Set during World War II in German-occupied France, The Violin Maker's Daugther follows the story of Sarah Mayer, a Jewish girl fleeing the Nazis with the help of Rolf, a German soldier deserter. I really liked the premise of this book but I wasn't very impressed by the execution of it.

I didn't really connect with Sarah and found her character very two-dimensional. She was an extremely sheltered girl and very naive- I was surprised she wasn't captured by the Germans two seconds after leaving home. Rolf was kind of better but not by much. He had so much potential but instead, he served as Sarah's bland love interest. I really wanted more development on Monique because she left so much be explained but alas, no.

The historical background was well-researched but I found the plot not very believable and wasn't very engaged in it. I felt like a spectator watching everything unfold from afar instead of sitting on the edge of my seat wanting answers ASAP.

Overall, not a terrible book but could've been better developed.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing a free ARC

The Violin Maker's Daughter is a good emotional story. The characters are well developed and the storyline is interesting. Well written.

The Violin Maker's Daughter is set during WWII and tells the story of Sarah, a Jewish refugee and Ralf, a young German soldier deserter. I really enjoyed the first half of this book but found once it entered the second half of the book it became very rushed and unrealistic. I have read better books in this genre and feel like there is wasted potential here.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC

The Violin Maker’s Daughter by Sharon Maas is a gripping, heartbreaking, but yet heartwarming historical fiction (that is based on real facts concerning Colmar, Alsace and Lorraine as well as French and German Resistance). The main character is Sarah Mayer and her (and her family’s) harrowing story of the plan to escape occupied France in WWII due to being Jewish is very hard to read. It is raw and emotional, yet a necessary story to tell. Sarah is only 17-18 and is so strong for her age.

I enjoyed all the characters of individuals that helped her and Ralf along the way.

I especially enjoyed the last part where she became part of the Resistance, and the ending was sad. However, in reference to our main characters, it still had plenty of positivity and hope, that I felt it ended appropriately and honestly.

A great read. 5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

Very well written story of what Jewish people had to do to survive during the War. The methods they used to escape truly is remarkable including the people that helped them. I can’t stress enough that no matter how many WW2 books I read each one is unique and tells me something new. That is definitely true for this book. Heart wrenching yet hopeful. I would definitely recommend this book. Thank you netgalley for letting me give an honest review of this book.

The Mayer Family lives in Colmar, France which has been annexed, yet again, to Germany at the start of World War II. While Josef Mayer, h had of the family was born a Jew, his wife is Christian and they do not practice any form of religion, so he did not register the family as Jews at the beginning of the war, nor did he make a plan to leave the region. When the family’s heritage is called into question, Josef realizes that they must flee and sends his eldest daughter, Sarah, off first.

This is Sarah’s story as she escapes and makes her way to safety. While Sarah is filled with hatred for the Germans, her life is saved by a German soldier who desserts his post and vows to get her to safety through the Resistance network that is helping Jewish people escape persecution and certain death. The story shares the trek Sarah and Ralf make as well as their lives as they do their best to survive and turn the tides against the German army.

Given the 75th anniversary of D Day, I have read several books based on WWII in the past two weeks, this is one of them. It is a topic that we should never forget and I am glad to see authors reminded readers of the past so that we do not repeat those mistakes again. However this is the second book by the author on this theme and I think I will pass on The Soldier’s Girl as this one was a bit long winded and the synopsis sounds a little similar to this one.

One year into the Nazi occupation of France, Sarah, the daughter of a Jewish violin maker begins her escape. She will have a new name a new nationality and a new religion. Sarah is now a German. On her journey she runs into Raif, a German deserter, the man she will love and who will love her enough to lay down his life for her. As their journey brings them ever closer to certain disaster, Sarah wonders if she will ever see Raif or her family again. Or whether she will once again be able to be herself, the proud Jewish daughter of a kind and gentle violin maker. A heart wrenching story of bravery, love and sacrifice