The Porcelain Maker is a dual timeline novel about a couple kept apart in Germany during World War II and a woman in 1993 who follows a trail of porcelain figurines to find out the identity of her birth father.

In 1993 Clara Vogel has been searching for figurines marked as “Allach Porcelain”. She knows they are connected to her birth father but doesn’t know his name as her mother kept his identity secret until her death. Along with her adult daughter (Lotte) Clara will follow a series of clues back to Dachau, Germany.

The reader also follows the tragic love story of Bettina, a talented German artist and Max, an Austrian Jew and architect from 1925 to 1941. Their romance is set in the midst of the rise of antisemitism in Germany and they can’t marry and live in poverty and constant fear of being turned in by their neighbors. When the worst happens and Max is sent to a labor camp Bettina will go to great lengths to protect both Max and their future family.

Like many novels that tell a story about this dark time in world history The Porcelain Maker shows a couple devoted to each other and their art stuck in a regime that had no respect for love or free expression. I appreciated everything I learned about how art was quickly politicized with the modern styles (like what Bettina created) on the outs and anything that glorified the “Germanic spirit” the new ideal. There are plenty of people to hate in The Porcelain Maker but also plenty that tried to fight for what was right and I thought the author did an excellent job of showing the various reactions by German citizens to what was happening around them.

Although this is not a particularly fast- paced or light in tone novel I think readers will appreciate Max and Bettina’s devotion, Clara’s determined search and what she and Lotte are able to create out their family history.

Dual timeline books are so intriguing and fascinating, and this one includes an era that is so riveting to me personally (the years leading into WWII). Forbidden love, family secrets, and a search for identity create a page-turning tapestry. I’m grateful to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early in exchange for my honest review.

This was a heartfelt novel of love and betrayal. Clara wants to understand her history, and learn who her father is. But her quest takes her back to Dachau Germany, WWII, and the rise of the of Nazism. It is a story of love and endurance during a time of profound brutality and betrayal.

There has been a plethora of WW2 books in the past few years and I steeled myself to be non-plussed by this new one. But, I was pleasantly surprised by the new perspective on the wartime experience and the depiction of the characters drew me in to what became a real page turner.

I’m grateful to the publishers for allowing me to read and review a copy of this book.

Overall I enjoyed the concept of this book. I was fascinated by the sections about art, especially the secret porcelain pieces that Max and Betti made together at Dachau. However, the rest of the book fell a little flat to me. I feel like portions of it were rushed through and used out of convenience to easily and quickly tie up some loose ends rather than actual enhance and help develop the story. It was also very difficult to read this advanced copy. I fully understand that it is an uncorrected manuscript, but there were hundreds and hundreds of punctuation errors throughout the entire book, and they kept making my eyes jump back and made it physically difficult to read. Hopefully they were all caught before the book was published.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. A love story spanning decades, nearly 60 years apart. An interesting and intriguing story and timeline, considering how much changed over the years and seeing that reflected within the characters' stories.

Clara's journey is captivating from the start. This love story transcends Bettina and Max. It is quite possibly a love story about art and craftsmanship. and Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Many thanks for the complimentary ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and the author/publisher.

In trying to figure out what didn’t work for me with this book I think it was that I didn’t feel connected with or like the characters. Learning about art during this time was interesting, but even couldn’t keep me focused on the story.

Loved this story by Sarah Freethy and learning certain aspects about WWII that were previously unknown to me, like Allach porcelain being created by prisoners from Dachau. Freethy weaves an amazing story around the history of the factory and the porcelain created there.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC. My review and opinion are my own and are given of my own volition.

3.5 ⭐️
I have a deep respect for all those who lived and suffered through that horrible time of WWII and I feel sad that with this story I didn't quite connect with what I was reading. I liked the two timelines because we were able to see what happened to those people in the past. Maybe it influences that I am not very knowledgeable about art and that I think that made my interest lower. The rest that happens in the book and that I have read about it before, that just broke me every time I advanced with the reading.
But as I always say, read the book and get your own opinion 😉

This book was just “meh” for me. I felt like I was reading it because I had to finish it instead of reading it because I wanted to finish it. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was.

