My review -
This
is the other side of the coin – the parallel story to that of Harold Fry. I
think you could read either alone but the pair together explain things we might
have missed. Queenie is in the last weeks of her life in a hospice in the far north
of England. She sends him a letter to say she’s dying and Harold is walking to
see her. A new hospice volunteer suggests she write to him and tell all the
things weighing on her mind.
I
loved the charming Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and didn’t expect to enjoy
this quite as much. I think I actually enjoyed it more. Queenie reflects on her
life – one which many would consider unfulfilled, perhaps even wasted. Yet what
she has made of it is wonderful; her sea garden; her restored beach house home.
Queenie is a strong woman, but cancer is beating her. Some of the other hospice
patients are fantastic characters and you can’t help warning to them – I especially
loved Finty. I also enjoyed the enigmatic Sister Mary Inconnue, the volunteer
enabling the letter to Harold with Queenie’s explanations and confessions. I
pondered on the name when I saw it. At the end, I got it. This is an absolutely
charming, gripping and wonderful story and I read it in record time. Couldn’t
wait!
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