{"product_id":"book-atgz","title":"The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e BESTSELLER • LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY \u003ci\u003eTHE WASHINGTON POST\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does, even down to how he butters his toast. Little differentiates one day from the next. Then one morning the mail arrives, and within the stack of quotidian minutiae is a letter addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl from a woman he hasn’t seen or heard from in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Harold pens a quick reply and, leaving Maureen to her chores, heads to the corner mailbox. But then, as happens in the very best works of fiction, Harold has a chance encounter, one that convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. And thus begins the unlikely pilgrimage at the heart of Rachel Joyce’s remarkable debut. Harold Fry is determined to walk six hundred miles from Kingsbridge to the hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed because, he believes, as long as he walks, Queenie Hennessey will live.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Still in his yachting shoes and light coat, Harold embarks on his urgent quest across the countryside. Along the way he meets one fascinating character after another, each of whom unlocks his long-dormant spirit and sense of promise. Memories of his first dance with Maureen, his wedding day, his joy in fatherhood, come rushing back to him—allowing him to also reconcile the losses and the regrets. As for Maureen, she finds herself missing Harold for the first time in years.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e And then there is the unfinished business with Queenie Hennessy.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e A novel of unsentimental charm, humor, and profound insight into the thoughts and feelings we all bury deep within our hearts, \u003ci\u003eThe Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry\u003c\/i\u003e introduces Rachel Joyce as a wise—and utterly irresistible—storyteller.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAdvance praise for \u003ci\u003eThe Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “When it seems almost too late, Harold Fry opens his battered heart and lets the world rush in. This funny, poignant story about an ordinary man on an extraordinary journey moved and inspired me.”—Nancy Horan, author of \u003ci\u003eLoving Frank\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “There’s tremendous heart in this debut novel by Rachel Joyce, as she probes questions that are as simple as they are profound: Can we begin to live again, and live truly, as ourselves, even in middle age, when all seems ruined? Can we believe in hope when hope seems to have abandoned us? I found myself laughing through tears, rooting for Harold at every step of his journey. I’m still rooting for him.”—Paula McLain, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Paris Wife\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Marvelous! I held my breath at his every blister and cramp, and felt as if by turning the pages, I might help his impossible quest succeed.”—Helen Simonson, author of\u003ci\u003e Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Harold’s journey is ordinary and extraordinary; it is a journey through the self, through modern society, through time and landscape. It is a funny book, a wise book, a charming book—but never cloying. It’s a book with a  savage twist—and yet never seems manipulative. Perhaps because Harold himself is just wonderful. . . . I’m telling you now: I love this book.”—Erica Wagner, \u003ci\u003eThe Times \u003c\/i\u003e(UK)\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “The odyssey of a simple man . . . original, subtle and touching.”—Claire Tomalin, author of \u003ci\u003eCharles Dickens: A Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrom the Hardcover edition.\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49337754419504,"sku":"BDatgz","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD [40]","offer_id":49337754452272,"sku":"40atgz","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/201572-atgz-Square.jpg?v=1733977312","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-atgz","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}