Season of My Enemy

In this misfiring installment in the Heroines of WWII series, Musch (Song for the Hunter) follows a young woman willing to do whatever it takes to keep her family’s farm afloat—including working with German prisoners of war. Fannie O’Brien has taken over her family’s Wisconsin farm following the death of her father. But the work proves too much for Fannie and her teenage siblings, so at the behest of her mother, Fannie contracts German POWs from a nearby prison camp to help out. Though initially resistant to the idea, Fannie comes to appreciate the Germans’ hard work. She catches the eye of the God-fearing Capt. Wolfgang Kloninger, who she’s drawn to in spite of herself. Then, after a fire damages the crops and a gun goes missing, Fannie must decide which of the Germans can be trusted. Musch stretches credulity with her rose-colored portrayal of the German POWs, who are “glad their part in the war is over” and conveniently “had not committed the atrocities of war.” Readers will struggle to believe this simplistic depiction of homefront life during WWII. (June)