Welcome, friend! I am always on the lookout for historical fiction that is not set during the times of the two world wars, and when The Harvey Girls came to my attention, I had to read it. The story is about two women working at Harvey Houses in the US in the 1920s, which were restaurants established around the Santa Fe railway line. This is my first book by Juliette Fay and will not be the last. She writes memorable characters and offers in-depth world building around the time — all delivered in immersive writing that I could fall back into the story every time I picked it up. Here are the details about the book:
Juliette Fay | Goodreads
1926: Charlotte Crowninshield was born into one of the finest Boston society families. Now she’s on the run from a brutal husband, desperate to disappear into the wilds of the Southwest. Billie MacTavish is the oldest of nine children born to Scottish immigrants in Nebraska. She quit school in the sixth grade to help with her mother’s washing and mending business, but even that isn’t enough to keep the family afloat.
Desperate, both women join the ranks of the Harvey Girls, waitresses who serve in America’s first hospitality chain on the Santa Fe railroad. Hired on the same day, they share three things: a room, a heartfelt dislike of each other…and each has a secret that will certainly get them fired.
Through twelve-hour days of training in Topeka, Kansas, they learn the fine art of service, perfecting their skills despite bouts of homesickness, fear of being discovered, and a run-in with the KKK. When they’re sent to work at the luxurious El Tovar hotel at the Grand Canyon, the challenges only grow, as Billie struggles to hide her young age from would-be suitors, and Charlotte discovers the little-known dark side of the national park’s history.
“Juliette Fay’s gift for creating complex, exquisitely human characters” (Marisa de los Santos, New York Times bestselling author) is on full display in this deeply moving and joyous celebration of female empowerment, loyalty, and friendship.
The Harvey Girls – Review
Harvey Houses and the Women
Harvey Houses were established along the railways in the US by Fred Harvey. He chose to employ women between the ages of 18 and 30, offering them a solid salary and boarding. After their training, the girls could request to be transferred to other Harvey Houses and, in this way, see the country. I love the freedom that this job provided and also that being a Harvey Girl was respected. Women wanted to be waitresses for Fred Harvey! The Harvey Girls is about two such women – Charlotte, who wants to escape from her abusive husband and start fresh, and Billie, the oldest in a family, wanting to support her parents as best as she can. They don’t start off as friends, but over the course of the story, they become adopted sisters. Harvey House is a place to learn and grow while also experiencing community and local culture. When Billie joins Charlotte at El Tavor Hotel by the Grand Canyon, I got to see sentiments and perceptions of people around Native Indian lands, arts, and culture.
Charlotte’s Journey
I instantly liked Charlotte! In her interview to become a Harvey Girl, she is trying to hide the bruise on her face, and when the interviewee asks her about it, her response that by being hired the wound will heal and never return is powerful. She has been isolated for so long! Falling in love with her professor, she had to leave college unfinished, not realizing that he was not a good man. Her family disowned her, and she was lonely in the world until finally she found the courage to run away from him. Becoming a waitress at a Harvey House offered a chance to not get settled in one place while also starting to rebuild her life and confidence. This work was hard for her. She came from a rich household, and becoming a waitress, living paycheque to paycheque, taught her a lot. As she experienced different kinds of clients at the two Harvey Houses she was at, she was able to reflect on her upbringing and the perceptions she had about the service industry.
Learning and Growth
I have studied Indigenous treaties in Canada in an academic setting and through non-fiction novels such as Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation (see review here). I don’t know much about American history, and for this reason, The Harvey Girls was educational to me. I learned about the Indigenous communities that call Grand Canyon home. Charlotte made a friend and learned about Hopis from her. She initially considered being a part of the “Indian Detours,” but after talking to an Indigenous shopkeeper she had come to know over the month, she understood it to be an appalling idea. According to Fred Harvey Detours, “The Fred Harvey Company developed the Indian Detours in 1926 to encourage travelers on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway to depart the train, spend a night in a Fred Harvey Hotel, and travel in a Harvey Car to historic and scenic sites across New Mexico and Arizona.”
Charlotte is inquisitive and kind, and I enjoyed seeing her get back into reading and learn more about Indigenous people in the area. As someone doing tours, she met a variety of people and got to see varied perspectives about the Indigenous population. She warned Billie of people who had negative remarks and proclaimed that the land was America’s. At one point, she dug into history and learned about how Billie’s family came to move to the US from Scotland.
Billie’s Story
Billie is lovable. She is not yet sixteen when she pretends to be old enough to become a Harvey Girl, but encouraged by her mom, whom she adores, she decides to take this step to support her big family and ensure that her sisters go to school. Her charm makes up for her clumsiness, and her sunshine attitude wins hearts instantly. Being away from home at such a tender age is very hard on her, and it takes some time for her and Charlotte to warm up to each other as they share rooms. Though Billie is almost a decade younger than Charlotte, she teaches Charlotte to open up and know that she is looking out for her. She is the older sister when needed, and I enjoyed watching her grow. Whether it was falling in love for the first time, worrying about a sick family member while being away, navigating how to continue her religious routines while being in another city, Billie takes on every challenge and navigates her way through. There are moments of harsh reality for her too, and she comes out wiser.
The Harvey Girls is a lovely book, and I breezed through it. It is a story about two women navigating a complex, imperfect world and how friendships can sustain us when we are lonely and help us blossom when we are ready. I highly recommend it!
Stay tuned for an interview with the author, going live tomorrow.
Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this book.
A book I was reminded of: A Ballad of Love and Glory.
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