The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry: A Novel

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Joyce’s beguiling debut is [a] modest-seeming story of ‘ordinary’ English lives that enthralls and moves you as it unfolds.”—People (four stars)

NOW A MUSICAL AND MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST

Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does. Little differentiates one day from the next. Then one morning a letter arrives, addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl, from a woman he hasn’t heard from in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye. But before Harold mails off a quick reply, a chance encounter convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. In his yachting shoes and light coat, Harold Fry embarks on an urgent quest. Determined to walk six hundred miles to the hospice, Harold believes that as long as he walks, Queenie will live. A novel of charm, humor, and profound insight into the thoughts and feelings we all bury deep within our hearts, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry introduces Rachel Joyce as a wise—and utterly irresistible—storyteller.

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Published Mar 26, 2013

384 pages

Average rating: 7.25

221 RATINGS

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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry* is a reflective and well-written novel that vividly explores memory, regret, and human kindness th...

thenextgoodbook
Sep 04, 2025
10/10 stars
I had to go back and change this to five stars because I just can't get Harold Fry out of my mind. Loved this book!
Mary Pat Holt
Feb 05, 2026
4/10 stars
I don't understand all the fuss and 5 star ratings on this book. I didn't laugh or cry while reading this as some have stated in their reviews. I thought it dragged on & on.....and was actually quite corny at times. "Put one foot in front of the other and soon you'll be walking out the door..." played on an endless loop in my head while reading this. I would much rather read a nonfiction book about a real account of someone's journey across the country. I know it was supposed to be this introspective story but it just felt too corny for me. I did however really like the last 36 pages (yes, I counted) where we finally learn about what really caused all the soul searching.
Nadiab
Nov 07, 2025
10/10 stars
Really good book!
Ann Bredemeier
Oct 18, 2025
8/10 stars
This book is not at all what I expected it to be. I enjoyed the characters and how the story unfolded.
Ebane1031
Apr 06, 2025
9/10 stars
Touching and funny. I loved the characters. You get to know them deeply and understand why they became who they are. A very human book.

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