Stern Men - Audio CD - Unabridged Author:Elizabeth Gilbert, Allyson Ryan (Narrator) 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 joi... more »n 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.