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A Novel
by Damhnait Monaghan
Full of warmth, humor, romance and the quirkiest community of characters… Get ready to be charmed by this impossibly delightful debut, perfect for fans of Kristan Higgins and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
After the local French teacher scandalizes the fishing village of Little Cove, Newfoundland, by running off with a priest, the school looks to the mainland to fill the job quickly. They want someone who can uphold their Catholic values and keep a motley group of largely unwilling students in line.
The position is filled by mainlander Rachel O'Brien—technically a Catholic (baptized!), technically a teacher (honors degree!)—who's desperate to leave her current mess of a life behind. She isn't surprised that her students don't see the value of learning French. But she is surprised that she can barely understand their English… Is it a compliment or insult to be called a sleeveen? (Insult.) And the anonymous notes left on her car, telling her to go home, certainly don't help to make her feel welcome.
Still, she is quickly drawn into the island's traditional music and culture, and into the personal lives of her crusty but softhearted landlady, Lucille, her reluctant students and her fellow teacher Doug Bishop. But when her beliefs clash with church and community, she makes a decision that throws her career into jeopardy. In trying to help a student, has she gone too far?
"Monaghan paints a full picture of a mysterious little town, giving supporting characters compelling backstories without resorting to caricature. Fans of Richard Russo's That Old Cape Magic, Emily St. John Mandel's The Glass Hotel, and Patricia Harman's The Runaway Midwife will enjoy Rachel's fish-out-of-water journey to acceptance and understanding." —Booklist
"Prepare to have your pants charmed right off by this warm hug of a book." —The Globe & Mail
This information about New Girl in Little Cove was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Damhnait (pronounced Downith) Monaghan grew up in Ontario and Newfoundland. A former teacher and lawyer, Damhnait is an award-winning flash fiction writer with numerous publication credits. She lives in the south of England with her husband, two children and the family dog. New Girl in Little Cove is her debut novel, inspired by the years she spent teaching in outport Newfoundland.
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