About the Book
Author: Naomi Musch
Genre: Christian Fiction / Historical Fiction / Romance
Release date: June 1, 2022
“Get Your Farm in the Fight” – The Realities of WWII Come to a Wisconsin Farm
Only last year, Fannie O’Brien was considered a beauty with a brain, and her future shone bright, despite the war pounding Europe. With her father’s sudden death and her brothers overseas, Fannie must now do the work of three men on their 200-acre farm—until eight German prisoners arrive and, just as Fannie feared, trouble comes too. Someone seems intent on causing “accidents,” and Fannie is certain the culprit is one of the two handsome older Germans—or possibly both. Can she manage the farm, keep the prisoners in line, and hold her family together through these turbulent times?
Click here to get your copy!
My Thoughts:This story was another unique World War II novel that takes place on a Wisconsin farm instead of out on the battlefields. Fannie's dreams of being a teacher and just about everything else has come to a complete stop. War has come and even though she is in the United States, it has touched her family. Fannie is trying her best with her mother and two younger siblings to keep their farm going. Her late father loved the land, but the workers are few. That is until her mother decides to let the local German POW's do the needed work on the farm.
Fannie is not sure about this set up, even though they desperately need the help. She is not fond of these prisoners as one of her brothers is a prisoner of theirs's and her other brother is missing due to this war with the Germans. However, Fannie does learn that not all of these men are cut from the same cloth and so little by little she lets go of her prejudice.
This was an interesting story of a family's survival here in the State's and the author's notes on the POW's prison camps here in the USA was chock full of historical information that I was not fully aware of. I enjoyed this different perspective on the war.
I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.
About the Author
More from Naomi
Welcome to my wilderness – that’s what it says when you pop onto my website, because so many of my books take place in rural and wilderness settings. That’s where my heart lives too. Therefore, when I decided to write a World War II story, I gravitated to the home front, to rural America, where living out the war years meant a different kind of survival.
Before this story idea came to me, I knew that prisoners of war had been held in America during part of the war years. There are a number of other wonderful WWII novels out there set in North America involving POWs, and I adore the 2005 movie Sweet Land. Yet, until looking further, I hadn’t realized that so many German soldiers were held right here in my home state of Wisconsin! In fact, thousands of prisoners were sent to work in our country’s canning factories and on our farms. How could I have grown up and never been told that there had once been a POW camp right in my home town?
In fact, there were 38 such “branch camps” just in Wisconsin alone—camps that housed workers specifically for contracting work on farms and in canneries. Workers were contracted by farmers with the army and sent to labor in the cranberry bogs, cherry orchards, apple orchards; to farms picking beans, peas, corn, and to tend the other crops. By international treaty, prisoners had to be paid for their work, so they were allowed to earn scrip in the equivalent of 80 cents per day which they could spend in camp canteens on personal items.
Bingo! There was the seed that burst through the soil of my imagination for my novel Season of My Enemy.
My heroine Fanny O’Brien is a Wisconsin farm girl who left state teacher’s college to manage her family’s farm during the war. She never imagined herself coordinating the work of eight German prisoners in the process—or what the outcome of that task would be.
I believe a great story has to reveal strong yet subtle themes in order for the characters and their plight to feel real. In Season of My Enemy, Fannie uncovers a lot of prejudice both in her own heart and as her eyes are opened to the broader sphere around her. There are all kinds of prejudice in the world, and some of it revealed in this story may surprise you. In fact, my editor and several other authors of WWII fiction who read the book all said, “I didn’t know that!” (I won’t tell you what they were referring to, because you know…spoilers.)
Season of My Enemy isn’t all about history of course. It’s a heartfelt story of a man and woman who slowly yield their hearts to love amidst unpredictable times and unusual circumstances. They begin as enemies who finally look beyond their prejudices to find they have more in common than they first thought. To overcome terrific odds, they must depend upon their faith and rest in a powerful hope that touches their own lives as well as the lives of others surrounding them.
I hope you’ll read Season of My Enemy, and be sure and pop me a note to tell me what you think!
Blog Stops
Texas Book-aholic,
June 28
Blossoms
and Blessings, June 28
Inklings
and notions, June 29
Happily
Managing a Household of Boys, June 30
Debbie’s
Dusty Deliberations, June 30
For Him and My
Family, July 1
Remembrancy, July 2
Pause for
Tales, July 2
deb’s Book
Review, July 3
Book Looks
by Lisa, July 4
Mary Hake,
July 4
Betti Mace,
July 5
Babbling Becky L’s
Book Impressions, July 6
Locks, Hooks
and Books, July 6
Ashley’s
Clean Book Reviews, July 7
Connie’s
History Classroom, July 8
Books, Books, and
More Books, July 8
Bizwings Blog,
July 9
Truth and Grace
Homeschool Academy, July 10
Labor Not in
Vain, July 10
lakesidelivingsite,
July 11
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Naomi is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/1f45e/season-of-my-enemy-celebration-tour-giveaway
I look forward to reading this book for the story as well as learning more about what happened home in the US during WWII.
ReplyDeleteSeason of the Enemy sounds like a great book for me to read and I am looking forward to reading it, thanks for sharing it with me! Thanks, Pause for Tales, for sharing your thoughts! Have a happy, fun & safe holiday weekend!
ReplyDelete