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    The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy: A Novel
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    The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy: A Novel

    Written by Rachel Joyce

    Narrated by Celia Imrie

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    From the bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry comes an exquisite love story about Queenie Hennessy, the remarkable friend who inspired Harold's cross-country journey.

    A runaway international bestseller, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry followed its unassuming hero on an incredible journey as he traveled the length of England on foot-a journey spurred by a simple letter from his old friend Queenie Hennessy, writing from a hospice to say goodbye. Harold believed that as long as he kept walking, Queenie would live. What he didn't know was that his decision to walk had caused her both alarm and fear. How could she wait? What would she say? Forced to confront the past, Queenie realizes she must write again.

    In this poignant parallel story to Harold's saga, acclaimed author Rachel Joyce brings Queenie Hennessy's voice into sharp focus. Setting pen to paper, Queenie makes a journey of her own, a journey that is even bigger than Harold's; one word after another, she promises to confess long-buried truths-about her modest childhood, her studies at Oxford, the heartbreak that brought her to Kingsbridge and to loving Harold, her friendship with his son, the solace she has found in a garden by the sea. And, finally, the devastating secret she has kept from Harold for all these years.

    A wise, tender, layered novel that gathers tremendous emotional force, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy underscores the resilience of the human spirit, beautifully illuminating the small yet pivotal moments that can change a person's life.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 3, 2015
    ISBN9780553410112
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy

