The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a novel by Rachel Joyce, published in 2012. Joyce's first novel, it was a long-list finalist (top 12) for the 2012 Man Booker Prize, and Joyce won the UK National Book Award for New Writer of the Year for the book. It was also the best-selling hardback book in the UK from a new novelist in 2012.In 2021, a film adaptation was announced, starring Jim Broadbent and Penelope Wilton.
For the first two thirds, this was on track to be the best novel I had read this year, but I got a bit put off by a substantial near-messianic pseudo-allegory stretch later.
man gets a letter from an old work colleague, writes her back, and leaves his home and wife to post it - walking past the local mailbox, to the more central one in town, to straight out of town. and he's off - ready to walk all the way to her bedside on the other side of England. seemed like another addition to the now popular 'old man rebels at the (near) end of his life to make some meaning' genre (the 100 year old man who... disappeared, a man called ove, major Pettigrew..., etc). it was rather funny in spots, but nothing better than meh.
Many, many of my reads are escapes: into futuristic, science-fiction worlds, others medieval fantasies, or the rest, anything in between. But then there are books that have such a powerful, real, tangible quality of humanness about them that I can't help but love them.
Ben Elton's [b:Time and Time Again|23164931|Time and Time Again|Ben Elton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1411333773s/23164931.jpg|42710967], Jo Walton's [b:My real Children|18490637|My Real Children|Jo Walton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380218782s/18490637.jpg|26174356], Gavin Extence's [b:The Universe Versus Alex Woods|15984268|The Universe Versus Alex Woods|Gavin Extence|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352436020s/15984268.jpg|21738568], Lisa Genova's [b:Still Alice|2153405|Still Alice|Lisa Genova|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1236089972s/2153405.jpg|2158906], Mark Watson's [b:Eleven|8466327|Eleven|Mark Watson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349055634s/8466327.jpg|13330815], all of these hit that unnameable elusive spot which in some cases makes you feel good and warm about the world and in others moves you to tears. This pilgrimage did that to me, with an impact most poignant, characters so genuine and reality so actual that you can feel it because it so really applies to you. I can't put this book out to the …
Many, many of my reads are escapes: into futuristic, science-fiction worlds, others medieval fantasies, or the rest, anything in between. But then there are books that have such a powerful, real, tangible quality of humanness about them that I can't help but love them.
Ben Elton's [b:Time and Time Again|23164931|Time and Time Again|Ben Elton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1411333773s/23164931.jpg|42710967], Jo Walton's [b:My real Children|18490637|My Real Children|Jo Walton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380218782s/18490637.jpg|26174356], Gavin Extence's [b:The Universe Versus Alex Woods|15984268|The Universe Versus Alex Woods|Gavin Extence|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352436020s/15984268.jpg|21738568], Lisa Genova's [b:Still Alice|2153405|Still Alice|Lisa Genova|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1236089972s/2153405.jpg|2158906], Mark Watson's [b:Eleven|8466327|Eleven|Mark Watson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349055634s/8466327.jpg|13330815], all of these hit that unnameable elusive spot which in some cases makes you feel good and warm about the world and in others moves you to tears. This pilgrimage did that to me, with an impact most poignant, characters so genuine and reality so actual that you can feel it because it so really applies to you. I can't put this book out to the lovers of fantasy, of spaceships, of spies or of assassins. But I enjoyed it most profoundly.
