimage truly is a metaphor for the journey of life, with the need for love, kindness, faith, and hope just as important as the need for food and shelter. While such a journey would change anyone, Maureen too undergoes astounding growth, showing that even the hardest heart can change if willing. The ending is every bit as moving as one would expect without becoming overly sentimental or manipulative. It is just a wonderful, heartfelt story that makes one feel good about this great thing called life.

Very often, when I'm enjoying a book, I experience a certain amount of trepidation about where it's going to end up. Many a promising book has fallen apart in the last third, usually because a clever premise lacks the necessary legs, or an equally clever conclusion, or the not-clever conclusion doesn't offer anything else to make it worth the journey (like character, or writing, or setting).

This book did not do that. This is one of the few books I've read where I had total confidence in the author from the off. I loved it even more by the end than I did at the beginning, and that is a rare, rare thing for me.

Sure, I could sit here and make pedantic comments about what would actually happen if you tried walking to Berwick in unsuitable shoes, or complain that there are no great surprises plot-wise, but those things didn't matter because this is wonderfully written and has well-drawn characters who are relentlessly human. It's sad, it's funny, it has buckets of charm which never risks becoming saccharine thanks to the emotionally true (and *raw*) undercurrents. I had to stop reading it in the Post Office queue because I was wearing mascara at the time.

So, yes. I loved it utterly. Normal cynical service will be resumed forthwith. ( )

Harold is a retiree whose days are pretty uneventful and ordinary. He and his wife, Maureen have lived together but separate for over twenty years. One day Harold receives a letter from Queenie Hennessy a woman that he worked with a very long time ago. Queenie has written to say goodbye. She is in a hospice with not many days left. Harold writes a brief reply and decides it must be posted immediately. What begins, as a stroll to mail a letter becomes a pilgrimage of over ninety days. He must deliver his letter in person and he will walk the entire way.

What he learns about himself and life along the way makes for an incredible read. I too took his journey with him and he provided me with many thought provoking moments.

I completely recommend to everyone. ( )

Harold Fry's journey the length of England takes him to memories he did not know he held, an evaluation of his life, and a new understanding of people. He rediscovers love and friendship.

It's difficult to sum up this beautiful book. I expected something quite different, more lighthearted, but as the story went on, it became more philosophical. I hope I can persuade my book club to read and discuss it.
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I'm glad I read it. Charming in it's implausible premise.
Totally loved the descriptives of the countryside - flora, fauna, landscapes, skys.
Sometimes think I'm the only one who's jumping up and down and trying to point out how gorgeous that ditchful of weeds is! If people would just LOOK AROUND!!!
Poignant in it's portrayal of how people/couples drift into quagmires of not sharing and barely caring anylonger. As Harold walks. . .his disappointments and those of his wife come to the surface along with that which they've gradually lost....
The agony of things not admitted to, discussed, and dealt with can lose so much time in our lives.
There are no heroes in this book, but we can identify with their frailties.


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4.5/5 stars

This novel was an unexpected gem! Recently retired, unassuming Harold Fry leads a quiet life. One day he receives a letter from an old friend, Queenie Hennessey, who is dying of cancer. He walks to the mailbox to post his response but decides to deliver it personally instead. Thus, Harold sets off on his unusual journey. I know it sounds strange, but this was incredibly heartwarming book, and one of my favorites of 2012. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and didn't want to put it down. I wanted to know what would happen to Harold on his journey and looked forward to finding out more about what had happened between him and his son and wife that had caused such heartache. Their story was sad but the ending was rewarding and heartwarming. ( )

Wonderful first book. A story that moves the reader along in the same manner that Harold makes his way north. I can see this a book club selection. I will look for new books by this author. ( )

Good book. Unexpected twists. ( )

The habit of day-to-day life is just that - a habit - but we don't always recognize the toll of a habitual life. It requires a change of perspective to see our lives for what they are. This book is about a change of perspective - a change of about 600 miles done one step at a time.

Harold Fry receives a letter from Queenie Hennessy, and decides to mail a reply. But a funny thing happens on the way to the post box, and he decides to deliver the letter to Queenie in person. With only a light jacket and wearing yachting shoes, Harold sets out on the journey from Kingsbridge in the south of England to Berwick-upon-Tweed which lies just south of the border to Scotland.