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    • 5/5
      [The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy] by Rachel Joyce⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐How do I describe this book - beautiful, poignant, sad, happy, entertaining, funny, thought provoking and a great reading experience. It is all these things and more. This book should be read and do read it alongside it's companion book, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. As the author says at the end it is not a prequel or a sequel but a companion. I am so glad I chose to read these two books, and am sad to have to say goodbye to the characters!
    • 5/5
      My love for first Harold and now Queenie is permanently ingrained in my soul. The Love Song of Queenie...is better (I believe) than the Journey of Harold but both are well written.
    • 4/5
      Delightful book with surprising emotional depth. A perfect companion to "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry." A real pleasure to read!
    • 3/5
      I didn't enjoy this as much as the Harold Fry book but it was a good companion to the first story. It was interesting to hear the other side of the friendship and to gain a better understanding of the development of the friendship as well as see into the lives of other characters too. Worth a read.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful companion book to Harold Fry. This one is from the point of view of Queenie, told in current day life in her 12 weeks in Hospice at the end of her life, with flashbacks to her time as a colleague of Harold's (and secretly in love with him), meeting his son David before his death, and then leaving her job at the Brewery and cobbling together a second life of isolation for herself at an old beach house and building a sea garden. Throughout the book, we glimpse the lives of the others in hospice with her, as they start to track and await the arrival of Harold, who is walking 600+ miles though England to see her. Surprising twist in the last chapters.
    • 5/5
      Can there be many more talented authors at work today than Rachel Joyce? This makes three out of three near perfect novels as far as I'm concerned. The quality of the writing, the keen insight she brings to every situation, and the way she describes natural landscape, are all amazing.I was worried, before reading this, that it might be boring. Given that I had read '...Harold Fry', the novel to which this is a companion, meant I knew the beginning and end of Queenie's story, and given that it was bookended in this way, could there be much more to it? Needless to say I shouldn't have worried. It would probably work on its own just about, but as a companion novel that adds additional light and shade to the original, it is quite perfect. You would have to be made of stone not to be moved by it.
    • 4/5
      I received a digital copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!I read 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' and enjoyed it very much. When I heard that the author, Rachel Joyce, had written a companion novel, 'The Love Story of Miss Queenie Hennessy,' I was looking forward to reading it also. I liked it as much as 'Harold' and recommend it with 4 Stars. I feel it's better to read "Harold' first as that will help to better understand 'Queenie.'This novel is written in the first person (Queenie) who knows that Harold is walking the length of England (over 600 miles) to visit her. She is dying of a neck tumor and can no longer talk so she writes a letter to Harold to explain some happenings in their lives. She is in hospice and the author has created some wonderful characters who are also hospice patients. They are all being cared for by a group of kind, loving, Catholic nuns.You will find yourself routing for all of them as they also wait for Harold to visit Queenie. This seems to give them hope that they won't die before Harold arrives. This is a sad, moving novel which covers the connections between Queenie and Harold. If it had not moved slowly at times, I would have given it 5 Stars.
    • 4/5
      Sad yet simultaneously uplifting and refreshing.
    • 1/5
      I was looking forward to reading this book, because I had enjoyed the prequel (the Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry). However, this book was just an absolute chore to read. The only positive moments were the interactions and reactions of the fellow members of the hospice that Queenie stayed at.
    • 3/5
      Read for book club.I found this a far less rich novel than the first one, focussed mainly on Queenie, a character I never really believed in. While she told us about her Oxford life, her being a muse, her boyfriends, her dancing, and her miscarriage, this personality never managed to override the (dull, reserved, inhibited) picture I had of her from the story from Harold's perspective.The scenes at the hospice featuring the other patients were played for laughs more than I was comfortable with, although I did enjoy the geographically challenged Sister Lucy. I was not interested in the descriptions of Queenie's sea garden. The story only came alive for me in the scenes featuring David and Maureen.SPOILERSThe ending bothers me more the more I think about it; it throws everything into doubt. I hope Harold and Maureen never learn about David's last evening - assuming it actually happened as Queenie may or may not have described...
    • 5/5
      If you liked The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry then this is a must read. I enjoyed Harold Fry but felt it a bit dismal. This book is the perspective from Queenie Hennessy and it made the first book so much better. I believe I enjoyed Queenie's story much more than Harold's but both are entertaining. Death is not an easy topic but this gives the reader a bit of a different look at it.
    • 4/5
      For awhile I thought this story was little more than the end of life reckoning of Queenie. She had this odd relationship to Harold Fry and it obviously had a huge impact on her. But in the end there were all kinds of interesting things twined up in that framework. Death is a hard thing to grapple with in general, but it is a prominent theme in this novel and there is a dignity in it.
    • 5/5
      I think this is a really excellent book. OK, just as in "The Unlikely Pilgrimage.." you have to gloss over a few little practical issues to make it entirely believable, but I for one was happy to do that because the characters were so intrinsically true. I identified very much with Queenie's behaviours and feelings.Maybe it's a little too romantic, but it makes a good break between more serious novels. Joyce explores guilt, despair, death and dying in a way that I haven't read elsewhere, from a number of different perspectives. I suppose the hospice residents were all a little too normal for my expectation, but maybe some hospices are more like that. I had already read (and enjoyed) the precursor novel, so I'm not sure how well this book stands on its own. A friend of mine has just read "Perfect" and didn't like it so much, but I will definitely put that one (and indeed and Joyce novel) on my To Read list.
    • 3/5
      Beautifully narrated, although somewhat soppy.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book just as much as it's companion, 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry'. Rachel Joyce takes such care with her characters, you can't help but fall in love with them. This is a lovely, bittersweet love note to life. Loved it. Very highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      Once again, Rachel Joyce made me cry. And laugh. This is an excellent companion to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. It is the other side of the story.

