This was a gripping sometimes heartbreaking page turner. Every atrocity of this war reopened my horror. I never thought about the art and whose talented hands would create it. This was about finding answers and trying to understand the meaning of it all. I’m still shocked every time I read about World War II. Every. Time.
I read some of this novel but I mostly listen to the audiobook. The narrator was Kristin Atherton and she was excellent. She brought it together in a very personal way.
Thanks Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

What I loved about the novel from debut author Sarah Freethy:
1. Historical fiction that taught me something I didn't know - Porcelain factory near Dachau.
2. It was emotional - Poignant and sad with themes of love, betrayal, art and promise.
3. I overall liked the writing style and the two timelines used to tell the story.

What I wished was a little different:
1. It was slow at times and when I lost the thread because of the pace - it took me awhile to get back to it.



Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in return for an honest review.
Publish date is November 7, 2023.

This is a debut novel by Freethy. You can tell she has a background in editing, writing and I am happy she wrote a novel. I was immersed in the story of Clara who is seeking the traces of a porcelain piece. She is hoping this will lead to her father. This story is about love, betrayal, art and so much more. Perfect for the historical fiction lover.

A piece of porcelain becomes the single clue that leads a daughter on a search for her father. Clara is able to find out that her father had sculpted this while working as a forced laborer at a porcelain studio as a Nazi captive.

The author takes us back to the love story of her parents, Bettina and Max. They met as artists during the romantic and creative years between the wars. They faced the privations and struggles of WWII Germany. The story of Max’s captivity at Dachau and Bettina’s sacrifice to bear her child are detailed in the story as Clara uncovers her history.

This is a beautifully written story about uncovering personal history based on a single piece of porcelain.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I had not heard of this author before and I am glad I checked her out. Loved the art world during WW2 vibe but from the porcelain aspect which I had not seen done before. The beginning was a bit slow and I wondered if I would finish, but, loved the way it wrapped up.

I had a hard time getting into this one even though the premise was interesting. Bettina is an artist beyond her years and really stands out in her generation when women were still expected to fulfill a certain role in life. After falling in love with Max, the Nazis were taking over the country and Max and Bettina decided to move to Switzerland to be safe but Max was captured and sent to a concentration camp. Bettina was desperately trying to find and rescue him but faced her own challenges. Meanwhile in 1993, Bettina’s daughter Clara was desperately trying to find a certain porcelain piece to find out who her father was.

This debut novel starts with a young couple in pre-WWII Germany as the Nazi movement takes hold. Bettina, a German modern artist and Max, an Austrian Jew studying architecture with the Bauhaus movement, are in love. But life conspires against them. As time goes on, Bettina’s art is labeled degenerative and Max faces all the issues of being Jewish in Nazi Gernany.
Meanwhile, in a second timeline in 1993, Clara is trying to uncover the identity of her father. Her mother, Bettina, has never told her who he was. All she knew of him was that he was a porcelain maker.
The story is based on Allach porcelain, which was produced in Allach Germany at a factory owned by the SS. It is marked with a stylized SS on the bottom and was produced using slave labor from the Dachau concentration camp. The porcelain was a personal favorite of Himmler.



The book does best when it concentrates on art - the difference between the approved art the Nazis favored, romantic realism, and the “degenerate art” of the modernists.
But I was less than engaged with the characters or the plot. The romance between Max and Bettina felt cliched and neither character came across as developed. The ending was rushed and missing some major explanations. <spoiler> for example, there was no explanation of how Bettina got out of the hospital and how she and Clara were reunited.</spoiler>. The second timeline with Clara is designed with the single purpose of having someone able to tell the reader what happens to Max.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

1990's: Clara is in search of a certain piece of porcelain, hoping that she finds the owner who might be able to tell her more about her father. Her mom would tell her nothing about her father, other than he was the porcelain maker of Dachau.

1920-30's: Max and Bettina, two artists, find each other and fall in love. Max is arrested and sent to Dachau, where he ends up working in the porcelain factory.

This book wasn't for me. I think I would have preferred if the timelines were kept separate. I know for the story it's revealing what happened before and now at the same time so we as the readers are learning as the present day character is, but I prefer to keep to one timeline at a time. I would've preferred reading Max and Betti's story, then Lotti's.

I liked the different perspective of the Holocaust, I didn't know that Germans couldn't marry Jews after March 1939, I looked it up, and knowing that fact gave their story a deeper sense of sorrow as I read it.

