Beautifully written, this is a powerful story intertwining two timelines seamlessly.

Right away, I was tuned in to Zoe Rosenzweig’s grandfather who talked about Seattle’s restaurant on the top (of course, the Space Needle) where you could see forever -- a place I loved. He said to her it was where she could wave to her parents in heaven. They died when she was just 11. She was now 28, a food writer in Raleigh, NC, 2018.

Her grandfather died the next day and she found an envelope with clues about her ancestors. I imagined that the plot would be very similar to other books where a family member finds hidden information and goes back (1946) to dig up the past.

Yet, this book grabbed me from the start with the vivid characters that were etched in my mind. I couldn’t put the book down and ended up reading almost all night just to get to the last page. It was heart-breaking at times and full of suspense with a glimpse of well-researched pieces of history, the importance of family and meaningful love.

I wish more people in America would read books like this to grasp what happened not that long ago. I believe it can help us avoid another dark, dreadful period.

My thanks to Pamela Dorman Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of August 19, 2025.

What a beautiful, engaging and inspiring book!

"Evening in Vienna is a fine time to hear a story."

I appreciated this story as a Jew, a reader and also because I had the pleasure of vacationing in Vienna this summer..

"Who do people hate us?" Aron asked his mother Frau. This book is so relevant now.

Chana had so much chutzpa!

For Zoe, "it was unsettling hearing what her family had endured during and after the war. Chana's hunger. Peril lurking around every corner. The blatant antisemitism." 36% in

Chana baked the famous sacher torte with Elias at The Empress Hotel (which is now The Imperial Hotel)

Like Zoe I had one of the most fabulous meals of my life at Steirerreck, one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. "The connected modern buildings constructed from mirrored glass were pure architectural eye candy." I also enjoyed the char "prepared table side in hot beeswax, which was meal preparation as performance art."

The love triangle was done beautifully. Every character was extremely well-developed. My only criticism would be it was a bit too long.

"For both of them, the war had stolen the person they cherished the most."

I encourage all Jewish people and those who read historical fiction, particularly about the war and the Holocaust, to read this.

As Henri said in his award speech, "To family and l'chaim."

After all, we are nothing without our family/loved ones, history, stories and books

4.5 stars
This is a truly compelling story about a young woman and her family living in post-war Vienna. A dual timeline book, the other part of it takes place in 2018 as a young woman, Zoe, uncovers some items left behind by her beloved grandfather, who has recently passed away. In the mid 1940s, Chana, her brother Aron, and their mother Ruth are a Jewish try to remake their lives after suffering, great loss and enduring so much through World War II in Europe. Their dream to travel to America and rebuild their lives takes a detour and this follows some hard decisions they need to make to survive, put the past behind them, and find happiness again. Years later, Zoe travels across the globe to try to find out more about her family history.
Sharon Kurtzman based this story on stories on her own family history. She does a brilliant job building the characters in the story and bringing each person to life. The story feels raw, emotional, and realistic. I love a good story with a strong female character and Chana definitely fits the bill. There is an even a bit of mystery as Zoe attempts to untangle secrets of her family’s past.
This a debut novel for Sharon Kurtzman, and it’s a beautiful one. I hope she continues to write more in the future as I will definitely seek her books out.
This book is perfect for fans of Kristin Harmel, Pam Jenoff, Georgia Hunter and other similar authors.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

The setting: historical fiction inspired by the experiences of the author’s own family after the Holocaust. A dual timeline but main focus on Chana Rosensweig, Vienna 1946. Chana, her mother, Rose, and her brother, Aron, have fled Vilna and landed in Vienna. Her father, who was killed and with whom she was very close, was a baker and she loved to work alongside him. "As she tries to balance her love of baking against her family’s need for security, Chana finds herself caught in a dangerous love triangle, torn between the black-market dealer who has offered marriage and protection, and the apprentice baker who shares her passions.'

Jump to Zoe Rosensweig, a struggling food writer in North Carolina, 2018. Her beloved grandfather, Aron, a Holocaust survivor, has just died. She lived with him after her parents were tragically killed in a car accident. He has left her very few clues and very little money but she seeks to piece together her family's history/heritage and to tie up the loose ends of the story her grandfather never fully told her. She knows a few things about Chana, but...

