Elizabeth Good
asked
Stephen P. Kiernan:
Hi Stephen! I have a few "technical issues" for lack of a better phrase, with your wonderful new book, Universe of Two. A bit detailed to explain but maybe you can look at my review to see the issues which confused me? There were two tiny details which didn't track for me, and one other conclusion about Brenda not returning to Chicago which seemed odd. Curious if I did not understand correctly. Wonderful book though!!
Stephen P. Kiernan
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[Hi Elizabeth. My heartfelt apologies for taking so long to answer. I simply didn't see your question until this morning.
Thanks for the many kind things you said in your review, and for raising questions that reveal you as a sharp reader.
First, you are right that there is a sentence at the end of the Chicago setting which puts the seasons out of order. Somehow that snuck by me, my editor-who-misses-nothing, copy editors, etc. This kind of thing happens when I write a first draft that is waaay too long, and trim 35,000 words to reach the final draft. Sometimes chronology gets confused with that much cutting. It is, of course, mortifying to see the error in print.
Brenda did not go back to Chicago, despite her brother being there, because it was a place of loss and bad decisions for her. Also from 1945 forward she was busy travelling the world with Charlie, studying great organs, and then they settled in Massachusetts. (Many people involved in the Manhattan Project, from the lowest levels to the highest, did not return to the place they'd been before the war.) Above all, I felt that her devotion to him, and to repairing both of their consciences, would be a full time and lifelong endeavor.
Thanks again for your keen eye, and for reading my work. (hide spoiler)]
Thanks for the many kind things you said in your review, and for raising questions that reveal you as a sharp reader.
First, you are right that there is a sentence at the end of the Chicago setting which puts the seasons out of order. Somehow that snuck by me, my editor-who-misses-nothing, copy editors, etc. This kind of thing happens when I write a first draft that is waaay too long, and trim 35,000 words to reach the final draft. Sometimes chronology gets confused with that much cutting. It is, of course, mortifying to see the error in print.
Brenda did not go back to Chicago, despite her brother being there, because it was a place of loss and bad decisions for her. Also from 1945 forward she was busy travelling the world with Charlie, studying great organs, and then they settled in Massachusetts. (Many people involved in the Manhattan Project, from the lowest levels to the highest, did not return to the place they'd been before the war.) Above all, I felt that her devotion to him, and to repairing both of their consciences, would be a full time and lifelong endeavor.
Thanks again for your keen eye, and for reading my work. (hide spoiler)]
More Answered Questions
Patricia Mallett
asked
Stephen P. Kiernan:
This question contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[
My dad passed away just recently. He was part of the 82nd airborne and took part in at least one combat jump in Normandy. So, when Emma asked about the jellyfish in the sky, my heart burst open and tears have been flowing ever since. Dad has always been my hero but I never really thought of him as a hero for others. Thank you, Stephen, for giving life to his story, and to the citizens of France during the occupation?
(hide spoiler)]
Mary Jean
asked
Stephen P. Kiernan:
Read The Hummingbird while helping my sister through her last days of life after fighting a valiant battle with cancer. Worried it would be too hard to read now; instead, it proved to be cathartic as she passed last week. "Nurse Birch" was so often helping Barclay Reed with the same sorts of issues we were dealing with, along w/our own Hospice nurses--same meds, techniques, compassionate acts, etc. Thank you! ?
Allan Hudson
asked
Stephen P. Kiernan:
I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoy your stories. I read The Baker's Secret upon recommendation from another book lover and when I finished it, I immediately went to the bookstore looking for your other novels. You are amongst the best storytellers today. Reading The Hummingbird now. What can we look forward to with your stories?
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