Juliette Fay's winsome eighth novel, The Harvey Girls, follows two young women who become colleagues--and, eventually, much more--as they work alongside one another in the United States' first hospitality chain, along the Santa Fe Railroad.
Charlotte Crowninshield turned her back on her Boston Brahmin family when she married a handsome professor. Now, fleeing a marriage gone terribly wrong, she takes a new name and lands a job working for the Fred Harvey Company. She travels to Topeka, Kan., to train as a waitress at the company's flagship "Harvey House." Charlotte's roommate, Billie MacTavish, is the sheltered Nebraskan daughter of Scottish immigrants, forced to leave home and lie about her age to secure her position as a Harvey Girl. Though they dislike each other on sight, Billie and Charlotte must learn to live and work together. The railroad, and their lives as Harvey Girls, will take them both to places they never imagined.
Fay (The Tumbling Turner Sisters) paints a striking historical portrait of 1920s America, detailing the bustling train stations and well-appointed restaurants. Despite their prickly relationship, Billie and Charlotte stand by one another through tough days and several harrowing experiences. As Charlotte's past catches up with her and Billie debates whether to reveal her true age, the women must rely on their Harvey Girl training--plus their inner grit and compassion--to support each other and step into their futures.
At once a fascinating slice of little-known 1920s history and a tribute to staunch female friendship, The Harvey Girls is as satisfying as a slice of lemon meringue pie served in a Harvey House dining room. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams