Mrs. McPhealys American, Claire R. McDougall
Mrs. McPhealys American, Claire R. McDougall
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Mrs. McPhealy's American

Author: Claire R. McDougall

Narrator: Mhairi Morrison

Unabridged: 12 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 10/01/2024

Categories: Fiction, Romance, Family Life


Synopsis

Hollywood director Steve McNaught is drinking heavily and on the brink of a midlife crisis. With guilt over two failed marriages and his role as near-absent father, he buys a one-way ticket to Scotland, hoping to find solace in his grandfather's ancestral home. Soon the town is abuzz with the news of Steve's impending arrival at his aunt's Mrs. McPhealy's. The ladies exchange glances; the men in the only pub wonder if there might be some cash advantage. Bent over the bins in the alley behind the shops, the three tinker brothers barely register the goings-on. They know they are related to this Hollywood character. Everyone knows. It is only Steve McNaught who is in the dark.

But from the outset, Steve is a misfit in the small town of Locharbert. Georgiana (George) MacBrayne, the local midwife, suffers no fools, and this is exactly what she expects to find in Steve McNaught. When Steve buys the dilapidated cottage by the shore where George grew up and which she has always hoped to restore, the tension between them increases. As these things go, so does the attraction. George lets her guard down long enough to let Steve in, but when he starts making a film starring Locharbert's local characters, she throws him out. He takes his film reels and heads back to California. And then, one day, Steve reappears, months sober and brandishing his newly edited film.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Lora on August 06, 2024

Mrs. McPhealey’s American opens with two sentences that immediately grab your attention and make you, as the reader, smile. “Every village had its idiots. Locharbert in Scotland had three.” Add to the intrigue by including a flawed, alcoholic American looking for his Scottish roots, a free-spirited......more

Goodreads review by Elisa on October 11, 2024

Claire McDougall is a master storyteller. The characters in Mrs. McPhealy's American are well-drawn, the story arc is satisfying, and the setting is unforgettable. I was thoroughly delighted and drawn into the shenanigans going on in Locharbert, and I was also struck by the parallels to some of the......more

Goodreads review by Ava on November 17, 2024

Claire R. McDougall's, Mrs. McPhealy's American, captivated my heart and imagination. Set against the backdrop of Western Scotland, the persistent rain and ever-present dampness described dovetail with the weight of the main characters' unresolved pasts. An American film director, disillusioned by t......more

Goodreads review by Kate on October 06, 2024

There’s plenty of drama in a small town if you’re paying attention, and Claire McDougall pays attention. Her delightful cast of characters includes Steve - the American who has come to Scotland to discover his roots and recover from a breakdown; George - a strong and independent midwife who wants no......more