![]() She is dying in a hospice in the north of England. Harold receives a short note from an old work colleague, Queenie Hennessey, informing him that she has cancer and is beyond saving. ![]() This applies particularly to the protagonist, Harold Fry. But I found the characters engaging, their difficulties real and their decisions sometimes irrational, and therefore all the more believable. Handled poorly, the subject matter may have felt manipulative and forced, much like the words of the reviewers used to flog a copy in a book store. This may seem a little unfair given that I actually liked this book. Like magazine-show journalists who don’t trust their audience to engage in anything other than how their subject feels, the marketing arm of many publishers has its readers primed to reach, like a synaptic response, for the tissue box. I’m not sure whether these little snippets are meant to sell the book or suggest it is oversentimental and maudlin. This is one of those books that has quotes from gushing reviewers on the inside cover: charming, tender, profound emotions and polished to perfection. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |