"Maureen" is the touching finale of a trilogy that began with "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. which I loved. After Harold's journey to save a friend, his wife, Maureen, now faces her pilgrimage filled with love, loss, and self-discovery. The novel explores her struggles, vulnerabilities, and the changed landscape as she embarks on a deeply emotional and powerful journey to understand herself and come to terms with the past. It definitely took a while for me to get into this book because Maureen is a difficult person to like.
She is quick to judge and often not very kind. However, it was worth the read to follow Maureen on her journey.

Thanks to NetGalley for Maureen which is a fitting close to the Harold Fry trilogy. Maureen undertakes her own pilgrimage and, like Harold, learns a lot about herself and people through the process. She is a difficult person who “even if she has something nice to say…by the time it gets out of her mouth it’s often not nice, she can’t help herself ‘. Through her journey, driven by grief, Maureen learns “There is a danger in grief just as there is a danger in happiness. If we do not have both, it is hard to feel empathy. I spent a long time without happiness.”. The story is, at the same time tragic and funny. Maureen certainly grew on me as she discovered more about herself. As she herself says, “We cannot always be the people we would like to be. But we can learn.”. It was a delight to meet Harold, Queenie, and Maureen through the three books.

One of my favorite things writers (in books, TV, etc.) do is give us standalone media about a secondary character in the original text. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is one of my favorite books of all time, so I was very excited to read this. While unlikable, it kind of makes sense. It's funny how I feel like, so often, joyful, charming old men are married to unlikable wives lol. That said, it was quite a journey finding out how she became who she is, and Rachel Joyce continues to impress with her writing style.

A satisfying read both for folks who have read the previous two books, and also for newcomers to these characters.

Maureen is the third book in the Harold Fry series. This novella is Maureen's story. It is her journey set after Queenie's death. I think you need to read The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy or you will not really get the most out of this book. I absolutely I loved Rachel Joyce's beautiful and emotive writing in this book. Maureen wants to see Queenie's sea garden and Harold convinces her to go. She opts to drive not walk, but has some issues. There is a lot of construction (isn't there always), she gets lost and arrives late and frazzled at the guest house where she is supposed to be staying. Planning to visit the garden and go home the next day, Karen, the proprietor of the guest house takes her to the sea garden and tells her about the items and the various visitors. When Maureen is shown the piece of driftwood called David, she reacts deeply and viscerally and the next day goes back with a purpose.

Maureen is not very likable, at least at the beginning. She is still a bit angry at both Harold and Queenie, even though nothing except friendship and longing happened. She is inflexible, controlling and not much of a people person, but as her journey happened, I began to like her a bit more. I was able to relate to her and some of the things that happened, especially as I am often on the road myself. She had no choice but to stay at Kate's even though it turned her stomach a bit. When she visits the garden the emotions that assailed her broke my heart. If you have never lost a child, you would not ever fully understand those feelings I have been told by friends who have. This was a wonderful ending to this trilogy and I am glad I read Maureen's story.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance read copy of this story in exchange for an unbiased review. This was a sweet novella sharing how Maureen came to peace with her demons. I love that she feels free from all that was weighing her down. Great job Ms. Joyce!

A story of grief, anger and a woman frozen in time. Not a particularly easy or pleasant read, because Maureen is an unlikable woman, but a very well written story of a woman’s journey of acceptance and understanding.

This was another book that I was not sure if I would enjoy or not. In all honesty it did take me longer to read than I normally do but it was very good writing.

Maureen is a smart complicated woman. In this, the final installment of for me what has been a wonderful trilogy, we join her on her emotional journey that is emotional, smart, filled with humor, wit, love, loss and just about every emotion in our feeling toolboxes. I really enjoyed this beautiful well written story. This can be read as a stand alone, but for me, I am glad I read them all.

A sweet complement to the other books in the series. The character of Maureen compelled me and I’m happy that we were able to see who she is behind all her grief and pain.

Oh the drama! Here for it! Charming in that quirky, poignant way Reminded me a bit of Olive Kitteridge except UK

A novella. Beautifully written. Maureen needs to find a way to deal with the death of her son. She doesn't know how else to live except to bury emotions. In this book Maureen makes her own long walk, and by doing so, learns how to feel again and live in the present. A worthy addition to Harold's books.

My experience with Rachel Joyce's books has been a bit hit or miss. I loved Miss Benson's Beetle but wasn't as charmed as others were by The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I was curious to see how I would experience Maureen, the last of the Harold Fry trilogy. Admittedly, I haven't read the second in the series, but I was familiar with Maureen as the long-suffering, prickly wife of Harold, and I am always curious about women characters described that way. In this book, Maureen is pushed to undertake her own pilgrimage when she hears that there is a memorial inspired by her son, built by Queenie, the woman her husband undertook a pilgrimage across England to see. She is jealous, enraged, shocked, and feels robbed of her right as the mother of a son who died, and she is eaten up by animosity. Finally, she agrees to drive there to see it.

Her journey is different from Harold's in so many ways, and I liked how Joyce wrote her as hard-shelled, often rude, and highly protective. She was exasperating, but that was the point.

As much as I like difficult women and could feel some compassion for Maureen, I wasn't enchanted with this one, either. While I will try her work again, on the strength of Miss Benson's Beetle, I think this series was just not a good fit for me.

I want to thank the publisher for access to the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

True confession - I've not read the other two Harold Fry books, but the description of this was so charming to me, I had to try it. It's a short book, highlighting all the things that run through Maureen's mind, as she attempts coming to terms with real and imagined issues surrounding Harold's famous walk.

I can so thoroughly empathize with her, with the things that run through our brains as we navigate our lives, especially when our spouse is better known, more famous, etc.

A gentle look at insecurities, perceived shortcomings, and knowing oneself.

Maureen is a small book with a powerful punch. It chronicles the emotional and physical pilgrimage of Maureen Frye, who is drowning in grief in the unrelenting wake of her son's suicide. Joyce's deft prose slices right to the marrow -- pulling us inside Maureen's mind, where we witness profound sadness, self recrimination, lingering disappointment, and desperate actions. This portrait of humanity and vulnerability offers an honest look at life after loss -- and, ultimately, the kernel of hope that may await.

I read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it and had a great book club discussion about it. So I was looking forward to reading about Maureen, Harold’s wife who was left behind during the pilgrimage, but this was a disappointment. Joyce should have left Maureen alone, as she originally intended to do. It helped me understand a little more about why Maureen was so angry. The loss of a child is devastating under good circumstances, and to lose one from whom you were estranged somehow makes it worse. There is no chance to reconcile, and that is what drives Maureen’s bitterness. But I couldn’t relate to her actions, reactions and motivations. It was a fast read, basically a novella, but it left me feeling let-down. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I was unable to enjoy this book not because there was something wrong with it but because I made the mistake of accepting the copy without knowing there were two previous books, so I felt very lost in the story at all times.

Maureen needs some answers after receiving a letter that took away that comfortable or balanced life she had now she needs to address something that maybe will bring chaos and will disrupt the calmness but sometimes disruption is necessary in order to come and achieve eternal inner peace.

it is time for Maureen to come to terms with the past even if that seems impossible.

poetic, lyrical, and deep a novel that will keep you wanting to know more even the previous books.

I recommend you read the first books so you're going to enjoy Maureen even more.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback, for the advanced copy of Maureen in exchange for my honest review

4 heartfelt stars
“How do we do it? How do we accept the unacceptable?”
“It was about forgiveness, the whole story.”

From the publisher: “A deeply felt, lyrical, and powerful novel, Maureen explores love, loss, and how we come to terms with the past in order to understand ourselves a little better. While this book stands alone, it is also the extraordinarily moving finale to a trilogy that began with the phenomenal bestseller The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and continued in The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy.”

This is the fifth Rachel Joyce book I have read. She develops interesting characters and writes hard stuff simply and well. “She wanted to keep moving, but nothing pleased her. Nothing took her from her own thoughts.” “Maureen felt that old stinging bitterness. That ancient jealousy.”

I loved the ink sketches at the beginning of the chapters. A bit old fashioned now-a-days, but they are charming and help set the mood. (I wish more publishers would add bits of art occasionally!)

The book felt short. I almost wrote that it fell short because I wanted more. It felt like Maureen’s journey got cut short and was unfinished. Maureen was well over 100 pages shorter than the other books in the Harold Fry ‘trilogy,’ and I believe that its 192 pages include an interview with Rachel Joyce, a cute ‘email correspondence’ between the author and Maureen Fry and a reading group guide.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a lovely little book. I felt all Maureen’s anger, pain, confusion, and I’m so glad she found Kate…the only thing stopping me from giving it 5 stars is what felt like a too-abrupt ending. I wish we could follow Maureen a bit longer.

Even though I have never read the first two books in this trilogy, I was excited to get this title and it was so bittersweet! Maureen decides to drive on her own journey and leave Harold at home. Initially she is fine until a road closure disrupts her and she must seek help from a kindly gentleman in a turban (and of course she's worried he won't understand her but he does)! Then black ice derails her and an accident leaves her feeling helpless and alone. But she is able to visit Queenie's garden as well as those she intended to see. It's a sweet, sweet tale of a woman who is committed to something and she must follow through!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!