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The Cherry Pickers
A Family is Forever Changed in the Summer of 1956
The edge of the orchard, where the last row of trees stood on the old lake bluff, delimited the edge of the real world. The orchard’s orderly realm clashed and stood in mortal conflict with the Michigan woods spread below. One would win in the end. The boy understood the The orchard is man’s domain; the forest is owned by no one, a wilderness. He called it “below the hill,” below civilization, below the safe, the known, the comfortable. The path from the crest of the bluff to the woods below carved a hallway from one life to another, from one place that held his family to another that held him. It was a place to learn, to poke and prod, to watch and wonder, and to see miracles. It was also where he began to understand the conflicts of life and death.
A tale of secrets in northern Michigan during that hot and stormy summer of 1956. With constant fear of nuclear war, an exploding Middle East, and memories of World War II still fresh on soldier’s graves, a fourteen-year-old boy realizes that he is growing up. In Howie Smith’s world of primeval forests, orderly orchards, and Lake Michigan, he learns about life and begins to understand death. While dealing with a crazy aunt, a dying uncle he learns to cherish, and the unyielding pressure to bring in the demanding crop of cherries, Howie is forced to quickly learn that there is much more to life than baseball.
The edge of the orchard, where the last row of trees stood on the old lake bluff, delimited the edge of the real world. The orchard’s orderly realm clashed and stood in mortal conflict with the Michigan woods spread below. One would win in the end. The boy understood the The orchard is man’s domain; the forest is owned by no one, a wilderness. He called it “below the hill,” below civilization, below the safe, the known, the comfortable. The path from the crest of the bluff to the woods below carved a hallway from one life to another, from one place that held his family to another that held him. It was a place to learn, to poke and prod, to watch and wonder, and to see miracles. It was also where he began to understand the conflicts of life and death.
A tale of secrets in northern Michigan during that hot and stormy summer of 1956. With constant fear of nuclear war, an exploding Middle East, and memories of World War II still fresh on soldier’s graves, a fourteen-year-old boy realizes that he is growing up. In Howie Smith’s world of primeval forests, orderly orchards, and Lake Michigan, he learns about life and begins to understand death. While dealing with a crazy aunt, a dying uncle he learns to cherish, and the unyielding pressure to bring in the demanding crop of cherries, Howie is forced to quickly learn that there is much more to life than baseball.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 8, 2017
91 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Gregory C. Randall
41 books41 followersMichigan born and Chicago raised, Randall has made the San Francisco Bay Area his home with his wife for the last 45 years. A graduate of Michigan State with a degree in landscape architecture, Mr. Randall has 45 years of community design and urban planning experience. He has his own design firm, Randall Planning & Design, Inc., and has designed hundreds of residential, commercial and retail properties throughout the western United States.
Mr. Randall has enjoyed writing for many years but it has become a serious vocation in the last twenty years. His books almost always have an historical component and often reflect how the past has impacts on the present. Randall has developed all the cover cart for his books as well as the interior design, graphics, and overall formatting. This also includes ebook formatting.
Greg is the author of the five book series, The Sharon O’Mara Chronicles. The six book in the series is under development.
He is also developing the third book in the Detective Tony Alfano thriller noir series set in 1933 Chicago. The first book in the series, Chicago Swing, won the Silver Medal in the 2016 Global Ebook Awards. The second, Chicago Jazz, is now available.
His edgy young adult novel, Elk River, has won acclimation and awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and Northern California Book Publishers Association (BAIPA).
Mr. Randall and his wife have their own independent publishing company, Windsor Hill Publishing. He is a book cover designer and artist and is well versed in the ebook conversion process. All of his books are available through the usual sources.
BLOGS: WWW.WRITING4DEATH.BLOGSPOT.COM
WWW.COGITOURBANUS.BLOGSPOT.COM
WEBB SITE: WWW.GREGORYCRANDALL.INFO
WWW.GREGORYCRANDALL.COM
Mr. Randall has enjoyed writing for many years but it has become a serious vocation in the last twenty years. His books almost always have an historical component and often reflect how the past has impacts on the present. Randall has developed all the cover cart for his books as well as the interior design, graphics, and overall formatting. This also includes ebook formatting.
