Synopsis

Helen Campbell is the eldest and most practical of three sisters, daughters of hard-working Irish emigrants living in New York City in the 1950s. She does what she can to keep the wild-child middle sister, Carolyn, in line and support the youngest, Peggy, as she pursues her dreams of becoming a doctor. Then Helen meets Charlie.

While it’s love at first sight for those two, Carolyn’s antics threatens to derail all the sisters’ future happiness. However, through thick and thin, the three sisters strive to prevail, though not necessarily in the ways they thought they wanted.

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Awards and Praise for Eileen Joyce Donovan

2019 Marie M Irvine Award for Promises, 2021

When Word Count competition for A Lady Newspaperman’s Dilemma

“This story is well written and immerses the reader in the period rooting for Alex. At times, I found her decisions a bit rash, but I remembered myself fighting for my career in a male-dominated field. The story is well-researched, and I enjoyed it immensely.”- Carol Amorosi, Author of The MacKay Mysteries, Series

“It was compelling to read of the mores of the time: school teachers couldn’t drink in public, staying at a boarding house came with a set of restrictive rules, and trying to get lead stories in a newspaper entailed being part salesperson/part private investigator.
With the role of newspapers and reporters being in the news of late, this depiction of a young woman learning the ropes in a competitive, male-dominated field was fascinating in the scope of how tough it is to get a story right.”- Susan Wands, Author of Magician and Fool

“I don’t normally read historical fiction, but I so enjoyed this book set in the 1920s. The theme is timeless as the main character is determined to make it in a man’s world. Great read!”- Stacy Wilder, Author of A Liz Adams Mystery Series

“The characters and fast-paced plot drew me in and kept me reading. I enjoyed the historical details and the fact that every time I thought I knew how a character would react, I was wrong. The author is too skilled to fall into stereotypes.”- Grammarian, Amazon Review

Guest Review by Nora

There is nothing like the love of sisters when you are going through a rough time, and no one knows that better than the Campbell sisters.

Living in the bustling city of New York during the 1950s, the sisters face love, betrayal, loss, and sacrifice all in this beautifully written historical fiction from the author Eileen Joyce Donovan.

Helen Campbell is a modest, 20-something woman working at a home for orphans in Manhattan when she has a near brush with tragedy. One of the children in her care is hit by a passing bicyclist and hurt. Luckily, the little boy does not suffer serious injury, and the bicyclist, a man named Charlie, is more upset than anyone.

After the boy is brought back home, Helen and Charlie strike up a conversation, and he ends up asking her on a date. But Helen is unsure if she should be seeing this man, as she finds out that he is a boxer and worries that he is too rough for her. Compounding this worry is the thought of what her parents, hard-working Irish immigrants, will think of him.

As Helen’s relationship with Charlie begins to take off, something happens with her younger sister, Carolyn, that threatens to harm both Helen and their other sister, Peggy’s sense of safety, and disrupt their home life.

An excellent historical fiction read and one that I think would be worthwhile for many readers, ‘The Campbell Sisters’ is a wonderful look at love, both in family and in the romantic sense.

I loved the attention to the small historical details in this one. Donovan really has a talent for creating an atmosphere that makes you feel like you have been transported back to the 1950s. I was not expecting some of the twists and turns that happened in this one, but they definitely made the book! Five stars!

Guest Post

A DAY IN MY LIFE

by Eileen Joyce Donovan

I want to give a warm welcome to Eileen and her stop here on my blog, StoreyBook Reviews. I love to hear from authors, and I hope you enjoy these words from her.

Thank you, Leslie, for inviting me to post as a guest on StoreyBook Reviews. One of the topics you suggested was that I tell your readers, and mine, what a typical day looks like in my life. Wow! Is there such a thing in anyone’s life? Hard to imagine.

Every time I start a new project, I make a plan. Get up, shower, dress, eat breakfast while I watch the morning news (just to make sure the world didn’t explode overnight), then write for the rest of the morning. After lunch, I’ll type what I’ve written, and yes, I write everything in longhand first, and then read for the afternoon. Usually, there’s very little left of the afternoon by then since I’m a terrible typist as well as a slow one. Hence, the longhand writing.

I don’t read anything I’ve typed until the next day. That gives me a chance to see it with fresh eyes as well as put me right back into the story from where I ended it. Good plan, right?

I think it works out that way about one out of every seven days of the week. Invariably, life interferes with “the bests laid plans of mice and men.”

Take this week, for instance. Sunday meant a trip to the subway station (I live in New York City) to get a Metro Card for my cousin, who was in NY from Delaware visiting her brother and coming to see me on Monday. That day also included a stop at the bank and since I don’t own a car all of these trips mean walking, which takes a lot longer than driving up to the ATM and never leaving your car. But really, who would want a car in NYC?

But I digress. Monday, my cousin and I went to see the Edward Hopper exhibit at the Whiney Museum, then lunch at a lovely little tea shop in Greenwich Village. Tuesday was a visit to the doctor (just routine), then grocery shopping. Wednesday, today, I actually got some writing done this morning before gearing up for a podcast interview at noon, then a quick run to the wine store for my contribution to a party this evening. Thursday, a trip to the Museum of Natural History with an old college friend, then a bite to eat. Friday. Hurrah! An empty day on my calendar. Maybe I’ll get some work done. Saturday, a morning Zoom call with one of my writing groups. And we’re back to the start of a new week.

Oh, I forgot to mention checking my emails and responding to them. Then posting something on social media, although I don’t do that every day, and responding to anyone who has left a comment for me on my last post. I guess I’m supposed to add cleaning my apartment somewhere in here. That’s pretty low on my list of priorities, but it’s always neat and tidy, even if it is a little dusty.

So, is there a typical day in my life? I think not. I may not have children to shuttle around, but I rarely get a full day to write. More like bits and pieces of time, here and there, which is why I have scraps of paper scattered all around my desk with thoughts about what I want to change or add to my present work in progress. Maybe I can get them organized before my zoom interview today. But really, what are the chances of that happening?

© Eileen Joyce Donovan

About the Author

Eileen Joyce Donovan has been writing her entire life, in one way or another, whether it was imaginative stories for friends, or advertising copy for clients. At the persistent urging of her husband, she finally agreed to seriously edit and revise one of her stories and take the plunge. Years later, her persistence paid off and both her debut historical fiction, Promises, and her second novel, A Lady Newspaperman’s Dilemma, won prestigious awards. Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies, and her essays have been included in various Chicken Soup for the Soul editions.

She lives in Manhattan, New York and is a member of Authors Guild, Women’s National Book Association, Women Fiction Writers Association, and The Historical Novel Society.

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