Survival, stuggles, resilience, family, love, and loss, loyalty, black marketeers, and evil characters.

My "yuck' moments were the descriptions of some of the [more romantic] moments between Chana and Meyer--or those describing her [often conflicted] feelings for him.

In the distinct minority although sometimes compelling, I felt it was often flat. I was waiting for the predictable and neat and tidy [delivered]. Still, I wanted to see how it all came together and how all the pieces fit together.

This was a stunningly beautiful story and I was moved to tears in the penultimate chapter. While we don't get to learn a ton about Zoe, she was still a strong character and I enjoyed her POV chapters. Chana's chapters, on the other hand, I could've read those for hours. Such a captivating and resilient character with a heartbreaking story. If you like WWII historical fiction, this is definitely one to pick up!

This one is WW2, but with a twist- as in post-war, flashbacks, family ties. I thought it was okay at first, but then once I got to the end I shed a few tears. I don’t think we have a lot of time left to do the flashbacks or the long-lost cousin/aunt/grandfather at war (for this war at least) and I am so glad to see that this one was done in a really …. Informed way. I left this book thinking I’d like to go to Poland and Vienna and see what it is like there now - I can’t say I’m a big reader of WW2 novels anymore, but this one didn’t leave me tired of the theme.

The Lost Baker of Vienna
By: Sharon Kurtzman
Review Score: Five Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•Historical Fiction
•Dual Timelines
•Engaging Characters
•Suspenseful

———

An ARC was kindly provided by NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this wonderful book!

Y’all. This book was so good. I love dual timelines in historical fiction, but sometimes, one timeline is better than the other.

I can honestly say that this book does not have that problem. I don’t know which timeline I liked better; learning about Chana and Meyer after the war, or Zoe’s quest to learn about her family history, all while trying to write an interview about an elusive man. Both storylines were Just. So. Good. They could have been separate stories in themselves, but together, they make such a great story.

As a lover of historical fiction, particularly World War 2, I feel as if I have read a lot of the stories that are out there, so this was a new one for me. Kurtzman really makes you feel what it was like after the war, when things still felt unsafe, and people were just trying to survive.

If you couldn’t tell, I loved this book. Kurtzman is a new author to me, and I definitely will read other books by her.

I received a copy for review purposes. All opinions are honest and mine alone.


There are so many books written about WWII that it’s rare to find one that stands out. THE LOST BAKER OF VIENNA is unique in this crowded genre. Dual timelines with two strong women anchoring the storylines is based on events that occurred in author, Sharon Kurtzman’s family. Readers will feel the strength and passion of that connection on every page.

After the death of her grandfather, Zoe is left with financial problems and questions about her family history. There’s a clue in some pictures that point her to a bakery in Australia along with its reclusive owner. He’s willing to provide information but only if she will meet him in Vienna at a world famous baking conference where he’ll receive a lifetime achievement award. Henri, is an highly nuanced character who parses out half the story with love and compassion. Zoe undergoes a steady transformation while coming to understand the real story about how her family survived the holocaust and life after.

Chana, her mother and younger brother have survived the camps and secured passage to the USA. Things don’t go as planned and the family of three are stranded in Vienna. Chana is blessed to “look Aryan” and is able to secure decent employment for all three of them. She has turned the head of the black market leader coordinating their exit from Europe. He got them a decent apartment and takes extra steps to keep the little family safe. Life is very difficult, food is scarce, hatred of Jews remains rampant but the spirit and desire to survive and be free are strong.

Kurtzman has masterfully presented war torn Vienna such that the setting becomes a character itself. Additionally, she created a social structure that included all levels of society. It felt as real as my development and town that is currently experiencing difficult issues with racial integration.

Character development is steady and thorough for all the major players. Even the secondary characters received a good fleshing out. This allowed smart dialogue and emotional exchanges between characters that rang true.

Both storylines become more complex as the story develops. It’s well organized, not chaotic. A few twists keep readers from getting too sure of themselves which had me actually cheering for the author.

