Cherry Blossoms in Winter by Michael J. Summers

Reviewed by Chelsey Tucker

Friendship, romance, and warfare in a powerful historical novel

A Korean War veteran, Jack Pierce, retells his experience 50 years down the road in Cherry Blossoms in Winter. He details his time in Japan during their occupation, the story of how he met the love of his life, and also the heartbreak of losing some great friends in Korea.

When Jack decided to join the Army in 1948, World War Two was over. The United States had helped end the fascist regimes, so no one expected another war to start anytime soon. He saw the military as a way to answer his calling as an adventurer, but his free spirit almost cost him his spot. 

While running drills at the base of Mount Fuji, Jack couldn’t resist the call of the mountain, “It’s been bothering me, like I might have regrets, being so close to a mountain that’s so damn perfect and not trying to climb it.” Pierce and his comrades climbed Mount Fuji in the middle of the night on a whim.Thankfully, Colonel Jones saw the value in having soldiers with his kind of spirit and chose not to court-martial them for it.

Upon being stationed at Camp Drake in Japan, Pierce and his fellow soldiers familiarized themselves with the new culture by enjoying their free weekends drinking and dancing with pretty Japanese women. 

One of these Japanese women, Michiko, captured Jack’s heart the second they locked eyes. But being in the military means unexpected calls to action, and that throws a wrench in Jack’s plans to see her again. Months of letters, promises, and postponements make the love match seem even more unlikely.

Cherry Blossoms in Winter offers a stellar blend of falling in love from a soldier’s perspective without overpowering the story with romance. The balance between common human experiences and those of young enlisted men makes Cherry Blossoms in Winter a captivating ride that military and historical fiction enthusiasts will love.

Author Michael J. Summers also does a great job of making the 15th Division feel real. While the characters may be fictitious, they are recognizable humans just trying their best in a tough spot. I also appreciated that Summers brings to life some real historical elements, like the battle for Rat Mountain, and that Jack is a bit different from the rest; the language used to describe how he sees the world is beautiful and illuminating. “Jack lay upon his stomach and envisioned a stage master supervising the hoisting of her majesty’s curtain and the servants pulling gently upon the glorious embroidery to draw her subjects into tempestuous anticipation.”

The novel includes several smaller stories told within the context of a larger story. Jack Pierce tells his story to a young, much-interested writer, but the main story sometimes comes across as out of order. Occasionally, when it jumps around in time, it takes a moment to reorient yourself with its timeline. At first it seems strange, but it is also what could be expected when someone retells their stories 50 years later.

Not only is Cherry Blossoms in Winter a great story for history enthusiasts, it would be an excellent choice for current and former military members. This book is for mature audiences due to language and adult topics.

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