We recently wrote about Fred Harvey and the Harvey Girls with their place in history and a restaurant in the Kansas City train station. This was a simple story that detailed some of the food offered and even the Harvey Girls movie. Recently after publishing the story, we were sent information of an author that has a book on a similar subject.
Juliette Fay—acclaimed for her “well-drawn characters and historical backdrops” (Library Journal)—returns with The Harvey Girls, a sweeping, heartfelt novel set in 1920s America. Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah and Kristina McMorris, this is the unforgettable story of two very different women who must learn to trust each other: one trying to save her family, the other trying to save herself.
Charlotte Crowninshield comes from one of Boston’s most prestigious families—but she’s fleeing a violent husband and seeking safety in the vast, unfamiliar Southwest. Billie MacTavish, the eldest daughter of Scottish immigrants in Nebraska, has been working since childhood to help support her large family. When even that’s not enough, she’s forced to find another way.
Both women turn to the Harvey Girls, a pioneering corps of waitresses working along the Santa Fe Railroad—America’s first hospitality chain. Hired on the same day, Charlotte and Billie are thrown together in Topeka, Kansas, sharing a room, a deep mutual dislike… and dangerous secrets that could cost them everything.
As they endure grueling twelve-hour training days, homesickness, and the looming threat of exposure—not to mention a terrifying encounter with the KKK—the women slowly begin to understand each other. But when they’re assigned to the El Tovar hotel at the edge of the Grand Canyon, new challenges arise. Billie must conceal her true age from unwanted suitors, and Charlotte uncovers the darker side of life inside a national park.
With her signature warmth and insight, Juliette Fay brings to life a powerful tale of friendship, resilience, and the enduring strength of women. The Harvey Girls is a vibrant tribute to female courage and connection in the face of adversity.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Juliette Fay is the bestselling author of eight novels, including City of Flickering Light and the USA TODAY bestseller The Tumbling Turner Sisters. A graduate of Boston College and Harvard University, she lives in Massachusetts. Learn more at JulietteFay.com.
THE HARVEY GIRLS
By Juliette Fay
Gallery Books | Paperback | On sale August 12, 2025 | 384 pages
