Have you ever heard of Clackamas County, Oregon? Have you ever been to Clackamas County, Oregon?

Deborah Birch, a hospice nurse, has received her new assignment to care for Barclay Reed at his home by Lake Oswego. One of the details in his office file is that he has no surviving family. What once was a mere part of his resume reveals that he was a professor with tenure at Portland State University and a nationally recognized expert on WWII. At home, Deborah struggles to connect with her husband, Michael, who has returned from his 3rd deployment in Iraq.

Sometimes, the book title's meaning is not immediately evident, nor does it reveal its significance when first viewing it. However, when the moment of revelation arrives, there are chills. At that moment, the title is meaningful beyond words. The title suddenly becomes more than just a few words. It becomes powerful with images in your mind created that you'll always remember when you hear someone mention the title, see the novel in a bookstore, or see another reader holding, looking at, or reading the book, knowing they have an extraordinary story in their hands.

This historical fiction novel is not just enlightening, but also profoundly moving. It is powerful, poignant, and meaningful on multiple levels. It presents history with a depth that goes beyond any history text or class discussion, profoundly impacting the reader's emotions and intellect. Each reader will form a unique, personal connection with the novel, remembering different aspects and creating their own mental images. However, it is the universal impact of the story that connects us all.

I had never heard of Clackamas County, Oregon, or traveled anywhere in Oregon. Now, I'll never forget it.

It is not difficult to find statistics about veterans with PTSD. This novel gives gripping clarity that these individuals are not numbers. Each veteran has a name. The individuals are more than can be captured in any statistical analysis. They have served their country and should not come home to statistics, indifference, and apathy. They deserve more. The novel challenges the reader to see beyond the numbers and understand the human stories behind the statistics.

Available at the end of the novel, the Author’s Note, Sources and Acknowledgments, Interview with the Author, and Reading Group Guide are vital parts of the reading experience.

Reviewer’s Note: The last question in Interview with the Author shares the title, "The Taste of Hope," as the author had completed the 1st draft of this novel at the time of the interview and provided the tentative publication date of May 2017. The novel was released in May 2017, with the title, "The Baker’s Secret." ( )

What an amazing book! Hospice worker Deborah is working with a dying historical academic whose great work is shrouded in scandal. He has done so much research on an unknown story surrounding World War II and a Japanese pilot that bombed the upper northwest woodland. Does Deborah believe his story?
This dying man also helps her in her marriage relationship with her husband, Michael, who is having terrible PTSD after his third deployment to the Middle East. I love the line, "Dying people have taught me to live." that Deborah states. ( )

Excellent book. Does not sugar coat either death or war. ( )

In a Nutshell: Deborah Birch is a gifted hospice nurse experienced in guiding her patients and their families through the struggles of death and dying. Barclay Reed is a disgraced historian turned ornery old man who has summarily dismissed numerous nurses before turning to Deborah to see him through his final days. As Deborah struggles to care for the lonely, angry old man who challenges her to read the unpublished manuscript of the book that saw his career go down in flames, she also faces a challenge at home, that of her PTSD-afflicted veteran husband, Michael. As good as she is at helping those facing the hardest struggle of their lives, it may be that only an angry professor on his death bed can help her reach her husband before it’s too late.

The Good: The professor’s book happens to cover a little-known piece of World War II history (spoiler alert!!!!) that is based on actual events. Though its appearance interrupted the rest of the narrative, the story was a compelling surprise to me. (Okay, that’s all with the spoilers.) Deborah’s first person narrative of her successes and struggles as a hospice nurse is a unique window on what has to be one of the most difficult yet valuable professions.

The Bad: Deborah occasionally seems like a female character being written by a man, which... she is. She and her husband’s pet name for each other is “lover” and the way she lusts after her husband comes off very ...male. Also, I was consistently irritated that she was so attuned to her patients’ needs but so incredibly tone deaf to the “mood in the room” when interacting with her own husband. Some of Deborah’s experiences in hospice, are bit too textbook-y, as if Kiernan read up on a bunch of manuals about how to practically deal with death and dying and plugged them into his novel in too close to non-fiction format.

The Verdict: Somehow I’ve now managed to read Stephen Kiernan’s whole catalog so far, and I can tell you that The Hummingbird is my least favorite of the three. The whole narrative seems a bit wooden at times which kept me from fully engaging with a book that should have been an emotional roller coaster. The Hummingbird has its high points, but it didn’t feel genuine enough to really reel me in. ( )

Deborah Birch is a hospice nurse assigned to tend to Professor Reed in his final weeks or months. The Professor is known for being a bit...difficult. He's already gone through several hospice nurses, and Deborah doesn't hold out much hope that she'll last much longer. Even sweet Nurse Sara with her positive and upbeat personality only lasted three days with the Professor.

So what chance does Deborah have with Professor Reed?

But as it turns out, the Professor seems to have taken a liking of sorts to Nurse Birch. And at the end, he shares with her his yet unpublished final book about a little known story from WWII and a Japanese pilot by the name of Ichiro Soga.

Through the sharing of his book, the Professor is helping Deborah to better understand her husband Michael, who is an ex-soldier suffering from PTSD.

I really liked Nurse Deborah Birch. She is calm and level-headed and straight-forward. She is a woman of compassion and understanding, but she doesn't pull any punches.

Professor Reed is cantankerous, but I actually really liked him as well. He reminded me a bit of a family friend that just passed away at 93 years of age. Presenting with biting remarks and a sharp mind that is hard to contend with, even in his advanced years, he can be a handful. (Actually now that I say that, I realize he reminds a little bit of my father, but "meaner".)

I liked the author's writing. It is very easy to read, yet there is some depth to it. I was impressed with the research that must have gone into this story.

My final word: I enjoyed this book. The characters were likable and fleshed out. The writing I found to be insightful and compassionate. It's an easy read, but not too easy. It includes an interesting peek into World War II, as well as hospice care and therapy, and the sufferings of our soldiers returning home with PTSD. I was a little nervous going in, but actually wound up liking the book quite a lot. I think I will be recommending this one to my book club. ( )