The Violin Maker’s Daughter is a story of love and loyalty, loss and sacrifice, strength and bravery in the face of adversity.

As the plot develops, so does the character of Sarah. At the start of the story, she is a naive 17-year old, protected by her family and sheltered from the war so far. The wartime hardships imposed on her family and her town force Sarah on a journey in which she matures mentally and emotionally. I enjoyed Sarah’s story the more it progressed. The second half of the book has some really well-written twists and turns.

Although this is a fictional story, the author, Sharon Maas has accurately portrayed the events that took place in the Alsace region of France during World War 2.

Historical fiction is my favourite genre to read and this book was another great read for me. It is the first time I have read any of Sharon Maas’ work and I would happily recommend The Violin Maker’s Daughter.

I am grateful to the publisher, Bookoture for an early digital copy of this book via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Mayer is the eldest daughter of the violin maker in Colmar in Alsace.They are Jews although they haven't declared they are so the family is forced to flee as Nazi troops move into the area. They decide that Sarah should leave first on a long journey by foot with the aid of many members of the Resistance. Before long she is captured by two German soldiers but one of them shoots the other when he tries to rape Sarah. Ralf was a medical student before being drafted into the German army and after this event he deserts and helps Sarah on her journey.

At first I thought this was written for young adults given the style of writing and the plot but in the second half the language seemed more for adults. While the story kept me reading until the end, the story concentrates mostly on the romance that develops between Sarah and Ralf. There is little depth to either the characters or the story which annoyed me most of the time as I felt it relied on cliches rather than providing any real exploration of the subject matter.

I love Alsace and I was eager to hear more about the region after reading the author's previous book. The area was touched on a few times and I remembered several places after visiting there.

I found Sarah to be a really irritating and childish nearly to the point of giving up the book! I stuck with it and towards the end of the book she improved.

I found this one lacking in comparison with the previous book.

From the opening chapter, I had a feeling that this would be quite an epic book. The heartbreaking tale of a Jewish family broken apart during the Nazi occupation of France. The eldest daughter of a Jewish violin maker in Nazi-annexed Alsace must start her family’s journey to the south of France. But will she ever be reunited with her parents and sisters?
As a lover of history, I have studied Nazi Germany at GCSE, A Level and as part of my degree; the latter also included Vichy France. I feel like I have a good ground on the factual side of the era so enjoyed reading a fictional account of life under the Nazis.
The journey of The Violin Maker’s Daughter is fraught with danger. Knowing which characters to trust is tricky for us as well as Sarah. I admit that I enjoyed the action in the book and therefore I found some of the train journey a little long winded as it didn’t seem to move the plot on much.
I have really mixed feelings about the main character Sarah. She is quite frustrating at times, especially in the opening parts of the book, as she puts herself and others in danger. I’m not sure how believable I found these occasions when she acted in a childish way. She is also incredibly brave, increasingly so towards the end of the book, and faces unimaginable fears as she hides from the Nazis and despairs of seeing her family again.
I enjoyed the style of writing and the way that author Sharon Maas makes reference to the camps as they understood them at the time of WW2, whilst obviously we as readers know the true horror of the extermination camps and Hitler’s Final Solution. Perhaps this is why I was annoyed with Sarah for her emotional reactions to situations: she simply didn’t understand the enormity of the danger during the first parts of the book.
I won’t give away the ending, but almost inevitably there is some heartache and some joy carefully balanced to leave the reader satisfied.

I enjoyed the basic storyline of this book
This book is written in the present tense which I found distracting.
However if you enjoy historical fiction, you will love this book.

I am a huge fan of pretty much anything written during WW2, and have a particular interest in seeing how the conflict played out in other countries (e.g., the Nightingale gave a wonderful insight into life in france in that time). I sort of hoped this would be the same.

I was not disappointed.

The tension in this novel was unbelievably well written. Honestly, I felt myself becoming tense with fear so many times, and I struggled to put it down due to anxiety about making sure I knew they had got to safety. The writing is vivid and real and painful, but also beautiful.

I honestly cannot believe I've not read any of Sharon Maas' work before now. She is clearly incredibly skilled, and I can't wait to pick up my next one of hers.

