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fbahram 's review for:
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy
by Rachel Joyce
This review contains SPOILERS. You've been warned! :)
This book moved me so much: old age, loss, regrets, pain, terminal illness, loneliness, suicide, women in a "man's workplace", and a vile teenager (I could have done without David but I guess we need all the characters!). I liked Queenie Hennessy but I can't say that I loved her. I wanted to. The story starts in a hospice and it ends there. The mystery of Harold Fry was new to me as I had not read the other book, "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry", Rachel Joyce's earlier book. I can't say that I'm drawn to reading it either.
The writing is beautiful, I love how the author writes out the waltz scenes and the stunning way she describes Queenie's sea garden. I could almost see Queenie working there. The story is told from the perspective of Queenie and the timeline moves from the present time at the hospice to the past, all the way back to Queenie's childhood and then to the more recent past when she worked at the Brewery and fell in love with Harold Fry but did absolutely nothing about it. But that is not half as annoying as the vile teenage son of Harold Fry, David, a good-for-nothing teenager that Queenie is happy to let walk all over her. I just could not get onboard with the dynamics between David, Harold and Queenie. I like to think my character is strong and has choices and exercises them, but Queenie just kept acting dumb and dumber, and I could not feel sympathy for her.
One of the themes this author explores is one we may just know something about: how hard it is to tell the truth after the first lie and then the second one and then a mountain of lies, because you just couldn't bring yourself to tell the truth after that first one. Such is the dilemma of Queenie toward Harold.
I listened to this book on audio, borrowed from the library, and it was a wonderfully entertaining listen, but I was impatient. I listened at 1.25x or 1.5x the speed. I wanted to keep moving forward. What secret had she kept for 20 years? And in the end, not only did I guess the secret (no, that never happens to me!!!), I also didn't find it to be intriguing enough. Argh. I do feel bad for Queenie and this was a stunningly written book, but my dislike of David was too much. If he was supposed to be the villain, at least then I knew I was supposed to dislike him, but there is no way I had any sympathy for that vile teenager.
The best passages in the book are the dances, the drives with Harold Fry, the sea garden and the scenes at the hospice. They are bittersweet and lovely and full of joy.
My favorite twist was learning that Queenie had imagined the help she was getting with her letters. But it made sense. It was better that way. Did Harold Fry find out about the secret after all? Could he read her shorthand? Was there anything else to give it away? I don't know. I never will. I am however glad to have read the book.
This book moved me so much: old age, loss, regrets, pain, terminal illness, loneliness, suicide, women in a "man's workplace", and a vile teenager (I could have done without David but I guess we need all the characters!). I liked Queenie Hennessy but I can't say that I loved her. I wanted to. The story starts in a hospice and it ends there. The mystery of Harold Fry was new to me as I had not read the other book, "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry", Rachel Joyce's earlier book. I can't say that I'm drawn to reading it either.
The writing is beautiful, I love how the author writes out the waltz scenes and the stunning way she describes Queenie's sea garden. I could almost see Queenie working there. The story is told from the perspective of Queenie and the timeline moves from the present time at the hospice to the past, all the way back to Queenie's childhood and then to the more recent past when she worked at the Brewery and fell in love with Harold Fry but did absolutely nothing about it. But that is not half as annoying as the vile teenage son of Harold Fry, David, a good-for-nothing teenager that Queenie is happy to let walk all over her. I just could not get onboard with the dynamics between David, Harold and Queenie. I like to think my character is strong and has choices and exercises them, but Queenie just kept acting dumb and dumber, and I could not feel sympathy for her.
One of the themes this author explores is one we may just know something about: how hard it is to tell the truth after the first lie and then the second one and then a mountain of lies, because you just couldn't bring yourself to tell the truth after that first one. Such is the dilemma of Queenie toward Harold.
I listened to this book on audio, borrowed from the library, and it was a wonderfully entertaining listen, but I was impatient. I listened at 1.25x or 1.5x the speed. I wanted to keep moving forward. What secret had she kept for 20 years? And in the end, not only did I guess the secret (no, that never happens to me!!!), I also didn't find it to be intriguing enough. Argh. I do feel bad for Queenie and this was a stunningly written book, but my dislike of David was too much. If he was supposed to be the villain, at least then I knew I was supposed to dislike him, but there is no way I had any sympathy for that vile teenager.
The best passages in the book are the dances, the drives with Harold Fry, the sea garden and the scenes at the hospice. They are bittersweet and lovely and full of joy.
My favorite twist was learning that Queenie had imagined the help she was getting with her letters. But it made sense. It was better that way. Did Harold Fry find out about the secret after all? Could he read her shorthand? Was there anything else to give it away? I don't know. I never will. I am however glad to have read the book.