Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reading copy. This book was such a nice way to finish the Harold Fry story. Touching and heartfelt as we learn more about Harold’s wife Maureen and who she is and what makes her tick. It was so moving and emotional as you read about the past she has to face as well as the reality of her life now and how she tries to reconcile the two

Even if you haven't read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry or The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, you can read this third book in the series as a standalone, and it is sure to resonate with you.

Maureen is Harold Fry's wife, and although she and Harold have had a steadfast, loving relationship, especially since Harold's 3-month walk to meet up with his friend Queenie before her death, she still feels that she is a failure at life. When she hears that Queenie created a monument to Maureen and Harold's late son, David, Harold encourages her to go see it for herself. It's been 30 years since David's suicide, and Maureen still torments herself about how she could possibly have prevented it.

Maureen's road trip has many bumps in the road, but it slowly becomes something more than she could have ever foreseen, or hoped for. Although the story is quite downbeat for most of this short (less than 200 pages) novel, it is a beautiful in-depth study of a woman who struggles to make sense of humankind and keeps almost everyone but her husband at arm's length, until she has a series of eye-opening experiences. I appreciated the author's insights about grief and forgiveness and was particularly fascinated by her description of Queenie's Garden, which is nothing like what I expected but somehow just right.

Don't miss the interview with Rachel Joyce at the end of the book, as well as her "email correspondence" with Maureen Fry. I highly recommend the author's other novels as well, especially my favorite, The Music Shop.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and write an honest review of this book.

This was difficult for me to read because even though the explanation said it could be a stand alone, I was lost quite often trying to figure out things that must have happened in the previous books which I haven’t read. What grabbed me was Maureen’s grief over losing her only son which I can relate to. Spot on.

I loved The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and expected that I would feel the same way about this book but I did not enjoy it at all. It lacks everything that made Harold wonderful.

Short and sweet, but also heartfelt and powerful. I enjoyed this little nugget of a book that is part of the Harold Fry “series.” Rachel Joyce did an excellent job of bringing Maureen, Harold’s wife’s, character to life, and I also enjoyed the interview the author did with Maureen at the end of the book…entertaining for sure!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was invited to read Maureen and I am so glad I did not ignore that email! Maureen is lovely... but I don't mean beautiful, or pleasant, or not set in her ways... she is at times not pleasant, very set in her ways, but I think she has a gloriously beautiful soul.

The writing is so incredible. I laughed, I got angry, and I absolutely cried with Maureen and by the end of this beautiful story, I was head over heels in love with Maureen.

It is a fast paced story... but I purposely slowed myself down to savor the reading. But this is easily a book you could read in one short sitting!

I highly recommend and I want to thank Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Random House, and Dial Press Trade Paperback for this copy.

Rachel Joyce is one of my favourite authors and I was so happy to see another novel, unexpectedly as a sequel to "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" and “The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy”. I'm not sure I would call this a novella but it's length seemed just right.

The character of Maureen plays a minor role in the first two novels in the series so we're not really sure how she's dealing with the fact that her husband walked 627 miles to see a former lady friend who is dying. She's doesn't appear to be a very likeable person and this continues on in the third segment of the series. But as we read through her story, we begin to understand her past and how it molded her to who she is now.

I felt that this was less a book about Harold and Maureen and more of a story about acceptance, reconciliation and caring. It touches you deeply and I feel this is a lovely ending to the trilogy.

A delight to continue and catch up on the Harold Fry saga, this time focused on wife Maureen and her journey toward reconciling her feelings about her son, her husband, and Queenie. My favorite among what is now a trilogy remains The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, but I like the author‘s ability to fill in the blanks, so to speak.

Hmmmm, not really my cup of tea. Maureen makes a trip to visit a “garden” in the yard of a woman her husband knew from his work. It was a trip in her car. Maureen wasn’t a real stable person and this journey reflected this. I feel like I don’t know Maureen any more after reading the book than before I opened the first page. I need to say I have not read any of the other books in this series and am not sure that I will. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

What a lovely book - I have not read the first two books of this trilogy - but this one stood alone for me. Maureen - mother of David - a young man who took his life over 20 years prior - wife of Harold - who undertook a walk across England to visit his dying friend Queenie. All this is in the past - now Maureen has decided she wishes to visit the a memorial to her son - a garden - across England - and also see a friend of her husband’s from his walk Kate - who lives nearby this garden. Maureen has not processed her guilt - still sorely missed her son and feels guilt and remorse about his death- that somehow she did not do enough. This is the story of Maureen’s journey both physically and emotionally as she travels to the memorial and comes face to face with her grief - her limitations- and her refusal to ask for help until she absolutely must. As hard headed as she is - she is also incredibly human. Her story is very moving - in this short novel. She learns that no man is an island. Beautifully written - insightful - sad - redemptive. I was drawn into her character and humanity and ultimate redemption through pain. No spoilers - a lovely small volume that will keep you involved and deeply touched. Disclaimer: free copy given by publisher and Net Galley. #Maureen #netgalley

Maureen, by Rachel Joyce, is a touching book about a determined older woman who is searching for meaning and connections in her somewhat lonely life. She determines to drive for many miles--and becomes lost-- on a pilgrimage to ruminate on life, loss, and love. She is challenged by creating bonds with people she both already knows and those she doesn't know but wants to. But there is something endearing and lovely about Maureen at the same time she is fully vulnerable. She thinks often about her son David, who committed suicide many years before, and she is a diffident but a loving person. As the reader gets to know Maureen and becomes closer to her, the book is almost impossible to put down. When I finished the book, I felt as if I had made a new, determined friend with a big heart and renewed self-understanding.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the opportunity to read this powerful book.

Thank you to NetGalley where I received Maureen for free and downloaded it to my Kindle. This is the third book in a trilogy by Rachel Joyce, that includes the Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fryland and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy. You can read the book without having read the previous two books.
The book is a quick read that brings you along with Maureen and her journey, both literal and emotional as she comes to grips with the loss of her son.. Parts of the book are pretty emotional but there are moments of laugh out loud funny.
I really enjoy Rachel Joyce's writing and one of my all time favorite books is Miss Benson's Beetle.

’We have a closet door that is always sticking. It’s the kind of closet where we shove in things that we don’t want to deal with, but can’t yet throw out. And part of the deal with the stickiness of this door is that you know its difficulty will make it even easier to keep closed and ignore what’s behind. To me, writing is about opening those kinds of sticky doors. The kind of doors your characters will do everything they can to convince you are not there.’ - Rachel Joyce

This story continues the story of Harold Fry, with the main character in this his wife Maureen. It is through Maureen we learn more of her story, but also more of their story. Their loss, the grief that follows, as well as a realization that, perhaps it is time that she faces her grief, and so Maureen is the one who takes a journey - although not on foot as Harold had done.

It’s been ten years of her trying to avoid facing this grief for what it is, all those years she’s been trying to hold it all inside, trying to reconcile how this came to be, and hoping that with changes to their surroundings she would find some peace. She changes everything in the bedroom, thinking that maybe new paint and storing the things that used to be in that room would take the pain away, only to realize that it is empty of the things that tied her to him. Her son, their son.

At its heart, this is a story of grief and loss, the impact it has on us and those who are in our lives. The way it changes our view of life, especially the life we’ve been living, and the need to say goodbye to those we’ve lost in order to honor them, as well as ourselves. This is the last story in this trilogy, and the time set is during the pandemic, although it isn’t the focus of the story.

If you’ve read ’The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry you will appreciate the growth in their relationship, and their own personal growth, as well. Maureen is not typically open to conversations with strangers, she barely is comfortable with those she knows and there aren’t that many of those. She has had heartbreaking loss and it has taken its toll on her, and those around her. She has been unable, afraid to truly face that loss. And so she decides it is her turn to take a journey, a journey that ends up being fraught with frustrations, fear and pain, but also a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to say goodbye.

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.

This was a poignant, lovely read, filled with compassion, a story of both growth and healing with a perfect ending.

I’ve read all of Rachel Joyce’s books, or at least the ones I can find, and loved them all, but this is one that will stay in my heart for a long time.


Pub Date: 07 Feb 2023


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback

Remember Harold Fry? This book is about Maureen, his wife. After Harold's walk about, he and Maureen were able to rekindle their love and save their marriage. For Maureen though, there has always been something not quite right, something unresolved in her life, a sadness that she has never been able to relinquish. Harold convinces Maureen that she needs to make the journey that he made. The question is though, how can two different people have the same journey? I enjoyed this book and finished it, wishing that it would have been longer. I was honored to receive a copy of the e-ARC from NetGalley and the Dial Press. The opinion expressed is my own.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
I have read the two previous books and while they can each stand alone, I do think this one makes a little more sense if you've read the others.
The author's note alone slayed me and pulled me in: "I thought how grief and loss can become our identity, one that can keep us out on our own, not with the dead but not with the living either. I thought about how hard it is to move on without feeling like you have betrayed the person you have lost." This is someone who understands grief and that can feel rare in the everyday world that has kept marching on even after our loved one is gone. A story about grief and forgiveness.

The writing in this novella is interesting and compelling. I enjoyed the tone, perspective and how the story unfolds. However, I wasn’t able to sympathize or relate to the main character. Really none of the characters strike me as interesting yet the introspection and the handling of grief and love were worth the read. I did read the unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry but not Queenie. This probably is not a stand alone story. The interview with the author at the end adds a nice dimension. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This is actually Part 3 in the trilogy of Harold Fry’s journey. I thoroughly enjoyed Part 1, Harold’s walk of 600 miles to visit Queenie, a dying woman that he once worked with. Along the way, Harold’s encounters with others touches him, moves him and provides a background that is rich in characters. Much as the strangers he meets who open up to Harold, Harold opens up to us. Part 2 of the trilogy is Queenie’s story, told mostly of her time in hospice. It is billed as a stand-alone book, and I decided not to read it, leaving Harold’s oh so pleasant story in my mind.

Harold’s original walk was unplanned. He left the house to mail a letter, with just the clothes on his back and yachting shoes on his feet. His relationship with Maureen is frosty at best. When Harold calls Maureen to tell her his grand plan, of course she is bewildered and infuriated. As with Harold, solitude provides her time to begin soul-searching, and she comes to the realization that she misses Harold and does love him. By the end of the book, the two have found their way back to each other.

Part 3 is Maureen’s story. She is taking her own pilgrimage, by car, to see the garden Queenie left behind. It has a dedication to David, Harold and Maureen’s son who died 30 years ago. At the beginning, there is a scene akin to Abbott and Costello’s Who’s on First. Maureen is in a restaurant, and seats herself. The waitress tells her she needs to go to the counter to order, and Maureen argues that the waitress could just as easily take her order there as at the counter. But it’s the rule. She moves to the counter. And waits behind a family of 5 ordering specialty drinks. She asks for a menu, there’s no menu except for a verbal recitation. When Maureen orders, she is told the item is no longer on the menu. So why did you mention it? Shrug. She orders just an egg and toast. With a full English breakfast on the side? Um, no just an egg. How do you want the egg? Poached. We only serve fried. Then why did you ask? Shrug, and she is asked again does she want the full English on the side? Yes, we can see why she gets a little testy and I was starting to warm up to her.

Unfortunately, Maureen’s behavior in the remainder of the book isn’t quite as engaging. She admits she is in pain due to David’s death, and reminders that she will never be a grandmother fill her with rage, like a “dark messy injection of poison.” Harold was non-judgemental, seeking a connection to others and nature, and was truly amazed by the world he lives in. Maureen, not so much. She isn’t a very warm person and in fact, she’s downright unlikable. She has no time for the simplest of pleasantries in life, and would be perfectly happy to wear a mask for the rest of her life (post-pandemic). She is contemptuous of others, haughty and insulting. While she does undergo a change at the end of the book, it was a bit late and I’m not sure it was real. She remembers something her son told her when he was a child: he wanted to be the world’s guest. She comes to the conclusion that she is a guest of the world. But what does that mean? It implies to me that she is honored, respected and loved, but will she carry that feeling through to her treatment of others? For the most part, guests display their best behavior, and I’m not sure she can do that.

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Another gem of a story by Rachel Joyce. I never parted with The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry or The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, so I was excited at the invitation for an advance reader electronic copy of Maureen. This read through beautifully, reminding me of what had been in the two earlier books enough so that I didn’t need to reread them before reading this one. Maureen was so well crafted, I suspect I will buy a paper copy so that the “triptych” sits together on my shelf. I encourage all who have read Joyce’s first two to go along with this new one. It is a short, quick read, and I think a reread of the first two is calling out to me.
Maureen was a challenge to warm up to, and the journey she embarks on does not work any quick and easy miracles on her personality. I appreciated getting closer to her as she allowed it.

Wonderful! Excellent portrayal of an older woman looking for herself for the first time. Maureen pulled me right in and made me care about her. Rachel Joyce is right up there with Elizabeth Strout and Elizabeth Berg.

I was delighted to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of Maureen as I loved the previous books in the trilogy. As I was beginning the book, I quickly listened to the audiobook of The Unlikely Pilgrimage to refresh my memory, and since I enjoyed it so much the 2nd time, I'm now listening to Queenie's book, even though I've finished Maureen. I loved reading Maureen; it's such a lovely, beautifully written book. In this short book, I felt like I gained insight into what made Maureen tick. It made her much more relatable. I would encourage readers not to miss the author's interview and email correspondence with Maureen Fry at the end; they enhanced the book.
As a big fan of the earlier books, I appreciated getting to know what happened in the lives of the characters. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I highly recommend this delightful book.