Some Fine Points

• Book: The Unlikely Pilgramage of Harold Fry
• Location: Devon, Northumberland
• Author: Rachel Joyce

Review Author: Anne Cater

I feel very much in the minority about The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry – the novel has been the subject of much discussion since it was published last year, and has won many awards.
There is no doubt that this is a fine debut novel, with some beautifully descriptive writing and a character who is well drawn. However, I found it difficult to enjoy on the whole. I found the character of Harold quite irritating, along with the various people he met along his journey. It is clear that the reader is supposed to learn something from the story, it’s very moralistic and at times I felt as though I were being preached at.
I’m not a huge fan of this sort of book at all, and have struggled in the past with novels that have a great ‘meaning’ and whilst I understand why, and appreciate that this is well written, it just annoyed me!

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