I read Corrie Ten Boom's The Hiding Place in high school and could not put that book down until I finished it. So naturally when I came across the promise of a biography of her that gave even more information on her life I was desperate to get a hold of the ARC from Netgalley and thankfully the publisher granted my request.

Corrie Ten Boom was a Christian who worked as a watchmaker under her father in the Netherlands when WWII happened and the nazis took over her country. Ten Boom and her family almost immediately began to offer aid to Jews fleeing the round ups as well as getting involved in the Dutch resistance. Ten Boom's family even had a secret room created in Corrie's room that was accessed through a small door in the closet and so well hidden the Nazi's never found it. They did however eventually close in on the family as working for the Resistance and Corrie, her sister and father were arrested. Corrie and her sister were then sent to two concentration camps, the second being Ravensbruck where they witnessed true horrors. Despite this the sisters began ministering to those suffering in the camp and afterwards, Corrie made a ministry of her story and of helping others similarly traumatized to heal.

Author Larry Loftis does a great job using The Hiding Place as a jumping off point but then adding in so much more detail both of historic import of what was going on around her including other Dutch citizens whose stories we know - Anne Frank and Audrey Hepburn both lived in the area - as well as adding in background on the Jews and resistance workers that hid in the secret room the Ten Booms christened the Angel's Den, and how their stories continued. Loftis further follows Corrie's ministry and impressive array of speaking arrangements to tell her story in churches all over the world afterwards. Loftis no doubt had quite a time piecing all the different stories together, but the result is an incredibly readable work of nonfiction that reads like fiction and is impossible to put down. I've wanted to check out his writing for a while now and will be picking up his other books as well.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is a book I plan to add to my collection.

Excellent story about an amazing woman!! Full of facts and such a heart warming story of triumph, survival and how faith can carry you through.

WOW! The story of Corrie ten Boom and her family never fails to astound and inspire. Dutch watchmakers by trade, the ten Boom family lived a mission to help others and especially displaced Jews during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Although they were able to help and shelter many, someone turned them in, and they were subsequently arrested, sent to prison, and eventually sent to a concentration camp. Throughout their trials, they continue to look to Jesus for strength and were determined to share the light of Christ with others. They shared hope in an environment where things were indeed bleak. Several members of her family died during captivity, but due to a clerical error, Corrie was released. She went on to establish shelters for healing - not only for those who had been mistreated and suffered great loss during the war but also for those who inflicted the pain. Her story of love, hope, and forgiveness serves as a reminder that what the enemy intended for evil, God can use for His good.

This is a great book filled with an amazing story about a woman who loved Jesus and began fighting the good fight against one of the greatest evils to ever exist, the German Nazis, at a time in life when most are looking to retirement. She survived and spent her golden years traveling the world spreading the love of God and a message of forgiveness that seems radical, but at its heart, is truly biblical.

This is an easy read that flows well and most importantly, will touch your heart. Definitely give it a read.

Any book on the Holocaust will ultimately contain stories which are hard to comprehend. The Watchmaker's Daughter by Larry Loftis contains such a story but in a different way. For those who have read Loftis's other books, they are thrillers centered around resistance fighters in World War II. Corrie ten Boom is also a resistance fighter but this book is much more focused on religion and forgiveness than any other of Loftis's books. Sure, you still have the nuts and bolts of hiding from the Gestapo, but the ten Boom family and their relationship to their faith is front and center.

Loftis is a gifted writer and I enjoyed the book very much. I would caution readers that, as I mentioned, this book is not as action packed and closer to an examination of faith in the worst of circumstances. Also, the book is not purely about Corrie ten Boom until the final few chapters. Before that, the whole ten Boom family and various friends are the focus as they try to hide from the Germans.

To avoid spoilers, I won't mention too much about how the ten Boom's Christianity is tested and how their hope is incredible under the circumstances. Anyone looking for a story about faith overcoming all odds will not be disappointed.

(This book was provided to me as an advance copy by Netgalley and William Morrow. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com after the publication date.)

🌟 THE WATCHMAKER'S DAUGHTER 🌟
by Larry Loftis, William Morrow, out March 7.

