“We write ourselves certain parts and then keep playing them as if we have no choice. But a tardy person can become a punctual one, if she chooses. You don’t have to keep being the thing you have become. It is never too late.”

I started this book immediately after finishing The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. This novel focuses on Miss Queenie Hennessy’s final days at St. Bernadine’s Hospice as she waits for Harold Fry to complete his walk from Kingsbridge to Berwick-upon-Tweed to visit her. Queenie, though terminally ill, begins to write a final letter to Harold. With Sister Mary Inconnu typing out whatever she can write down, she manages to chronicle the story of her life highlighting and sharing memories from her early childhood, her days in Kingsbridge working in the brewery where she strikes a friendship with Harold and unbeknownst to Harold, interacts with his son David, and her days after leaving. As we get to know more about Queenie, we also learn about her true feelings for Harold and the secrets she has carried for decades. Just as Harold’s walk inspired reflection and insight, Queenie’s writing proves to be emotionally cathartic for her.

The narrative shifts back and forth between Queenie’s past and the present day where we get to meet the nurses and caregivers in the hospice and Queenie’s fellow residents all of whom are fascinated with Harold Fry’s pilgrimage and keep track of his progress.

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy bu Rachel Joyce is a beautiful novel touching upon themes of love, sacrifice, friendship, loss, grief and hope. The author emphasizes how important kindness and forgiveness are in finding peace within oneself. I enjoyed this novel even more than I did the first book in the series. I loved how Queenie’s perspectives gave us a vivid picture of who Queenie is as a person but also added so much more depth to Harold's story as well. I loved the characters in the hospice and though there are some very sad moments in the story, I think the author does a wonderful job of depicting life in hospice and how individuals approach their final days with support from one another and their caregivers. With wisdom, humor and insight author Rachel Joyce takes us on an emotional journey with memorable characters that will keep you thinking long after you have finished the book.

“Because if you picture other people like you, you will no longer be alone. And when you share, you see that your own sorrow is not so big or special. You are only another person feeling sad, and soon it will pass and you will be another person, feeling happy. It takes the sting out of life, I find, when you realize you are not alone.” ( )

I started out thinking this book would be lighter than it is. I thought yes, it will be sad, but sweetly so. Wrong. I was so very wrong.

This book broke my heart. It gave me insight into how people who are dying support each other with humor -- sometimes quite dark humor -- and how the people who work in hospice care are angels in human form. It showed me all the ways that we humans burden our own selves throughout our lives, how we limit ourselves and where our lives could go. It pointed its finger straight at me and said, "See? You need to be in THIS moment, TODAY, not some future point when this or that has happened."

I'm working on it, Queenie. Working on it. ( )

I think some books really hit you, and this is one of them. This and Unlikely Pilgrimage will stay on my favourites shelf for a long while. ( )

I really loved The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and was excited to see there was a sequel. As I was reading this, I kept thinking that this wasn't so much a sequel but rather a companion book to the first and an author's note at the end confirms that was her intention. So, we get to learn Queenie's story and how her life intertwined with Harold's and who she was beyond Harold. From what we do already know about Queenie in the first book, we expect a sadder tone to this one and we definitely get that. Although the fun, quirkiness from the first book was part of its appeal, this was still a very good if rather heartbreaking story. I enjoyed the first more but recommend both. ( )

I think if I hadn't read Harold Fry first I would have given this book another star, which isn't fair, but I can't get over the comparison. I just didn't like it as much as that book. ( )