My enormous thanks to Susanna Pedan at Harper Collins for sending me a copy of The Girl from Donegal by Carmel Harrington in return for an honest review. I was delighted to receive it as I love Carmel Harrington’s writing. It’s my total pleasure to share my review of The Girl From Donegal today.

I last reviewed one of Carmel’s books – A Mother’s Heart – for My Weekly in a post you’ll find here.

I also reviewed Carmel’s The Moon Over Kilmore Quay here. I reviewed The Woman at 72 Derry Lane in a post you’ll find here. It was my also privilege to host a guest post from Carmel and to review The Things I Should Have Told you here.

Published in paperback in the UK by Harper Collins on 29th February 2024, The Girl From Donegal is available for pre-order through the links here.

The Girl from Donegal

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 – but that also reveals a long-buried secret.

Two women must each make a choice between their past and their present in this sweeping, epic love story spanning two continents, three generations, and joy and tragedy over nearly a century.

My Review of The Girl from Donegal

Saoirse is staying with her aunts.

Oh my goodness yes! I adored The Girl from Donegal. It’s what might be termed a ‘proper’ story and I loved every moment of being immersed in Carmel Harrington’s story.

What is so fabulous is the complete plausibility and realism of the warm characters so that it is as if you’re reading about old friends whom you’ve cared for and missed and now they are back in your life. I truly felt I knew every one of them personally. With a couple of small exceptions there are no true villains, but rather real folk doing their best with the circumstances they find themselves in, making them achingly relatable. I was completely invested in the outcomes for Saoirse, Eliza and Kate in particular. Meeting them all was a complete delight. Of all the characters I think Matthew might be the one my heart went out to most. He is a catalyst for action and an example of how warmth and kindness is attractive and appealing. 

That said, this is no ordinary story, even if the characters are identifiable. Oh no. Carmel Harrington’s The Girl from Donegal is sweeping, dramatic, absorbing and surprising. The story is filled with twists and turns and I was completely taken aback on more than one occasion. The 1939 sections are especially exciting and filled with historical detail and accuracy which makes the story all the more pleasurable. I’m not usually a great lover of dual time line narratives but I was absolutely riveted by this one.

The settings are amazing. Ireland, aboard the Athenia, and Bermuda vibrate with exceptional detail that appeals to each of the senses. From the temperature and colour of the sea, to the touch of a horse’s nose, through the sound of birds and the taste of rum punch, every aspect adds depth and texture, making The Girl from Donegal an alluring, captivating and glorious read. 

I thought the themes explored by Carmel Harrington were quite simply wonderful. Grief, love, fate, responsibility, family and relationships are all aspects that hook in the reader, but even more fascinating is the way human fallibility and making the most of what life throws at us underpin the story. We can’t always choose what happens, but the author displays the fact that we can choose how to respond. The Girl from Donegal illustrates how being brave and taking a chance with our lives can both challenge and reward, but you’ll need to read the story to find out more.

I’m conscious that I may have been slightly vague as to the wonderful plot and people here, but I don’t want inadvertently to reveal anything that will spoil the sheer joy in reading The Girl from Donegal. Whatever you might think when you’ve read The Girl from Donegal, and read it you must, I hope you adore the story as  much as I did. Oh, and I hope you have the opportunity to find your last love too. 

About Carmel Harrington

USA Today bestseller Carmel Harrington lives in Wexford with her family and rescue dog, George Bailey. Her ninth novel, The Moon Over Kilmore Quay became an instant bestseller in Ireland and USA. Other bestselling novels include My Pear-Shaped Life, A Thousand Roads Home, The Woman at 72 Derry Lane and the ITV commissioned novel, Cold Feet The Lost Years.

Carmel’s trademark is to write warm, uplifting stories with humour, heart and hope. She loves to write about family, friendships, love and life within complex, twisting plots. Carmel’s novels have been shortlisted twice for an Irish Book Award and her debut Beyond Grace’s Rainbow won Kindle Book of the Year and Romantic eBook of the Year in 2013. Carmel is also a regular on Irish TV screens, and is co founder of The Inspiration Project, a coaching and writing retreat.

For further information you can follow Carmel on Twitter/X @HappyMrsH, find her on Facebook or Instagram and visit her website.