This book is powerful. Compelling. Beautifully written. Full of history. Don't read it fast. Savor each and every word.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Melanie Dobson's books the excellent research makes for a riveting story.
The author goes back and forth between the time periods, and it ends up seamlessly blending perfectly.
The author drew me into both time periods as both were equally fascinating.
A time split novel that has us alternating between Hannah and Ember.
Each time period is well represented with believable characters and vivid descriptions. The historical detail is accurate for both past and present times.
I was very immersed in the story as it brings out many emotions.
Heartbreaking yet inspirational this is one that won't be forgotten anytime soon.

Pub Date: 09 Mar 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Melanie Dobson weaves a tale of past and present into a captivating subject that won't let you go. The characters are well-developed and adaptable to each time period with a connection bringing them full circle. I was intrigued by the intricacy of historical detail and the added touch of modern day.

The plot twists were expertly executed and the shift between time frames was smooth. I try not to pick favorites in books, but Hanna really caught my attention for the majority of this novel. She was working in a profession that she felt honored her country. Instead, she quickly discovers the error of her naïve choices. Her side of the story gripped my heart more than any other aspect of the novel.

If you love historical timelines woven into strong females - this is a book you will want to pick up!

Several years ago, I read Hidden Among the Stars, by Melanie Dobson. It was one of the first time-slip novels I had ever read, and I could hardly put it down. That story stood out in my memory so much that when I saw The Curator's Daughter recently, I knew I wanted to read it. I was not disappointed! This book tells the story of what happened in Germany during World War II in an amazing way. It also shows how the aftermath of Nazi Germany affects people today.
1940—Hanna loved her work as an archaeologist, and she was determined to find the Holy Grail to prove the greatness of Germany. Her life began to unravel, though, when she was barred from the field, forced to work in a museum and to marry an SS officer. And then, he brought home an adopted daughter for her to raise. Now she started seeing behind the facade and realizing what was really happening in her beloved country.
2020—Ember Ellis was immersed in her work as a Holocaust researcher, prepared a dissertation intended to confront hatred toward minorities, including Jews. After learning that a former teacher's mother worked for the Nazis during World War II, she reconnected with Mrs. Kiehl and learned some surprising things. A journey to Nuremberg helped solve some mysteries, bringing healing and helping answer questions.
In the same way that Mrs. Kiehl had to face her past and her nightmares to make sense out of her life and find healing, Ember discovered that she, too, had to work through her memories. Could she find peace and healing—or would an old enemy silence her first?
Wow. The Curator's Daughter is quite the ride. Even though it jumps back and forth constantly from the 1940s to the present, with occasional glimpses of a third time and place, I didn't have any trouble keeping track of who I was with or where I was in the story. Little by little, layers of mystery were peeled back, and I learned why various people were the way they were. This is an amazing story. I have recommended it to my 18-year-old son to read; it's the kind of book that will capture his attention, and there is nothing in it that makes me hesitate to offer it to him.
There was a sentence that really stood out to me: Whoever owned the definitions, tweaking familiar words for their own use, could influence the morality of a people. This sure sounds like what we are seeing around us today!
I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

This review will appear on www.ignitelit.com in April or May 2022.

Set in the US in present day and also a backstory in Germany/Austria in 1944 and WWII, this story follows two intertwined families. There's a modern story of a survivalist community that suppresses the outside thinking of the women and children. The main character makes an unexpected escape from that life, at 16, through the help of an FBI raid. When we go to WWII time setting, we meet a well-educated, independent young woman who is pressed by the Reich to do her duty and marry to raise children for their cause.
You need to follow the story to keep track of the eight or so characters to understand their relationship over time. There was a lot to track, between the two time periods. I found it interested and enjoyed the story.

The Curator's Daughter is exactly what I would expect from Melanie Dobson. Fabulous read. Five stars.

Another masterpiece by Melanie Dobson. Blending the past and the present seamlessly. Beautifully written. Spellbinding. Five stars.

This is quite a riveting book. The author did an excellent job of going back and forth between the time periods and incorporating excellent research to enhance the story. The characters seem very real to life, and there’s a twist to the story that, although surprising, makes the story seem that much more fascinating. Be ready to be immersed in this story and this time period.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Melanie Dobson’s book The Curator's Daughter is a heart wrenching yet inspiring read.
The modern day character Ember is shrouded in mystery so the unraveling of her traumatic past as well as that of her past romance, is fascinating.
Hannah, the main female character in WW2 Germany is troubled--typical of one living in war time. Her struggle to do what is right amidst the ravishment of her country and the expulsion and murder of Jewish people is heart wrenching to read. I was reminded of the Vontrap Family in the sound of Music when reading how Hannah, Lilly, and other characters were oppressed.
Melanie Dobson brings a significant perspective of a German citizen living in Germany during WW2. German citizens have been criticized throughout history for not doing more, so this well researched, honest approach gives readers the opportunity to rethink and show compassion. To consider the metaphorical stone in one’s hand--in relation to our modern days--before casting it into a past totalitarian government.
If you love stories that delve into WW2 through the eyes of a German SS officer’s wife, if you find inspiration in the lost and found pieces of people’s lives and how God knits them back together, The Curator’s Daughter is the book for you.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Dual timeline stories are a little hit or miss for me. When they are done well, I absolutely love them... but I find that unfortunately they can all too often hit the mark and end up being more confusing than anything. Thankfully, in this story Melanie Dobson absolutely nailed it, drawing the reader into both timelines beautifully.

The author does a great job of bringing us back to this time. Her research is clearly evident within the pages which I always appreciate in a historical read. As I do tend to prefer historical fiction taking place during or around WWII best, I appreciated that even more. The characters drew me into the story and had me wanting to read on.

If you enjoy historical fiction and a good dual timeline story, this is definitely one worth checking out.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

I desperately wanted to like this book. The blurb was enough to have me hooked. Hanna Tillich is an archaeologist for the Third Reich working on the Ahnenerbe project. When the men in her project are reassigned to the SS, Hanna returns to her hometown of Nuremberg to work at the local museum. She finds herself married to an SS officer and left to look after a young girl of unknown parentage. Meanwhile, in the modern timeline, the survivor of a White Supremist cult wrestles with her heritage while researching the origins of her favorite teacher, the daughter of a museum curator from Nuremberg.

I started this book really excited about the prospect of learning more about Nazi archaeology and scholarship. So I was very disappointed that Hanna's work as a curator and archaeologist had very little to do with the plot. Instead, the reader explores her relationship with the child left with Hanna by her absent husband. Hanna is a rather flat character whose motivations- the disappearance of her cousin- seems forced into the narrative. While she tries to help the Resistance by hiding the stories of deported Jewish people in the museum archives, her involvement is a secondary aspect of the plot and barely warrants discussion. In addition, Ember's modern narrative seems entirely too cliché. I appreciate that the author was trying to reconcile Ember's past as a member of a cult with Hanna's growth from a participant in the programs of the Third Reich to a mild resistor of the Nazis, but the comparisons seemed forced. Hanna's story would have been just as interesting- and potentially more poignant- had Ember not been wrestling with her own guilt and backstory. Her journey detracted from the discoveries she was making in her research on the background of her former teacher, Mrs. Kiehl.

In addition, the author tended towards sudden religious spiels in a story which otherwise only touched on the importance of religion to the characters. The importance of connections to Judaism during the Holocaust are obvious, so the author could have easily integrated religion in a much more natural way throughout the story. Hanna lives at an abandoned monastery and uses it as a place to hide the stories she is recording for the Jewish residents of her town. Her daily visits to "pray" have an ulterior motive. However, the author doesn't discuss Hanna's own faith in relation to the cult of the Fuhrer or the ways in which Hanna felt compelled to hide her own religion while working to save the stories of people of another religion throughout the story. Instead, we get awkward religious passages which felt forced and unnecessary. In fact, this is one of the main aspects of the writing which put me off the book.

Sorry for the delay in getting this review in, overstretched myself.

Another excellent, heart-moving story from Melanie Dobson! Her stories are always so beautiful and this one was no exception! Her characters were so strong and yet so vulnerable and I loved the theme of forgiveness and second chances. Melanie Dobson skillfully and delicately some of the tragic acts of the Nazi Party while showcasing those brave enough to stand against them. The chapters were perfectly timed to keep you up late turning the pages. Definitely a one sitting read! Can't wait to read whatever story she writes next!

It's not often that I can't put a book down. This is one of those times. This book indulged my delight in multiple timelines, genealogy and historical research, trying to figure out how who was related to another. A wonderful mystery about trauma and healing, both during WW2 and in the present day. I loved the character development as each woman came to grips with their trauma, processed it, and healed from it.

I gratefully received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

A fabulous book that had me thinking from the beginning and trying to figure out what was going on.

Melanie writes such unique books. I couldn’t believe some of what she wrote about could be a real think and still exist in this day and age but I supposed it is possible.

If you love WWII novels I have no doubt you will enjoy this one.

A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This book is set during the time of World War II. It is a good little story and I like the research that was put into the book. Melanie Dobson did an awesome job with the book.

I do like the story overall and would recommend it.

*Note this is a review for netgallery.com. I had gotten an advance copy of the book in order to review it for others on netgallery.com and also for my blog.

The Curator’s Daughter is a story of how women often find themselves in the most impossible situations and manage to rise above them to create a better world for themselves, those they love and all who come after them.

Hanna Tillich is not a Nazi, but she is reluctantly employed by them. She worked all her life to become an archeologist and accepts that in 1940 Germany, that means working for the Third Reich, and spending her days “searching for the Holy Grail and other artifacts to bolster evidence of a master Aryan race”. Her training is in field work, her present assignment is in France, but she knows she is on borrowed time. Hitler believes the women of the Reich should be involved only with “Kinder, Küche and Kirche” (children, kitchen,church). This means that female workers in all fields are finding themselves unemployed as they are forced out of their jobs and encouraged to marry and have kids.

Hanna refuses to participate in this farce and when her boss, Standertenführer Kolman Strauss, dismisses her and delivers a marriage proposal at the same time, she grudgingly accepts the former and politely declines the latter.

Reassigned to work as a curator at the Germanic National Museum in her hometown of Nuremberg, Hanna travels back to Germany but when she reaches the family home, she makes a shocking discovery. Her cousin Louisa and Louisa’s husband Paul who have been living there are missing. Their possessions are still in the house but they themselves have seemingly vanished without a trace. A phone call to an old family friend provides only vague answers and mysterious allusions to danger. Hanna comes to the slow realization it has something to do with the Jewish issue – Paul had Jewish ancestry – just as her own life implodes. Her refusal of Kolman’s proposal has been overridden by Himmler and she has been ordered to appear at Wartburg Castle for her wedding.

Wed and back at Hanna’s house in Nuremberg, Kolman and Hanna settle into an odd sort of marriage, where they live together but rarely interact. Those interactions center around getting Hanna pregnant but when she remains stubbornly barren after the first few months, Kolman leaves one day and when he returns, he brings their newly adopted daughter Lilly with him.

Hanna does her best to bond with Lilly, who, even at her extremely young age (three or four) seems to be harboring secrets of her own. This presents a challenge to Hanna, who desperately wants to know where Lilly came from. Hanna has begun chronicling the events around her and realizing that a great deal of nastiness is occurring beneath the pristine surface of Hitler’s Germany, and her observations point to the fact that Lilly’s arrival might be due to some nefarious act on the part of the Reich. She is also concerned that her records of new museum items stolen from Jewish families, as well as her written histories of what is happening to those families, will endanger Lilly if Hannah is caught. As the wife of an SS Officer who has frequent Gestapo guests, Hanna lives with the constant threat of discovery, but she is determined that the atrocities of the Reich be catalogued for future generations. As the war continues, Hanna and Lilly live quietly, becoming close but each keeping their own counsel until the past finally catches up to them both.

Eight decades later, Holocaust researcher Ember Ellis is horrified as she witnesses history repeating itself. Groups such as the Aryan nation send death threats to her office and march outside of where she works, spewing the same hate-filled prejudice the Nazis had embraced. When she sees an article about her former teacher, a German immigrant named Mrs. Kiehl, sharing reminisces of a mother who was “a friend to the Jewish people”, Ember determines to interview the woman so she can write the history of those who stood up to hate in the past in the hopes of inspiring that same spirit in folks in the present. The elderly Mrs. Kiehl has only fragmented memories of her girlhood in Germany, however, and she has no paperwork or pictures from that era to jog her erstwhile recollections. Ember determines to help Mrs. Kiehl reclaim her remembrances of that bygone era and discover what happened to the mother who mysteriously disappeared just before Mrs. Kiehl was brought to America. She is less than thrilled when this involves working with her childhood nemesis, Dakota Kiehl, who had humiliated Ember in front of the entire student body during their high school years. Their reluctant partnership will lead them from the lush storm-filled beauty of Martha’s Vineyard to the quiet hills above the city of Nuremberg, where a woman named Hanna hid secrets that would help bring about the fall of an empire.

Both Hanna and Ember are complicated characters. Hanna is almost frozen emotionally. A college love affair had left her hurt and confused and her travesty of a marriage destroys any lingering hopes she had of love. She cares deeply for Lilly and finds her primary companionship in her daughter. Her other great passion is her work as a historian and so it is natural that she thinks in terms of recording histories when it comes to helping others. There is not much more she can do – anytime she goes near anyone she risks exposing them to the SS. Kolman doesn’t love or trust her, the Gestapo has a special interest in her and both are watching her closely.