The Hiding Place -- a book second only to the Bible in impact for many Christians --captured the essence of Corrie ten Boom and her family, who hid Jews during WWII. Author Larry Loftis now provides a vital companion piece, THE WATCHMAKER'S DAUGHTER, revealing the whole ten Boom story through a rigorously researched first biography of them.

We learn of the family's strong Christian faith that drives them to help God's "Chosen People" when Nazis occupy their country, of the imperiled Jews and others they hide in their home in Haarlem, Netherlands, and what happens after the family's arrest.

As THE WATCHMAKER'S DAUGHTER elegantly unspools the ten Boom's tale, readers will find themselves profoundly inspired by the family's faith and bravery.

One moving account tells of Corrie's mission to share God's love with a hurting world, which she does into her eighties. After she speaks to a German church, a former guard (from the concentration camp that she survived but where her sister died), asks for her forgiveness and extends his hand to her.

Corrie cannot raise hers -- he'd been one of the cruelest officers at Ravensbrück -- until she silently prays for Jesus' help. As she grasps the man's hand, an electric current of God's love surges through her to him. In that moment, she forgives him and both of them are healed.

In addition to powerful never-before-told stories, Loftis includes photos, a bibliography, and a rich index documenting details of this compelling biography.

THE WATCHMAKER'S DAUGHTER is a must-read for anyone who loves The Hiding Place and wants to know more, and for those who seek inspiration to live courageously, no matter the cost.

Thanks to author Larry Loftis, William Morrow, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

#thewatchmakersdaughter #larryloftis #williammorrowbooks #NetGalley #firstbiocorrietenboomfamily#truestoryofchristianshidingjewsinwwii #inspirationalfaithbasedstoryduringwwii
#bookstagramcommunity

The Watchmaker's Daughter
by Larry Loftis
Pub Date: March 7, 2023
William Morrow
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
I had not heard much about Corrie Ten Boom since the 70's when her book "The Hiding Place" was published.
I have seen Boom speak in person and I find her story very inspirational and remarkable.
Her faith amazes me! Her ability to forgive is hard to understand.
So Yes! I highly recommend this book.
The Watchmaker’s Daughter by Larry Loftis is an informative book that speaks to Corrie ten Boom’s robust faith in the worst crises. Not only that, it opens the world’s eyes to the courage of her family members and friends, and the horrors everyone suffered during World War II. It takes readers through a timeline and adds little to it. If you are a history buff, you may like The Watchmaker’s Daughter as I did.
5 stars

Look at me, venturing into the nonfiction genre! For the most part, I review fiction for Life is Story. Every so often, though, I come across a nonfiction book that piques my interest, and The Watchmaker’s Daughter by Larry Loftis pulled me in from the moment I saw its subject: Corrie ten Boom. Growing up in a Christian home and attending a Christian school, I grew up hearing her incredible story. Fellow drama students used excerpts of The Hiding Place for district and state competitions. Corrie ten Boom spoke at my grandmother’s church before I was born. I knew of her heroism during World War II, but I wanted more—and my goodness, did Larry Loftis deliver!

As a mostly fiction reader, I like a certain writing style, a style Loftis does not follow. The Watchmaker’s Daughter is factual. It lacks the colorful, easy flow of biographies like Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Instead, Loftis is straightforward. Are there descriptions of people and places? Yes. Loftis, however, focuses on getting from point A to point B. No embellishment. No “bedazzle.” If you prefer biographies that read more like a novel, The Watchmaker’s Daughter by Larry Loftis is not for you. When I read the book, I had to be alone with the TV off. If something distracted me, it took me a while to fall back into his rhythm.

By the time I finished The Watchmaker’s Daughter, I fell in love with it. It took me maybe a week to read the first thirty percent of Loftis’s book, but I read the rest of it in one day. Something that helped immensely: the pictures. There is no mention of pictures in the book’s description, but I wish there was. I would have picked it up if only for the photos. Loftis extensively researched Corrie ten Boom, her home’s hidden residents, her family, and her time in the concentration camp. Some details were hard to read, though that is no surprise with anything surrounding the Holocaust. But I loved the pictures; they allowed me to put faces to names. Places and spaces to descriptions. While I of course knew I was reading a biography, the photos made everything more real.

The Watchmaker’s Daughter by Larry Loftis is an informative book that speaks to Corrie ten Boom’s robust faith in the worst crises. Not only that, it opens the world’s eyes to the courage of her family members and friends, and the horrors everyone suffered during World War II. The book, however, lacks character. Let me reiterate: It is factual. It takes readers through a timeline and adds little to it. If you are a history buff, you may like The Watchmaker’s Daughter as I did. If, however, you cannot adjust to the lack of…I don’t know, personality, the book isn’t for you. You might find it more boring than interesting.

I have not heard much about Corrie Ten Boom since the 70’s when her book, “The Hiding Place” was released. Her story is remarkable and inspiring. Her faith in God as she and her family faced the horrors of Nazi control amazed me. And her ability to forgive…hard to fathom. I really enjoyed the relationships between Corrie and her family members-especially Betsy.

Some meaningful excerpts from the book:

*** “Recognizing the effectiveness of the BBC and Radio Oranje, Seyss-Inquart issued a “Measure for the Protection of the Dutch Population Against Untrue Information.” It stated that the Dutch should be protected from “false news,” and that only Nazi stations would be officially sanctioned. As expected, the law declared that anyone caught listening to the BBC or Radio Oranje would be severely punished.”

*** “Hans wrote: “Many Dutch Christians faced radical changes in those summer months in 1943. Until then, lying, stealing, killing, and blackmailing were crimes before God and before Dutch society. But a demonic regime had taken hold of our country and our civilization, and we had to choose: follow their evil directives or suffer the consequences; help those in need or stand disinterestedly on the sidelines. However long one tried to avoid a choice . . . the moment of truth would finally come.”

*** “We must tell people what we have learned here. We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still. They will listen to us, Corrie, because we have been here.”

*** “Because I had lived so close to death,” Corrie remembered, “looking it in the face day after day, I often felt like a stranger among my own people—many of whom looked upon money, honor of men, and success as the important issues of life. Standing in front of a crematorium, knowing that any day could be your day, gives one a different perspective.”

*** “In this haven each resident learned that countless others had suffered just as they had. All of them needed the same healing, too. “Each had a hurt he had to forgive,” Corrie recalled, “the neighbor who had reported him, the brutal guard, the sadistic soldier. Strangely enough, it was not the Germans or the Japanese that people had most trouble forgiving; it was their fellow Dutchmen who had sided with the enemy.”

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

The Watchmaker's Daughter is the story of Corrie ten Boom and her family as they fight persecution from the Nazi regime during WWII. Although the beginning of this book focuses on how her family assists others who are being treated unfortunately, the middle and end tell more about her personal experience. The reader can tell that this was well researched, including but not limited to Corrie's own books. There is also an appendix section after the epilogue with further information. I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, and also to anyone who wants to know more about the ten Boom family.

“The Watchmakers Daughter” by Larry Loftis is a well researched history book. I found the details fascinating and relevant to the life story of Corrie ten Boom. The photographs add value to the historical content. I especially liked the details about constructing the hiding place, and also the prison conversations. Once I started reading the book, I stayed up late into the night to see where the next chapter would lead. And I learned how a frail woman survived horrific political abuses, not because she was the fittest, but because of her mindset and faith. With empathy, I found myself sobbing through many of her these stories.

While I have read about other books about this significant time in history, Larry Loftis helps me truly visualize these important events. He explains, “The Hiding Place” contains less than ten percent of her stories. Pick up “The Watchmakers Daughter” by Larry Loftis and you discover the fascinating ninety percent! This is a very interesting book with numerous details about this courageous woman and her brave family. The timeline of events is helpful to understanding these historical events. Enjoyable to read. Captivating… right to the very end!

The Watchmakers Daughter” by Larry Loftis would be an excellent book for high school or college history class, book clubs, and libraries. The writing and attention to detail are superb quality. It would be an excellent gift for someone who enjoys WW2 history.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley and purchased a copy for my library.