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 from Wellesley College. 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; The Half of It) paints a striking historical portrait of 1920s America, detailing the bustling train stations and well-appointed restaurants that become Billie and Charlotte's world. She explores the freedoms and limits of being a Harvey Girl: though the job offers a chance at independence, plus income and opportunities to travel, it also comes with strict behavioral standards. Despite their prickly relationship, Billie and Charlotte stand by one another through tough days on the job and several harrowing experiences, including an encounter with the KKK. Fay explores both protagonists' personal growth alongside their deepening friendship, even as they face difficult decisions about their futures.
When Charlotte and Billie are transferred to the Grand Canyon, Fay immerses readers in the stark beauty of the Arizona desert and the elegance of the El Tovar Hotel, their new workplace. At El Tovar, Charlotte learns some of the local Indigenous history by asking questions about handicrafts and traditions. Fay sensitively portrays the complicated experiences of Native peoples in the area, and their frustration with being displayed as cultural curiosities. 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
Shelf Talker: Juliette Fay's winsome eighth novel chronicles the adventures and personal growth of two young women working alongside each other as waitresses in the 1920s.