My thanks to Net Galley and William Morrow & Company Publishers for an advanced copy of this e-book.

This is not the first book I have read about the Ten Booms; however, this is the first book that I have read of them that most of the time read like a historical fiction novel. Corrie led a very interesting life, Bessie her sister, such a very saintly life!! Loftis did a great job capturing the family's role in assisting others to safety, hiding many, and saving many a lost soul. I do think our young people should be reading this book and many like these so that they understand the true meaning of resilience and fortitude as well as what actually happened in World War II.

I firmly believe that books about WWII, including the Holocaust, need to be read and the topic needs to be learned and remembered, so we can at least hopefully notice when something similar is taking place and try to do something to stop it (I'm looking at you China re: the Uyghurs).

Now, I do have a beef with the title. It seems like the daughter in question is young, maybe on the cusp of marriageable age (for back then, maybe early 20s) and that her father was a watchmaker, which implies that she was not.

However, during the period of time that this book focuses on, she is in her 50s and she is the FIRST female watchmaker in ALL of Holland. So why is the title showcasing her father and her relationship to him when this story is about her and she was a watchmaker too?

That little rant aside, this was not a bad book. It took me so long to finish it because I kept coming across parts that had me so tense, I couldn't keep reading, even though I knew how the story ended.

It was kind of odd how Anne Frank, her family and Audrey Hepburn's experiences were brought up in the book with no real connection to Corrie and her family's story. And the other stories were brought up only a few times, leading me to feel that it was just filler and didn't really tie into the story being told.

I also didn't feel any of the urgency when describing Corrie's time in the various prisons and the concentration camp that she was in. It didn't have that immediacy that something of that magnitude should have felt like.

Also, the one prison supervisor who helped her and her family and who was Saved and became a Christian met with Corrie after the war and he had mentioned to her that he had been in prison himself, but didn't say what for and why he was let out. Was he found out to be helping Jews and he was imprisoned by the Nazis? Was he imprisoned after the war for war crimes by the Allies? No explanation.

I guess I'm just used to listening to and reading Holocaust memoirs, where everything is more personal and first person, causing the listener/reader to really feel what the narrator went through, because this book, while interesting, fell flat on occasion.

I do own a memoir by Corrie Ten Boom, The Secret Place, which I plan to read soon. I was debating which one I should read first and decided on this biography and then I would compare to the memoir.

3, solid but didn't overly knock my socks off, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

A very interesting story. I have never heard of Corrie ten Boom before and this was very well written and interesting. Great for WWII readers.

Genre: History | Nonfiction (Adult) | Religion & Spirituality
Published: 03/07/23

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for accepting my request to read and review The Watchmaker's Daughter.

Once again I am humbled by a beautiful piece of history. The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie ten Boom is one that people think they know, myself included. This book reads like a history textbook possibly upper middle grade to teen, early young adult. The author touches on the atrocities without the brutal details -- starving can be interpreted differently based on age and life experience. I appreciated being able to see her life and what she went through in what felt like real time.

This would be a nice gift to a young reader transitioning into nonfiction. It is a nice book for adult readers who are familiar with a name.

I loved this biography of Corrie Ten Bloom
and her courage family. The author Larry Loftis did a masterful job in chronicling Corrie and her families risking everything in saving the Jews.
Enjoyed also hearing about Corrie's saintly sister Bessie. How she didn't get angry at the Nazis was amazing. Loftis' book will hopefully be a best seller.
5 stars for sure!

I had the privilege to read this book off of netgalley for my honest review. This book is a great history that the world is trying to make disappear. I appreciate the author for writing the story. Which there was more books that talk about this subject.
This book is a true story about a woman and her family living through the age of the holocaust. They were not jews. I highly recommend this book.

True story of resilience!

The Watchmaker's Daughter by Larry Loftis is about the ten Boom family's legacy of kindness, resilience and strength. Corrie ten Boom went on to create a rehabilitation center for Holocaust concentration camp survivors to recover, reset and refocus their upended lives. "In the Christian spirit to which she was so devoted, she also took in those who had cooperated with the Germans during the occupation."https://www.biography.com/activists/corrie-ten-boom

This book describes the ten Boom family history, their fight to save as many Jewish people as possible during the Holocaust, what happened to the family members during World War II, and how Corrie ten Boom continued to build on her family's legacy after the war was over. True heroism!

'The Watchmaker’s Daughter' by Larry Loftis (William Morrow, 506 pages, March 7)

The subtitle of Larry Loftis’ new book is perfectly in sync with its title to enchant lovers of stories — and especially lovers of heroical, historical stories centering on the Holocaust. Drawn with details from primary sources and personal archives, “The Watchmaker’s Daughter: The true story of World War II heroine Corrie Ten Boom,” is the first true biography of the Dutch watchmaker who saved hundreds of Jews — but at a cost of her own imprisonment and the murders of her family. Many of us know from her quintessential work, “The Hiding Place,” of how Ten Boom would risk everything to help Jews and underground workers escape the Nazis, would survive a concentration camp, go on to forgive her captors and become one of history’s most vocal and effective Christian missionaries. Loftis, a master of nonfiction storytelling (“The Princess Spy”) lays that foundation well throughout this seminal work: “He nodded toward the showers. ‘Use the drainholes!’ Corrie led Betsie inside. “Quick, take off your woolen underwear.’ Betsie did and Corrie removed the Bible hiding inside her dress, wrapped it in both pair of undergarments, and set it in a corner. They couldn’t survive with their Bible, she felt, and she hoped she could sneak back in after receiving the dress and retrieve it.” “The Hiding Place” is a masterwork of faith triumphant, and “The Watchmaker’s Daughter” offers us the formation of that triumphant faith. Reminiscent of “Schindler’s List,” Loftis’ work is similarly destined to become a cornerstone of World War II nonfiction.

The Watchmaker’s Daughter was an insightful look into Corrie Ten Boom’s life. I have read about for of the books written by Corrie each one having different parts of her story. The Watchmaker’s Daughter does a masterful job of weaving all accounts of Ten Booms life into one book. I loved the insightful history about Corrie’s family and their love for the Jewish people that spanned generations. Also loved how the author added in well known people of the time period like Anne Frank and Aubrey Hepburn both about what they were going through as events were unfolding during WWII. The pictures of the various inhabitants of the Beje, give the reader a real life face to go along with the stories of the Jewish refugees. This book can be used to further the study of WWII, and the motives behind the resistance in Holland and in other parts of Europe.

Special thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I really loved this book. It's well researched and the book had photographs which added value to the history of this book about Corrie Ten Boom.

I wish I had this book as a high school literary read and an excellent depiction of WW2, which my father was a hero in. Definitely needed a hankie! 5 stars!

During my middle school years, I first learned about the incredible story of Corrie ten Boom, and reading her book "The Hiding Place" left me utterly amazed by her survival. This experience likely contributed to my enduring fascination with stories set during World War II. Recently, I was fortunate to receive an ARC of "The Watchmaker's Daughter" by Larry Loftis through @netgalley, and reading it helped to deepen my understanding of Corrie's life, her family members, and her friends who risked everything to aid Jewish people. While some sections of the book were packed with facts and read like a textbook, the author's ability to tap into the characters' humanity at other times turned the book into a gripping novel. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in delving deeper into the life of Corrie ten Boom, and I also intend to explore the books that the author referenced.

I have read The Hiding Place and know Corrie Ten Boom's story well, but there is much more to the story in this book that is so well-written. It starts with the Ten Boom family and what life was like for them as watchmaker's and that Corrie was the one who was the best as working on these watches with her father. However, the rise of Hitler and the war invading Holland (The Netherlands) caused them to put their faith to the test hiding Jews and Dutch resisters in their home or finding a place for them. They are eventually found out, put in prison and moved to Ravensbruck concentration camp. Her father and sister died in the camp, but Corrie survived and went on a world wide tour telling her story and preaching forgiveness. The worst and most brutal officers in the camps asked her forgiveness after the war. A request that most couldn't do but she called on the power of the Lord and forgave them. Her story is so powerful and inspiring! The book also has Anne Frank's family and Audrey Hepburn's family mentioned as they lived in the area at the same time. Highly recommend!