Greg is the author of the five book series, The Sharon O’Mara Chronicles. The six book in the series is under development.
He is also developing the third book in the Detective Tony Alfano thriller noir series set in 1933 Chicago. The first book in the series, Chicago Swing, won the Silver Medal in the 2016 Global Ebook Awards. The second, Chicago Jazz, is now available.
His edgy young adult novel, Elk River, has won acclimation and awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and Northern California Book Publishers Association (BAIPA).
Mr. Randall and his wife have their own independent publishing company, Windsor Hill Publishing. He is a book cover designer and artist and is well versed in the ebook conversion process. All of his books are available through the usual sources.
BLOGS: WWW.WRITING4DEATH.BLOGSPOT.COM
WWW.COGITOURBANUS.BLOGSPOT.COM
WEBB SITE: WWW.GREGORYCRANDALL.INFO
WWW.GREGORYCRANDALL.COM
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 10, 2018
Great read!
This is such a great story of family, understanding, and love. Very well developed characters. I would love a follow up story maybe 10 years after just to find out what happens to the characters that I’ve grown to love. Thank you Mr. Randall for sharing this with me. I will look for other works you have written and I highly recommend to all who want to discover depth in a novel.
This is such a great story of family, understanding, and love. Very well developed characters. I would love a follow up story maybe 10 years after just to find out what happens to the characters that I’ve grown to love. Thank you Mr. Randall for sharing this with me. I will look for other works you have written and I highly recommend to all who want to discover depth in a novel.
November 20, 2018
Started out well
This had the potential of being a great story. Then a little over halfway it had to bring a homosexual relationship into the mix. Also some weird non Biblical evolution bs but I can overlook some ignorance in a novel. Trying to "normalize" a homosexual relationship. Ended the story for me.
This had the potential of being a great story. Then a little over halfway it had to bring a homosexual relationship into the mix. Also some weird non Biblical evolution bs but I can overlook some ignorance in a novel. Trying to "normalize" a homosexual relationship. Ended the story for me.
January 25, 2019
This book started out slowly and at times I was getting bored, but then half way through it picked up. I found it a delightful read about a young boy coming of age during the 50's. I loved the history of the area of Michigan where the cherry orchard was located outside Traverse City. The description of the scenery especially Lake Michigan brought back memories from my childhood.
February 1, 2019
Great coming of age story
By the time i reached the end i felt as if i knew this family. I was bit saddened to say goodbye. The story conveyed a sense of deep roots and family that is so rare in todays world. The way the characters stood by each orher regardless of each ones nature.. Or lifestyle is the way family should be.
By the time i reached the end i felt as if i knew this family. I was bit saddened to say goodbye. The story conveyed a sense of deep roots and family that is so rare in todays world. The way the characters stood by each orher regardless of each ones nature.. Or lifestyle is the way family should be.
August 1, 2018
Cherry pickers
Such a very slow book without much plot. Basically it's about a 14 yr old boy and his family and how they spend summers on the grandparents cherry farm. There were a few of the typical life lessons that young people learn at that age.
Such a very slow book without much plot. Basically it's about a 14 yr old boy and his family and how they spend summers on the grandparents cherry farm. There were a few of the typical life lessons that young people learn at that age.
November 23, 2023
Outstanding
Loved that he covered so many issues and prejudices people deal with. As on older individual it was easy to relate; especially with a brother like Frank Rex and the talent he had. Thanks Gregory. Our Gideon was Randall. 🙂
Loved that he covered so many issues and prejudices people deal with. As on older individual it was easy to relate; especially with a brother like Frank Rex and the talent he had. Thanks Gregory. Our Gideon was Randall. 🙂
August 1, 2021
Olden days
This was a very realist read that made you feel as if you were right there within the midst of all of the scenes. Very well told.
This was a very realist read that made you feel as if you were right there within the midst of all of the scenes. Very well told.
July 17, 2025
I thought this book was very slow and boring until the very end. Almost did not finish it.
August 24, 2025
Good book. This was an enjoyable read. As usual, the author tells a nice story.
March 23, 2017
4 and 1 / 2 stars
The writing in this book is beautiful, lyrical and almost musical. It is 1956 on a farm in Michigan.
A move from the city of Chicago to a farm dominated by an orchard in Michigan makes an indelible impression on a young boy. A 14-year-young boy named Howie delineates his small world by naming the orchard where he lives as man’s world, while the forest below has no sovereign. The forest is “below the hill.” That is to say below the safe, the comfortable and the known.
Here during a beautiful summer, he hangs about on the edge of the woods. He is sometimes proud of his deformed arm and uses it to shock teachers and play pranks on his sometimes friends. His drunken Aunt hates him, but his step-grandmother feels sorrow for the boy. His little brother is a tattletale, so he goes to the woods to smoke. He fantasizes about what goes on in the forest.
Life in the orchard is both routine and seasonal. Life in the woods, the boy imagines, is quite different; both wild and unpredictable. As Howie observes all, he grows in many ways.
I want to thank Netgalley and Windsor Hill Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read.
The writing in this book is beautiful, lyrical and almost musical. It is 1956 on a farm in Michigan.
A move from the city of Chicago to a farm dominated by an orchard in Michigan makes an indelible impression on a young boy. A 14-year-young boy named Howie delineates his small world by naming the orchard where he lives as man’s world, while the forest below has no sovereign. The forest is “below the hill.” That is to say below the safe, the comfortable and the known.
Here during a beautiful summer, he hangs about on the edge of the woods. He is sometimes proud of his deformed arm and uses it to shock teachers and play pranks on his sometimes friends. His drunken Aunt hates him, but his step-grandmother feels sorrow for the boy. His little brother is a tattletale, so he goes to the woods to smoke. He fantasizes about what goes on in the forest.
Life in the orchard is both routine and seasonal. Life in the woods, the boy imagines, is quite different; both wild and unpredictable. As Howie observes all, he grows in many ways.
I want to thank Netgalley and Windsor Hill Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read.
June 6, 2017
Read the full review on my blog.
I received a free digital copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
I have a great time reading this book. The prose is wonderful and I easily swept away in its atmosphere. The writings is beautiful and it feels almost cinematic. If you like a detailed writings with clear imagery of time and place, you will like this book. It holds a certain allure that makes this book quite unique. The writings and the pace that the author creates gives the book a very light and refreshing feels, while still give us many important and realistic moments that we can relate to in real life. Rather than a coming of age story, I feel like this book tells a story of life and family love.
I really enjoy and appreciate this book. It gives us a great coming of age story and a great family drama. There are also some representations of POC and queer characters and it has done quite well considering that this book is set in 1956. I recommend this book and I want to thank both Net Galley and Windsor Hill Publishing for providing me with a digital copy of this wonderful book.
I received a free digital copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
I have a great time reading this book. The prose is wonderful and I easily swept away in its atmosphere. The writings is beautiful and it feels almost cinematic. If you like a detailed writings with clear imagery of time and place, you will like this book. It holds a certain allure that makes this book quite unique. The writings and the pace that the author creates gives the book a very light and refreshing feels, while still give us many important and realistic moments that we can relate to in real life. Rather than a coming of age story, I feel like this book tells a story of life and family love.
I really enjoy and appreciate this book. It gives us a great coming of age story and a great family drama. There are also some representations of POC and queer characters and it has done quite well considering that this book is set in 1956. I recommend this book and I want to thank both Net Galley and Windsor Hill Publishing for providing me with a digital copy of this wonderful book.
July 12, 2017
The Cherry Pickers is a book that brings you away to a place and time you can both relate to and escape to. Howie's summer on a cherry farm in Michigan is filled with mystery, diversity, death and family dynamics unique to no one these days, but perhaps kept more as skeletons back in the day. It's a story of many adventures that show how much growing can be done when teens are sent outside and left to their own devices.
January 7, 2019
The one thing I really liked about the book was the description of things that were happening in the 1950's. It helped to visualize the town. I also like the contrast between the town and the farm. One part was stuck before world war one and hadn't changed the other was in the present day.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews