I’ve read quite a few books set during World War II, both in the middle of the war zones and back home in the US. The Cherry Harvest goes in a new direction describing the effects of the war — farmers who couldn’t have survived without the German war prisoners who worked their farms while the regular workers were off at war or higher paying jobs.
Charlotte and Thomas Christiansen, owners of a cherry orchard on Lake Michigan, have been hit hard by the war. Charlotte does what she can to put food on the table while oldest son Ben is off fighting in Europe, daughter Kate is dreaming of going to college, and Thomas is trying to keep the farm going alone, as the migrant workers have taken better paying jobs building ships. Charlotte can’t take another year without the income from the cherries so suggests the local German PWs work the orchard, living in the camp on their land.
Shortly after the PWs arrive Thomas becomes friendly with one of Germans — a teacher who just wants to return home safely to his family. He invites Karl into their home to tutor Kate in math and help with chores, and while Charlotte initially resents his presence and fears his influence on her daughter, she soon develops feelings for him she can’t resist.
Kate, on the other hand, can’t wait until she can leave for college in the fall. She frequently visits her best friend Josie, whose family runs the lighthouse. Josie is engaged to Ben, dreaming about their wedding when he returns. On one blustery night when Kate is leaving the lighthouse, she is swept into the lake and turns up on the property of Clay, the son of a senator who’s used his influence to avoid going to war. Kate secretly meets up with Clay, torn between her family responsibilities and her attraction to Clay.
The Cherry Harvest alternates Kate’s coming-of-age story with Charlotte’s struggle with her feelings for Karl. She claims to love Thomas, but also resents his education and encouragement of Kate’s dream of being a writer, as she can’t understand what’s wrong with being a housewife and mother. Charlotte isn’t very likable – she’s wishy washy about the prisoners being on her land, and doesn’t make the best decisions, though she has good intentions. Thomas is absent most of the novel, usually out in the orchard, but it’s hard to believe he doesn’t see what’s going on right under his nose.
I enjoyed the farm setting and the description of what life was like during that time – the rationing, trading of goods and services, fear for the boys fighting overseas. Kate is naive and sheltered and very taken in with Clay’s Gatsby-like lifestyle, but I enjoyed her part of the story much more than her mother’s. And Ben’s unexpected return home is heartbreaking for its realism.
One thing The Cherry Harvest left me with was a craving for some sweet cherries.
Content warning: there are a few scenes that some might consider offensive, with fairly explicit descriptions of sexual encounters. I’m not sure they brought anything to the story and feel this is a case where “less is more” would have been a good idea.