BOOK CLUB BEAT
with Sherry Hemingway
O
‘The Unlikely Pilgrimage
of Harold Fry’
Author Rachel Joyce
ne day retiree Harold Fry leaves
his house in southern England,
with a “cheerio” to his wife, and
the intention of mailing a letter. But he,
like Forrest Gump, just keeps going.
This charming book is about an odys-
sey that restores the life of a repressed
man living a tedious existence. It has been
a worldwide bestseller since it was writ-
ten in 2012. British author Rachel Joyce
has won numerous book awards including
being longlisted on the prestigious Man
Booker Prize. The book currently rates 4.3
out of 5 stars on Amazon with 3,600 cus-
tomer reviews.
The story begins one morning when
Harold’s only chore is to mow the lawn
—and he had done that the day before. A
life-changing letter arrives from a former
colleague whom he has not heard from in
20 years. Her news is that she has cancer
and is writing to say goodbye. Harold,
shaken, writes a limp two-sentence
response and leaves the house telling his
wife, “I’ll nip to the postbox.”
Thus begins the odyssey of Harold Fry.
Within five miles, Harold knows what he
has to do. He has to walk 500 miles to
visit Queenie Hennessey in St. Bernadine’s
Hospice in northern England. He genu-
inely believes he can save her by walking
to her.
It is no matter to Harold that he left
home wearing his yachting shoes, and
without a map or his cell phone. He
pushes on.
This book starts ploddingly slow, just
like Harold, and picks up speed as color
returns to Harold’s life. Each encounter is
a gem, altering him in some way. Among
his many teachers are hotel guests, a bar-
man, other hikers, cycling mothers and
a dog. All these lessons begin to heal the
pain and heartbreak of a past that unfolds
as he walks.
This is a warm, witty book about the
power of positive intentions, and it will
sweep you into the world of Harold and
all the people who come near him.
The serendipity of this book is that
the author has written a companion
book, “The Love Song of Miss Queenie
Hennessey,” which tells the other side of
the story. Harold Fry can be read alone,
but a number of book clubs are finding
enjoyment in reading both. I strongly
advise you to read the books in order,
with ‘Harold’ first and ‘Queenie’ following.
They make for a doubly good read.
AAUW-Morgan Hill Book Club:
Four dozen women, nearly four decades
The AAUW-Morgan Hill book club attracts so many readers that it offers two
book discussions each month. Everyone chooses which books to read based on
their interests and their availability for each book discussion. Overall, the AAUW
(American Association of University Women) is a national service and advocacy
organization promoting equity and education for women and girls. The local book
group was founded in the 1980’s and now has approximately 35 active members,
with another 16 members who drop-in occasionally or just follow the reading picks.
Favorite Authors
Canadian poet and novelist Margaret Atwood
The Handmaid’s Tale, Blind Assassin, Alias Grace, Cat’s Eye, Oryx and Crake, Robber Bride.
Australian American journalist and novelist Geraldine Brooks
People of the Book, Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague,
Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women, March.
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin
No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt,
William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius
of Abraham Lincoln.
AAUW-Morgan Hill Book Club (descending, from top of stairs): Jean Pinard, Pat Toombs, Betsy Ding, Sandy Stoob, Lesley Miles, Elizabeth
Mandel, Maggie Leininger, Janet McElroy, Jill Paveza,
Karen McDonald; (Bottom, l. to r.): Margaret McCann, Linda Tarvin, Joanne Rife, Carol
Holzgrafe, Cinda Meister, Jenny Redfern, Mary Cox, Carrie Lim, Donna Dicker, Susan Rife, Jan Guglielmo, Peggy Martin, Carol O’Hare, Julie
Buchanan-Plaisance, Tammy Parker. Missing: Joanne Rooney, Coleen Colwell, Nancy Fraser, Anne Rosenzweig, Jane Devine, Kathy Goelkel,
John Jenkins, Joy Safakish, Katie Scanlon, Maria Schalk, Kathleen Sullivan and Nancy Altman-Palm.
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
MARCH/APRIL 2017
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