Description: After her kind mentor is arrested because of his Jewish heritage, a young baker's apprentice in Normandy engages in discreet resistance activities, baking contraband loaves of bread for the hungry using surplus ingredients taken from occupying forces.
Brief description:
Stephen P. Kiernan is the author of the novels The Curiosity, The Hummingbird, The Baker's Secret, Universe of Two, The Glass Chateau, and Pollock's Last Lover. A graduate of Middlebury College, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, he spent more than twenty years as a journalist, winning many awards before turning to fiction writing. He has also worked nationwide on improving end-of-life medical care through greater use of hospice. Kiernan lives in Vermont.
Review Quotes:
Praise for The Curiosity: "I absolutely loved The Curiosity. It's as thought-provoking and powerful as Flowers for Algernon and the writing is breathtakingly beautiful. And that ending? Poignant, luminescent, and absolutely perfect." - Chris Bohjalian, bestselling author of The Light in the Ruins and Midwives
"Stephen Kiernan's The Curiosity is a true page-turner, mixing cutting edge science with an all-too-human love story, while simultaneously taking on the Big Questions. What is the true measure of a human life? Where does the line fall between legitimate science and playing God? If death could be undone, what would it mean to live? I'm green with envy for this writer's bold imagination. It's one of the most assured debuts in years, a book that will stop your heart and start it again." - --Justin Cronin, bestselling author of The Passage
Praise for The Hummingbird: "The Hummingbird is a novel that shares its unexpected gifts and teaches us that surrender is a part of love, and that giving away our weapons is the first step to peace." - Mary Morris, author of The Jazz Palace
"[A] smart, heady, and irresistible science thriller...Kiernan gets every element right in this breakneck, entertaining, and thought-provoking tale about time, mortality, the ethics of science, and the meaning of life." - Booklist (starred review)
"The Hummingbird snuck up on me. A hospice nurse in Oregon tells of helping a discredited and difficult history professor through his last weeks; tells of her marriage in shreds, her husband wracked with trauma after returning from Iraq where he served as a sniper; and tells how she begins to read aloud to the dying professor his unpublished masterpiece: the true story of the single Japanese attack on the U.S. mainland during World War II. Stephen Kiernan writes with surefooted mastery and patience. The three braids of narrative wove together and gathered power until I was in thrall and startled to find myself in the middle of a tale of immense tenderness and beauty and heartbreak. Yes, our worlds are torn by violence and anger. And forgiveness is possible and necessary, and takes great courage. And love can grow in the most unexpected places. What thrilled me about The Hummingbird is that I learned again that sometimes an unbridgeable chasm can be crossed by a leap of the imagination." - Peter Heller, author of The Painter and The Dog Stars
"Remarkably touching, insightful and timely... bridges several powerful stories of life and death that explore the cost of courage and the true meaning of heroism... Illuminating, uplifting and ultimately redemptive." - RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars)
"In this moving saga, Stephen P. Kiernan tells the story of soldiers and survivors, heroes and healing. . . . I'm not sure I've ever read a novel that so poignantly depicts the brevity of life, the significance of each moment, the impact we have on one another." - Mary Morris, author of The Jazz Palace
Praise for The Baker's Secret: "Transcends even a critical moment in history to suggest the inescapable human condition of ignorance of the future, and the absolute necessity of hope, courage, and unselfish sacrifice." - Sena Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife, Four Spirits, and The Fountain of St. James Court
"This thought-provoking novel is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. . . . Kiernan has created characters who are well-developed, beautifully flawed, and unforgettable. Yes, it's a story of tragedy, but it's also one of love, endurance, and, ultimately, redemption." - Washington Independent Review of Books
"A tale beautifully, wisely, and masterfully told."
- Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife and Circling the Sun
"This many-faceted, thought-provoking story prompts soul-searching about life, war, and death." - Booklist