The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy
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4.6 • 93 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
From the author of the 2 million+ copy, worldwide bestseller, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, - soon to be a major movie starring Jim Broadbent - an exquisite, funny and heartrending parallel story.
When Queenie Hennessy discovers that Harold Fry is walking the length of England to save her, and all she has to do is wait, she is shocked. Her note had explained she was dying. How can she wait?
A new volunteer at the hospice suggests that Queenie should write again; only this time she must tell Harold everything. In confessing to secrets she has hidden for twenty years, she will find atonement for the past. As the volunteer points out, 'Even though you've done your travelling, you're starting a new journey too.'
Queenie thought her first letter would be the end of the story. She was wrong. It was the beginning.
Told in simple, emotionally-honest prose, with a mischievous bite, this is a novel about the journey we all must take to learn who we are; it is about loving and letting go. And most of all it is about finding joy in unexpected places and at times we least expect.
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'A beautiful story which will grip you, make you laugh and cry, uplift your spirit and leave you feeling profoundly grateful' DAILY MAIL
'Will leave you wide-eyed and wanting to read it all again . . . wondrous' THE TIMES
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RACHEL JOYCE'S NEW NOVEL MAUREEN FRY AND THE ANGEL OF THE NORTH - THE FINAL PART OF THE HAROLD FRY TRILOGY - IS PUBLISHED IN OCTOBER 2022
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Joyce's bestselling novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, followed the journey of Harold, a retiree who chose to walk the entire length of England to reunite with an old friend. This novel focuses on the old friend in question: Queenie Hennessy, who's dying of cancer in a hospice in northern England. When she receives word that Harold's begun walking the 600 miles to see her, Queenie's apprehensive: they haven't seen each other in 20 years. As she begins to write in a long letter to Harold, readers see that their unorthodox friendship was far more complicated than Harold may think. Through Queenie's flashbacks, we see the beginnings of their friendship when they met as coworkers at the local brewery. We also learn new information about Queenie's secret friendship with Harold's teen son, David; the circumstances around David's tragic early death; and Queenie's long-hidden feelings for Harold. In the present day, Queenie's fellow patients in the hospice also take up the mantle of waiting for Harold, and some poignant and hilarious new bonds form. Fans of Harold's story will appreciate a chance to meet him again and hear his story from a new angle, and after a slow and slightly confusing start, even newcomers to Queenie and Harold's doomed love story will not be immune to its charms. A bittersweet final twist is a fitting cap to a tragic, touching tale.
Customer Reviews
Beautiful mix of light and shadow
It sits nicely alongside its companion tale, The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry, and gives new slants on the lives of all the characters in that book. Touching and thoughtful without being maudlin. Optimistic without becoming unrealistic. I devoured this and felt immersed in it. Will buy anything else that Rachel Joyce writes, even if it’s just a shopping list.
One of the best stories I have read for a long time
It’s not often you pick up a book and enjoy each and every single page and wish that it would carry on forever.
I think there’s something really magical about the observations of these characters and I feel like I got to know them intimately because the writer allowed me to see them for who they really were.
It’s perhaps a reminder to just ‘be’ in the moment and to just feel every little thing as it happens and to take every enjoyment it.
I’d challenge the hardest heart not to be moved by this book.
Engaging and heartwarming
The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry is one of my favourite books, and this book complements that story and adds another layer from the perspective of the character Queenie. If you loved Harold Fry book, you will love this book but it would not have the same impact if you have not read the other book first. Very cleverly written and very moving and heartwarming. Have a box of tissues to hand.