My thanks to Net Galley and William Morrow & Company Publishers for an advanced copy of this e-book.

While this isn't the first book written about Corrie ten Boom. But it is the first one that at least to this reader that reads like a novel. I couldn't put it down. Even though I knew about Corrie ten Boom I kept turning pages to find out more.

The Watchmaker's Daughter by Larry Loftis is a powerful and inspiring biography of Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch watchmaker who risked everything to save the lives of hundreds of Jews during World War II. It's a narrative of ten Boom's remarkable life, from her early life to her heroic efforts to hide Jews and refugees from the Nazis during World War II.

An in-depth biography, this book takes a closer look at ten Boom's humanity in ways previously unseen. From the fears and doubts she grappled with as she witnessed the atrocities of war to the forgiveness she showed to her captors at the war's end. Corrie ten Boom pursued a course of action through faith and conviction that changed the lives of so many.

The Watchmaker's Daughter is a gripping and moving read that will appeal to anyone interested in the life of Corrie ten Boom and World War II history. Loftis's skillful storytelling and attention to detail bring ten Boom's story to life, making it a book worth adding to your shelf.

Having read the Hiding Place prior, I went into this book cautiously, because well, the Hiding Place is so good! Interestingly enough, the author expressed the same thing in his endnotes.
You do not have to read this book and compare it to the Hiding Place. You can read this book, and enhance your Hiding Place reading experience with it.
The Watchmaker's Daughter is a concise, thrilling walk from Corrie's birth to death. It is able to include details and pieces of information not found elsewhere. History of the time are sprinkled through, including integral characters of the era, like Anne Frank.
I found the writing style to be narrative in its form and high paced. I wanted to keep reading, and learned so much information at the same time.
Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the chance to read this book.

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks for the review copy of this book.

What do you think of the trend of naming books with relationships such as someone’s daughter, wife, sister, etc.? I’ll admit, I am not a fan. In this book in particular, Corrie Ten Boom was the first female licensed watchmaker in Holland. Why is she regulated to being The Watchmaker’s daughter?

The Watchmaker’s Daughter is subtitled The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie Ten Boom. At the start of World War II, Corrie Ten Boom was a fiftyish watchmaker living above her family’s watch shop in Haarlam in the Netherlands. She was a devout Christian and couldn’t believe the treatment she saw of her fellow human beings because they were Jewish, old, or disabled. She became part of the resistance and her and entire family worked to help everyone that they could. They also hid Jews and “divers” (young men trying to avoid conscription by the Nazis) in their home. The day came that they were discovered and Corrie Ten Boom’s life changed forever.

I had read The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom a few years ago for Rogue Book Club and it was inspiring. It was her autobiography of these years in World War II working for the resistance and then being in a concentration camp. What is different about The Watchmaker’s Daughter is that author Larry Loftis has put together the complete story from not only The Hiding Place, but Corrie Ten Boom’s other books as well as publications from other family members. Into the story he also weaves other famous Dutch people at the time – Anne Frank and Audrey Hepburn, and relevant political events. It was fascinating story and I couldn’t put this book down. I stayed up too far into the night to finish it. This is one of those rare non-fiction books that reads like fiction to me. I also loved all of the pictures that were part of the story too. I had never seen them before.

What amazed me again in this narrative as it did in her autobiography was Corrie Ten Boom and her family’s great faith. When Ten Boom and her sister Betsie were together in the concentration camp, they preached the word of God and kept their faith through the most trying of times. They also were kind of like Pollyanna, always striving to look for the good and for what to be thankful. They weren’t perfect, but they really tried. My favorite part was when Ten Boom and her family talked to the person in charge after they were first arrested. They all discovered he was a person to witness to and got him thinking about Christianity, God, and the work that he was doing. It was a nice wrap-up to discover that Corrie Ten Boom met him again after the war and he had completely changed his life around. This was a great book to read during Lent and it made you think about keeping your faith through all of life’s trials.

