Wednesday 24 August 2016

The Cherry Harvest - Lucy Sanna

A memorable coming-of-age story and love story, laced with suspense, which explores a hidden side of the home front during World War II, when German POWs were put to work in a Wisconsin farm community . . . with dark and unexpected consequences.

The war has taken a toll on the Christiansen family. With food rationed and money scarce, Charlotte struggles to keep her family well fed. Her teenage daughter, Kate, raises rabbits to earn money for college and dreams of becoming a writer. Her husband, Thomas, struggles to keep the farm going while their son, and most of the other local men, are fighting in Europe.

When their upcoming cherry harvest is threatened, strong-willed Charlotte helps persuade local authorities to allow German war prisoners from a nearby camp to pick the fruit.

But when Thomas befriends one of the prisoners, a teacher named Karl, and invites him to tutor Kate, the implications of Charlotte’s decision become apparent—especially when she finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Karl. So busy are they with the prisoners that Charlotte and Thomas fail to see that Kate is becoming a young woman, with dreams and temptations of her own—including a secret romance with the son of a wealthy, war-profiteering senator. And when their beloved Ben returns home, bitter and injured, bearing an intense hatred of Germans, Charlotte’s secrets threaten to explode their world. 

My thoughts:
I read another book like this with POWs working the fields, and that one ended badly for them so I started this one with a bad feeling.....

Someone needs to pick the cherries. The Christiansen family needs money, food, workers, so yes I got it, either they all starve or get those POWs to help.

Charlotte the mother does not want them there, but at the same time she needs them there. She was rather judgmental and cold at times.

Kate the daughter wants to go to uni, she loves reading and writing, farmlife, not so much. She will have her own adventure.

Thomas, the father, is more in the background, he never wanted to become a farmer, but now here he is.

Charlotte's story was sad. Thomas was bitter, and Kate's story, well that was, it was like it was just thrown there for fun.

Conclusion:
At the end I knew I had enjoyed the book. It was a good book, but then I started to think, I have no good things to say, no bad things. It actually left me pretty cold. So is that good or bad?

Cover
Meh

Paperback, 352 pages
Published April 19th 2016 by William Morrow Paperbacks (first published June 2nd 2015)
Historical fiction
Library

34 comments:

  1. I struggle with these types of books and usually have that same cold feeling after reading them.

    Simply Angela

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    Replies
    1. I do love his fic, but...dunno really why I enjoyed it, but at the same time it left me cold

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  2. Apathy is not good. It means the book was ineffective.

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    Replies
    1. Strange I still liked it, but then again would I read more...no. I liked this, but no more

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  3. This sounds interesting. I actually think I have a copy. Will have to look for it!

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  4. So does it end well for them? Or no?

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    Replies
    1. That is a spoiler but...not everyone will live happily ever after

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  5. Interesting. Some books are just there. Nothing good or bad about them. Just a story.

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  6. Oh this one doesn't sound like I would have problems with the book. I'm not happy about the leave you cold part... good or not. :-/

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  7. I think this one would leave me feeling meloncholy.

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  8. I enjoy historical fiction, but I can tell this one isn't for me.

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  9. I guess feeling cold/ambivalence is better than negative feelings, but it's not good either. Sorry to hear this one didn't resonate with you more, but it does sound like a downer.

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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    Replies
    1. It was weird, cos the book was good, but at the end I was all what did I feel?

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  10. Hmm an okay book but not a memorable one!

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  11. I guess it was just okay then?

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  12. Awww I don't like when books leave me feeling like that.

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  13. I don't mind reading meh books but I HATE reviewing them lol

    Karen @For What It's Worth

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    Replies
    1. It was not meh, it was good, else I would have just dnfed

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  14. The topic intrigues but then the fact that this left you cold and meh, makes me skip it.

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  15. "A memorable coming-of-age story" ... that tells me NO!

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