This time, it’s Maureen who must make a pilgrimage. I really liked this novella, set 10 yrs after the Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Maureen is a different sort of pilgrim, she’s less warm and open than Harold and finds talking to strangers harder. It’s a great, heartfelt little book.

Oh but this book warmed my heart.
In Harold Fry's long-ago pilgrimage across the country to find his friend Queenie we found out much about him and his life but his wife Maureen was a two dimensional figure at the edges of the story.
This is her story, "But Maureen is not like Harold. She struggles to bond with strangers, and the landscape she crosses has changed radically. She has little sense of what she'll find at the end of the road. All she knows is that she must get there." As she sets out to see some of the legacy of her husband's journey and set the record straight about her son.
I loved Maureen and her change over the journey.
This feels like a fitting end to a moving and lovely trilogy.

“Queenie made a sea garden at her home in Embleton Bay. Locals now call it the Garden of Relics because of the things people leave there. But I only heard recently that she created a monument to your son. I thought you might like to know that.”

My thanks to Random House U.K. Transworld Doubleday for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North’ by Rachel Joyce.

In Joyce’s 2012 debut novel 65-year-old Harold Fry undertook an unlikely pilgrimage in which he travelled on foot from South Devon to a town in Northumberland where Queenie Hennessy, his former colleague, was in a hospice. The novel was both a critical and commercial success and was long listed for the 2012 Man Booker Prize. Then in 2014 Joyce wrote ‘The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy’, which provided Queenie’s point of view as she waits for Harold’s arrival.

Here Rachel Joyce tells Maureen Fry’s story ten years after Harold’s journey. Following a message from the North, Maureen has many questions about Queenie’s garden and the monument to their son. Harold encourages her to make her own pilgrimage to the North. Unlike Harold, Maureen is driving the route and so sets out on a dull January morning.

This was a moving comedy drama that in the same gentle fashion as the earlier two books explores themes of ageing, grief and loss as well as compassion and the power of forgiveness.

Maureen proved a very different character to Harold and at times I found her quite abrasive. Yet I could also relate to why she was so prickly and fussy. Still, there was certainly more sides to her as became apparent as the story unfolded. I found myself moved to tears more than once.

While it is possible to read ‘Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North’ on its own, these are quite short novels and reading in order allows for a greater sense of the characters’ individual and collective journeys.

Overall, I found this a beautifully written , moving story and a fitting conclusion to this gentle trilogy.

This is the first book I have read by Rachel Royce, so I did not come to it with any real knowledge of Harold Fry and his walk - though I was aware of the previous title. This did not matter. Anything which I might have needed to know was retold, so don;t be put off by not having read the previous title. I do wonder if this book might 'spoil' some of the earlier one, but that was not an issue for me.

Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North is both so normal and so extraordinary, that I would recommend this as a short enjoyable read. Maureen decides to go on a journey - at first it is not clear why, as she is unadventurous and ill-prepared for her adventure. The reason for Maureen's journey is soon revealed and I will not include any spoilers but it is moving and totally understandable, even if you have never been in her shoes.

I could relate to Maureen. A significant part of her journey was on roads which I know reasonably well, so I did feel like I was travelling with her. Maureen meets people on her journey who extend help and support when she needs it the most. I wanted her purpose to be successful and the journey to have been worth while.

It's an easy read with genuine, human emotion revealed.

Having read about Harold, it was interesting to read his wife Maureen’s tale. It is now her turn to go on a pilgrimage to visit a shrine to her late son, built by Harold’s friend, Queenie. Her cat journey takes lots of twists and turns and I liked all her fears and foibles.
Not as long a book as Harold’s story but still enjoyable.

A short story that packs in a whole range of human emotions, a whole life anylysed and explained in simple but beautiful prose. This novella deals with a loss that every parent dreads, that of their child, and delves into the complex and heartbreaking emotions and deeply hidden emotions involved. The writing is spare but poetic, deeply emotional but also wryly amusing. The characterisation is compact but expansive….truly a shorter novel that shows how sometimes little is more, succinct and subtle. A novel that is just perfect, thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Maureen Fry has been married to Harold for many years, they had a son but he committed suicide. Drifting old age, Maureen has few friends but a strange story related to a former friend of her husband has unsettled her. She decides that she must travel to see a memorial to her son, a journey of over 300 miles.
This is a short book but beautifully crafted. There is humour and pathos as well to tell the tale of a woman awakening and allowing others in. Joyce is a great writer of superficially entertaining stories which actually carry profound emotional meaning and this is no exception.

This us the third book in this series, and it is a lovely story to finish the series. However it is quite short compared to the previous two.
This time it is Maureen's story.
This us a well written and enjoyable story.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this read.

Harold Fry’s wife, Maureen, seems destined to carry on her own small life whilst her husband and his friends live lives immeasurably bigger and richer than hers. So ten years after Harold Fry makes his epic pilgrimage to visit Queenie Hennessey, Maureen learns that Queenie has erected a shrine to her and Harold’s late son, David. It bugs her, immensely, when the shrine becomes something of a regional phenomenon and she hasn’t even seen it. Obviously, being Maureen, she doesn’t want to again give Queenie dominion over any part of her life and refuses to make a visit. But the more she hears about how marvellous the shrine is, the more Maureen realises that she’s going to have to go and see it for herself. After all, David was her son – what on earth did Queenie need to make a shrine for anyway?
So, with Harold’s blessing and encouragement Maureen goes on an epic journey of her own whilst he stays and plays house with the next-door neighbour.
It seems as though, again in this volume, Maureen is missing some fundamental part of what it means to be a warm, feeling, compassionate human being. Will her journey up north help her to find that part?
Whilst my sympathies throughout this trilogy have been with Harold, this last adventure opens a new window on Maureen, letting me see her in a new light. It’s a profound insight into the human condition, and I’ve come away understanding that just because someone isn’t communicating their feelings out loud, it doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

It’s been an unbelievable 10 years since Harold Fry took his ‘walk’ and now it’s his wife Maureen’s turn. This novella is the last of Rachel Joyce’ Harold Fry trilogy and brings Maureen into the limelight.

Maureen is not like Harold, she does not love (or even like) easily, she is prickly and grumpy. She wears driving shoes and comfortable slacks. Her journey, although on the surface mirrors Harold’s (albeit by car) is fraught with mishaps, mishaps that slow the journey and stop the body until the lesson is learned. Some on here have said that Maureen’s redemption came too early, for me that’s not the case, if anything I would’ve liked more ‘feel good’ for her but highly recommended none the less.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am left wondering was this view point from Maureen Fry really necessary. Harsh, I know, but there was very little content and indeed some of it was totally unbelievable.

I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The story:
10 years have passed since Harold Fry left to post a letter, and ended up walking 627 miles to deliver it by hand to a dying friend. Now, his wife Maureen is going on a journey of her own, and once again Queenie is the unintentional cause of it.

Because Queenie Hennessy created a garden. And in that garden is reportedly something of deep significance to Maureen. Unable to move on until she’s visited, Maureen embarks on her own pilgrimage into the North, in an attempt to understand and, perhaps, to find peace.

My thoughts:
10 years have passed since Harold Fry’s epic walk, and 10 years have passed since I first read it. Harold’s journey was unplanned, but as we see in this book, was necessary and important to him, and it’s lovely to meet him again and see his contentment.

But while Harold has found his peace, Maureen is still searching, and is unable to deny the pull she feels when she learns of Queenie’s garden. In many ways, this is a sad book. Maureen doesn’t have Harold’s way of bringing love out in other people, and her manner and tendency to not separate what she thinks and what she says puts her at odds with the world and the people around her, and are heartbreaking at times.

But as with the author’s previous books, there is also a quiet humour to her writing, and she has the great skill of describing everyday things in a way that makes them beautiful.

Maureen’s journey, although she doesn’t realise it, is to try and come to terms with the great loss she has experienced, to forgive herself and those around her, and to find the kindness in the world. This is a short, but perfectly formed novel, and a fitting end to Harold, Queenie and Maureen’s stories.