The gripping tale of a young gifted girl forced to flee during the death squads of World War II. She grows into a brave young woman as she runs with a German soldier. The story is both tragic and heartwarming. The unsung heroes of the Resistance play a major role.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to start this by saying that I read a lot of WW2 historical and non-ficition books. This is probably my least favourite book in this category. Why, you might ask? For me this book was more about a love struck teen that takes place during a very horrific time in world history. By the end of the book I was glad to be done with Sarah as I found her to be a very self-centered, naïve twit. I found myself constantly thinking what stupid mistakes she was making and yet managed to avoid any real consequences. So for me this book was probably a 3 star book but like I said I have read a lot about this subject which i'm sure colours my review

The Violin Makers Daughter by Sharon Maas ISBN  1-78681-979-1 / 978-1-78681-979-6


A riveting tale of impressionable Sarah, an apprentice violin maker and non-practising Jew in the midst of a raging war, systematically spreading throughout Europe. The first time the Nazi’s appear they decide to hide their Jewish background and stay in their beloved family home. The terrorizing wait to see if they can remain hidden and be left in peace…. The ultimate betrayal eventually comes to call and their status of Aryan decent has come into question and they are given a week to provide the paperwork… The countdown begins.

The time has come to flee but they cannot flee together. They must separate and go in smaller groups. Sarah must go alone and she must leave first. Her life depends on her ability to blend in, keep her head down, trust the people she does not know, to keep her safe. She must learn to keep her emotions in check. Keeping the despair of leaving her family from bubbling to the surface and her blind hatred for all Germans under wraps as to not draw attention to herself.

On her journey she mets Ralf, German and a soldier. She still can’t bring herself to trust him, even after her saves her life. Now he’s on the run too and agrees to get Sarah safely to where she needs to be. During their journey he will do much more than just protect her…. He will teach her to avoid detection, master her emotions, be brave and how to survive… He shows her that just as a war can destroy and create hate, It doesn’t have the power to stop an all consuming love.

Hiding their identities and deny who they are as the race from safe house to safe house, Ralf and Sarah continue their journey together. All too soon Ralf is captured and Sarah has a choice to make.


The weight of the world seems to rest on the shoulders of young Sarah. Having no world knowledge and being held in practically like a hostage in her home by a war she doesn’t understand and the full gravity of it being held secret by her parents. All she wants to do is make violins and put the love and careful attention to detail into each and every one. When the pounding on their door comes that night and Sarah now knows what her parents were keeping from her. She must leave the safety of her home, of her family and make the dangerous journey to safety. The rough terrain and the soldiers everywhere. Not knowing who she can trust, keeping a part of herself hidden so she can remain undetected. She has to keep her wits about her and ultimately her eye on the prize.

You can feel the emotional rollercoaster she is on. You literally watch her throw off her adolescences and transition into womanhood in such a quick succession, it would make anyones head spin. It really comes to a head when she is saved by a young German Soldier, Ralf who is now on the run too, having risked his life to save her and her friend Eric.

The journey is, at times, agony to read. Sarahs hatred for all Germans is so black and white that she can’t, at first, see there is so much grey all around her. Everything she says, everything she does, every small detail has to be just right in order to avoid detection. She has no life skills to help her on this life or death quest to safety. She is learning as she goes.

The whole book from start to finish is like watching Sarah mature from a naive caterpillar into a butterfly of knowledge. Her full transition from child to woman is painfully played out and you will feel every emotion right along with her. My heart was so full to bursting and the tears were hard to bite back knowing she was wholly dependent on herself and trying to navigate her feelings for a man she barely knows and didn’t trust in the beginning. No experiences to draw on and no Mother to ask. The whole book had me reeling with the simplicity of tale and the complexity of a world that we today, cannot comprehend. You could almost hear the footsteps of the Soldiers along the cobble stone streets and feel the pounding on the front door.

I’ve never read any of Sharon Maas’ work before, which is shocking to me as I am an avid historical fiction reader. This book was right on the money for me. You can feel the fear of the unknown, the hatred and the violence of a time that the author herself, didn’t live through but really has a way with the written word. I felt like I was living through 1940s France. The hairs on my arms would stand on end whenever she came to a check point. The air of silent terror really played out well through the whole book for me.

I really felt love can conquer all, even hatred. Historical fiction enthusiasts should really add this to their reading pile. If you enjoy having your heart beating as fast as a drum, having sweaty palms so slick you can barely hold the book any more and breathing so quietly so the Nazi’s can’t hear you, then this is the read for you.

I get it a FIRM 4.5 stars out of 5. I could have done with just a little more story building before she left home. So I could get a better measure of who she was before her journey.

I have justed my own facebook blog, this is the only review I have done. https://www.facebook.com/pg/lionessofliteracy/posts/?ref=page_internal

Here it is on goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45865025-the-violin-maker-s-daughter
My actual blog is not live yet. I hope I did this amazing story justice.

Interesting story from the second world war. Sarah is the violin makers daughter and it is her story we read. Good characters and a good story.

A stunning read. I love historical fiction and particularly WW2. Even though this is fiction you still get a sense of the horror and the bravery of people during the war. I loved the story of the most unlikely travelling companions escaping German occupied France. This was a heartbreaking but uplifting story. 5 Stars from me.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the privilege of reading this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was absolutely blown away by the writing in this book. They were not just words, they were windows into Sarah's life. The book is a work of fiction but based on real life events.

The story starts out in Colmar, France part of the Alsace that was annexed by Hitler. Josef Mayer is a violin maker with 5 daughters. He was convinced that his German sounding last name of "Mayer" would keep them safe even though they were Jews. While other Jews have fled, he and his family stayed. With no sons, his oldest daughter Sarah was his apprentice. With the Nazis approaching and the window to their shop being broken, he decides that they also need to flee. One neighbour who is part of the Resistance has an idea to get his family to safety. They feel that it is a dangerous plan but nothing is more dangerous than staying in Nazi occupied France.

Sarah as the oldest is to leave first. A complicated series of safe houses and treacherous mountain climbs follow. Great danger awaits the young Sarah but also great love. Along the way she learns that she has to grow up, be strong and learn to tell who is a true friend and who will betray you at a second glance.

Sarah's mother a Catholic who had to convert upon marriage gives Sarah the words to the 23rd Psalm to give her strength through the journey, "your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Sarah repeats this at many points in the story to bring her strength.

In this 75th anniversary year of D-Day, this book brings to mind what all those brave men and women fought for and gave their lives for.

Here is another WWII historical fiction that I continue to be drawn to. This is a heartbreaking story, yet again, of a family being torn apart during the occupation of Nazis.

Through much of the book we see Sarah acting like an over protected child. Well, she is only a child and she was over protected by her parents who loved her very much. Parents that thought that they were going to go on and live an ordinary life until the unspeakable happens.

I liked the book and I do recommend it to anyone who has an interest in WWII.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced readers copy. This book released July 2019.

What a fascinating story! I liked the characters, except for Sarah, she bored me a bit and also felt inconsistent.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

The author did a great job of writing about a period in our history that many do not know too much about. I found myself wanting to learn more after reading this book and spent time researching online. Definitely recommend this one!

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.

The storyline was interesting and well written. But I felt that in parts the book lacked emotion and the narration came across as a bit clinical. The character of Sarah lacked plausibility at times.
Overall only 3 star read. Just wanted more!

A truly powerful and captivating story that grabs you instantly! Sarah had to endure much sadness and loss. With all she has endured will she be able to find and even trust love or a happy ending after this war? I loved this book and it's surprising ending I didn't see coming. A must read tear jerker that I couldn't put dow n! I look forward to more from this author!! Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review! Can't wait for more from this author!

With so many stories being set in the traumatic WWII era, all based on fact – whether the author chooses to rely heavily or loosely on these facts depending on each individual book – The Violin Maker’s Daughter has many unique qualities.

Sharon Maas has chosen to begin her book in the Alsace region of France, an area not often chosen as a starting point for books of this ilk, which are mostly set in more well-recognised areas of Europe. Alsace was a small area that in 1940 was annexed to become part of Germany. Josef Mayer and his family reside in the town of Colmar in Alsace. Josef is a violin-maker, married to a non-Jewish wife and together they have five daughters. Although Josef himself is Jewish, the family are not practicing Jews, so he feels that their quiet, unassuming lives will carry on as before, despite all the changes being implemented by the Nazi’s who have taken over their town.

And for about a year, this is what happens. Numerous friends warn Josef to get his family to safety as soon as possible but he ignores all the warnings and the warning signs. Until one day, he and his violin shop also fall victim to the violence of Nazi soldiers, and he’s given just a few days to prove that his family are ‘pure Aryan’, or else! Suddenly he realises that he has left it too late, and it’s now impossible for the family to escape together. With assistance, he will first need to send his first-born daughter, Sarah, to safety.

The story of Sarah’s journey to freedom is fraught with danger. If you’re expecting a story of heroics, bravery and overcoming all odds, like most other war escape stories, then be prepared for the unexpected … this is not one of those! Sarah is a naive, over-protected, 17-year-old, who’s unwilling to leave her home and family and who does so under quite some protest. Her behaviour throughout her unpredictable journey is similar to that of a temperamental 4-year-old who isn’t getting her way. She never quite seems to comprehend the danger that she’s in. But this is one of those unique aspects I mentioned at the beginning of this review – we’re so used to reading of young, brave heroes; people who overcame all odds. Surely there must have been many others who behaved just like Sarah did; like the young, unworldly teenagers that they were? No, they don’t get stories written about them. They’re not the stand-out warriors that people want to read about, but they’re the ones who are oh, so real and I felt that as annoying as Sarah was at times, she was just that: very real.

I feel that Maas has picked up on subtle themes that most authors don’t make use of. The one I spoke about above, about not everyone being a brave young hero, and the main one being the fact that Josef and his family are non-observant. It is often a (mis) perception that all Jews at the time were practicing, observant Jews when this certainly wasn’t the case. In actual fact, Josef is the only member of his family who is Jewish. In the Jewish faith, religion is passed down through the mother – so the fact that their mother isn’t Jewish, means that none of Josef’s daughter’s is actually Jewish. However, this was irrelevant to the Nazi’s. The fact that their father was Jewish meant that they were ‘half-Jewish’ and more importantly ‘non-Aryan’.

So while this isn’t one of those ‘wow’ war stories that we’re so used to reading, it remains a very good, rather different read about a different side of the war that we don’t usually get to read. A story about someone who did end up fighting back, in her own way, once she discovered how to. And just because it doesn’t come about in the way we’re expecting, that doesn’t mean her story shouldn’t be heard.

4 lovely stars for this one.

I enjoy books set during WW2 and this book is no exception. The strength lies in the development of the characters and in the poignant depiction of the suffering the inhabitants of German-occupied France endured. I was impressed by the research that the author had evidently undertaken to make the story as true to real events as possible. I felt that it was really Sarah's story as we see her try to escape, being a naive, sheltered seventeen-year-old. What happens to her must have been beyond her comprehension. Having said that, and in the light of what happens to her later, she is totally indiscreet and seems to have little awareness of the danger she is putting herself and others in. The story is inevitably sad in parts and although Sarah has to endure much, it was refreshing that for her, in part, there is at least one happy outcome. I will be reading more from this author.

Sharon Maas takes us back to the town of Colmar in the Alsace region of France which has now been annexed and is in total control of the Germans during World War Two. This was the setting for her previous novel The Soldier's Girl and it was great two to see one or two characters from that book make a reappearance in this new book The Violin Maker's Daughter although be it on a more secondary level. It is 1943 and the Mayer family - father Josef, mother Leah and their five daughters Sarah, Amelie, Therese, Mannion and the youngest Sofie have been living the quietest life possible. They try to stay under the radar away from the eyes of the Germans who occupy the town and who have transformed the way of live for the residents of Colmar.

Colmar has undergone radical changes with street names being changed, people forced to speak German and even having their own names changed to more suitable German names. Any Jewish residents were rounded up and taken away from the town but as the Mayer family are not practising Jews but rather Jewish in heritage Josef did not sign any forms. Instead the family kept a very low profile trying to get by with very little as Josef's shop where he makes instruments needless to say is not very much in demand during the war years. But everything is about to change, someone has exposed their heritage and the time has come for some big decisions.

Jews were seen as polluting German society and if the Mayer family could not prove their German heritage within five days they would be taken away and brought to the camps where so many have gone but never been heard from since. It is decided with help from the French resistance that the family will flee Colmar in the hopes of eventually reaching their Uncle in America. Sarah aged 17 is to go first with two sisters following and then the parents with the remaining two daughters. It is a perilous journey which many have undertaken before them but the family cannot hope to stay in Colmar without retribution for failing to produce the correct documentation. Sarah is more than reluctant to leave her family behind and she rallies against her parents wishes. But she is given no option and soon she finds herself traversing the mountains of the region in order to make her way to Poitiers where eventually all the family members will meet up to continue their onward journey.