      Do not read this first. Order matters.
    • 5/5
      Queenie Hennessy writes from her hospice bed to the man she has loved remotely for years. Her poignant story unfolds in the letters and the peace she found in the garden she created from lost things on the shore line in northern England. Queenie’s story is sad, hopeful, and funny - a companion novel to the Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry which I’ve yet to read.
    • 4/5
      It explained things left unsaid in the pilgrimage, but I'm not sure I liked the ending. I guess it's for the best.
    • 4/5
      A lovely book and an excellent companion to the first book, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I think I liked this book a little more than Harold's story, though that's probably mostly because one of the characters in Harold's story aggravated me a great deal.
    • 3/5
      Very slow moving recounting of a the feelings of a woman whose "I-I-I" self absorption contributed to the suicide of her friend's son.Story includes many worthy descriptions of sea gardens and memorable dialogue from secondary character nuns, Finty, and Mr. Henderson.These folks carry the plot of Harold Fry's arrival along as readers wait for redemption.
    • 3/5
      I think, perhaps, this was a little better than its companion novel. However, the bits in the past got a bit repetitive because you knew what happened all along and also because someone repeatedly describing how in love they are with someone else gets a little wearing after a while. The bits in the present were better. Passed the time well enough.
    • 5/5
      Audiobook performed by Celia ImrieFrom the book jacket: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry followed its unassuming hero as he traveled the length of England – a journey spurred by a simple letter from his old friend Queenie Hennessy, writing from a hospice to say goodbye. Harold believed that as long as he kept walking Queenie would live. What he didn’t know was that his decision to walk had caused her both alarm and fear. How could she wait? What would she say? Forced to confront the past, Queenie realizes she must write again.My reactionsOh, I love Queenie! She admits that her first instinct when faced with a difficult situation has always been to flee – from home, from university, from Harold Fry. Now, at the end of her life she faces the secrets she has been hiding, and hiding from, with courage and grace, and pours out her heart in a long letter to her one love, Harold Fry. This is a love that was never declared, and certainly unrequited, but a love that will ultimately help Queenie achieve peace. Joyce also gives us more about David’s struggles. I have to say I really disliked this young man. Yes, I understand his great unhappiness and depression, but I wanted to just slap him for his cruelty and lashing-out. His story is incredibly sad, but I can’t find it in my heart to sympathize with him. But the book is not an unrelenting exercise in self-examination and regret. Queenie is at a hospice center, and there are other patients as well as the nuns who care for everyone. Joyce gives us glimmers of these patients’ personalities, of their hopes, dreams, fears. Some lend a bit of humor to what might otherwise be a very bleak story, and for that I’m thankful. And as word spreads of Harold’s journey to visit his dying friend, hope surges in their hearts and everyone adopts his request to Queenie … they will ALL wait for Harold. They will all wait for one more chance to express love and forgiveness. Celia Imrie does a fine job of performing the audiobook. She has good pacing and skill as a voice artist. I did have the text handy, however, and I think I might have enjoyed the book even more if I read it rather than listened. Changes in typeface, use of quotations (or not), etc make it more clear when someone is speaking vs just thinking. And the text also has a lovely illustration of Queenie’s Sea Garden; I’ve looked at it several times now, imagining walking through, feeling the breeze, smelling the sea air, listening to birds and enjoying the peace.
    • 4/5
      This is a companion novel to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. The narrator is the woman whose note inspires Harold to walk 627 miles to visit his former colleague as she spends her last day in a hospice. As she waits for Harold to arrive, she writes him a letter detailing her life and confessing two secrets. It may be Harold who makes the long journey across Britain, but Queenie too makes a journey: “People think you have to walk to go on a journey. But you don’t, you see. You can lie in bed and make a journey too.”The novel succeeds in being both comic and poignant. Queenie’s fellow patients in the hospice are a quirky crew; the exchanges between them are often hilarious. One of the patients tells a volunteer, “One of the pluses of chemotherapy . . . is that all her facial and body hair has gone. It’s like a permanent Brazilian for free.” A young naïve nun (who gives haircuts to the patients) doesn’t understand the term so she is told that a Brazilian is “a sort of haircut . . . Quite short.” Later