Neighbor News
Local author publishes debut novel
SSP native Margaret A. Blenkush has published her first book, "The Doctor of Bellechester," available on Amazon and in libraries now.
South St. Paul, MN/ Nov. 22—Can one act of kindness change a life? That’s the question posed in the first novel by South St. Paul native Margaret A. Blenkush. The book, “The Doctor of Bellechester”, is available now from St. Patrick’s Guild, Red Balloon Bookstore, and Amazon.
“This heartwarming novel follows the challenges and triumphs of a young female doctor in a central London hospital in 1959,” says Tina Brackins, project manager at Beaver's Pond Press.
“I wrote this during COVID, and I wanted to take readers away from the current difficulties and violence of today’s newsreel into a different time and place,” says Blenkush. “This is a book about the value of mentorship and friendship in the young hero’s life. Society today seems to self-segment by generations, but I wanted to show that building bridges across age groups is mutually beneficial.”
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The author is a Minnesota twin by birth who enjoys gardening, volunteering, Sudoku, and the changing seasons. Blenkush holds master’s degrees in Theology from St. John’s University (Collegeville), and in Library and Information Science from University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee. She worked for 25 years in local parishes and for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Central Corporation. She shares her childhood home in South St. Paul with her nephew and two pet rabbits.
In the novel, Dr. Harold Merton, a general practitioner from a rural village in the Shropshire Hills, arrives in London in 1959. He is on a quest to find a junior doctor he can mentor to take over his practice.
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Enlisting the help of his old friend and classmate, Dr. Basil Applegate, Director of Junior Doctors at Mother of Mercy Hospital, Harold hatches a plan to find his young associate. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty!
A chance encounter with a young woman proves to be the catalyst for three days that change the young woman’s destiny and provide Dr. Harold Merton with lifelong memories. Can an act of kindness change a life? The answer is found in the charming tale of The Doctor of Bellechester.
Learn more or purchase a copy by visiting the author’s website: