This was a beautifully written, yet sad historical fiction, starting pre WWII.

Told in alternating time lines 1929 thru 1940's & the other being 1993.

Clara (1993) is trying to find out who her father was, & she comes upon a photograph of her mom with 3 other men, 2 in prison camp uniforms. This puts her on a search to find out who these men are & the connection to her mom.

The other part of the story focuses on the changes in & around Germany, how this effects the work of artists who do not meet the criteria of Nazi Germany & the relationship between Bettina & Max.

This is a love story, also an interesting story about a porcelain factory at Dachau & many missed chances to get away from it all. The story focuses more on people, art, danger & not too much about the actual horrors for how people were treated in the camps. There is some but not as heavy as other books I have read.

I loved the way the author portrayed Bettina & Max & then how we find out many years later what happened to them & their respective works of art.

I did go & look up these porcelain pieces.

I was given an advance copy via Net Galley & St Martin's Press in exchange for a fair & truthful review

This dual timeline novel carries all the emotional and physical burdens of World War ll, the Holocaust, and the impact of these events on relationships and families. The porcelain figurines found at auction in Cincinnati,1993, represent the tension and anxiousness fired into Sarah Freethy’s characters. From the opening of the novel in Germany,1929 when the main characters meet, through America, 1993, when Clara is searching for clues to her past, readers will experience love and marriage consequences, the Allach Porcelain Factory, the concentration camp in Dachau, along with frightening rescue attempts.
The climax of the plot is set in the basement of the porcelain factory. As an escape plan is formed Freethy’s chilling descriptions, plot twists, and courageous characters keep suspense at a peak. The porcelain making techniques and regimens of the prisoners, aside the brutal treatment and plight of the Jews makes this an emotionally challenging and demanding novel. Sarah Freethy’s The Porcelain Maker is a work of art. And as “The Porcelain Maker of Dachau believes, “Art should serve a purpose beyond beauty.”

In this dual timeline novel, Clara buys porcelain figurines made in Dachau because she believes they will lead her to who her father was. Her mother Bettina refused to speak of him.
During the war years, Bettina, her lover, and their artsy crowd ran afoul of the Nazis. Tragedy is bound to happen. Her SS brother is pure evil and she married a cruel Nazi. This was not a pleasure to read, and I did skip forward to see how the book ended.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book is a dual timeline - Germany in 1929 and America in 1993. Max and Bettina, both artists in their own way are trying to stay safe in a war-ridden land. Max is taken to Dachau and becomes one of the most prolific porcelain makers.

Clara, Bettina's daughter, is trying to find out who her father was. She is hunting down porcelain made at Dachau to solve the mystery with her own daughter.

This is one of those historical fiction novels that you want to be true and you are rooting for Clara the entire time. Clara is looking for her father, but also learning about her mother and herself in the process. This was a fantastic read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy for review.

The porcelain maker is a dual timeline historical fiction book, mostly set in Nazi Germany. In present day, actually the 1990s, Clara is trying to discover who her father was, since her mysterious artist mother never told her. The older story is a love story between Bettina, Clara's mother, and Max, both artists, but Max is Jewish so they cannot marry. I won't give anything away, but there is a lot of cruelty by the Nazis, as expected. Bettina and Max want to love each other and make meaningful art, but they are trapped by their time.

Kudos to Sarah Freethy, the author of “The Porcelain Maker,” for writing such a mighty masterpiece. This is a captivating, heartbreaking, thought-provoking, and memorable Historical Fiction Novel. During this time of the Jewish New Year, this serves as a bitter reminder that we mustn’t forget. The genres for this novel are Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, and World War Two. The actual German art factory inspires this in Dachau. Sarah Freethy is a fantastic storyteller, and this is a well-written novel that vividly describes the scenery, characters, and plot. The author describes the dramatic characters as complex and complicated. There are betrayals, cruelty, danger, and the contrast of good and evil. Beautiful artwork that depicts and represents the times and courageous and loyal characters are discussed. There also are the tragic circumstances of Germany and concentration camps and the evilness and immoral events of the times.

In 1929, Bettina, an avant-garde painter, and Max, A Jewish Architect, are romantically involved in Germany. Bettina comes from a dysfunctional wealthy family and beats to the tune of her drum. This was when Nazism was strong in Germany, and Max was sent to a concentration camp. Max starts making various porcelain pieces that represent the German government. Bettina is obsessed with locating Max.

In 1993, in America, Bettina’s daughter Clara discovered pieces of porcelain that might lead to the identity of her biological father. Clara is obsessed with piecing the parts of her historical puzzle. The author brings both timelines together in a heartfelt and memorable way. I highly recommend this thought-provoking novel, and I do recommend having tissues nearby.

What a beautiful and heartbreaking love story about two people separated by war, and the daughter years later, who is looking for answers. Told in dual timelines, we follow Bettina, an artist, and Max, a sculptor, as they meet and fall in love, and Clara who is looking for the identity of her father. But this story takes place in Germany on the brink of another world war, and Max is Jewish.

There was a lot to love in this book. I loved learning about the porcelain making factory, and I also loved following Clara and her daughter as they searched for answers. The biggest, and really only, negative I have for this is that some of the chapters are really long. I’m a big fan of short chapters, and some were so long I couldn’t finish them in one sitting.

I managed to not get too emotional until the epilogue. Something about that really touched me. Overall a wonderful WWII historical fiction about what lengths we are willing to go for the ones we love.

Sarah Freethy’s debut historical fiction novel is a homerun!

I have read many books about the WWII era. This one penetrated my heart to the greatest depths. I appreciate that it was inspired by an actual porcelain factory in Dachau and spanned from 1925 Germany to 21st century America. The story spares no details of the horrors of WWII. Heartache, family separations, betrayals, death, and forbidden love were daily fare. I was also captivated by the detailed art history across various media.

Max and Bettina meet in Berlin in 1929. Both artists, the attraction was immediate, and they planned for a life together. Max was Jewish and Bettina German. As the Nazi’s began to infiltrate Germany, their lives are thrust into great peril.

Despite their best efforts to stay safe, Max is arrested and sent to a concentration camp in Dachau where he was allowed to make intricate porcelain figurines instead of hard labor.

Unbeknownst to Max, Bettina was pregnant. Leaving Max behind, she was forced to flee to safety to protect herself and their daughter Clare.

Eventually Clare grows up and has a daughter of her own. Bettina never told Clare of her father’s identity. Once Bettina passed, Clare set out with her daughter to find answers.

This story has many unexpected twists and turns. I laughed, cried, and hung on every word. I enjoyed this book immensely and wholeheartedly recommend it to those who enjoy general or historical fiction.

I received this advanced reader’s copy free from Author Sarah Freethy, Publisher St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley. This is a voluntary review, and all comments and opinions are entirely my own.

This was a sad but enthralling book to read, due to the subject matter, and people need to read books like to this, to remember what happened in the not-so-distant past, and to resolve that nothing like this can ever happen again.

The characters seemed so real, and even though the Nazis got worse and worse before the war officially started, so many Jews thought that the current government would eventually stop persecuting them so dreadfully. So many Jews were very assimilated into their country of choice, either Germany or Austria, and were not actively pursuant of their faith, but they were persecuted just as much as observant Jews.

Again, people need to read books like this, not for enjoyment, but to make themselves aware of this hideous part of the recent past, and to ensure it never happens again.

A beautiful work of historical fiction from debut author Sarah Freethy. Through alternating perspectives, The Porcelain Maker delves into an era of forbidden love and tragedy set in WWII and the 21st century.

In 1993, Clara embarks on a journey to uncover the identity of her father. For years Clara's mother Bettina guarded a lifetime of secrets, which remained hidden until her passing. Despite her mother's wishes to leave the past behind, Clara's determination for answers leads her to an auction in Cincinnati where she wins several porcelain figurines. Each piece holds the story behind her heritage.

During the 1930's a young Bettina meets Max, an Austrian Jew. Over the course of several years, the two fall in love and become entangled in the throes of the impending war. As Germany shifts into dangerous territory, their relationship undergoes heartbreaking sacrifice as they fight to survive and stay together.

This story is an immersive experience with rich vocabulary and fine details. It's clear that significant effort went into the research and development of this story and careful preservation has been ensured with the historical material. In so many ways, this book is perfectly written. As overwhelming and heartbreaking as this story was, I couldn't put it down and I only wish I hadn't finished it so soon. For fans of historical fiction and romance, I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC.

This is the promo for this book:

“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. “

So, that’s all true, and it sounded just my style, but I’d have appreciated this story more had it been told exclusively from Bettina’s point of view. Instead, the author has constructed the tale through the duel-timeline narrative, alternating Bettina & Max’s story with the voice of Clara, Bettina’s daughter. As so often happens with this technique/gimmick, the more contemporary narrator lacks the depth and character development to compete with the stronger original narrative. Frankly, Clara and her life bored me to tears.

I wish authors would give this duel narrative a rest already. . Dear authors- if the original story is worth telling, just tell it; be straightforward! Be bold! There is no need to weave in some ancillary sub-plot and limp current-day progeny of the original characters simply to satisfy a current novel structure trend.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As far as historical fiction, I enjoyed this so much. The era is one I always watch out for. I'll definitely be buying a finished edition.

In 1993, Clara Vogel is searching the world for Allach porcelain animal figures which were made in Dachau prison camp during World War II. She is trying to learn the identity of her real father, who was a sculptor for the figures. Her mother married a high Nazi official when she realized she was pregnant ,in order to keep her safe. This is a dual storyline of Clara’s parents, Max, a Viennese Jew, and her Mother, Bettina, a renowned avant-guard artist. It is a saga of love, loss, and unexpected kindness in the midst of unfathomable cruelty.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I try to be fair and give each and every galley I receive my time and full attention. Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. I wasn't able to get into it so I don't think it's really fair to review it. I'm in no way implying that it isn't a good book, it just wasn't for me at the time.

I really enjoy generational history "mysteries" because they help me see a big picture of cause and effect. There is so much to learn about why people do what they do, especially in times of great distress like WWII. This historic fiction did a great job of meeting both those interests in an engaging manner. Highly recommend reading.

Clara searches for particular porcelain pieces through auction houses and dealers; Lotte, her daughter, researches. They are not driven so much by a desire to own; rather by the desire to identify the man know as the porcelain maker of Dachau who they believe is Clara’s father. It is through their quest that Sarah Freethy takes her readers to Germany in the 30’s and 40’s. Alternating this time period with the 90’s she reveals how Clara came to be through the long-standing love affair of Max and Bettina, two artists, and the horror and heartbreak they endured. Clara’s questions are answered; her identity is solidified; the reader learns another key to Holocaust history. Despite the proliferation of World War II novels, there is always much to learn. In this debut the dedication, artistry and beauty of the porcelain pieces linger long after the last page.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the opportunity to read The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy. Excellent! I am always on the look out for good historical fiction during this era, i am happy to have discovered this.

This debut historical novel is set both in the US in the 1990s and in the years prior to World War II in Germany. The book is centered around on the creation of exquisite porcelain pieces made during the War years and what they represented for the artist that created the pieces. When Clara's mother dies she finds several small porcelain pieces among her possessions and is determined to find out their importance. But what she discovers is so much more than she ever expected. Through their story, Clara is able to discover the father she never knew and to understand her mother's behavior regarding the past. Even though I have read numerous novels about this period of history, it never fails to amaze me just how dark humanity can be or even the lengths that people can go in trying to survive. This was a tremendous debut and I look forward to what Sarah Freethy might write next! Perfect for fans of Heather Morris, Kristin Hannah, Pam Jenoff and Noelle Salazar.

In 1929 Germany, 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. In 1993 America, 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 the reader 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. As Clara digs further, with the help of her daughter, 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 brutality. I was caught totally off guard by the ending of the story. It was hard to believe that this was a debut novel for the author as well as it was written. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request to read this book based on true facts. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves reading WWII historical fiction.

The book blurb & other reviews hooked me immediately. Unfortunately, the story itself was not very compelling. Thank you NetGalley for the advance ecopy.