This book was a very interesting and unique historical fiction book set in the time period of WW2. I can not believe that this book was written by a debut author! Ihave read many books during this time period however the author has captured the facts in a very different style. The Porcelain Maker of Dachau captures the gut wrenching events that transpired during this time period. I was totally engaged in this book and found it so fascinating how the author captured a different perspective of WW2. Put this book on your TBR list because you won’t want to miss it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my review.

Historical fiction is becoming a much loved trope for me. I look forward to the rich stories that are poignant and often harrowing. I think it's important to examine our past to understand where we came from and where we are going. It's also important not to sugar coat or look away from the very ugly side of things. Historical fiction does all that, oftentimes blending fiction in with fact. I don't know how much of the story of the Porcelain Maker from Dachau is true, but it was a beautiful and tragic tale. I say it time and again, but I have no idea how people lived through the horrors with grace, dignity, and certainly more fortitude that I possess. I highly recommend this story.

Told in dual timelines, Clara in 1993 and Bettina, her mother, in the 1920s and later, we piece together what happened to Clara's father during the Holocaust.

This book did not draw me in, but maybe I've just read too many books that seem similar lately. It is well written and has aspects of history and romance. Recommended for book clubs that haven't read too much WWII literature lately.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. #sponsored

Such an incredible read - the story begins with a woman locating some pieces of porcelain that she hopes will lead her to finding out the identity of her father. This porcelain was produced in Nazi Germany in Dachau. The story was totally absorbing. It showed effects of the Nazi horrors, the fear, the hopelessness. The art information was fascinating. I highly recommend this book.

A powerful and moving story told in dual timelines.
If you love historical fiction and enjoy reading heartbreaking stories surrounding WWII you won’t be disappointed.
Only reason I am not giving five stars is due to the slow moving. In some ways it’s effective but it didn’t keep me captivated enough to warrant the perfect score.
However still a very solid read and I am thankful for the advanced copy.

The Porcelain Maker is a dual timeline WWII historical fiction. In one thread we meet Clara in 1993. Her mother has recently passed and a deathbed comment about The Porcelain Maker leads Clara to unravel the mystery of her unknown father. The second thread is with her mother Bettina, in a German art school in the 1930s.

I’ve read a lot of historical fiction of this era, and this was simply OK. The first half was slow, the second tried to do too much, and the story and characters didn’t feel fully developed. Perhaps my own issue, as I had finished All The Light We Cannot See before starting this, and the Porcelain Maker didn’t fare well by comparison.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review The Porcelain Maker on NetGalley.

Stars: 4

First things first: My Kindle is tear proof. I teared up, cried and at one point forced myself not to just sob.

This is a slow burn. I think the book turned to a story midway. I found at this point an endearing romance. Two people: smart, listening to one another and working together in bad times. I knew the worst was yet to come, and that may have aided in my heartache. I liked them. There shared love for art and each other brought a different side to loss and courage in a cruel time.

I have read a lot of WW II historical fiction over decades and I appreciate humanizing artists. This was inspired by a factory in Dachau and needed a solid reference in Author Notes.

I wish the author well in her future endeavors. She has a writing style that touched me. I will watch for future works.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sarah Freethy’s The Porcelain Maker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


I loved this work of historical fiction that alternates between Germany of 1929 - WW II and 1993 America.

Clara lives in the US and has just lost her mother. Clara is determined to find out who her dad was— a secret her mother protected until her passing. Clara buys a large lot of porcelain at an auction to hopefully shed some light on his identity and on why her mother refused to share that information with Clara.

Max and Bettina meet in Germany in 1929 and are immediately enthralled with one another. He is a Jewish architect, and she is a talented painter. Their lives are upended when Max is sent to Dachau, where his ability to make porcelain figures seems to keep him alive. Bettina, of course, wants to save him at any cost.

This story is heartbreaking and is beautifully told.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for my feedback.