Main Characters:
-- Clara – mid-40s, of German descent but lives in England, on a mission to discover who her father is since her mother’s death three years prior
-- Lotte – Clara’s daughter, recently moved in with her mother to her grandmother’s flat, working on a statement of intent for her degree about her grandmother’s artwork
-- Max – left his native Austria at 19, an architect and talented sculptor who met Bettina at a party in the late 1920s; they moved together to Berlin in the early 1930s to study at the Bauhaus
-- Bettina – a painter whose work tended more toward expressionism, which did not meet the approval of her family
-- Holger – oversaw the porcelain factory where Max worked
-- Ezra – worked with Max in the porcelain factory

Sarah Freethy’s debut novel transports the reader from an auction in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1993 to early 20th-century Germany as the Nazis came to power. When the story begins, we find Clara as the sole bidder on World War II era porcelain figurines. She asks the auctioneer for the name of the person who sold the pieces. When the auctioneer hesitates, she reveals that she hopes to find the identity of her father, and the auctioneer gives her Ezra’s name and address.

When she visits the assisted living facility where Ezra lives, she is told that he had recently passed away with no known family. Somehow, she is allowed into his room where she discovers a photo of Ezra with her mother and two other men—Holger and Max—and realizes that Ezra and Max had actually been in a concentration camp during the war.

Interspersed with the chapters of Clara trying to find her father’s identity, which early on she believes is Ezra, are the chapters that tell Max and Bettina’s story.

The book delves into an obviously difficult history based in Nazi Germany during a time when Max and Bettina would be forbidden to be together. Max’s artistic abilities along with his friendship with Holger, who has his own secrets, save him from the worst experiences of the labor camps. Nevertheless, he and Bettina clearly didn’t escape Germany together since Bettina died in England around 1990, divorced from the father Clara knew as a child, without ever having mentioned Max, Holger, or Ezra.

The vast majority of the book covers the love story between Max and Bettina and how the porcelain figurines came to be. I suspected early on, as we are expected to, that Clara is Max’s daughter. For some reason, Clara is more confident that Ezra is her father and that she might be one of his daughters renamed.

While I appreciated Max and Bettina’s story, it moved extremely slowly. I am not typically a reader of historical fiction. What drew me to this story was the expectation that it was equally about Clara’s search to discover her father. For the most part, the chapters alternated, but Clara’s chapters were 4-5 pages whereas Max and Bettina’s chapters were 20-30 pages at a time. It really dragged things down for me. And the father “reveal” to Clara felt so matter-of-fact and anticlimactic.

This is a tragic and sad story. The author did her research here, that is clear. If you enjoy historical fiction, this might be for you. It is a solid debut.

Wow! This story was incredible and inspired by an actual porcelain factory in Dachau. The horrors that people and mostly Jewish people had to endure is beyond comprehension. The story starts right before the war starts but as social tensions are rising. Bettina is young artist that is quickly gaining popularity and meets a Jewish architect named Max and they quickly fall in love. Germany starts advancing in Europe and before long Max is captured and taken to Dachau’s work camp. He is allowed to work at the porcelain factory next to Dachau and Bettina does everything she can to help him. This story goes back and forth from WWII to 1993 with a mystery. Clara in 1993 is trying to untangle her past and find out what happened and why she didn’t ever know anything about her parents past. Thank you so much to the author, Sarah Freethy, Netgalley and the publisher St. Martin’s Press for an advanced audio copy and a paperback copy! What an incredible Debut book!

I am a fan of stories about WWII because it is so interesting to delve into the lives of the individuals involved in and impacted by the war and the sacrifices that individuals were willing to make and who was willing to do the "right" thing even if it cost them their lives. This is a debut novel and the story is well-researched and written with a focus on the art world and the porcelain figurines made at the Dachau concentration camp. I was unaware of the use of slave labor at the Dachau concentration camp to develop porcelain figurines and the existence of a line of SS figurines.