Where Hanna is by necessity quiet and secretive, Ember is more open and loving. She has close friends, a good relationship with her brother and while there is no love interest currently in her life, she’s open to the possibility of one. She also has a complicated dark past involving her father and mother being founding members of an Aryan Nation style church, something she and her brother had despised. She attempts to atone for her parent’s sins by being as anti-racist as she can.

It’s Ember’s awareness of the darkness of her own past that makes her open to the idea of restitution and forgiveness on the part of Dakota. He faked a romance with her in high school as part of a bet with friends and broke her heart at that time. As she gets to know him now, she realizes he truly is penitent for the nasty way he behaved and that he is sincere in his longing for a relationship with her. This part of the story could have used a bit more filling out; while Ember seems to accept the changes in Dakota are real because they are inspired by his faith, I could have used a bit more convincing.

This novel takes a very low-key approach to the inspirational aspect of the tale. God and faith are mentioned but they are not a primary focal point in the story. Instead, they serve as motivation for our characters to grow.

As a lover of dual timeline tales and WWII history, I enjoThe Curator’s Daughter is a story of how women often find themselves in the most impossible situations and manage to rise above them to create a better world for themselves, those they love and all who come after them.

Hanna Tillich is not a Nazi, but she is reluctantly employed by them. She worked all her life to become an archeologist and accepts that in 1940 Germany, that means working for the Third Reich, and spending her days “searching for the Holy Grail and other artifacts to bolster evidence of a master Aryan race”. Her training is in field work, her present assignment is in France, but she knows she is on borrowed time. Hitler believes the women of the Reich should be involved only with “Kinder, Küche and Kirche” (children, kitchen,church). This means that female workers in all fields are finding themselves unemployed as they are forced out of their jobs and encouraged to marry and have kids.

Hanna refuses to participate in this farce and when her boss, Standertenführer Kolman Strauss, dismisses her and delivers a marriage proposal at the same time, she grudgingly accepts the former and politely declines the latter.

Reassigned to work as a curator at the Germanic National Museum in her hometown of Nuremberg, Hanna travels back to Germany but when she reaches the family home, she makes a shocking discovery. Her cousin Louisa and Louisa’s husband Paul who have been living there are missing. Their possessions are still in the house but they themselves have seemingly vanished without a trace. A phone call to an old family friend provides only vague answers and mysterious allusions to danger. Hanna comes to the slow realization it has something to do with the Jewish issue – Paul had Jewish ancestry – just as her own life implodes. Her refusal of Kolman’s proposal has been overridden by Himmler and she has been ordered to appear at Wartburg Castle for her wedding.

Wed and back at Hanna’s house in Nuremberg, Kolman and Hanna settle into an odd sort of marriage, where they live together but rarely interact. Those interactions center around getting Hanna pregnant but when she remains stubbornly barren after the first few months, Kolman leaves one day and when he returns, he brings their newly adopted daughter Lilly with him.

Hanna does her best to bond with Lilly, who, even at her extremely young age (three or four) seems to be harboring secrets of her own. This presents a challenge to Hanna, who desperately wants to know where Lilly came from. Hanna has begun chronicling the events around her and realizing that a great deal of nastiness is occurring beneath the pristine surface of Hitler’s Germany, and her observations point to the fact that Lilly’s arrival might be due to some nefarious act on the part of the Reich. She is also concerned that her records of new museum items stolen from Jewish families, as well as her written histories of what is happening to those families, will endanger Lilly if Hannah is caught. As the wife of an SS Officer who has frequent Gestapo guests, Hanna lives with the constant threat of discovery, but she is determined that the atrocities of the Reich be catalogued for future generations. As the war continues, Hanna and Lilly live quietly, becoming close but each keeping their own counsel until the past finally catches up to them both.

Eight decades later, Holocaust researcher Ember Ellis is horrified as she witnesses history repeating itself. Groups such as the Aryan nation send death threats to her office and march outside of where she works, spewing the same hate-filled prejudice the Nazis had embraced. When she sees an article about her former teacher, a German immigrant named Mrs. Kiehl, sharing reminisces of a mother who was “a friend to the Jewish people”, Ember determines to interview the woman so she can write the history of those who stood up to hate in the past in the hopes of inspiring that same spirit in folks in the present. The elderly Mrs. Kiehl has only fragmented memories of her girlhood in Germany, however, and she has no paperwork or pictures from that era to jog her erstwhile recollections. Ember determines to help Mrs. Kiehl reclaim her remembrances of that bygone era and discover what happened to the mother who mysteriously disappeared just before Mrs. Kiehl was brought to America. She is less than thrilled when this involves working with her childhood nemesis, Dakota Kiehl, who had humiliated Ember in front of the entire student body during their high school years. Their reluctant partnership will lead them from the lush storm-filled beauty of Martha’s Vineyard to the quiet hills above the city of Nuremberg, where a woman named Hanna hid secrets that would help bring about the fall of an empire.