An excellent choice for readers of Historical Fiction, WWII Fiction and those who enjoy great stories with kitchen and baking theme📚

Read and Reviewed from a NetGalley eARC via Kindle, with thanks

This was a beautiful story that appealed to me for so many reasons. I love to cook and bake, and as as someone with Jewish ancestry, I too have lost relatives who I am still trying to find. I enjoyed the dual timeline, as the story switched between Zoe and Chana, and how their connection was slowly revealed in each chapter. I found myself as eager as Zoe to uncover her family's history.

The minor characters in the story were also well-developed, and aside from a few unsavory antagonists, I grew to love them all. As someone who reads a lot of historical fiction, this book featured a setting and characters that were unique enough to keep me engaged. And I definitely related to the idea of baking as therapy! Despite the backdrop of the Holocaust and persecution of Jews, this book was ultimately hopeful and happy. 4.5 stars!

This book was amazing. The novel takes placed after WWII in Vienna where we read about a family of 3...the Rosensweig family. The mother Ruth, her son Aron and her daughter Chana. We meet them in 1946 after they leave the Displaced Person camp and arrive in Vienna. There they will be resettled until they are able to get visas to go to America. For them they stay together as they find jobs at The Empress Hotel doing menial labor and live in a boardinghouse together in one room. This is a story of family, the struggles of refugees from the Holocaust wanting to leave Europe. Chana is the main focus in the book, a young woman who wants to be a baker just like her father. Along the way she finds herself in a love triangle, making her life somewhat more difficult. Living in Vienna which was divided into sections run by the United States, Soviet Union, Britain and France was difficult. It is dangerous to be out after curfew (or for that fact any time). The area is crowded with black market dealers, thieves and the many men who seek the bodies of young females It is Zoe Rosenzweig who is the stepping stone that sets the story. As a journalist, she flies to Vienna to cover the story of a man, a famous baker, she believes to have known her family and begins to unravel this remarkable tale. As we take this journey with Zoe, it is hard to believe all that these survivors had to endure. With immigration quotas from many countries, getting a visa to leave Europe was next to impossible. This was an emotional story, one which will resonate within me for quite a while. My thanks to Sharon Kurtzman who wrote this remarkable novel as well as NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We often hear/read stories about what happened in specific areas during WW2, but we never hear anything about what happened afterwards in Germany, Austria and other places that had been taken over by Hitler and his people to the refugees left behind. Their businesses, homes, and part of their families gone. This story is based mainly in 1946 in Vienna, Austria, where a young woman by the name of Chana Rosensweig, is trying to make ends meet with her brother Aaron and her mother. As the months pass in not being successful in getting a visa and passage to the family in America, Chana catches herself in the middle of a situation. Two men offering very different ways out of the world they are in, one who loves baking as much as she does and the other who works the black market getting the ingredients needed for baking. Both have their own stories, both claim to love her and now Chana must decide does she follow her dreams or follow her heart. But she doesn’t care though as long as her mother and brother are safe. Then the tragic fire in July 1946 happens and the true story is lost…or is it?

Because in 2018, Zoe came across information in her grandfather Aaron Rosenzweigh’s house that might not just help save the house that she grew up in after her parents died, but it could be the break she needs to become a successful journalist. The problem is though that she will need to decide what is better, hearing about her family history or breaking the NDA and writing the story about the owner of a successful baker & business man who is telling it. Just like her great aunt had to make a decision that would affect her future, now Zoe does.

This is a very interesting book that tells a new side of things that we had not thought about. While I really got into it more in the 2nd half of it, there were a few times in the first few chapters I had to walk away. So while some can love it from the start, others might not. It is one book that you will want to finish when everything finally comes together and makes sense.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishing company for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

This emotional story inspired by the author’s family is exactly what historical fiction readers are looking for!

We meet Zoe in 2018. After losing her grandfather, a holocaust survivor, she discovers clues to his past and decides to look into it to see what she can uncover.

We meet Chana Rosensweig and her family in 1946. They are now free after the war. But freedom isn’t that simple and there is danger at every turn. Chana’s only joy is sneaking out during the night to bake her beloved father’s recipes. But duty to her family and a love triangle turn Chana’s world upside down.

