Skip to main content

Featured

Wedding Bells for the East End Library Girls by Patricia MCBride #Review

  The fifth in Patricia McBrides' wartime saga, Wedding Bells for the East End Library Girls was published by Boldwood Books on August 14th. The library girls are determined to keep their community’s spirits high. With their beloved library damaged by bombing, they’ve found a temporary home in the local school, but they long to return to the place they love. Mavis’s wedding should be a time of joy, but beneath the celebrations, she carries a secret. Determined to stay strong, she refuses to dampen the happiness of those around her. Jane is finally stepping into the life she deserves. After years of self-doubt, she is beginning to find her confidence and – with the support of her two best friends – perhaps even an opportunity she never thought possible. And for Cordelia, hope is also on the horizon. As the war winds down, her partner Robert may finally return from Africa. For the first time in a long time she is looking forward to a future filled with love and joy. But da...

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy




The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy is described by its author, Rachel Joyce as a 'companion' to her earlier book, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Published in 2014, it gives Queenie's side of the story. In the earlier book, Harold had set out to walk 627 miles to see Queenie who was dying, in a hospice in Berwick- upon Tweed. On the way, he gathered a cast of characters who walked with him.He came to terms with the death of his son, came to an understanding with his wife and gave purpose to those he met on the way. All Queenie had to do was to wait for him as he came to say goodbye.

 In this companion piece, we stay with Queenie in the hospice but she takes us on a journey through her past. We learn about her feelings for Harold. We also learn of other secrets which she has kept, concerning Harold's son, David.


Although the book is principally about the end of life and the process of dying, this book is far from depressing or downbeat. It is an uplifting read, full of humour which is delivered with affection for the inhabitants of the hospice. Instead of sitting waiting to die, everyone becomes involved in waiting for Harold. One by one, they lose their lives which is  signalled by the arrival of the funeral company's hearse. 


I found the story quite engrossing. Queenie's struggle to write the story with Harold's journey in mind, supported by Sister Mary Inconnue, is at times agonising. Told in matter of fact, uncomplicated language, in contrast to the appalling nature of her illness, the starkness of Queenie's fate is there for all to see. This is a book full of the tiny, everyday details of human behaviour. It rings true.

In short: a inspirational read which deals with profound issues with humour and sensitivity.


Comments

Popular Posts