There was universal affection for Harold and his unlikely pilgrimage. Some of us (particularly Anna & Jill) feared that it would be mawkish, twee and sentimental, but we all agreed that it managed to steer clear of the many such potholes it could have fallen into. Its descriptions of loss and desperation hidden away behind very English domesticity were beautifully written and often almost physically painful to read ('I know it wouldn't have made any difference in the end but I should have let her see how much I wanted to keep her. I should have raged, Maureen'). Most of us (except me) guessed, or at least had an inkling that David was dead, but we were still all deeply moved by the last chapters covering Maureen and Harold's reconciliation and the ending of the pilgrimage at Queenie's bedside. On the journey up, we loved the characters he met - brilliantly bought to life often in just a few sentences, and for the most part, very credible. The descriptions of the weather, the countryside and the pleasures and pains of walking 500 miles in yachting shoes were all brilliantly done. Most of us felt that it was only in danger of losing its momentum during the scenes when the other 'pilgrims' started tagging along, but even this part had some great humour ('If you had the wherewithal you could follow his journey on twitter. Maureen hadn't the wherewithal') and was the plot vehicle which allowed Harold to arrive at the hospice without fanfare. Loss, redemption and flawed characters you could feel deeply attached to - what more could you want?
Caroline couldn't make it to the meeting, here are her comments:
thought this was a lovely, gentle and rather old fashioned story. I found it extremely moving (quite embarrassing to finish it on a crowded Victoria Line train...there was definitely some snuffling!) and although I did guess the storyline about his son being dead very early on (interested to know whether everyone did. Think the similar technique used in ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ re the husband being dead has meant I’m more likely to pick up on this than previously) it was very well handled and extremely moving. I did find myself wondering at the midway point whether it was going to start to drag a bit soon, but somehow it just continued to bubble away and keep my interest.
I think it was very quietly skilful and although I’m not sure whether I’d rush out to buy another by this author, I did enjoy it. I’d give it a seven.
scores:
Anna: 8
Carole: 8
Annie: 8.5
Chris: 7.5
Jill: 8.5
Caroline: 7
Quote: 'he felt the sun on his shoulder, watched a kestrel on silent wings, and all the time the ball of his foot pushed his heel from the ground and weight shifted from one leg to the other and this was everything'
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