The novel is one of a love story between Max and Bettina, a couple who meet in Germany in 1929. Max is a skilled Jewish artist and Bettina is a skilled painter. For a period of time, the two artists have a whirlwind relationship while gaining notoriety for their talents. With the rise of Nazism, Max is eventually arrested and finds himself at a concentration camp in Dachau. However, Max becomes an asset to the Nazis because he is skilled at making exquisite figurines. Bettina, at the same time is forced to alter her artistic talents to focus on a version of art that is more acceptable to the Nazis and finds herself in a relationship with a Nazi art dealer. She is hoping that she can use this relationship to try and save Max.

The story alternates between Max and Bettina's relationship and the 1990's, where Bettina's daughter is on a quest to find the true identity of her father, a person her mother refused to talk about. During Clara's quest, we are enlightened of the dangers Max and Bettina faced and the lengths individuals would go to in order to survive another day.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thought and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

#ThePorcelainMaker #SarahFreethy #St.Martin'sPress

I really wanted to like this book, but sadly just found it fair. Some of the plot gets mired in details about the art world, while some parts strain credibility.

I found this to be one of the better WWII books. I appreciated the search Clara and Lotte went thru to find the history of their mother/grandmother.
Bettina and Max’s story was inspiring. Ms. Freethy is quite the storyteller, her descriptions and attention to detail was refreshing and well researched.
If you enjoy historical fiction, this is one to pick up and spend several hours hearing once again the atrocities that were done during WWII, and the sacrifices and courage so many people showed. This has heart, family and a lot of love.
I was provided an uncorrected ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a voluntary review if I so wished, I thank them. This is a 5-star.

Thank you so much for the honor of reading this amazing work by Sarah Freethy. This was an incredible story of the Allach Porcelain factory located next to Dachau in Germany.

I appreciate learning more about this horrendous time in our world. I learned more about the art during this time period including works not approved by the Nazis labeled as DEGENERATES. These artists were arrested and sent to labor/concentration camps and were later found to be killed.

This is also a beautiful love story between Max and Bettina and their illegitimate daughter - Clara. It's a daughter's quest to find out the identity of her biological father after her mother's death.

A must read!!!

Set in alternating time periods, Germany in the 1930s and the United States in the 1990s, this novel tells the romantic story of Bettina, a German artist, and Max, a Jewish architect who is eventually arrested and sent to the concentration camp at Dachau. Much of their story is told through the eyes of their daughter Clara, who endeavors to learn more about her father, whose identity her mother has kept hidden from her.

This is a well-written piece of historical fiction, but I found is pretty slow going at times, so much so that this was hard for me to finish. It was also hard for me to invest in the characters, especially Bettina and Max, who for whatever reason never really seemed to comprehend the horrors they were going through. I definitely enjoyed the more current storyline than that of the past.

All in all, this was a very decent debut novel.

The Porcelain Maker is a moving story of the power of love over hate, passion for creating, the strength of friendships, and the legacy of children. It is beautifully written and emotionally power packed. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys World War II historical fiction or has a creative spirit.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, MacMillan Audio and the Autho Sarah Freethy for the opportunity to read/listen to this book before it was released. This is a beautiful debut novel by the author that follows a German woman and Jewish man who fall in love pre-WWII and their journey during her life as an artist and he as a porcelain maker as a prisioner. This dual timeline novel also follows Clara who is in search for the identity of her father in modern day. Such a beautiful, heartbreaking story as WWII stories are. I highly recommend this book, and I cannot wait to see what this author has in store for us next! (Review posted on Goodreads)

The Porcelain Maker is perfect for any WWII novel fans. It's heartbreaking and brings out so many emotions. I love how it is told in duel timeline. Honestly, the only reason why I'm giving this 4 stars instead of a higher rating is because I wasn't able to devote the time I wanted to read this. Normally I can read a book in a day or two, but this one took me two weeks. That has nothing to do with the book and more to do with my life. But what I can say is that this one will be a book I will be rereading one day. I can't wait to come back to it and give it the full attention that it deserves. If you are like me and love historical fiction WWII books, then go read this one because you won't be disappointed!

The Porcelain Maker is a suspenseful story that will capture your attention from beginning to end.

We meet Clara and the year is 1993. She is buying several specific porcelain pieces that will hopefully allow her to find out more about her father.

Her mother was an artist during WWII and never spoke of her father of her life during that time period.

Clara knows that somehow these porcelain pieces are the clues that will give her answers.

The dual time line takes back to WWII where Clara's mother and father meet.

The war tears them apart and their story is gripping, heart breaking and yet full of love, courage, endurance and so much more.

Sarah Freethy has written a marvelous debut novel in The Porcelain Maker and I cant wait to see what is next store for the reader.

Highly recommend you get your copy and settle in for a story that will stay with you for a long time.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the privilege of reading and reviewing this book.

The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy
Narrated by Kristin Atherton

Germany, 1929 Once Bettina, a celebrated avant-garde painter, and Max, a skilled Jewish architect and artist, come together for the first time, they know they belong together, want a family together, and have dreams of living in a house designed by Max someday. But despite all the signs around them, they put off getting Max away from danger until too late. Even Bettina's own family is against Max and eventually he's arrested and sent to the concentration camp at Dachau. It is Max's skill at making fine porcelain figurines that gives him a reprieve from certain death.

I was not familiar with the porcelain factory at the Dachau concentration camp until reading/hearing this story. The making of exquisite porcelain figures in such a horrible place, during such a horrible time, was one of Heinrich Himmler's favorite obsessions. This is the setting where Bettina and Max are once again brought together due to the animals in Bettina's paintings being recreated into porcelain. Bettina is brought in to paint and perfect the porcelain recreations of her creatures and this is the time when Bettina and Max can be together once again and even go so far as to concoct an escape plan for Max.

America, 1993 Bettina's daughter, Clara, is on the search for the identity of her father. Her mother would never talk about her father or about her past, and now, after her mother's death, Clara has found evidence that could lead her to her true father's identity. The evidence lies in porcelain figurines. As we travel with Clara to learn her past, we relive what is mostly a very sad story for Max, Bettina, and so many others. If only Bettina could/would have shared her past with Clara, but some things hurt to much to share.

I was able to both read and hear this story. The digital and audio books allowed me to see and hear unfamiliar words and names. Kristin Atherton's narration seemed right for this story. Both Max and Bettina are so stoic during the events of the story and Kristin's matter of fact narration fits the story so well. The story is heartbreaking but does give a sense accomplishment in the end, knowing that Clara is able to learn more than she could have ever hoped to learn. There is a real sense of circling around in the touching epilogue.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC.

This is a beautifully written debut novel. I loved how the story went back and forth between Clara and Max and Bettina. I always read WWII stories hoping that somehow this will be the story that doesn't break my heart. However, I don't think anything about the events that took place during WWII can be anything but heartbreaking.

I loved that Clara went in search of porcelain to find who her father might have been. She seemed to have a bit of a rough patch there after her mother's passing but by the end of the book things seemed to be looking up for her.

I loved reading about Max and Bettina. Their meeting was not so typical. She was painting a mural on his apartment wall. There backgrounds were quite different but they both loved art. Bettina was a rebel. Max was a bit of a rule follower until following the rules may cost him his life.

Bettina's family was cruel and a bit evil. Her brother was an alcoholic with a evil nature and horrible temperament. To see what she endured as a child at his hand and then the pain he inflicted as an adult make me so sad. Bettina finally getting away from him was a relief. However, I believe she endured a worse tragedy trying to make a safe home for Clara. Bettina was a bit ahead of her time as a feminist. Once she married Karl, I believe she thought she would be free to do as she pleased. Karl became her jailer once she wasn't doing as he felt she should.