This beautiful story of survival, family, love and loss is told in dual timeline through Zoe and Chana’s points of view. Throughout the story, you get pieces of the puzzle that will have you flying through the pages of this book to find out what happens. You see this family’s struggles with life post war and watch them find the strength to start over. This story also depicts our FMC’s resilience, courage and determination to follow her own path.!i absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it to all historical fiction lovers!

Thank you to NetGally and Penguin Group (Viking Penguin) for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Lost Baker of Vienna in exchange for my honest review.

Zoe finds a document in her grandfathers belongings which sends her on a quest to find the history of her grandfather’s family in 1946 Vienna. In a dual timeline we learn of Chandra’ and Aron’s journey in post war Vienna. This post war story illustrates how difficult it continued to be for the Jewish people.

Following the death of her beloved grandfather Aron, Zoe discovers something among his possessions that will lead her to Vienna- and the long-lost story of her great-aunt Chana. When WWII comes to an end, Chana, Aron and their mother attempt to get to America and escape the memories of life under the Nazis. They are waylaid in Vienna where their lives are changed forever.

This was an enjoyable historical fiction novel that offers a unique perspective of Europe immediately following WW2. The characters are easy to root for and though I guessed some of the plot points, I still had a good time reading this novel. I don’t love dual timeline but it was done fairly well here and we didn’t spend too much time getting bogged down in Zoe’s 2018 timeline.

I’m not sure this novel will stick with me long-term but I did enjoy it. Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss and Pamela Dorman Books for the egalley.

4 stars

This was a heartbreaking dual timeline post World War 2 book. I thought both timelines were interweaved well, but the twist was predictable. Nevertheless, reading about Chana’s journey was still highly enjoyable yet heartwrenching at times when the character’s backstories are brought up.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book!

A dual timeliness novel that takes place.during the dark times of World War two and mosern times.. a glorious well-written novel. It had me hooked from.the first page.until the last.

This started off in a somewhat Hallmark fashion--girl writer looking for a break and to find out about her family history after her grandfather dies. But Hallmark never could imagine something as heartbreaking and very real as Sharon Kurtzman offers in this book. I could not stop reading it! All in one sitting (a long sitting) is how I read it. First of all , it deals with the postwar period and resettlement of refugees--not the clean and easy process one would like to think--there are black marketeers, revenge plots by gangsters--and romance, betrayal, Our protagonist, the young writer in the modern ear, faces challenges to her wits, and her integrity. All believable. All well done.
I'm afraid to say too much--don't want to give away the plot. Just let me say that the pacing is that of a suspense novel--quick, cliff hanging, but with emotional depth as well as amazing action, fight scenes. Life in the early 1950s was no picnic for those who had survived WWII but once freed from death camps had no place to live.
I love historical fiction and this is one of the best I've recently read.

The Lost Baker of Vienna is a wonderfully written dual timeline novel which takes place during the aftermath of the Holocaust and 2018. Usually with these types of novels, I find myself enjoying one timeline more than the other. That is not the case with this novel. Ms. Kurtzman does a terrific job of keeping you engaged from start to finish. A moving and compelling story of survival, resilience, and the strong bond of family.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for an advanced copy of this novel.

I couldn't put this fast-paced book down. It was suspenseful right up until the very end! I might be a little biased because it had all of my favorite things: historical fiction, dual timelines, a dash of suspense, and a love triangle. What more could a girl want?

Sharon's portrayal of the Holocaust was both respectful and haunting. I also loved exploring the intricacies of family relationships and how far someone would go for the ones they love. This story was moving, gripping, and beautifully written.

I’m a huge fan of WWII historical fiction novels, so I was thrilled to receive this ARC. I’m not sure why I took so long to read it after receiving it months ago, but I’m glad I finally got around to it and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Zoe’s journey to find her aunt immediately captivated me, and I particularly liked the dual timeline. Despite the numerous twists and turns, the story ended on a satisfying note that resolved all the loose ends. Great writing and characters. Highly recommend picking this one up when it comes out this fall!