The Nest Builder: A Novel

"The Nest Builder: A Novel" by Beatrice Forbes-Robertson Hale is a story about Stefan Byrd, a young painter sailing back to America from France on the Lusitania. Feeling a bit lost and unimpressed with his fellow travelers, Stefan’s journey becomes one of self-discovery as he remembers his unhappy childhood in Michigan and longs for the artistic beauty he found in Paris. His reflections reveal a struggle to find his place as an artist caught between different worlds. This sets the scene for his meeting with Mary Elliston, a passenger who intrigues him with her beauty and intelligence, suggesting a story filled with themes of love, dreams, and the tangled connections between people that will drive the rest of the book.