Stern Men - by Elizabeth Gilbert (Paperback)

About the Book

Set on two small islands off the coast of Maine, "Stern Men" chronicles the coming-of-age of Ruth Thomas. Just back from boarding school, Ruth helps out with work on the boats, brushes up on her profanity, and falls for Owney Wishnell, a handsome young lobsterman.

Book Synopsis

The "wonderful first novel about life, love, and lobster fishing" (USA Today) from the #1 bestselling author of Eat Pray Love, Big Magic and City of Girls

Off the coast of Maine, Ruth Thomas is born into a feud fought for generations by two groups of local lobstermen over fishing rights for the waters that lie between their respective islands. At eighteen, she has returned from boarding school-smart as a whip, feisty, and irredeemably unromantic-determined to throw over her education and join the "stern men" working the lobster boats. Gilbert utterly captures the American spirit through an unforgettable heroine who is destined for greatness-and love-despite herself in this the critically acclaimed debut.

Review Quotes

Praise for Stern Men

"Rich as drawn butter and as comical as the crawly crustacean itself. . . Gilbert has penned a Dickensian tale; one wishes it ran in two volumes."-USA Today

"While Elizabeth Gilbert is not the first writer to suggest that smart women have much to teach stern men, she puts the idea forward with rugged power."-The New York Times Book Review

"[Stern Men] flashes with welcome brilliance."-The New York Times

"Howlingly funny."-San Francisco Chronicle

"An impressive comic debut." -Claire Dederer, author of Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma

About the Author

Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of nine previous works of fiction and nonfiction, which collectively have sold more than 25 million copies worldwide, spent more than two hundred weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and been translated into more than fifty languages. She has been a finalist for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the PEN/Hemingway Award. With more than 20 million views of her TED Talk and 2.7 million followers on her social media accounts, she continues to be one of the most beloved and influential writers of our age.