I really liked at the end of the book that there was a section called “The Rest of the Story” that went into what happened to a variety of the people mentioned in the book complete with pictures. This is always what I wonder about after a book ends, especially a nonfiction book. The Author’s Note was also interesting. This was my first book by Larry Loftis, but this book and his Author’s Note definitely made me want to check out more of his nonfiction books.

Favorite Quotes:
Corrie Ten Boom’s father was going to be released from jail as they said he could die in his own bed. Opa responded, “If I go home today, tomorrow I will open my door again to any man in need who knocks.”

“We have learned so much here and now we must go all over the world to tell people what we now know – that Jesus’ light is stronger than the deepest darkness. Only prisoners can know how desperate this life is. We can tell from experience that no pit is too deep, because God’s everlasting arms always sustain us.”

“Each had a hurt he had to forgive, the neighbor who had reported hi, the brutal guard, the sadistic soldier. Strangely enough, it was not the Germans or the Japanese that people had most trouble forgiving; it was their fellow Dutchmen who sided with the enemy.”

Overall, The Watchmaker’s Daughter is a book not to be missed. I highly recommend it. Corrie Ten Boom’s story is one that everyone should know.

I was given a free early copy of The Watchmaker's Daughter and i found it facinating.
I knew what happened in The Hiding Place and seen the movie, but this elaborated and just had a different take, I was highly impressed and have told people about it already.
I enjoyed the pictures and it was a must read for any who are interested in WWII at all!

If you loved The Hiding Place, definitely pick this one up! A great, interesting look into the lives of the ten Boom family and their lasting legacy. I really enjoyed getting to read about the entire family more and see the story through a different lens!

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy!

Like the steadfast chimes of a grandfather clock, Corrie ten Boom’s legacy continues to sound out her message of faith, hope, love, and forgiveness.

If you have read The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom by Corrie Ten Boom, you might see this as unnecessary. I would encourage you to think differently. This meticulously researched nonfiction title includes photos and bits of information about others who were contemporaries of Corrie Ten Boom, fellow family members, or resistance workers. This is not an either/or situation, but a both/and. Reading both the old and the new will provide a memorable and meaningful experience. After the war, Corrie could have returned home and recuperated from her labors and the trauma of being in imprisoned. Instead she brought to life a vision her late sister Betsie had of restoration for the suffering -- Jews and Dutch resistance workers, Dutch collaborators, and the Germans. Three facilities were the result: Bloemendaal House, Beje (the former Ten Boom home), and Darmstade (a repurposed concentration camp). She also travelled the world speaking about her experiences, sharing her faith, and counselling others. In his notes, Larry Loftis notes that Corrie Ten Boom was the embodiment of the Reformation creed: Post Tenebras Lux ~ After darkness, light. 🌟

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for a DRC of this title in exchange for an honest review. The official publication date for this title is March 14, 2023.

The Watchmaker’s Daughter is one of the greatest stories of World War II that readers haven’t heard: the remarkable and inspiring life story of Corrie ten Boom—a groundbreaking, female Dutch watchmaker, whose family unselfishly transformed their house into a hiding place straight out of a spy novel to shelter Jews and refugees from the Nazis during Gestapo raids. Even though the Nazis knew what the ten Booms were up to, they were never able to find those sheltered within the house when they raided it.

This historical non-fiction novel by Larry Loftis was brilliant! The author did an amazing job researching and bringing the story of Corrie ten Boom to life. Even the end pages offer more history, notes and an index. The bravery of this woman is inspiring and a story future generations need to hear. When you finish this book you will have tears in your eyes but feel lucky to hear the story. A story I wish was not necessary but I am so honored to continue supporting her legacy.

Thank you to William Morrow, Larry Loftis and NetGalley for allowing me to review this arc. All opinions are my own.