Max was such an amazing character. HIs strength and perseverance was everything. I was so glad once he was place in an camp what Holger was able to look after him in some ways. Getting to make the porcelain figures saved him for some time. When he was making the figures that Bettina designed I had hoped that they would get the happy ending that they both so rightfully deserved. However, as I said WWII stories hardly even end the way you want them to.

I highly recommend this book. Sarah Freethy wrote a beautiful story .

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinion expressed are my own.

Thank you to Net galley for the chance to read The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy. This book was a debut author and was good and the genre was historical fiction. A character finds an art piece and seeks out the history of it, discovers the art piece was a connection to the war era. This book wanted me to read it faster. I will be looking forward to reading more books from this historical fiction author.

DNF @ 50%

This is a piece of historical fiction employing dual timelines from the thirties to the nineties. It delves into the rise of the Nazi element and persecution of the Jews. There is a forbidden love story that grounds the book, and a search for family information in the future timeline. Another focus in the book is art in the forms of porcelain making and also with paintings created in the modern (abstract) vs. classic styles. My personal reaction to this book is one of depression navigating the subject matter, and a lack of interest in the story overall. I invested myself 50% into this book, but lost the desire to even find out how it all ends.

Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's Press for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

Enjoyed the book and would give it 3.5 stars. I had never heard of Allach Porcelain before or that it was a subcamp of Dachau. I googled it just to see images of the porcelain. I enjoyed how the book alternated between Clara and her Lotte in 1993 and Max and Bettina leading up to WWII and during the war. I found Max and Bettina's story more interesting than Clara's story. Clara was trying to solve the mystery of her father. Bettina never told her daughter anything about living in Germany during the war or the identity of her father. All Clara knew was that he was a porcelain maker. Clara and her mom probably would have been closer if she would have shared her experiences with her daughter. Holger seemed to help everyone in the book. If not for him, Clara would probably never learned the truth about her mother and father.

Definitely recommend the book, especially if you enjoy historical fiction. I enjoyed the story, characters and writing style. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This story is an impressive debut and I look forward to reading more from the author.

The story alternates between the 1990s and the 1940s. I was equally invested in both storylines and the immense heartbreak in both.

Clara’s search for her father will take her from Berlin to Dachau as she learns of his identity, and what it meant to be Jewish I. The 1940s in Germany.

Bettina, Clara’s mother has always been vague about who her father truly is. As we delve into the story, we begin to understand a little more why she was so vague, the amount of pain wrapped up in the truth.

This story is tragic and heartbreaking. It also illustrates not only the power of art to tell a story, but the power love, true love has when faced with impossible choices.

Thank you to St. Martin’s press for the copy of this book. All views are my honest opinion.

This was a slow moving novel with many words I did not know and an unusual style of writing. I wondered if the author’s native language was not English. I looked her up and see she lives in England.

If you like historical novels set during World War II which include descriptions of art, you may enjoy this.

Thanks to Netgalley.

The Porcelain Maker is a story in two settings: the 1940s during WWII in Germany and 1990s in America. In the 1940s, two artists -- Bettina and Max -- fall in love, but are later separated when Max is arrested and sent to a concentration camp. Bettina makes it her mission to be reunited with Max. In the 1990s, Bettina's daughter Clara is searching for clues to her father's identity.

This is a holocaust story that unflinchingly tells the tale of the rise of Naziism in Germany. It's an interesting perspective in that it shines light on the German resistance movement instead of just painting all Germans as Nazis. It also highlights the power of art for both propaganda and sedition. As the characters face the horrors of the Reich, they cling to creativity, friendship, and love that spurs them on to courage -- a truly heartwarming and heartbreaking story. Narratively, the pacing is slow and the descriptions run a bit long. I sometimes found the book hard to get through, both because of the subject and the lengthy descriptions, but overall, it was a good read..

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tragic historical fiction set during World War II with a dual timeline in the 1990’s. Clara and her daughter are on a mission to find the identity of her father through artwork that was commissioned years ago by Nazi Germany. This was a finely researched debut novel dealing with the art world and the dismal reality of war. I received this advanced copy from the publisher for a fair review.