Books
A Fierce Radiance - Lauren Belfer
- Item Number
- 101
- Estimated Value
- 25 USD
- Sold
- 25 USD to J_Gumby
- Number of Bids
- 1 - Bid History
Item Description
A Fierce Radiance is at once a thriller, a love story, a family saga, and a window into American history, evoking the pure essence of war-time New York. It portrays the tumultuous early days of World War II, when many feared that the Americans would lose the war, when even children were caught up in the sacrifices demanded by the nation's mobilization, and when individuals clung fiercely to their loved ones, because no one could predict what tomorrow would bring.
New York City is awash with a sense of purpose in 1941, in the days following the U.S.'s involvement in WWII. Emotions are heightened, and everyone wants to do something meaningful. Claire Shipley stumbles upon the greatest story of her career when she is assigned to take pictures of the scientists at the Rockefeller Institute who are working against time to develop life-saving antibiotics. Little does she know that the assignment will involve blackmail, espionage, and murder.
Claire is shocked by what she finds at the Institute: the doctors and researchers are attempting to cure fatal infections with a little-known, temperamental medicine. The medicine is called penicillin.
The novel recreates the era before antibiotics, when fatal infections were so common that parents could never count on their children surviving into adulthood. Belfer's historical exploration of the origins of these life-saving drugs, whose efficacy has since been reduced through over-prescription and the growth of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, is a natural segue to today's heated debate in the medical community over antibiotic use.
The Washington Post has named A Fierce Radiance to their list of the Best Novels of 2010
NPR has named A Fierce Radiance one of the best mysteries of 2010
"Historical fiction that sizzles."
- The Washington Post
"A feast of storytelling wonders."
- Salon.com
"An adventure story."
- The New York Times Book Review
"A love story and murder mystery rolled into panoramic family saga and industrial-espionage thriller....Belfer's prose is heartbreaking, as are her twin themes of love and betrayal." -- USA Today
Her debut novel, City of Light, was a New York Times bestseller, as well as a #1 Book Sense pick, a Barnes& Noble Discover Award nominee, a New York Times Notable Book, a Library Journal Best Book, and a Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. Her novel A Fierce Radiance
Belfer’s fiction has also been published in the Michigan Quarterly Review, Shenandoah, and Henfield Prize Stories. Her nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World, The Christian Science Monitor, among other publications.
Item Special Note
Hardcover, written and signed by Lauren Belfer
Donated By:
Lauren Belfer
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library stores data...
Your support matters, so Buffalo & Erie County Public Library would like to use your information to keep in touch about things that may matter to you. If you choose to hear from Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, we may contact you in the future about our ongoing efforts.
Your privacy is important to us, so Buffalo & Erie County Public Library will keep your personal data secure and Buffalo & Erie County Public Library will not use it for marketing communications which you have not agreed to receive. At any time, you may withdraw consent by emailing Privacy@frontstream.com or by contacting our Privacy Officer. Please see our Privacy Policy found here PrivacyPolicy.