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."

Hung on one of the sets of steps cut into the hillside.

Congratulations! You have found a traveling book.

Thank you for taking the time to visit this site and letting us know what this book has been up to since it was released into the wild. I hope you enjoy reading it, but even if it isn’t your type of thing, then I’m sure there will be someone out there who will love it. This book is now yours, so feel free to keep it. However, I would be grateful if you could leave all the stickers in place and pass it on again once you’ve finished with it – you could give it to a friend, donate it to a charity shop or just leave it lying around somewhere to be picked up again by a total stranger. If you would like to get regular updates on what the book is doing in the future, then why not join Bookcrossing too…it’s fun, friendly and free.

Thanks again and happy reading!