Joyce’s three books in the Harold Fry series feature interlinked characters but each can also be read as a stand-alone novel. This time, it is not fictional character Harold but instead reticent, nostalgic Maureen who embarks on an unforgettable journey when she hears that apparently Queenie’s seaside garden in the North of England features a sculpture in tribute to her deceased son David. Although her journey unfolds very differently to that of Harold, Queenie too reveals much about the complexities of her life and arrives a much-changed person who has regained her confidence and grown in her commitment to those she loves.

A beautifully story of love, life, forgiveness, the powers of memories and of looking forward, this book is every bit as poignant and thought-provoking as its two sequels were. I am grateful to NetGalley and to the publishers for granting me a free ARC that enabled me to produce this honest book review.

It has been ten years since we first met Harold, Queenie and Maureen. Eight years since we heard from Queenie and now it is Maureen Fry’s turn to enter our conscious, to enter our live as we follow another journey. Without a doubt this novella, is a wonderful ending to the story and you need to have read the previous two to make any sense of it or to understand its quiet impact.

Maureen, learns that in Queenie’s garden a statue has been erected. To commemorate her son- David. The kindly Kate that Harold met on his journey has kept in contact and imparts this news. It disturbs Maureen that someone has done this of her son. Her son. This upsets Maureen, since Harold’s return and Queenie’s death life has restored its balance now it is askew again and Maureen needs aswers.

She embarks on this journey via car, early one morning. A much more planned journey that Harold’s but not without its troubles. Maureen gets lost, she needs to seek help something she is not used to doing, she needs to ask strangers for assistance.

Her anger she has held for a number of years whilst propels her forward to her destination, it upsets people along the way and ultimately it is that which softens Maureen. She now has perhaps the ability to answer unasked questions about her grief, about her son and about her relationship with Harold.

So much emotion is packed into this short book. I still didn’t warm to Maureen, but that doesn’t matter, because I learnt a lot about her along the way and perhaps if I did not warm to her, I certainly understood her a lot more. As uplifting as it is heart-breaking, it packs a punch that you remember both previous books doing. A delightful way to bring Harold, Maureen and Queenie’s stories to an end.

This is a beautiful book.
Maureen Fry goes on a road trip to find the memorial to her dead son, David.
Along the way she experiences an awakening and a new sense of acceptance.
This is the last in the Harold Fry series and is a lovely, short story.

The book is another beautifully written companion piece that neatly completes the journey’s (both physical and emotional) we’ve previously been on with Harold and Queenie. While it may be short, it packs an emotional punch and unexpectedly moved me to tears.  

We pick up Maureen’s journey 10 years after Harold’s epic pilgrimage to visit his dying friend Queenie. This time Maureen, spurred on by Harold, is making the solo car trip up north, to visit Queenie’s Garden. It’s a place which has become a place of pilgrimage for others and having been told it has a monument to their dead son David, Maureen feels compelled to see it.

It’s not an easy journey for Maureen, and not always an easy read because Maureen isn’t an easy person. Her presence in the previous books was often a negative one and here she’s no different. She’s rude, spikey, and often unfiltered, and yet with this book we get to see inside her head and get a better understanding of why. Essentially, growing up Maureen never fitted in and didn’t know how. Encouraged by her father to believe she was special, that set the pattern for her future. It imbued her with an attitude that further created a barrier between herself and others. Yet, Harold found a way to her heart, and it was touching to get glimpses of the younger Maureen who loved him. When David was born, he became her focus, and worry, as he was another child who didn’t fit in and found it difficult to navigate his way in the world. When he died, Maureen retreated behind her wall, to which she added bitterness to further bolster it.

Maureen’s journey to the garden is beset with difficulties which she doesn’t always deal with diplomatically. Yet, what she starts to gradually appreciate is that she has a choice in how she responds. Admittedly albeit making two steps forward and one step back. Her arrival at the garden and her second traumatic visit is a turning point. It puts into focus the relationship between Harold and Queenie and forces her to acknowledge the unspoken and unresolved grief at the loss of her son David. A grief that has lodged inside her and further isolated her from the world.

Maureen’s interaction with her own ‘Angel of the North’ is the epiphany she needs to open herself up to the world, put the past to rest and move forward.

