The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce [Paperback: Excellent]

Paperback in Excellent condition (384 pages)

When Queenie Hennessy discovers that Harold Fry is walking the length of England to save her, and all she has to do is wait, she is shocked.  Her note to him had explained she was dying from cancer.  How can she wait? 

A new volunteer at the hospice suggests that Queenie should write a second letter; only this time she must tell Harold the truth.  Composing this letter, the volunteer promises, will ensure Queenie hangs on.  It will also atone for the secrets of the past.  As the volunteer points out, 'It isn't Harold who is saving you. It is you, saving Harold Fry.'  This is that letter.  A letter that was never sent.  Told in simple, emotionally-honest prose, with a mischievous bite, this is a novella about a woman who falls in love but chooses not to claim it.  It is about friendship and kindness as well as the small victories that pass unrecorded.  It is about the truth and the significance - the gentle heroism - of a life lived alone. 

Queenie thought her first letter would be the end of the story.  She was wrong.  It was just the beginning...