Please excuse the hiatus on blog posts – I’ve just returned from sunny Goa, so am rather behind with my reviews!
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy is a sister tale to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which I read and loved earlier this year. It fills in the gaps left by TUPOHF – namely Queenie’s story that she narrates from the hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed, whilst waiting for the arrival of Harold Fry as he makes his way across the country. Like TUPOHF, this book is full of charm and incredibly moving. Queenie’s tale is both bewitching and poignant – she is not just a woman who wears a brown suit and has no life, but a woman who has loved and lost and stayed true to her love for many years.
Rachel Joyce writes with a love and care that will wrap around you like a nice hug. It’s not all sparkles and happiness, but a story with real light and shade. If you loved TUPOHF, then this is well worth reading. Personally I preferred it to Queenie’s story, but really felt that this book bought both characters full circle and gave some closure. A very clever idea, but also a brilliant and moving novel in it’s own right. I also feel that you could read the books in either order – they are like brother and sister, not parts one and two.
Cooking the Books 