Both Hanna and Ember are complicated characters. Hanna is almost frozen emotionally. A college love affair had left her hurt and confused and her travesty of a marriage destroys any lingering hopes she had of love. She cares deeply for Lilly and finds her primary companionship in her daughter. Her other great passion is her work as a historian and so it is natural that she thinks in terms of recording histories when it comes to helping others. There is not much more she can do – anytime she goes near anyone she risks exposing them to the SS. Kolman doesn’t love or trust her, the Gestapo has a special interest in her and both are watching her closely.

Where Hanna is by necessity quiet and secretive, Ember is more open and loving. She has close friends, a good relationship with her brother and while there is no love interest currently in her life, she’s open to the possibility of one. She also has a complicated dark past involving her father and mother being founding members of an Aryan Nation style church, something she and her brother had despised. She attempts to atone for her parent’s sins by being as anti-racist as she can.

It’s Ember’s awareness of the darkness of her own past that makes her open to the idea of restitution and forgiveness on the part of Dakota. He faked a romance with her in high school as part of a bet with friends and broke her heart at that time. As she gets to know him now, she realizes he truly is penitent for the nasty way he behaved and that he is sincere in his longing for a relationship with her. This part of the story could have used a bit more filling out; while Ember seems to accept the changes in Dakota are real because they are inspired by his faith, I could have used a bit more convincing.

This novel takes a very low-key approach to the inspirational aspect of the tale. God and faith are mentioned but they are not a primary focal point in the story. Instead, they serve as motivation for our characters to grow.

As a lover of dual timeline tales and WWII history, I enjoyed the Curator's Daughter and would recommend it to anyone with similar tastes.

This author pens an incredibly fascinating story as she seamlessly weaves present and past heart-racing events together creating a spellbinding novel I could not put down. The novel starts off with Hannah Tillch on an archeological dig in hopes of uncovering the holy grail. Just when she thinks she has found it she is pulled off the dig and sent back home to work in a museum. In current time Ember Ellis, a Holocaust researcher is intent on finding people who helped Jewish families before and during these horrific holocaust times. She is in search of an unsung hero.

Emma is chasing demons of her own as she grew up in the Aryan Council, a radical group intent on white supremacy. She was young when her world was shattered , and separated from her family. This story touches on situations I had never heard before. In author notes she says, “Sometimes you just know when you have stumbled upon a story that will transport you far beyond the limits of mere words on a page, creating space for you to wonder what is priceless. Who is worthy of worship? What must be said? What the cost of silence might be. What is human life worth? Should that kind of value be buried? Forgotten? Ignored? Re-defined. Destroyed. These are questions that every society must answer.”

I agree with the author as I feel like I’ve, “stumbled upon a story that transported me far beyond the limits of mere words on a page, creating space for you to wonder what is priceless. Who is worthy of worship?”

Wow, you do not want to miss reading this one. It will also be a great pick for your next book club meeting, it’s a rich story you won’t soon forget!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I have received a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org

I love Melanie Dobson"s writing. I read historical fiction to be entertained but also to learn something. I learnt a lot from this book. I loved the strong female characters. A. Minus with this book, the family relationships got too confusing for Me. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

A time split novel that tells the story of Holocaust researcher Ember Ellis with a past shrouded in darkness, hoping to bring light to a racially tension fraught landscape as she uncovers the story of Hanna Tillich, wife of an SS officer and "friend to the Jews."

A bit slower to start as I familiarized myself with all of the story threads, but the story builds as it all comes together and I became more invested in each of the women's stories. I loved how this book highlights the unlikely heroes who risked everything to preserve the history in hopes that a dawn was coming.

A heartbreaking read, rich in history, that realistically brings to life Nuremberg in the 1940's, as well as exploring modern day tensions and trauma. I admired how Dakota had changed and was determined to show Ember that he was a different man now, grounded in faith. I think my favorite character was Mrs. Kiehl as we uncover her connection to the story.

Overall, a compelling historically realistic read that brings to life the challenges faced by German citizens living under Himmler's edicts for an Arian society. I admired Hanna's faith and quiet courage. A well crafted read, that opens up many important talking points. Well worth the read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I began this one and simply couldn’t keep going. It was very bland in my opinion and the reviews definitely aren’t what I would have said about it. I think the general overall idea of the book is great and the storyline is great, I just got lost in the prologue and couldn’t keep going. I’m sure it’s a great book, but just not for me.