Stephen P. Kiernan

"Asher stood alone in a flattened world. No mission, no assignments, no occupation, no money, no food, no family, no home. He searched his soul for a sliver of faith, any remnant, and found none."

Before the war, in the seaside town of Bonheur, France, Asher had a business as his grandfather had ensured he was apprenticed to a cobbler. Asher had a home, a wife, and a daughter. But that was before. For the past 4 years, he was a member of the same Resistance cell as childhood friends. In the aftermath of war, Asher is conflicted, adrift, and wandering. During Asher's wandering, he is directed to Clovide, said to be a place where good things are happening. At Le Château Guerin, Asher introduces himself as Asher Green. Green is not his last name, but a name made up on the spot of needed introduction.

I was introduced to the author's writing by gifted copies from a reader friend of "Universe of Two" and "The Baker's Secret." I knew after one chapter of the 1st book that I would like to read more of his writing. The author's beautiful writing is emotive, and the reader immersed in the setting, and the characters' lives lift off the pages and becomes the very definition of literature's verisimilitude. This novel brings an understanding of post-WWII trauma. They have survived, but they carry grief, guilt, shame, and burdens unspeakable even to each other. "Victory does not equal peace." Victory does not equal peace within a country torn and ripped to shreds by enemy occupation, enemy fire, and resistance against the enemy. But it is more imperative to understand victory in war does not equal peace within one's mind.

I have always loved to view stained glass windows in the churches and cathedrals I have visited since I was a young child. In reading the novel, I appreciated the details of the creation of stained glass windows, broken souls using broken glass: the intricate work, the craftmanship, the conditions in the atelier where such beauty is achieved. The picture of each window unique, the art of each window beautiful beyond words. Each window emanating a message and how wonderous that each message is meaningful to the eye of the beholder perhaps in a different way and yet the same.

Even if you've never read an author's acknowledgments before selecting this novel to read, I encourage you to read the Acknowledgements at the end of this book. You will learn the author's inspiration for this novel and his meticulous research that contributed to the fabric of his storytelling.… (altro)

Asher, a Jew, is grieving the loss of his wife and child who were killed in WWII. He is angry at the Germans, and fears for his life as a Jew. He wanders through France, and finally is welcomed at the château. He doesn't admit that he is Jewish, but goes along with the Catholic customs. There, he is trained to make glass for the stained windows of the cathedrals that were destroyed during the war.
He has a relationship with Marie, but she is also grieving. He is also befriended by others, and shown how friendship can transcend race and religion. Historic fiction - but went on a bit long for me.… (altro)

I kept avoiding this book, maybe the cover, maybe the title but neither intrigued me sufficiently to move it to the top of my reading pile. Another WW II post war book - something was putting me off, holding me back. But then I started reading and still was not totally committed. I am not sure exactly which page hooked me but when it happened I was all in. I didn’t find the story nearly as important as the individual character portrayals and their search for understanding, redemption, closure and forgiveness.

Asher, the protagonist, who has lost everything, ponders what he would become if he was able to “put down the grief, the hunger for revenge, the guilt over what the war had required him to do”. He wants peace, reconciliation and reconstruction and more he wants “a terrible storm to pass.” When he is accepted as a member of the Chateau he understands that he is not alone in this search - all of the residents of the Chateau are horribly damaged, concealing heartbreaking secrets. Their faith and labor at glass making are going to challenge them and provide the basis of their healing.

The lessons taught and learned are simple yet extraordinary. A fish leaping so high out of the water teaches “that all we get: from the unknown into this nonstop miracle, before we plunge back into unknowing”. “The discovery that fury was a a form of love.” There are just so many incredible observations as these men travel from what they were to what they had become to what they could be.

As a brief aside - the not so hidden references to Chagall and his symbolism were well placed curiosities that left room for a tangential hmmm. Was that a hidden something and where was it going or just an author’s prerogative to insert something that was an important “influence.” The explanation in the acknowledgments answered those questions.

This book is a thought provoking masterpiece. Incredibly well written and meticulously researched. So many thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a copy.… (altro)