One of the many inspirations behind our walk is the brilliant debut novel by Rachel Joyce, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.
The heartwarming and touching tale of Harold's unexpected walk the length of the country in an attempt to save his old friend and colleague, Queenie Hennessy, is a thought provoking and unexpectedly dramatic read.
I know I am late to the party - the book was published in 2012, but I was only introduced to it recently by Phil, who at first tried to explain the book to me over a beer, but eventually gave up and had a copy sent to me by post. If you haven't read it yet, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It's definitely not a hiking book, but will interest those who have that hobby, in reality it is a commentary on love, regret, loss and modern society as a whole.
Joyce has written two further books in the "Fry" world and I am looking forward to reading those as soon as I have finished the Thomas Becket biography I'm currently reading.
The book has been adapted into a movie, which is being released exclusively in cinemas on 28th April. It is Directed by Hettie Macdonald (Doctor Who fans will know her as the Director who scared us all with the Weeping Angels episode, "Blink") and stars Jim Broadbent as the indomitable Harold Fry and Penelope Wilton as his wife Maureen. With a cast of this quality, I have high hopes! However, do try to read the book before seeing the film if you can, as it is really a great piece of writing and builds beautifully to an ending that is, maybe not a huge surprise, but magnificently crafted.
Check out the movie trailer below:
Written by Matt Bees
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