The Hummingbird by Stephen P. Kiernan
From the author of the acclaimed The Curiosity comes a compelling and moving story of compassion, courage, and redemption
Deborah Birch is a seasoned hospice nurse whose daily work requires courage and compassion. But her skills and experience are tested in new and dramatic ways when her easygoing husband, Michael, returns from his third deployment to Iraq haunted by nightmares, anxiety, and rage. She is determined to help him heal, and to restore the tender, loving marriage they once had.
At the same time, Deborahs primary patient is Barclay Reed, a retired history professor and expert in the Pacific Theater of World War II whose career ended in academic scandal. Alone in the world, the embittered professor is dying. As Barclay begrudgingly comes to trust Deborah, he tells her stories from that long-ago war, which help her find a way to help her husband battle his demons.
Told with piercing empathy and heartbreaking realism, The Hummingbird is a masterful story of loving commitment, service to country, and absolution through wisdom and forgiveness.
For the Reading Challenge(s):
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #TBD: TBD)
The Reason
This is a reread and the BOTM for my bookclub, but I would’ve reread it anyway because it’s one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read.
The Quotes
“I believe the measure of a vow does not lie in saying it, or in upholding it when things are easy. The power of a promise is proven in times of difficulty, when keeping that pledge is hard.”
“No one dies alone. If every life has value, so does every death.”
“What a notion. The main thing that giving a big gift required was courage.”
“I stayed with him, nothing greater than that, but essential because I stood between Barclay Reed and his being alone.”
My Thoughts
I read this book for the first time eight years ago and loved it then. Reading it again now; I love it still but it also hits a little different for me. Eight years ago isn’t really that long ago, but I was a different person then. I was younger, more hopeful about the future, and seeing things from the caregiver POV. I have since suffered some medical issues and I feel older and more tired in general. I’m not giving up by any means and of course I’m doing my best to take better care of myself, but it’s hard not to think of my own mortality when reading this book about a hospice nurse taking care of a dying patient.
I think it is important that I share my thoughts when I read it all those years ago:
The Hummingbird really speaks to my heart and to my sense of humanity. What makes us human, why do we suffer, why is life so fleeting… and yet so beautiful, so precious, so meaningful? Why do we live, only to die? This book doesn’t answer all of these questions necessarily, but it does make me stop and think of my own approach to life and relationships.
One of the things I loved most about the book is how death is portrayed in such a beautiful way. Tarot readers often spend a lot of time explaining the death card and how it doesn’t have to be a scary card. Most of the time we talk about rebirth, transitions, and new beginnings, and all of that is true. Sometimes it means a physical death, and despite how naturally death is a part of life, many people are still afraid of it. I feel like this book shows how death can be just as beautiful and as precious as birth of a newborn, and such a privilege to witness.
The most important thing for me though, is seeing how the protagonist navigates her world and in the end, how she grows. She is a hospice nurse who cares for those in their final days, and her dedication to her patients, her devotion, compassion, and understanding of their needs, is so humbling to see.
Throughout the book even as she struggles to provide care, she reminds herself that it’s not about her, it is about her patients and their families, and how she can best serve them. This is something that speaks to me as a tarot reader; it is never about my ego or how accurate my interpretation of the cards is, it is always about my clients and how I can best serve my them.
I still feel the same awe and beauty reading it this time, and it feels more meaningful to me now because I feel like I appreciate life and how fleeting it can be now more than ever. I don’t know if I can put into words all the feelings I have about this book.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?