Sister Lucy offers a patient a short haircut: “’If you like, you can have a Brazilian.’”The poignancy arises because the end is inevitable for these patients. There are repeated references to the undertaker’s van coming up the drive: “He was not there this afternoon. The undertaker’s van - Well, you know the rest.”As Queenie reminisces, she makes observations about life: “it is harder to argue with another person . . . than it is to argue with the darker recesses of oneself” and “sometimes you cannot clear the past completely. You must live alongside your sorrow.” What she emphasizes over and over again is the importance of stopping and finding happiness in small pleasures. In the past, she realizes that she was blind: “it was such a small, plain thing that I mistook it for something ordinary and failed to see.” As she nears death, she understands that “You don’t get to a place by constantly moving, even if your journey is one of sitting still and waiting. Every once in a while you have to stop in your tracks and admire the view, a small cloud and a tree outside your window. You have to see what you did not see before. And then you have to sleep.” Queenie’s philosophical musings are not original, but they bear repetition. I loved the allusions to The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock: “we would grow old. You would wear the bottoms of your trousers rolled” and “I have measured out my life in ladies’ shoes.” Queenie even dares to eat a peach. Those who are familiar with T. S. Eliot’s poem will find additional layers of meaning in the book.The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was a delightful read; this companion piece is likewise charming. At one point, Queenie says, “people are rarely the straightforward thing we think they are,” and her story shows that there is more to Queenie than Harold has realized. Those who enjoyed the first book should definitely read this one.Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.
    • 5/5
      Book Description:A runaway international bestseller, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry followed its unassuming hero on an incredible journey as he traveled the length of England on foot—a journey spurred by a simple letter from his old friend Queenie Hennessy, writing from a hospice to say goodbye. Harold believed that as long as he kept walking, Queenie would live. What he didn’t know was that his decision to walk had caused her both alarm and fear. How could she wait? What would she say? Forced to confront the past, Queenie realizes she must write again.In this poignant parallel story to Harold’s saga, acclaimed author Rachel Joyce brings Queenie Hennessy’s voice into sharp focus. Setting pen to paper, Queenie makes a journey of her own, a journey that is even bigger than Harold’s; one word after another, she promises to confess long-buried truths—about her modest childhood, her studies at Oxford, the heartbreak that brought her to Kingsbridge and to loving Harold, her friendship with his son, the solace she has found in a garden by the sea. And, finally, the devastating secret she has kept from Harold for all these years.A wise, tender, layered novel that gathers tremendous emotional force, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy underscores the resilience of the human spirit, beautifully illuminating the small yet pivotal moments that can change a person’s life.My Review:Queenie's story is told by flashing back and forth between past and present. It's a great companion book to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry book. I suggest reading the Harold Fry book first though as Queenie's story will then make more sense. I found Queenie's love song to be very moving, tender and humorous in parts. It's about finding joy in sad circumstances and living life to the fullest. It's beautifully written and will be sure to touch your soul. I would highly recommend this book to those who loved reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.
    • 5/5
      One of the best books I have read in a long time. The book touched me on various levels. I had great empathy for Qeeunie and the dignity with which she lived should be respected. As much as I loved Harold Fry, I liked this one even better. The charachters in the hospice and specifically Finty made me laugh. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time.
    • 5/5
      The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce is a very highly recommended novel in which a woman in hospice is examining her life. This is very much a companion novel to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Queenie's reflections will likely be appreciated more by those who have read about Harold's journey first. Queenie Hennessy, the woman who was the destination of Harold Fry's 600 mile pilgrimage, has entered St. Bernadine's Hospice in northeast England. She is near the end. Cancer has destroyed her throat and jaw. When Harold sets out on his journey, writing and telling Queenie to wait for him to arrive, it gives her and the other residents something to anticipate before their deaths. This is Queenie's story.

