The story at some point becomes about more than Harold's walk and more than Queenie's letter but about this group of patients and these lovely nuns especially Sister Mary Inconnu who types out Queenie's notes and gives her so much more . They drink to Harold with their nutritional drinks and then the reality of it - Barbara wishes for "one more Christmas ". A particularly moving scene was when Sister Mary Inconnu helps Queenie to feel and smell a peach and taste it when she didn't think she could swallow . Harold's journey on the road and Queenie's journey waiting for Harold becomes theirs as well . "That's it , then, " said Finty . "It's a unanermous vote. From now on , no one dies . We're all waiting for Harold Fry ." Joyce begins the novel with Queenie’s letter and a confession to Harold:“I will confess everything, because you were right that day. There were so many things you didn’t see. There are so many things you still don’t know.” In addition to giving the novel urgency, are the letters and postcards scattered throughout the novel effective touchstones for the journeys both characters are on? The story's very ambiguity steadily feeds its mysteriousness and power, and Danielewski's mastery of postmodernist and cinema-derived rhetoric up the ante continuously, and stunningly. One of the most impressive excursions into the supernatural in many a year.

While I was reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, I often wondered about who Queenie Hennessy really was and why Harold Fry would make a trek walking hundreds of miles to see her before she dies . Rachel Joyce in this novel has answered all of the questions I had about Queenie and I now know that she was worth every mile that Harold walked and then some . Joyce nicely calls the book a companion rather than a sequel. But The Love Song is bolder than a retread of the same material from another angle... . After two such involving novels, readers are bound to wish for a third." - The Telegraph

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Joyce has a wonderfully evocative turn of phrase and like her other books this is a delightful read... . Queenie is an uplifting and moving companion to Harold." - Daily Express

But when Queenie’s body was slowly taken over by cancer and she was no longer able to care for herself, she entered the nearby hospice where she would spend the remainder of her life, cared for by the kind and devoted nuns of St Bernadine’s. Unable to speak, she had her notebook and pencil with her always. As she deteriorated, she decided to write a short letter to Harold to let him know she was dying; but when she received a reply from him stating he was walking to her and she was to wait, she and the rest of the residents were astounded.

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy

If you have the opportunity, experience these two books one after the other. That way you can compare events in one story with events in the other story. These two books belong together and I'm glad I went on these journeys with Harold and Queenie. Kudos, Madam Joyce, for another great piece. I hope others take as much away from this piece as I did. I’ll be sure to look for more of your work soon. Sister Lucy said maybe she did but she was pretty sure she didn’t. Someone told us he’d had an old aunt who lived there once. And one of the volunteers said, “Oh, I know Kingsbridge. It’s in South Devon.” The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is Book #1 in this series and it's where to begin. You see, both books have concurrent timelines, so while Harold is walking, Queenie is writing.

A beautiful story which will grip you, make you laugh and cry, uplift your spirit and leave you feeling profoundly grateful and changed by the reading experience ... This is a wonderful book about loss, redemption and joy – and I give it my own prize. Bel Mooney, The Daily Mail Joyce ( Perfect, 2014, etc.) offers an introspective follow-up to her 2012 breakout debut, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I have never had this reading experience before, where The Unlikely Pilgrimage talked in Harold’s point of view as to why he is walking the length of England to save Queenie who is dying in Hospice Care. Putting pen to paper, once again, she begins writing a lengthy letter to Harold. She must tell him everything. All her long-held secrets, all her emotions, and reasons why she disappeared...Once again Rachel Joyce writes so gripping and moving that you take the charaters to your heart immediately. Buch aktuell, Germany All of them wait for the future, with Harold holding the key to their staying alive. I was very touched by this story, the selfishness of people, the secrets we hold within our hearts, and the ability to always find hope from a life that soon will be taken from them. Queenie thought her first letter would be the end of the story. She was wrong. It was the beginning.