Set in Wisconsin during World War II, Lucy Sanna's first novel, The Cherry Harvest, revolves around the passion and intrigue that arise when German prisoners of war come to the Christiansen farm to pick the cherry harvest. Though she's desperate for the money the sale of the fruit would bring, in order to continue feeding her family, Charlotte is leery of these "murderers" and doesn't like them near the house where she and her daughter, Kate, spend their summer days. Her son is off fighting the Nazis, so the last thing she wants is personal contact with her enemies. But when her husband, Thomas, befriends Karl, who is an intellectual like him, and brings the German to the house to tutor Kate in math so she can attend college in the fall, Charlotte is forced to see that Karl, this "murderer," is just a man--who longs for his life back in Germany, has hidden desires and craves the end of the war just as she does. And while Charlotte slowly warms to Karl, Kate discovers her own hidden appetites with a rich boy who has so far avoided the draft.
Sanna has adeptly interwoven details of life and hardship for many in the U.S. during this time with the very different lives of the rich who profited off the war. By blending them with the personal struggles of Charlotte, who must confront her fears and her desires and with the dreamy longings of Kate, Sanna has created an impassioned and spirited historical romance. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer