Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - Random Harvest

Random Harvest
Random Harvest
Author: James Hilton
When he is gassed during World War I Charles Rainier winds up in an asylum in England without a memory of who he is or what his life was before. During the celebration at war's end, he escapes the asylum and is taken in by a dance hall singer. The eventually fall in love and marry. Happy in his new life "Smithy," as he is now called, becomes a w...  more »
ISBN: 160144
Publication Date: 1/1941
Pages: 327
Rating:
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 3

4.2 stars, based on 3 ratings
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Write a Review
Read All 7 Book Reviews of "Random Harvest"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

reviewed Random Harvest on + 813 more book reviews
Set between the big wars, a amnesiac war hero resurfaces to rescue the family conglomerate from financial havoc. Long presumed dead, he and the family fear the publicity associated with his return from the dead. They manage to stifle the press. So much for having the media in your pocket. There is an interesting section concerning stock speculation and share value that is reminiscent of Frank Norris The Pit and Zolas Money. Will we never learn? Not so long as we can play our little games with other peoples money. Some 200 plus pages later, after we have learned most of his current history, he gets his memory back. That leads him to seek one more link. He finds it on the last page. One can surmise what it is from the final part of the book (a mere 24 pages), yet it will hardly seem plausible that he never recognized it as it happened after his period of amnesia.
WhidbeyIslander avatar reviewed Random Harvest on + 715 more book reviews
An unabashedly romantic book, that can be read many times. The construction of the story (moving back and forth between the two separate lives of the hero) is jarring at first, but supremely effective.

If you don't know the plot (and haven't seen the wonderful film with Greer Garson and Ronald Colman), the last page holds a special thrill for you.

This is a book for people who love The Time Traveler's Wife and books like it.

Note: the Print on demand 2018 reprint is a bare-bones book, with print very small on pages with very large margins. There is no information about the book itself, and the back cover is blank except for the ISBN. But it was only $8.95 to purchase, so.... The Aug 2019 book is a much better production, with easier to read print.

Book Wiki

Original Publication Date (YYYY-MM-DD)
People/Characters
Helen Rainier (Primary Character)
Paula Ridgeway (Primary Character)
Charles Rainier / Smithy (Primary Character)
Harrison (Major Character)
Kitty (Major Character)
(Show all 21 People/Characters)
Important Events

Genres: