Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North: From the bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Harold Fry, 3)

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Set during the pandemic, although that is not the prevalent theme, it is a time when solitude is perhaps even more the norm, it seems the perfect time for Maureen to face the loss that has framed these last years. And so she goes on a journey to say goodbye.

It was difficult to read in places, but I liked the growth Maureen experienced in the novel. Unlike her husband Harold who made friends along the way in his journey, Maureen finds it difficult to be kind to people and bristles at interactions with others. Maureen Fry has settled into the quiet life she now shares with her husband Harold after his iconic walk across England. Now, ten years later, an unexpected message from the North disturbs her equilibrium again, and this time it is Maureen’s turn to make her own journey. Ten years ago, Harold Fry set off on his epic journey on foot to save a friend. But the story doesn't end there. This is book 3 in the Harold Fry trilogy and while it helps to have read them all, it’s not essential. It’s been years since I read Harold so I could barely remember him and it didn’t matter. Maureen is very much a character in her own right and this story is hers and hers alone.Maureen Fry and the angel of the north by Rachel Joyce is the third book in the Harold Fry series and I can’t believe it is ten years from the first book. My favourite quote: 'It wasn't that he was losing his mind, rather that he was deliberately taking things out of it that he no longer needed.' This book was beautifully written, as are all the books in this series. I think it would be most helpful to read the other two books in the series before reading this one, as the context is important to the story. Joyce gives her characters insightful observations: “a person could be trapped in a version of themselves that was from another time, and completely miss the happiness that was staring them in the face” in this novella filled with humour and heartache, wit and wisdom. The illustrations by Andrew Davidson at the start of each chapter add charm. Short, beautifully written: a joy to read.

Rachel Joyce has a genius for creating the most damaged and difficult character and making us care deeply about their redemption. Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North is a powerful finale to her classic trilogy of heartbreak and healing. Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures She gets lost early because of roadworks and asks a man for help. He gets out his phone and asks about her satnav – she doesn’t use it. She’s learned to do online shopping because of the pandemic, but she’s not comfortable with it. Hers is a very different quest from Harold’s, and her private nature makes it hard for her to ask for or accept help. Having a car means she can retreat, be on her way, take her leave without needing anyone. Rachel's books have been translated into thirty-six languages. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book prize and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Rachel was awarded the Specsavers National Book Awards 'New Writer of the Year' in December 2012 and shortlisted for the 'UK Author of the Year' 2014.

Maureen is the third book of Rachel Joyce’s Harold Fry trilogy. As such, it completes the story begun 10 years ago with The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by allowing his wife, Maureen, to venture into the world herself in search of answers or closure on problems that have been crushing her for years. She will drive, not walk, but she will also make a northward journey, encountering strangers and having no clue how to deal with them. She is not Harold. Along the way, we learn of her love for Harold but also of her biggest disappointments and her distrust of much of everything else in her life.

An unforgettable story. It's beautiful all through, but the closing chapters are just astonishing, transcendent and hope-filled and life-affirming.' Donal Ryan Maureen was not an easy person. She knew this. She was not an easy person to like and she wasn’t good at making friends. She had once joined a book club but she objected to the things they read, and gave up. There was always someone between her and everyone else and that was her son. This year he would have turned fifty.”PDF / EPUB File Name: Maureen_Fry_and_the_Angel_of_the_North__Maureen_-_Rachel_Joyce.pdf, Maureen_Fry_and_the_Angel_of_the_North__Maureen_-_Rachel_Joyce.epub