I'm sending this out as my favourite read of 2014. I loved the warmth of this novel, the minor characters and the English countryside. I read this with my book group and we loved it, my original copy is now being passed around my mum's friends.
I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did

I got this book as part of the roundabout and although I've already read it some time ago, I appreciate the pick.

I quite liked the beginning of the story, but thought the conclusion was a bit off. The whole business with the media and the followers somehow didn't help the story. The idea and the writing were very appealing. I also liked the revelations about the Fry family, however dark they might have been at times. The ending however left me unsatisfied. Curious to hear other participants' opinions.

sent onwards

Arrived today! And I'm afraid I've already read this one too. But it's a good choice for the roundabout though, I enjoyed the book quite a lot. Like Andrasthe, I had some misgivings about the end, but on the whole a nice story.

On its way to marsala.

Sorry, I already read this book aswell!

I'm afraid it didn't really make a lasting impression on me. I remember I enjoyed it, but not much else.

Great choice for the roundabout, I already had read it though and loved it, my daughter too.
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/11404865

On its way to the next.

I could have picked this one for the ring but I was sure, someone else would do...
Great book, though and I hope it will reach all those who haven't read it yet!

The book is with me now. It's a book I've been wanting to read for a while! Really looking forward to it.

I really enjoyed the book. There were several thought provoking spots. Good story about life.

The book is already packaged up and ready to go. I'll put it in the mailbox tomorrow morning.

Arrived today and, of course, not alone. Plus on the day I started a new book which creates an immediate backlog. On the plus side, my friend read this book recently and loved it. She started a bookray which I felt I couldn't take up because I had too many roundabouts etc on the go already. It's all worked out OK though.

This is a beautiful and simple story, yet at the same time it's is packed with emotion, self-doubt and heartache that's sure to hit a nerve with everyone. Harold is a very ordinary and unassuming man and not in any sense a hero. During his long walk, everything about Harold and Maureen and their son David is slowly revealed, plus everything about the long held grievances and misunderstandings that have culminated in their isolation and loneliness. Sometimes these memories are extremely painful and I found myself incredibly moved. Though Harold's eventual reunion with Queenie is what was expected, the novel about the journey not the destination. The end of the novel is incredibly touching, and you must have a heart of stone if you are not moved by the revelations near the end.

This has been on a little detour but it's back on track now.

ETA - didn't have the funds to post straight away - a problem when too many bookrings arrive at once.

Received today - will read after I've finished my current one :)

When you are only vaguely aware of a book because you've seen the title around a lot, it's really hard to approach it with enthusiasm - so many highly promoted or award winning books turn out to be a bit disappointing. But I picked this up, started reading, and was hooked.

Harold is a very ordinary person ... he's retired, lives in stagnated marriage and is generally sitting out the rest of his life. He receives a letter from an old friend saying that she is dying. Shocked out of his everyday thoughts, he writes a quick reply and sets out to post it the nearest letter box. Then decides to walk to the next one, and then the next, and keeps right on walking all the way from Kingsbridge, Devon, to Berwick-on-Tweed, Northumberland, where he hopes Queenie will stay alive and wait for him.

This is book is completely about 'the journey', both the physical walk and the change in both Harold and the people around him. It's about the people he meets, who he helps, or they help him, or they just form a brief encounter as he passes through. It's about him and his wife finally waking up and seeing the mistakes in their past, as well as accepting the things that have happened that they can't change. And it's about England, the places you see when you're not rushing round.

I loved the style and the characters. I loved the humour ....

"She loves Jane Austen," laughed the hiking man, "she's seen all her films."

The thought of just walking off, leaving your life behind in order to put it in perspective is attractive, although the thought of walking without my trusty rambling boots brings a wince to my face! I liked the ending - hopeful, a bit sad, a bit mysterious, but true to the book.

So, overall, a good read - highly recommended.

I'll leave you with my favourite quote from the book ...

"It must be the same all over England. People were buying milk, or filling their cars with petrol, or even posting letters. And what no one else knew was the appalling weight of the thing they were carrying inside. The superhuman effort it took sometimes to be normal, and a past of things that appeared both easy and everyday. The loneliness of that."

Sent to a fellow bookcrosser as a wishlist RABCK - hope you enjoy it!

THANK you!! So kind. I'm delighted to receive this wishlist book.

The blurb reads:

"When Harold Fry leaves home one morning to post a letter, with his wife hoovering upstairs, he has no idea that he is about to walk from one end of the country to the other.

He has no hiking boots or map, let alone a compass, waterproof or mobile phone. All he knows is that he must keep walking. To save someone else's life".

I'm looking forward to comparing my thoughts on this book to those of its other journallers.

Aw, I loved this. I didn't think it was promising at first. "Unfulfilled, recently retired man finds himself by undertaking a walk across England" struck me as a tired trope that threatened a mawkish, trite and sentimental read. Instead, I continually wiped my face and blew my nose as I finished it on a bus!

Sweet it is. OK yes, maybe twee at times. But it's also moving, surprisingly believable and not afraid to shy away from grim realities. The descriptive passages are evocative and the characters lovable. It's funny, sad and uplifting.

On seats on the concourse.