As with all quests, Harold meets characters that help him probe the past for what was and what could be. In this, the book is much like Ron McLarty's "Memory of Running," and Harold, like Smithy, have to work through the events of the past to make sense of the present. The beginning of their treks, Smithy's across the U.S. on a bicycle and Harold's up the length of England on foot, are similar as well, including the aches, pains and blisters of prolonged physical activity, the recommendations and help by those who listen to their stories, and the help provided by strangers who take them into their lives and homes.

Both characters have drawn away from others over time and during the journey their protective shells start to melt. Quoting the text is difficult when I listen instead of read, but at one time Harold says that he was beginning to care for people other than just his wife. (If someone knows the specific quote, please let me know.) Again a common device for a quest novel.

What is it about us that craves new things and not the same old story? If this book is so much like "Memory of Running" published eight years earlier, what is new about it that made the listen so enjoyable? Smithy in "Memory" lives an extraordinary life filled with dysfunction and damaged characters. This is clear from the beginning. Harold seems to be heading into a typical middle-class retirement including a wife, a child and a house. Most of us might not be able to connect with Smithy, obese, morose and the brother of a mentally disturbed sister, but we can see ourselves easily falling into the mundane life of Harold Fry. And do we also have skeletons in our closets like he does? Should we step away from our lives to get a better view? Would it take 600+ miles of stepping away from our life like it did Harold? ( )

A letter from a terminally ill old co-worker is the catalyst that sends Harold off on the walking journey across England. Leaving behind a stuck marriage and painful shame, he encounters people along the way who sometimes inspire him and sometimes send him to the depths. ( )

Absolutely wonderful book about the complexity of long-term relationships, and how the past bears on us and the choices we make and effects those relationships. The man here, Harold, is a boring and complacent retiree, at home with his wife, when he gets a mysterious letter from a woman from his past--she is dying. He goes out for a walk, and after an unusual encounter with a girl in a gas station, begins to walk to see his dying friend. This choice throws his whole life, and that of his long-suffering wife, into a turmoil that will either serve to destroy them or make them better. Wonderful characters, with soul searching on both sides, as Harold and his wife visit the past events which have shaped each of them for better or worse, and they try to make sense of it all. Fantastic, poignant, and thought-provoking. ( )

This fine read is a totally energizing journey. Harold Fry, on the surface a seemingly average retired bloke from the UK, receives a letter from a long lost friend in hospice and decides that if he treks across Britain to visit her, she will live long enough to speak with him. He leaves his wife Maureen and goes to the letterbox but doesn't stop there.

What follows is a completely unpredictable and inspiring walk. Twists and turns in the plot, characters, and roads make this a most memorable first novel. Just as Harold has staying power, so does this book, never glib or preachy, just aching with the best and worst of human instincts, humor, and behavior. So highly recommended. Best of 2013 for me so far. ( )

3.5 stars
Quirky and fun, but also serious and reflective. I didn't love the middle of the journey, when Harold has followers, but the rawness of his journey at the beginning and the ending is powerful. The narrative repeatedly notes that the pilgrimage is not a love story for Harold and Queenie: I wonder if this is overkill in its actual statement that it is a love story about Harold and Maureen. It's too bad, in some ways then, that Queenie's letter comes so late in their lives.

There are snippets of great commentary on life: listen to everyone's stories, pay attention to the world around you, don't assume you know and understand and can take over someone else's journey, we can survive so well on so little...

