The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy

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Joyce nicely calls the book a companion rather than a sequel. But The Love Songis bolder than a retread of the same material from another angle. . . . After two such involving novels, readers are bound to wish for a third.” — The Telegraph I have never had this reading experience before, where The Unlikely Pilgrimage talked in Harold’s point of view as to why he is walking the length of England to save Queenie who is dying in Hospice Care. Joyce accomplishes the rare feat of endowing her continuing narrative with as much pathos and warmth, wisdom and poignancy as her debut. Harold was beloved by millions; Queenie will be, too. Booklist A few of the volunteers laughed, and I nodded as if they were right, they were right to laugh, because it was too much, you see, to show the consternation inside me. My body felt both weak and hot.

Joyce has a wonderfully evocative turn of phrase and like her other books this is a delightful read... . Queenie is an uplifting and moving companion to Harold." - Daily ExpressIt was a strong recommendation by a dear friend that had me attempt this emotional duology. I was quite taken with the first novel, though left that reading with many questions. Rachel Joyce appears to have read my mind as she penned this second one, filling in all the gaps while keeping the reader entertained throughout. Sister Catherine studied her yellow note. “He said to tell you that as long as he walks, you must wait. He also said he’s setting off from Kingsbridge.” She turned to the other nuns and volunteers. “Kingsbridge? Does anyone know where that is?” Told in simple, emotionally-honest prose, with a mischievous bite, this is a novel about the journey we all must take to learn who we are; it is about loving and letting go. And most of all it is about finding joy in unexpected places and at times we least expect. As much as I loved The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, I liked this one even more. Both of these books contain the stories of ordinary lives, made extraordinary because of the actions of the characters to connect with others. Harold's story was his walking 600 miles to see Queenie before she died; Queenie's story was about her wait for him in the hospice, to stay alive until he arrived. Along the way, we get both their histories. Life is different for me at the hospice. The colors, the smells, the way a day passes. But I close my eyes and I pretend that the heat of the radiator is the sun on my hands and the smell of lunch is salt in the air. I hear the patients cough, and it is only the wind in my garden by the sea. I can imagine all sorts of things, Harold, if I put my mind to it.

Good though The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is, this is better ....with an even more engaging central character, it will be a hard-hearted reader who can finish it without tears. John Harding, Daily Mail The audiobook narrator Celia Imrie does an exemplary job as the voice of Queenie. When I hear Queenie's voice it brings a smile to my face and a sadness to my heart as it immediately draws me in and sounds so authentic. Although there are multiple characters and voices, Queenie's voice is the one that dominates this story. The Love Song is about living and dying with dignity, friendship, love, about regrets and acceptance, and how people have the capacity to make people who don't know them fall in love with them. As one who has spent more time sitting than moving in recent months, this is so relate-able for me. Joyce has captured this so well. And the following moment of extreme restlessness, whether from physical or emotional discomfort--also is captured so well, so simply. The story at some point becomes about more than Harold's walk and more than Queenie's letter but about this group of patients and these lovely nuns especially Sister Mary Inconnu who types out Queenie's notes and gives her so much more . They drink to Harold with their nutritional drinks and then the reality of it - Barbara wishes for "one more Christmas ". A particularly moving scene was when Sister Mary Inconnu helps Queenie to feel and smell a peach and taste it when she didn't think she could swallow . Harold's journey on the road and Queenie's journey waiting for Harold becomes theirs as well . "That's it , then, " said Finty . "It's a unanermous vote. From now on , no one dies . We're all waiting for Harold Fry ."While I was reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, I often wondered about who Queenie Hennessy really was and why Harold Fry would make a trek walking hundreds of miles to see her before she dies . Rachel Joyce in this novel has answered all of the questions I had about Queenie and I now know that she was worth every mile that Harold walked and then some . In the hospices we talked a lot about dying. We talked, too, about my father and his own death. At the end of one meeting, the manager said to me, “You need to write this book.” I probably cried, because it had been an emotional day. But I cried also because he was right.

And, Queenie, something for you.” Sister Catherine crossed the room, holding out an envelope. “Don’t look so frightened.” Sister Catherine strode in with the morning delivery. “Post!” she sang. Full volume. “Look what I have here!” Queenie laments, “If only memory were a library with everything stored where it should be. If only you could walk to the desk and say to the assistant, I’d like to return the painful memories.” Do you feel the same way? Would you return painful memories if you could?The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy bu Rachel Joyce is a beautiful novel touching upon themes of love, sacrifice, friendship, loss, grief and hope. The author emphasizes how important kindness and forgiveness are in finding peace within oneself. I enjoyed this novel even more than I did the first book in the series. I loved how Queenie’s perspectives gave us a vivid picture of who Queenie is as a person but also added so much more depth to Harold's story as well. I loved the characters in the hospice and though there are some very sad moments in the story, I think the author does a wonderful job of depicting life in hospice and how individuals approach their final days with support from one another and their caregivers. With wisdom, humor and insight author Rachel Joyce takes us on an emotional journey with memorable characters that will keep you thinking long after you have finished the book. An amazingly intricate and ambitious first novel - ten years in the making - that puts an engrossing new spin on the traditional haunted-house tale. Joyce] manages to both add depth to an already strong work and build something new and beautiful upon it." - The A.V. Club She went as slowly as she could, but there were a few words only. “I am very sorry. Best wishes. Oh, but there’s a P.S. too,” said Sister Lucy. “He says, Wait for me.” She gave an optimistic shrug. “Well, that’s nice. Wait for him? I suppose he’s going to make a visit.”