Book Synopsis:
Here Henry was, once again in a bustling train station, ready to resume where he had left off all those years ago…
Finding Henry Applebee is a charming, tender and uplifting story about unlikely friendships, the power of love – and how it’s never too late to change your life.
Perfect for fans of The Single Ladies of the Jacaranda Retirement Village and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.
Eighty-five-year-old Henry Arthur Applebee has had a pretty good life. But one regret has haunted him for the last sixty-five years.
And so, on an ordinary December morning, he boards a train from London to Edinburgh. His goal is simple: to find the woman who disappeared from his life decades earlier.
But Henry isn’t the only person on a mission. Also bound for Edinburgh is troubled teen, Ariel. And when the two strangers collide, what began as one humble journey will catapult them both into a whole new world…
Finding Henry Applebee is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only 99p. You can purchase your copy using the link below or by visiting your local indie bookstore.
My Review:
This was a beautiful, charming story that managed to be both poignant and uplifting at the same time. I read this book after a run of quite gritty reads, so this was a nice refreshing change which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The story follows the three main characters Henry, Ariel and Travis as they travel from Edinburgh to London for different reasons. The descriptions of the journey were beautifully vivid and made me feel that I was right there in the carriage with them. I felt each part of their journey personally as if I was living it too, with all the setbacks they encounter making me feel very nervous that they wouldn’t be able to finish their journey.
The characters were wonderful creations and memorable ones that I’ll remember for a long time to come. I loved how the author gradually lets us learn more about the characters and their past lives so that we get to see why they are like they are. They started to feel like old friends and I enjoyed following them on their journey as I willed them to succeed in their mission. I especially liked Henry’s past with the wonderful descriptions of the years after the war and the dance halls that I’d loved to have seen!
Overall I absolutely loved this charming story that made me laugh and cry as I read. There’s a wonderful message behind the story about unlikely friendships and how it’s never too late to change things. The ending was brilliant and I finished the book feeling sad that it was finished, while wishing that I could find out what happens next for them. This book was similar in style to Harold Fry so if you liked that book I think you’ll like this one too.
Huge thanks to Claire Debby for inviting me onto the read along and One More Chapter for my copy of this book via Netgalley.
About The Author:
Celia Reynolds was born and raised in Wales and worked for almost twenty-five years in the film industry in London, and briefly Rome. In 2012, she left her job as European Marketing Director at Twentieth Century Fox to enrol in the Complete Creative Writing Course held at the Groucho Club in London’s West End. Later that year, she was awarded Runner Up prize in the London Writers’ Club/Hush Short Story Competition with a story featuring one of the characters in her debut novel, Finding Henry Applebee. She is now based on the Gower coast in South Wales.
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