For Fans of The Correspondent and The Dictionary of Lost Words!
“Fans of historical novels will find much to like in McGuirk’s debut. An ambitious work of historical fiction.” –Kirkus Reviews
“In Susan McGuirk’s epistolary novel Dear Missing Friend, letters go where the heart is meant to travel, enabling a kind of freedom that feels unattainable in daily life.” –Foreword Reviews
“McGuirk creates a powerful foundation for a story that embraces many elements, from history to mystery, using Catherine’s strengths and character to bring this era to life. Recommendable to book clubs.” –Midwest Book Review
“It resonates with works like The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan and The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri in its examination of cultural identity and resilience. Urgent and timeless, the novel offers an unflinching look at the cost of forging a new life in a foreign land and a tribute to the women who defied societal constraints. Simply Un-put-downable.” –The Prairies Book Review
ONE WOMAN. TWO MEN. ONE DREAM.
Sag Harbor, New York, 1840s: Catherine McGuirk leaves Ireland and a shipboard proposal behind, determined to forge a new life in America. Amid the bustling height of the whaling era, she marries a dashing sailor who vows to give up life on the sea. But when he vanishes westward in pursuit of gold, she is forced to chart her own course as a governess in Manhattan society. Torn between her ambition, the vanished whaleman she married, and the now-wealthy suitor she refused, she must navigate love, loss, and the tides of a changing world.
From May 19 to June 19 we will celebrate the release of DEAR MISSING FRIEND with this special virtual book tour, and we hope you will follow along to learn more about this breathtaking historical novel debut:
5/19/26: BOOK PRINCESS OF CALI
5/19/26: QUILTED READS
5/20/26: WE LOVE BIG BOOKS AND WE CANNOT LIE
5/21/26: LOVE MY BOOKS 2020
5/22/26: MICHELLE LOVES BOOKS
5/25/26: BOOKS AND COFFEE MX
5/26/26: CASSIE’S BOOKS REVIEWS
5/27/26: EPICUREAN READS
5/28/26: ENJOYING BOOKS AGAIN
5/29/26: TAMMY READS 62
6/1/26: SUBAKKA BOOKSTUFF
6/2/26: A BLUE BOX FULL OF BOOKS
6/3/26: DANISH MUSTARD READS
6/4/26: THE PAGE LADIES READ
6/5/26: READING IS MY REMEDY
6/8/26: BOOKSTAGRAM SAM
6/9/26: JEN’S TOWERING TBR
6/10/26: SARAH’S BOOKISH REVIEWS
6/11/26: NISSA THE BOOKWORM
6/15/26: CAROL DOSCHER READER
6/16/26: BOOKPHILE BELLE
6/17/26: STOREYBOOK REVIEWS
6/18/26: GLORIANA WONG
6/18/26: MARY MARY LIBRARY
6/19/26: BOOKALONG
Learn more about DEAR MISSING FRIEND and Susan McGuirk at: susanmcguirk.com.







