Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Can you ever forget your first love?
Donegal, Ireland, 1939
As the world teeters on the brink of WWII, Eliza Lavery is alone in the world after her fiancé, Davey, was lost following the Irish War of Independence. But a fateful meeting on the wild beauty of Ballymastocker Bay could change everything.
Hamilton, Bermuda, 2022
Eight decades later, troubled by her future, Saoirse O’Donnell walks on the pink sands of Bermuda’s Horseshoe Bay. When she uncovers a connection to Eliza, all those years before, she hears a story that promises to influence her own heart and her own choice – but that also reveals a long-buried secret.
Many thanks to Harper Collins Ireland for my copy of The Girl from Donegal to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
When The Girl from Donegal, the brilliant new book from one of my favourite authors Carmel Harrington, came through the door several weeks ago, I only left it a few short days before picking it up to read. Boy, was I glad I chose not to let it lay in my tbr pile because once I started reading I could not stop. Carmel has such a way with words that instantly I was drawn into the unfolding story.
This book is a just one more chapter kind of book and before you know it you glance up from the different worlds inhabited by Eliza and Saoirse and you find that you have read more than half the book and several hours have passed by unnoticed. I read this in two sittings and would have inhaled it all in one go with work being the only reason I had to pause and take some time away from what was a wonderful, gripping and very well plotted story. It’s an unforgettable love story following two women decades apart who are torn between their first and last loves. The transition between the past and the present were seamless and I was so caught up in both strands of the story that I could have continued to read about both of them for many more pages as I was enjoying everything so much.
The story moves back and forth between the present day and the early days of World War Two and does so without ever seeming jarring as we learn of an incredible love story from the past which will hopefully help the character of Saoirse in the present. Saoirse arrives in Bermuda to visit her Aunts Kate and Esme. They are not strictly her Aunts but they have such a close relationship she views them as being relatives. As she lands in the exotic paradise she remembers the time nine years ago she arrived as her marriage had broken up. She is with Finn now but she feels a sense of foreboding and throughout I felt that Saoirse had such a restlessness and unease about her. That she wasn’t fully comfortable and happy in her own skin and with the life she was now leading back in Ireland. Yes, she loved her work in Ballymastocker Bay in Donegal where she runs a horse riding stables but to me she was exuding vibes of not having put past ghosts to rest. That there was a lot left unsaid and not dealt with when it came to her previous marriage and until she had confronted these demons she wouldn’t be able to move forward with her life. She loved Finn and initially it frustrated me that she kept secrets from him and wasn’t open and honest and not to herself either.
I loved how Carmel chose such a beautiful setting for the present day timeline of the story and how in time the setting connected back to the past. I’d never read about Bermuda in a fiction book before and through such wonderful writing and such glorious descriptions of pink sandy beaches, palm trees, mangroves, the hibiscus, the poinsettias and the small but comfortable house that Esme and Kate inhabit I truly did feel as if I was transported to a warm place from away from the dreary winters day that was ongoing outside as I sat and thoroughly enjoyed every blissful moment I spent reading this stunning read. As Saoirse settles into the rhythm of island life, Kate now in her 90’s slowly starts to reveal her story to Saoirse. I think she did this because she knew at her age that time is precious and she wanted to share her experiences and how they had moulded her and taught her many life lessons.
Kate’s story is incredible and it could have been an entire book itself and I think in the future Carmel should go for it and write a book completely in the historical fiction genre as this aspect of the story was so brilliantly executed. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the modern-day timeline, I did of course but for me just ever so slightly Kate’s retelling of Eliza’s story had me transfixed from beginning to end. Through sharing her life, I felt Kate, was trying to help Saoirse make some important decisions which she couldn’t avoid for much longer. If she didn’t only pain, hurt, anger and distress would ensue. Deep down Saoirse knows she needs to confront her hidden pain in order to try and move on and fully embrace the relationship she now has with Finn. Will hearing Kate’s story help or hinder with the choices she has to make?
The story of the past follows Eliza Lavery in 1939, she lives in Ballymastocker Bay and is a journalist for the Rathmullan Gazette. She is all alone as her family died in a house fire and fiancée Davey was arrested and killed during the War of Independence. She resides above the newspaper offices and lives a quiet life of routine but the effects of the terrible heartbreak she has suffered linger on. She feels that she has no purpose.That she just meanders along without any real goal in life now that those she loved the most have been taken from her. The years stretch out in front of her and she has allowed her life to become very small and solitary. The ambition and fire she once had is gone and the newspaper owner Larry and his wife Eimear have become like surrogate parents to her but still that is not enough. What do you do when all you want is the people who meant everything to you just to come back but that is impossible?
As Eliza stands overlooking the bay with nothing only her memories for company, she meets Matthew. He is in the Royal Navy and as the world stands on the cusp of another World War he is just about to be shipped out to Bermuda to form a Royal Navy station on the island. The pair share dinner together and Eliza comes to realise that she has let her world become too small and it's time to make some changes and become adventurous. Well she certainly takes this advice to heart and even though she vowed she would never love again as her heart can’t take any more pain, she accepts a proposal from Matthew. This all seemed very sudden and I don’t think Eliza loved Matthew as much as she had Davey. They were more or less virtual strangers but I think Eliza wanted to take what he was offering her, a new life in Bermuda and to see where the wind would take her so to speak. It was a rash and somewhat impulsive decision but she hopes she will grow to love him. But little does she expect the incredible and frightening journey that she is about to unfold taking her from the wilds of Donegal to the heat of Bermuda.
I couldn’t get enough of the chapters set on board the Athenia, the ship that Eliza embarks upon to begin her journey across the Atlantic. The writing and imagery powerful and vivid. Not knowing the history of the Athenia everything that occurred was a complete surprise for me and I really felt as if I was there with Eliza and the wonderful Mrs.Montague whom she shares a cabin with as the worst befalls them. It was epic stuff with endless action and drama and I was completely enthralled. What occurs on the Athenia sets in motion a whole turn of events that has such an impact on Eliza. She grows and matures on that journey in ways she could never have imagined. She becomes a leader and also undertakes a role that she would never have dreamt of. If she had never had that chance encounter with Matthew at the bay Eliza would have continued to lead her small little ordinary life and be wracked with pain and guilt. Instead, what unfolds is an astounding story which will leave you on the edge of your seat and have you questioning just what you would do if placed in the same predicament? Will the heart or mind win out?
The Girl from Donegal is a complete triumph for Carmel Harrington. I adored her previous book, A Mother’s Heart and didn’t think she could top it but she has. The two books are vastly different in style but you can tell just how much she is enjoying writing and she is giving her readers both old and new, fantastic stories that really get you thinking and whisk you away from the everyday troubles that occupy us on a daily basis. That’s what books should do and I find myself always looking forward to a new book from this talented author. Everything was very well researched and so carefully plotted and you couldn’t guess as to what the specific ending would be especially considering both of the main female characters experience so many ups and downs in their respective journeys.
Just when you think a conclusion has possibly been reached, Carmel throws in another curveball. Not so that things go off on a tangent or become far fetched and not in line with the way the majority of the story had developed. No, said curveballs and unexpected twists and turns slotted perfectly into the plot and off you go again on another eventful strand and I just soaked up and enjoyed every minute of it. The Girl from Donegal, is a scintillating read that blends imagination with historical fact and I loved every minute of it. It’s heart-breaking and painful in equal measure but also a beautiful read which you will be sure to devour in short order.
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