The lovely steady pace of this novel leaves time for musing about its themes – forgiveness, redemption and the rekindling of old love.
When recent retiree Harold Fry receives a letter from a former co-worker telling him that she is thinking of him while in hospice with
…more terminal cancer, he immediately writes her a letter in reply. But on his way to the post box, Harold can't bear to mail his letter, feeling it is not adequate to tell her how much her friendship means to him. So, he just keeps on walking. He telephones the hospice and asks them to tell his friend, Queenie, that he is walking to see her and that she must not die before he gets there. Never mind that he has to cross the better part of England to get there. And what about his wife, Maureen? They have been emotionally separated for a long time, and at first she is confused about what he is doing, and then alarmed. She begins to realize how much she misses him, and with the help of their neighbor, a recent widower, she follows Harold's trek to the north of England on a map and worries about him. Harold persists and meets many people who aid him and cheer him on, and undergoes a few changes of his own. To say anymore might spoil the ending, but let it be understood that I loved this book. (less)
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