      Sister Mary Inconnue suggests that Queenie write a final letter to Harold, one in which she reveals all her thoughts and secrets to Harold. Confession is good for the soul, she is told, so she sets out to write her story. She can confess her love for him, tell him the things she held back from him and never discussed or confessed. She can tell him about where she ended up after she left, about her beach house and the garden by the sea. As Queenie writes the things she needs to say to Harold, we learn more about her, past and present. The past is filled with regrets and some pleasures. The present is with an assortment of odd, endearing companions at the hospice. They all know why they are there, which makes their time together now more poignant. Queenie knows the end is very near.

      As I now expect from Rachel Joyce, the writing is exceptional. The story is wonderfully wrought and irresistible, the presentation and pacing is impeccable. Queenie's story alone is compelling, but underneath the surface, there is a literary depth to the narrative that takes it above and beyond a simple recalling of events in a life. There is a twist at the end which surprised me and provided a perfect conclusion.

      While I loved this novel, it is very much based on loving The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. The only drawback to The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy is that it very much depends upon you knowing Harold Fry's story first, which will give Queenie's story a context and background. But, if you enjoyed The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry as much as I did, you will want to read The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy.

      And don't skip Joyce's novel Perfect. Rachel Joyce is now moving to the upper echelon of the list of authors I will automatically buy anything they write.

      Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Random House for review purposes.
    • 5/5
      Rachel Joyce has another home run! I loved The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. When I finished that book I wanted to know more about Queenie and Harold Fry; I was thrilled when I approved for an advance copy of Love Song. I want to thank Random House and Netgalley.

      Much like Queenie and Harold, I let the grass grow too long between visits. After reading Love Song, I let life get in the way and didn't write my review promptly. I remembered that I loved the book and decided to scan it quickly before attempting to put my thoughts down on paper. And before I knew it, I had reread the book without putting it down.

      Both books begin with the letter from Queenie to Harold. It has been 20 years since Queenie left town and disappeared out of Harold's life. She tells him that she has terminal cancer and writes, " Thank you for the friendship you showed me all those years ago."

      Harold quickly dashes off a short reply, " I am very sorry. Best wishes. P.S. Wait for me." Harold sets off to post the letter and keeps walking past post box after post box. Walking the 623 miles to see Queenie.

      As much as I loved Harold's book, I think seeing their story through Queenie's eyes was a deeper and richer experience. Describing Queenie's hospice life and her interactions with the staff and fellow residents is heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time.

      If I go into detail about the book I will spoil it for the reader! I guess that is why I procrastinated so long to write a review! The story touched my heart strings and I find it difficult to share the experience. Please do the author the honor of reading both of these books. I highly recommend it.
    • 4/5
      In the Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry an unassuming pensioner living in Devon gets a letter from an old co-working informing him that she's dying of caner and takes off walking the length of England to see her. In this book we get Queenie Hennessy's story as she wait a her hospice for Harold to arrive. Were there ever such diffident characters as Harold and Queenie. Both seem almost caricatures of British repressive personalities, but both are so good and so kind, that the reader cannot help but cheer them on and wish that they had met when they were young and not set in their ways with other obligations that precluded their relationship from coming to fruition.In this book we see Queenie, alone and isolated, at the hospice clearly waiting for the end to come. When Harold's postcard arrives telling her he is on his way and to "wait for him." it starts Queenie thinking of how they met and their relationship during the course of the years they both worked for a Devon brewery.For Queenie, it is practically love at first sight. For Harold, living in a loveless marriage and with a difficult son, it probably takes longer. But over the years as he drives her from one appointment auditing local pubs to another, it's clear that the feeling becomes mutual. There is, how who insinuates himself onto Queenie ever, a worm in their relationship in the form of Harold's son David caging (and then just outright stealing) money and playing manipulative psychological games. This is the weakest part of the book. Queenie, a Cambridge graduate, should have been smart enough to know what he was about, but the author portrays her as an emotional cripple unable (or unwilling) to get rid of this little creep. And when he comes to a tragic end, blames herself. It is this guilt that has been clouding her life for twenty years.THe hospice is full of colorful characters the best of which is a woman called Flinty who punctuates almost every sentence she utters with the word f*ck. Once Harold's postcards start arriving with regularity, the patients in the hospice find they have something to look forward to - the arrival of HArold Fry - and it gives them a new reason to live - at least for a little while longer.Full of insights into both living and dying, the power of love and redemption and not a few snide comments on the culture of celebrity and well-meaning people who probably do more harm than good, this book is a worth succesor to the first volume.
    • 4/5
      What was Queenie Hennessy doing while Harold Fry walked across England to see her in hospice? Who was she, and what was the nature of their relationship? Joyce answers these questions in a profoundly satisfying way in this novel. This book is a companion to 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry,' and in many ways it was more moving and memorable. Read them back to back if you haven't yet encountered Harold Fry.
    • 3/5
      The premise of someone pining for a married man for 20 years seemed pathetic to me but, somehow, the author kept me engaged enough to keep reading to the end. More astonishing, the story takes place entirely in a hospice. I mean, death is everywhere. Not for the faint of heart. I listened to this book and, to me, that made all the difference. I believe it would have been somewhat tedious (and depressing) to read it but Celia Imrie makes the hospice residents and workers come alive with her accents (how does she do it?).