The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

by Rachel Joyce | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0552779040 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingDelphi_Readerwing of Delphi - Δελφοί , Fokida Greece on 4/21/2017
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This book is in the wild! This Book is Currently in the Wild!
2 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingDelphi_Readerwing from Delphi - Δελφοί , Fokida Greece on Friday, April 21, 2017
This book starts its journey from Delphi,Fokida, Greece
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" 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. He has no hiking boots or map, let alone a compass, waterproof or mobile phone. All he knows is that he must keep walking. To save someone else's life. "


~~~~~~To the person who found this book:~~~~~~

Welcome to BookCrossing.com, where we are trying to make the whole world a library!

If you have not already done so, please make a journal entry so we know this book has found a new home. Drop a few lines on where and how you found this book and what you thought of it. You don't need to join BookCrossing and you can remain completely anonymous. However, I encourage you to join so that you can follow this book's future travels. It's fun and free, and your personal information will never be shared or sold.

This book is now yours, and you can keep it if you choose, although I would love you to read and then share it. You can pass it on someone you know or release it once again in the wild, leaving it on a park bench, a phone booth, a hostel lobby...wherever you think it's suitable for the book to continue it's journey. If you pass it along, please make a release note to let others know where you left it.

I hope you enjoy the book!


Journal Entry 2 by wingDelphi_Readerwing at Delphi - Δελφοί , Fokida Greece on Friday, April 28, 2017
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry seemed to have an interesting plot and got raving reviews, so I couldn't resist reading it. It's a story of a rather random retired man, Harold, who appears to have lived a rather dull and quiet life... until he hears of a long lost colleague, Queenie , who suffers of terminal cancer and writes to say goodbye. While going to post a reply letter, a weird idea is formed: On the spur of the moment, Harold decides to walk from his hometown all the way to the hospice where Queenie spends her last days, a distance of around 6-7 hundrend miles, thinking that if he keeps walking, she is going to keep living.

This "pilgrimage" works as a walk not only across a good part of the British island, but as a walk of life, past and present and future, while Harold contemplates and meets people and has relevations and ups and downs and goes through different moods and phases. In the mean time, his wife Maureen, who's left behind, goes through a similar mental trip, at times aided by their neighbor Rex. Harold and Maureen's son, David, plays a huge part on the couple's lives, their falling appart and forming who they are...

Although I enjoyed reading many parts of this book, I found it too far-fetched and yes, very unlikely. The way Harold decides to set off, the way he won't really listen what the garage girl is trying to tell him, some swings of mood and decisions during his trip and the way Maureen reacts and is behaving are not convincing at all. And often one can see past the characters, see and feel the author standing there and trying to pull some strings and set things in motion and/or add tention and pace to the novel. Especially towards the end, this got too much for me.

Furthermore, I really rolled my eyes to what was supposed to be a big relevation about David. I mean, come on now, we've seen this before again and again in movies and books and saddly real life. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but I think when you read the book you may feel the same.

One single episode of the past, about what Queenie did in favor of Harold was too ridiculous and still not fully explained on my opinion and sort of a dissapointment too. Furthrmore, I think that the emotions and situation of Maureen at this stage of their common life is too over-analysed, while Harold's not that much.

The end left me a bit cold. While it was supposed to be short of a bittersweet end, I wasn't surprised. Predictable what about Queenie, too predictable what about Harold and Maureen. Not very nicely painted for me as a reader. And what about this private joke between the couple? Yes, a private joke, but sure we readers have a right to know?

While I had some sort of sympathy for what the characters of the book had to go through, I still didn't find them particularly like-able or three-dimensional. Not a bad read, but not very good either. I feel that it got too drawn out, it could be better if it was 1⁄3 shorter.

Still, there is lots of praise and hype about the book, so I thought it worths to share it with the world-and I'm curious to read other people's reviews too : )))


Journal Entry 3 by wingDelphi_Readerwing at By Mail, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, May 11, 2017

Released 6 yrs ago (5/11/2017 UTC) at By Mail, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This book is now traveling to make new friends in an other part of Europe!
And then...who knows?

Good Luck my book and don't forget to write home from time to time...

: )))

Journal Entry 4 by Chania at Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa / Mellersta Österbotten Finland on Thursday, May 18, 2017
Thank you Delphi Reader! You sent such a generous parcel of great books, and this was only one that I've read already! So, this will go to my avl-self and to the next reader!

Released 6 yrs ago (6/3/2017 UTC) at -- Jossain Kokkolassa in Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa / Mellersta Österbotten Finland

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Goes to my friend first, then to some other place!

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