Not great literature, and maybe it wouldn't be successful without its excellent publicity, but it's a worthwhile read nevertheless.
Good for book clubs, too. ( )

I had the audio edition of this book for months before I began to listen to it last week and cannot believe I didn't read it sooner!! An awesome book - I fell in love with Harold and got caught up in his pilgrimage to the point where I couldn't stop listening. I definitely recommend it - great easy read! ( )

stil mulling this one. sometimes i really liked it and other moments i was...a little bored. there was definitely an overuse of "put one foot in front of the other" that verged on becoming a drinking game. the premise of the story is lovely but it did get a bit schlocky and mitch albom-y for my tastes. mentions of both facebook and twitter in the book were curious.

edited to add (pasted in from my comment below, in case people don't read the comments here):

you know, the further i get from reading this book, the more it is sitting with me in a way that is far deeper than i originally stated. it's an introspective story and deals with a lot of issues quietly - but i have been thinking about the story off and on for the last several days. i think it would make for a really good in-person book club discussion.

i had the chance to meet joyce and hear her read and talk about the book. she's a lovely woman and believes so strongly in harold that you can't help but wish the very best for both of them.

as far as the booker: it would be very interesting if she/it won. it's not the typical book for booker - it's a simple & sentimental story. but, it's touching a chord with many, many people. that shouldn't sway the judges though. it's a tremendous achievement to have accomplished a longlist spot with a first novel. amazing!! ( )

To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting. ~Edmund Burke

And so it is true with The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. A beautiful story of a journey to see an old friend. Harold takes off on a whim to walk across England to say goodbye to a dying friend. Along the way he meets many people who cause him to pause and reflect on his life thus far. Most memories are sad and are difficult to make sense of, but isn't that the story of us also? Don't we all experience hardships that force us to ask "what if" or "if I only.." The ending is predictable, but wonderful and to read this book without reflecting would truly be like eating without digesting. You won't be sorry you picked this one up!
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I thought that this was delightful and not what I expected it to be. ( )

Beautifully written, this gentle book takes us on both an emotional and physical journey through the spine of England, finishing in Berwick upon Tweed. The ending is by turns sad, funny and life affirming. ( )

I was rooting for Harold all the way! Nice story about a retired man who has regrets about the past;enjoyed it! ( )

This was an easy gentle story. I got the book only because it is on the Booker longlist. I would not otherwise have chosen it, for fear of being swamped by sentimental fluffery. And that is exactly what happened. Some shark-jumping two-thirds of the way in didn't help to redeem it either.
It was 'nice'. "Nice", though, is an adjective best reserved for inoffensive teas and book pablum. ( )

Heartwarming. Cried like a baby at the ending.

A seventy year old man walks to see a friend more than 500 miles away, at first not having any idea to do so. But later on, it becomes a matter of life and death - she's suffering from cancer and he has asked her to wait. It could've been very twee, but it wasn't. There was a love story as I'd suspected, but it isn't between the man and the dying woman. I guessed the underlying secret he's been hiding from the readers, but that doesn't lessen the impact when he does come clean. The people making a big deal of him walking go away after waiting a bit - there's no one waiting for him with garlands and plaudits. There's a dog that chooses to walk with him, but at one low point, it gives up and goes away. He almost doesn't meet her. And when he does meet her, it's not a miracles-do-happen event. She has cancer after all. Ultimately, the only thing that was twee was the language. But I'm going to chalk it up to its Britishness and will not let it stop me from enjoying this book.

P.S. I went through the book thinking how Hollywood would love to get a hold of this. Think of all the possibilities for a Hollywood sunset that Joyce let go! Think of how they could do it right! The people who Harold's met on the way would stop being sad or lonely because he's touched their lives, the dog and Harold would make a successful journey to Queenie with the news crew watching, Queenie would make a miraculous recovery and she would somehow help Harold to reconcile with his son, who's now miraculously not dead!. Maybe I'm jaded. ( )

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a quiet and moving novel that borders on being overly sentimental. At times it may toe the line, but I personally did not find it gimmicky or sloppy. It does require a reader to be open minded (hearted?) about matters of the heart and to accept the fact that the elderly are people too. If this kind of novel appeals to you, you're more like to remember the feelings that accompanied the story than the story itself. The story is slow at times, and while the characters are somewhat memorable, they're not particularly remarkable. That being said, I enjoyed the novel for what it was. It was lovely and affecting. I found the death scene (of whom I will not tell) to be very well rendered. I will not be surprised to see ...Harold Fry turned into a film; Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn come immediately to mind, but only because of the wonderful movie Lovely, Still which, at times, this novel reminded me of. ( )