The author, as always, creates beautifully drawn characters that have real depth and emotion. She also has the knack of saying a lot with what she doesn’t directly say as much as what she does. Though this is Maureen’s story, as I read it, it’s also Harold’s. While this novella, completes the circle, it also gives us a glimpse of Harold as he is now and the future they will have to navigate together.   

This can be read as a standalone, but I urge you to also read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

I love the way Rachel Joyce writes - such a delightful and clever style. It was wonderful to catch up with Maureen and to get to know her and her story more in this novel. A great read.

Book Review

'Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North' by Rachel Joyce

As a great fan of both 'The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' and 'The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy' I was delighted to read Maureen Fry's side of the story.

The latest book in this series follows Maureen as she embarks on her own journey for resolution and redemption. She travels to Queenie's garden to see a memorial sculpture for her son. It gives us further insight into her life, her loss and her grief and it also sheds a little more light on her relationships with Harold and Queenie.

Maureen is sharp and angry woman but she is also vulnerable and finds the world a difficult place to navigate. As she heals and finds forgiveness we come to understand her better and she becomes an altogether warmer character.

This is another beatifully written novel which balances both sadness and joy with moments of humour and Maureen's story is a certainly must read for everyone who enjoyed Harold and Queenie. And for readers who are new to this trilogy, each book stands alone but they are enriched by each other and better read together.

Thank you to @netgalley for a copy of this wonderful novel.

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EXCERPT: It was too early for birdsong. Harold lay beside her, his hands neat on his chest, looking so peaceful she wondered where he travelled in his sleep. Certainly not the places she went: if she closed her eyes, she saw roadworks. Dear God, she thought. This is no good. She got up in the pitch-black, took off her nightdress and put on her best blue blouse with a pair of comfortable slacks and a cardigan. 'Harold?' she called. 'Are you awake?' But he didn't stir. She picked up her shoes and shut the bedroom door without a sound. If she didn't go now, she never would.

ABOUT 'MAUREEN FRY AND THE ANGEL OF THE NORTH': Ten years ago, Harold Fry set off on his epic journey on foot to save a friend. But the story doesn't end there. Now his wife, Maureen, has her own pilgrimage to make.

Maureen Fry has settled into the quiet life she now shares with her husband Harold after his iconic walk across England. Now, ten years later, an unexpected message from the North disturbs her equilibrium again, and this time it is Maureen's turn to make her own journey.

But Maureen is not like Harold. She struggles to bond with strangers, and the landscape she crosses has changed radically. She has little sense of what she'll find at the end of the road. All she knows is that she must get there.

MY THOUGHTS: I loved this beautifully written novella. Rachel Joyce is back to writing what she does best.

I enjoyed this every bit as much as The Love Songs of Queenie Hennessy, and rather more than The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. BTW, you will need to read the preceding two books or this will make very little sense to you.

Maureen isn't the easiest person to like. There is no way she could be described as a 'people person'. She is rigid in both her beliefs and actions. What other people think matters very much. And yet, like her I did. I was mortified for her over her little 'accident'. I cringed along with her at Kate's living conditions. I wanted to grab her and make her sit down and properly take in Queenie's garden. But of course, I couldn't.

When Maureen sets out on her journey, she doesn't realise that she's going to find her true self, but ultimately that is what she does.

A wonderful read that had me in tears at times but left me smiling.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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I: @rachelcjoyce @randomhouse @transworldbooks

T: @randomhouse @transworldbooks

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THE AUTHOR: THE AUTHOR: Rachel Joyce has written over 20 original afternoon plays for BBC Radio 4, and major adaptations for both the Classic Series, Woman's Hour and also a TV drama adaptation for BBC 2. In 2007 she won the Tinniswood Award for best radio play. She moved to writing after a twenty-year career in theatre and television, performing leading roles for the RSC, the Royal National Theatre, The Royal Court, and Cheek by Jowl, winning a Time Out Best Actress award and the Sony Silver. She lives with her family in Gloucestershire.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Doubleday for providing a digital ARC of Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North by Rachel Joyce for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

What a beautiful book. Maureen Fry takes a journey to find a memorial to her dead son, she also finds her lost self. The last in the Harold Fry series and a delight to read.