An emotional story of forbidden love and family devastation against the backdrop of World
War II Alsace. Sarah, eldest daughter of violin maker Josef, must make her way across German occupied France to freedom, hoping, believing, her family will be able to follow her. But when her escape is cut off she must attempt to hide in plain sight, no longer a French Jew but a German speaking villager. Thrown into peril by the turbulence of wartime, she finds herself forced into the company of a German deserter, and a reluctant partnership essential for the survival of both of them is formed.

The detail of village life and wartime chaos is very real, the gradual development of Sarah from a naive teen to strong and determined opponent is well realized. By turns heart warming and heart wrenching, The Violin Maker's Daughter can take its place as a strong exemplar of the current boom for heroic young women in popular wartime fiction. A gripping drama of love and destruction.

WWII-era books are some of my favorite reads, so I was looking forward to this book. I've heard about Maas, but this is the first book of hers I've read.

Sarah, the seventeen-year-old main character, does comes across as quite immature at times, not always recognizing the danger of her situation. It was frustrating at times how she continued to place herself and others in greater danger due to not following the "rules" provided. That said, she was a determined character, and that was evident in the latter half, where you could start to see her character's growth. There was some predictability, and I wasn't pulled in as much as I'd hoped. Due to the nature of the book, I felt, at times, that I was just an observer vs. part of the story.

"The Violin Maker's Daughter" isn't quite up to par with some other books I've read in this genre, but I did find it o be enjoyable, as well as informative (in regards to making violins).

I enjoyed this book as much as one can when reading about the horrors of the Nazi's. I loved the description of Sarah's family and the violins they made and played. Sarah's journey often left me sighing at her immaturity and decisions despite the horror of what was happening around her. It was not truly her fault at first, as she lived a very sheltered life up until that point. The part where she is writing letters stands out to me the most when it comes to her immaturity. She never does as people tell her, ignore their warnings of the extreme danger of her actions, and feels that she can do it anyways. She writes letters and stuffs them under her mattress instead of burning them instantly or not writing them at all. Sarah is warned continuously and takes a dark lesson for her to finally learn. Sarah eventually grows up and becomes a strong young woman at the end of her journey, and I truly enjoyed this author's tale. A full, more thorough review will be posted on my blog by 6-30-19
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The Violin Makers Daughter by Sharon Mass. In the book Music is the source of joy and hope and new life. I really liked the description of the violin maker tools and how he made the 🎻 violins. Historical books sometimes have very sad stories this one has a very happy ending but not every character has a happy ending. If you love historical books even dealing with sad events in history you will like this story. Has a very well written plot and ending.

I enjoyed this book, if anyone can ever "enjoy" a book about the Nazi treatment of Jews. I am not giving it 5 stars because the main characters' dialogue and actions were more immature than necessary to move the plot.

The Violin Maker's Daughter is a good emotional story. The protagonist is a 17 year old girl during the beginning of WW2. Sarah, is the daughter of the violin maker, and her journey to flee her home from the Nazi's. Throughout this story I found Sarah to be very childish and frustrating. She not only puts herself in danger but those that are helping her escape. I found myself yelling at her outloud.

The second part is where it took off for me, much more enjoyable. Sarah finally grows up and starts thinking like an adult. The second half of her journey still scared me but she does it and I was proud of her determination.

All in all this story made me sad, frustrated, angry, scared and at the end happy. Amazing character development.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Sharon Maas for my digital copy of her new book The Violin Maker's Daughter.

Heartbreaking,, terrifying account of what happened to the family of a violin maker in France trying to make an escape from the Nazi takeover of France. Danger around every corner. A great Read !!

The Violin Maker's Daughter begins in the early years of WWII. Because her family is Jewish, it is decided that the family must flee and try to make their way to safety. Because Sarah is the oldest at 17 years old, she is to go first and is taken in by sympathizers along her way out of France. Her journey is fraught with peril and she finds herself with a German defector, Ralf who risks his own life to help her.
Although this is usually my favorite type of genre, I had a hard time feeling sympathy for Sarah. She is childish and on many occasions puts not only her but those who are helping her in danger because of it. She is not very likable and you just want to scream at her to grow up. The second part of the book is better as Sarah begins to grow up emotionally and it is considerably less predictable. I wish the first part of the book was better so that I could have enjoyed the "second" Sarah more.

What a great story that kept me on the edge of my seat. With every book I read about WWII, I can’t imagine what the Jews went through. This book gave yet another glance at what it was like. May we never forget.

`This is the first book i have read by Sharon Maas and from the moment i started reading it on a short plane journey I just could not wait to continue reading it. Its sad, its poignant, its uplifting and it tells the wonderful story of Sarah, the violin makers daughter and her journey as she flees her home country, to escape Nazi's because she is a Jew. Beautifully written and a memorable read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and the publisher and author.

With the 75th anniversary of D-Day having passed and the number of WWII survivors being more limited, it seems like there have been more works of historical fiction released regarding this period lately, and many of them have been sensational (The Nightingale, Beneath a Scarlet Sky, Sarah's Key, etc.) While fantastic for readers, this means Maas is entering an incredibly crowded field. While the premise was interesting, I did not find the character development strong enough to stand beside these giants. Still, it will likely be an enjoyable read to lovers of the historical fiction genre.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts expressed are my own.

I could not put this book down. Amazing character development and amazing to see Sarah grow throughout the entire novel. The journey was more of the emphasis, not the violin making which was perfectly fine.

From the minute I opened this book I was completely enthralled. I couldn’t put it down. It was well thought out and expertly written. The only negative was Sarah (the main character) had these terrible moments of immaturity that were almost out of character. It seemed by a certain point she should have learned somethings and adjusted accordingly but she continued to make stupid mistakes and drove me nuts in the process! It’s one of those stories where you will actually yell out loud “what are you thinking! And don’t do that!”

Really a great read and I can’t wait to look into other books by this author!

What can I say? This book had quality plot lines that were not predictable. I enjoyed the journey it took me on, through some years in Sarahs life, experiencing the tumultuous time of war through the eyes of a young lady.
This book will be released in July, and it is a bargain at $3.99!

Sharon Maas never disappoints! She is one of my favourite authors and with this wonderful, harrowing, heart breaking tale of courage and love in the face of unimaginable danger, she has cemented her place as one of the best historical fiction writes of today, right up there with Antony Doerr and Kristin Hannah. I SO loved this beautiful story, Sarah's coming of age in a time of turmoil was so stunningly realised. For me, it made the war come alive, the suffering and angst of ordinary people, both Jews and Germans, their bravery in the face of adversity so vividly brought to life thanks to the author's magical writing. I would very highly recommend this book and give it ten stars if I could. If you're going to read one war book this year which marks the 75th anniversary of D-day, make it this one!

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Sharon Maas for my digital copy of her new book The Violin Maker's Daughter.
Josef Mayer is a skilled violin maker he decided to keep his Jewish ancestry a secret, he lives a quiet life with his wife Leah and five daughters in Colmar. His plan is to evade attention is by keeping their heads down and during this troubled time it's impossible to keep secret. One day two German soldiers arrive at his shop and inform him that he needs to provide documents to prove his family are of Aryan ancestry or his family will be deported.

He makes the choice to quickly get false identity papers for his eldest daughter Sarah the plan is for her to leave and once they have new identity papers her two teenage sisters they will follow her two weeks later, then her parents and the youngest sister will try to join them.
Sarah and her sisters have been kept at home for the past two years by their parents after the towns Jewish residents had been marched out of town and deported.
Sarah reluctantly leaves her family and the plan is for the whole family to all to make their way to safety in Switzerland and be reunited.

Sarah is only 17, she has lived a sheltered life, she isn't prepared at all for the big wide world and even with a chaperone, guide and a network of safe houses the chances of her traveling across the French countryside and making it to safety are rather slim.
Of course nothing goes as planned and she finds herself traveling through the mountains to Poitiers with a German soldier called Ralf and not with her guide. All German men under the age of 35 are conscripted into the army, Ralf had no choice but to join the army, by chance he saves Sarah who's being attacked by another German soldier and he becomes a deserter.

At times you want to shake Sarah, she is very childish, eventually she understands how much danger she's in, as she and Ralf make their way to safety she does grow up, due to her sisters being delayed she needs to find a job and earn some money.
Sarah is bilingual and she finds work as a Nanny part of her job is to teach a French families children German and Ralf decides to join the French resistance. I enjoyed the second half of the book much more than the start, Sarah isn't as annoying but she's still very childish, she learns the hard way to not trust anyone and most of all to keep her mouth shut!
I found The Violin Maker's Daughter to be light, quick, easy book to read, I did enjoy parts of the story and I gave the book three stars.

This work of historical fiction takes place during WorldWar II, in Nazi-occupied France. Sarah Mayer, the daughter of a Jewish violin maker, has to flee from her home when the Germans find out she is Jewish. She ends up meeting up with a deserting German soldier after being captured. The idea for this story was a good one, but the writing was very simplistic and basic. I often felt like I was reading a high school creative writing assignment-the fundamentals were there but the author lacked the maturity to write a great story. I found the first part of the book to be very predictable and I really disliked Sarah because I found her childish and annoying. I could never picture myself acting in such a frivolous manner under such serious circumstances. The second half of the book was less predictable and much more enjoyable. Sarah seemed to become a completely different character and she was much more likable. All in all, I enjoyed reading this book, but I didn’t think it really stands out from all of the other historical fiction written about World War II and the Holocaust. I probably won’t seek out any other books by this author. A big thank you though to the publisher and to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

I enjoyed the story of Sarah Mayer and her journey during WWII. Starting in Colmar, Sarah and her family are discovered by the Nazis as being Jewish so a plan is put in place to save them. Sarah is told she must leave first. She is only 17 years old and is a naïve, sheltered young woman who has to learn to survive. Her travels and encounters with people devoted to helping those seeking to flee the Nazis painted a vivid picture of the dangers faced yet showed the kindness of people who risked their lives as well. This was a good book and I’m glad I read it. I recommend it for people who read a lot of books that take place during this period but there some very extraordinary books which take place during this historical time which should be read first. Rated 3.5 out of 5 rounded up to 4.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Fairly predictable... I have read a lot of holocaust stories and many grip you from the start... some are too horrifying to read.. This one was neither. Sorry

I loved it! Once I started reading, I could not stop. Young Sarah
has to leave her wonderful family and she is terrified. I was on
the edge of my seat through some of her experiences. She is a
child of 17 forced to grow up overnight and travel with the most
unexpected of all.
This is the first book I have read by this writer, I am eager for more!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher!