The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy

 

Germany, 1929. At a festive gathering of young bohemians in Weimar, two young artists, Max, a skilled Jewish architect, and Bettina, a celebrated avant-garde painter, are drawn to each other and begin a whirlwind romance. Their respective talents transport them to the dazzling lights of Berlin, but this bright beginning is quickly dimmed by the rising threat of Nazism. Max is arrested and sent to the concentration camp at Dachau where only his talent at making exquisite porcelain figures stands between him and seemingly certain death. Desperate to save her lover, Bettina risks everything to rescue him and escape Germany.

America, 1993. Clara, Bettina’s daughter, embarks on a journey to trace her roots and determine the identity of her father, a secret her mother has kept from her for reasons she’s never understood. Clara’s quest to piece together the puzzle of her origins transports us back in time to the darkness of Nazi Germany, where life is lived on a razor’s edge and deception and death lurk around every corner. Survival depends on strength, loyalty, and knowing true friend from hidden foe. And as Clara digs further, she begins to question why her mother was so determined to leave the truth of her harrowing past behind...

The Porcelain Maker is a powerful novel of enduring love and courage in the face of appalling brutality as a daughter seeks to unlock the mystery of her past.

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About The Author

 

SARAH FREETHY worked as a writer, script consultant, producer and development editor in television before turning her hand to fiction. THE PORCELAIN MAKER is her first novel. She lives in England with her family.

 

My Review

A young couple in love, living 1929 in Germany, but life there begins to change, and soon they are not even allowed to marry as he is Jewish. We follow this couple as they go about trying to earn a living, both artists, and he is also an architect working on the autobahn. She loves to paint abstract, but soon that is also not allowed!
The author gives us a glimpse into what life was like for the folks, and we know what was happening at that time for people of the Jewish faith.
This is a time slip read, spanning from 1929 to 1993 and back as the years toward the danger becomes harder and harder.
What would a mother do to save her child? In this read the Mom Bettina does just that, save her, and we are there when Clara is both a child and an adult with her own child.
I loved how the author brought this book to a conclusion, yes there are surprises, and then there are how we wish things turn out.
I was page turning for answers, and I think we need to be reminded of the Holocaust!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher St. Martin's Press, and was not required to give a positive review.