Dawn O'Hara, The Girl Who Laughed

This novel follows witty Irish-American newspaper reporter Dawn O'Hara as she rebuilds her life after a nervous breakdown caused by years of grueling work and a traumatic marriage to a husband institutionalized for severe mental illness. After recuperating at her sister's home in Michigan, she takes a reporting position in Milwaukee, where she forges deep friendships, navigates a tender yet complicated romance with the steady, thoughtful German physician Ernst von Gerhard, and works to fulfill her long-held dream of writing a full-length book. Through hardship, loss and quiet growth, Dawn ultimately finds healing, independence and a new path toward lasting happiness.