Right from the outset Sarah is a character who is very difficult to warm to and the more I read through the first half of the book the more she really frustrated me. I began to think maybe this was the way she was meant to be written and that the reader is being urged to feel this way because it's only as we move into the later half of the book that I began to feel any admiration for her and her eventual transformation she underwent was one which was worthwhile and certainly validated everything that she had gone through. Sarah is so naive and innocent and she doesn't realise, as she is taken to various hideouts and brought through forests and areas swarming with German troops, that really so many people are putting their lives in danger just to get her and her family to safety. Hundreds of people did this throughout the war because they felt the injustice being meted out to Jewish people and wanted to do something to help.

Sarah is like the spoilt child who wants everything her way. It took her an awfully long time to realise the bigger picture and to understand that she was but one small cog in a bigger wheel operating throughout France in order to bring about the downfall of the megalomaniac that was Hitler. She really needed to grow up but she wasn't very world wise instead she was immature, childish, rebellious, moody, reckless and silly. She never stopped to think instead rushing headlong into situations that would put herself and those helping her in grave danger. She had been protected and cosseted all her life and she was just so impulsive and emotional when really she needed to reign things in and become aware that she needed to be on her guard at all times and work with people not against them.

She really did have a steep learning curve ahead of her and as time was of the essence she needed to man up so to speak pretty quickly or else she had no hope of reaching her intended destination as planned. There were was more than one occasion where I wanted to give her a good shake and say come on you are being so careless in both your actions and words. Despite being told to be wary and careful, time and time again she throws caution to the wind because she was too ruled by her heart. She just didn't have the stamina or even the cop on to be able to lie convincingly when the need arose and I could sense that other characters felt the same way about her. She had a long journey ahead of her and although her transformation is subtle at first gaining that sense of maturity and know how her character does begin to materialise. She slowly starts to understand that I have power and I can use it to my advantage and it's then that I finally began to get her as a character and my admiration for the courage,tenacity and determination that she develops began to grow.

Through an unsettling and horrific event more or less at the beginning stages of her journey Sarah finds herself travelling through France with Ralf who has deserted from the German army and if he is caught there will be devastating consequences. He has agreed with the French resistance to bring Sarah on the next stages of her journey and both travel under assumed identities with danger lurking at every corner. Again here is where I felt Sarah to be so innocent, too trusting and believing and her inexperience showed. Ralf was trying to do the job he had agreed to do and I do think his intentions of accompanying Sarah were genuine but she just literally fell deeply in love with him overnight and then she couldn't understand why he wasn't reciprocating these feelings. It was like this was her first time outside the cocoon of her family and her first real meeting with a man and spending time in such close proximity that she felt she had to more or less fall head over heels in love with him instantaneously.

Don't get me wrong I knew there was going to be some romance in this story but the way it occurred so quickly just highlighted how innocent Sarah truly was for a good half of this book. It was only in parts three and four that I felt things on the romantic front took on a more even footing and I could see that it did become genuine and that there would be many trying times ahead for both Ralf and Sarah and for many different reasons. Lack of experience, lust and infatuation may have been initial factors for Sarah developing feelings so quickly but these factors were slowly pushed aside and once she grew up a bit things felt more natural, legitimate and honest. Although I will say with regard to the letter writing it did show Sarah still didn't always think to do the right thing, even I could see how thoughtless she was being.

The Violin Maker's Daughter took a long time to get going. Honestly I found the first half a bit of a slog to get through and I questioned would I reach a turning point where I just desperately wanted to keep turning the pages where I would be so eager to find out what was going to happen? Thankfully that point did occur and I thought from the time when Sarah arrives in Poitiers onwards was undoubtedly the strongest part of the book and from that point on I loved the book. It was so worthwhile to keep persisting with the first half as I thought then everything took on a new dimension, a real sense of urgency,of wanting to get things done. Yes Sarah might have felt she was in limbo, in a waiting period but this was a period that needed to happen for her so she could grow and mature and garner the strength and know how in order to peruse with her next step.

Finally the changes that Sarah needed to make began to occur and my opinion of her totally changed. I thought the final part of the book was brilliant as she really steps outside of her comfort zone and becomes the woman she was destined to be. Although I will say the last two chapters felt too rushed with tying up of loose ends occurring within every sentence which is a shame given how much research obviously went into the story and how much time had been spent setting up and developing all the different plot lines.

The Violin Maker's Daughter was a bit of a mixed bag for me with the later half far outweighing the first but I am definitely glad I did read this book and I look forward to seeing will Sharon Maas stay writing about World War Two in France or will she take us to another country set during the same time period to get a different perspective on the war?