I just finished The Baker of Lost Memories by Shirley Russak Wachtel and here are my thoughts.

Lena has a dream.. Of being a baker like her parents before world war II. Living in Brooklyn in the 60s, anything is possible but her parents are distant. The loss of a sister she never knew lingers. The only comfort she had was her best friend Pearl, who disappeared when she was a child. Lena’s dreams are coming true but the past is still in her present and there are things she doesn’t even know about herself.

I didn’t read the synopsis so this wasn’t what I was expecting. While this book is a historical fiction, I was hoping it was all based during the war and I thought the baker… lost memories, that she would bake to help people grieve losses during the war with baking…. That would have been great… The story may have been different than expected but it was still very enjoyable.

The audiobook was a lot better than I was expecting too. The narration was solid. You get the story of the parents at first. How they survived the war and the loss of their pride and joy Ruby. They make it to the USA and have Lena. You get to see the differences in their parenting and it makes Lena, who is a tad unlikeable, more understood. They keep her at a distance. The lack of affection and you cannot help feeling angry on Lena’s behalf but the ending really rounds out the why at the end and I loved that. I went through every emotion with this one.

Definitely a 4.5 star book. I think the pacing was a tad slow but all in all entertaining book.

Thank you @netgalley and @brillianceaudio for my gifted copy

Shirley Russak Wachtel’s novel unfolds across decades, beginning in 1960s Brooklyn. Lena, the daughter of Polish Jewish Holocaust survivors, longs to revive her family’s baking heritage while confronting the silence surrounding a sister she never knew. Her journey from college dreams to running a bakery—and the reappearance of her childhood friend Pearl—reveals buried traumas and the power of memory to heal.

Narration and Performance
Emily Lawrence brings quiet authority and warmth to Lena’s voice, balancing youthful optimism with the weight of generational sorrow. She creates subtle distinctions between characters:

Lena’s introspective narration is soft-spoken yet assured.

Anya’s Polish-accented warmth and Josef’s reserved tone feel authentic without veering into caricature.

Supporting roles (Pearl, Luke, Kenny) each carry unique vocal inflections, helping listeners track frequent flashbacks and time jumps.

Lawrence’s pacing suits the novel’s reflective mood—she allows pauses for emotional resonance but can feel slow during lengthy descriptive passages. Overall, her performance deepens the story’s emotional stakes and familial intimacy.

Recommended for listeners who appreciate attentive narration and emotionally driven storytelling.

Such an emotional novel which I enjoyed a lot especially with the great and touching presentation by the narrator. The WW2 story as expected as a heart-broken one with all the deeply built relationship between the characters. The author spent some good time in creating all these wonderful background.

4/5 ⭐️
So this was really well written. The characters seemed really flushed out, especially for what they had survived. Lena irked me a few times, but her parents kinda shoved her out, so like I get it?

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

This was good. I liked the world building and the depth of the characters.

It was a little hard to follow at some points, but not enough to deter from the story.

This book was about resilience and family and centers around Lena, the somewhat aimless daughter of holocaust survivors. We experience two generations of bakery owners and their personal lives, from Poland to New York. While much is lost by this family, their ties are what bring them through life together. It was interesting to see Lena develop and grow from a young girl into an adult who often has to make hard decisions. The characters were well rounded and had me rooting for a happy ending. The audio narration was very expressive and kept me engaged.

The Baker of Lost Memories (Audiobook) by Shirley Russak Wachtel

Anya and Joseph grew up and married in Poland. They survived the holocaust but paid the ultimate price, their first daughter Ruby. Anya and Joseph now live in Brooklyn and have a second daughter, Lena but they seem to be holding back their love from her, not showing any affection, completely the opposite of how they were with Ruby.

Lena grows up feeling like no matter what she does she cannot please her parents or have their approval. As the years go on Lena marries and moves further away from her parents both physically and emotionally. When Anya gets seriously sick, she does not say anything to Lena even when her health gets so critical that she needs a kidney transplant.

I enjoyed this audiobook very much. The narrator, Emily Lawrence, was wonderful the way she made the characters come alive.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Brilliance Publishing/Brilliance Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The Baker of Lost Memories offered a different perspective on WW2 Poland. I enjoyed the Lena's passion for baking and creating in the kitchen. The dual timeline story segments at times were a bit challenging to keep track of. There is a really heavy and sad feel to this book which is understandable as Lena's parents are survivors of the holocaust.

The narration was authentic and that added to the story in my opinion.

Thank you Net Galley, Shirley Russak Wachtel and Brilliance Audio for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.

Colleen Chi-Girl on GoodReads
*** 3 stars
2025, anti-racist, audio, europe, food, historical-fiction, netgalley, poland-hungary, read, women-centered, ww2-holocaust

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC audiobook copy. I usually try to find the best of each novel before reviewing. I also give reverence to any book on the Holocaust because that period of time in our history should. never. have. occurred.

Usually, if I don't make a connection (or enjoy) the narrator/performer, I might switch to a Kindle or book copy, and stop listening to the audiobook. Since this was an ARC, I needed to finish the audiobook and leave an honest review. It pains me not to give it a higher rating, but the choice of verbiage and overly-flowery, descriptive writing didn't work for me, at all, along with choosing a breathy narrator who IMHO was over the top for this audio novel.

In the beginning it was confusing because Pearl goes missing and the whole tone about Lena and her parents was discouraging. It wasn't because the parents, Holocaust survivors, put a wall around their hearts, but it's the way there was so much over explaining and over telling, and overly, overly descriptive, like a young adult-novel-for-dummies. The subject of the Holocaust is too important to distract with the choice of language used for it. It also began to fall flat in the middle.

"Growing up in 1960s Brooklyn, Lena wants to be a baker just like her mother was back in Poland prior to World War II. But questions about those days, and about a sister Lena never even knew, are ignored with solemn silence. It’s as if everything her parents left behind was a subject never to be broached."

I just finished listening to a good audiobook. The Baker of Lost Memories by Shirley Russak Wachtel is available now. Check it out.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy this audiobook.

While I enjoyed the story line of this book, it seemed way too slow moving (even listening at 2x speed). I rarely DNF a book, but was tempted on several occasions to stop listening. I was expecting more of the story to take place during WWII, not in post-war New York. I also found the imaginary friend plot line to be a stretch.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. The Baker of Lost Memories, at its core, the book follows a woman searching for answers about her past, only to discover that the key to her future might lie in an unexpected bakery and the community it nourishes. The writing is lyrical and evocative, with rich descriptions of food that feel almost magical — each baked good infused with emotion, history, and love.

A tender, layered story of memory, grief, and the love that carries us through generations.

The Baker of Lost Memories is a slow-burning, emotional journey through family trauma, wartime secrets, and the bittersweet power of remembering. Lena’s passion for baking is the heart of the story, but it’s her search for truth—about her mother, her missing friend, and herself—that gives the novel its emotional weight.

The writing is evocative and nostalgic, though the pacing lags in places. The decades-spanning timeline offers a sweeping look at loss, healing, and intergenerational resilience. It’s not a light read, but it is a quietly powerful one.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah or The Book of Lost Names who don’t mind a bit of slow unfolding.

The Baker of Lost Memories is an intriguing story of trauma, grief, family, survival and the pursuit of happiness.

There are numerous elements to this story, some of which are more coherent than others. Josef and Anya are my favourite characters who so clearly struggle with the traumatic, lasting effects of the Holocaust; and this in turn impacts their relationship with their daughter, Lena, who isn’t fully aware of what her parents experienced in Poland. Lena’s journey to pursuing her own dreams; building bridges and reaching an understanding with her parents is not without its momentous challenges.

The flow of this story feels a little disjointed, particularly in relation to the Pearl aspect. The ending provides some clarity, but it almost feels like Pearl is a surplus character who doesn’t really add anything of consequence to the story. The Baker of Lost Memories is a fairly slow paced story but the audio narration is excellent and certainly held my attention.

I received an audio copy of this book from the publisher, Brilliance Publishing. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5* While an overall okay story it just didn't keep me hooked. I found some sections a bit hard to follow. The characters were a bit lackluster.

Growing up in 1960s Brooklyn, Lena wants to be a baker just like her mother was back in Poland prior to World War II. But questions about those days, and about a sister Lena never even knew, are ignored with solemn silence. It’s as if everything her parents left behind was a subject never to be broached.

The one person in whom Lena can confide is her best friend, Pearl. When she suddenly disappears from Lena’s life, Lena forges college, love and marriage with a wonderful man, the dream of owning a bakery becoming a reality, and the hope that someday Pearl will return to share in Lena’s happiness—and to be there for her during the unexpected losses to come.

Only when Lena discovers the depth of her parents’ anguish, and a startling truth about her own past, can they rebuild a family and overcome the heart-wrenching memories that have torn them apart.