Take a step with Clara through her journey in 1993 to discover the mystery around who her father is while also following Max and Bettina through the late 1920s and through WW2. I really enjoyed Bettina’s perspective as a artist who isn’t initially approved of by the Nazi vision of good art. She transforms her art in a step to survive, which later proves to also provide for her child. I wish there were pictures or a movie to go along with this debut novel because the art described throughout their stories I imagine to have been so beautiful. Max’s perspective is heartbreaking.

Thank you to the author, St Martins Press and Netgalley for the eARC

Another fascinating WWII novel about a true porcelain factory in Dachau. The love of a painter and architect, and their story to survive while knowing their love was forbidden and a risk every day. I had never heard about a porcelain factory in Dachau and this story was so eye opening on what the Nazi's were attempting to do at this factory and their belief in the making of these porcelain animals. This story starts out in the early 30's to give background on how Max and Bettina have gotten to where they are during the war and why they do everything they can to risk being together one day again. Meanwhile, the other time line is told from 1993, and Bettina's daughter is trying to uncover the truth of her ancestry and this porcelain viking that has always been a mystery. Her mother refused to talk about the war and her past. As Bettina and her daughter work to uncover the truth of Bettina's past, a fear of who her father might be is at the forefront of needing to get to the truth of what happed during those war years. This novel was so well written and had so much history in it. Thank you to the author and St. Martin's Press for the complimentary book. This review is of my own review and accord.

Such beautiful writing in this author’s debut novel. It had such a flow to it and was written with such emotion. I devoured this book. The novel included things I did not know much about. Bettina, Max, Richard, and others were artists who were working in a modernistic style in the late 1930’s and beyond. As the Nazis felt that certain things should only be done the way they thought was right, or pure, this modern art, was not approved of. When Bettina and Max, a Jewish man, fall for each other, they eventually start to make plan for their future together. Bettina and Max soon realize they need to escape to Switzerland as the Nazis reign of terror starts to heighten. Unfortunately, this does not happen and Max is brought to Dachau, a concentration camp. Beforehand, Max was creating art in the porcelain factory and here he continues making highly coveted porcelain pieces for the Nazis and their families. As Bettina’s life starts to unravel, she remains in love with Max and does what she can to keep going in hopes they will again be together someday. The book has a dual timeline, as in the future Max and Bettina’s daughter Clara, and granddaughter Lotte try to find out about Clara’s father/Lotte’s grandfather. However, much of the story takes place in the past. Dual timelines don’t always work but this one definitely does in my opinion.
I certainly felt the love between Max and Bettina and the hope in their future. It was a sad story, as many books set in this time period are. The author did a great job developing the characters so that the reader really gets to know them and I loved (or hated!) the characters. I have nothing but high praise for the author’s first book and look forward to more in the future!
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions in this review are my own.

I wanted to like this more than I did. Historical parts about the porcelain makers were interesting and I have since learned more of that aspect.

It seems like the market is saturated with World War II fiction lately, but "The Porcelain Maker" by Sarah Freethy is unlike any of the others I have read recently. Told through dual timelines, it is the story of a daughter's search for the identity of her father and the answers to her mother's secrets. The subject matter is unique, revolving around the design and manufacture of Allach porcelain, in a factory run with slave labor from Dachau and of special interest of Himmler himself. I was compelled to research more about the porcelain and was led down the rabbit hole of looking at pieces that still exist today and are for sale for great sums. The actual figurines really are hauntingly beautiful.

I liked the storyline and the writing style, though at times it moved a bit too slowly. It tugged at my heart, but left me wanting a bit more character development. Though I enjoyed reading about the characters, they never really came to life for me. Overall, I think this was a good book and worth the read, but it won't be listed in my favorite books of 2023.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book and for introducing me to an aspect of World War II of which I was unaware.

WOW!! Fabulous read!!

Why wouldn't Clara's mother ever tell her who her father was?

Now that her mother Bettina has passed and she has a daughter of her own, Clara is on a search to find out on her own.

We follow Bettina and Max, artists, during the war where they are separated when Max gets arrested and makes porcelain pieces that represent Germany and creates them to save his life and while Bettina does everything she can to find and save Max. Will they find each other?

We then move to 1993 as Clara deals with her mother's death and her search for answers. Will she find what she is looking for?

A beautiful, but heartbreaking debut that introduces us to the decorative Allach Porcelain telling how they were made and where they were made. Very interesting.

Fascinating information about the factory and the porcelain. Marvelous research.

Historical fiction fans will devour this book.

Don't miss it...you will be with Max as he endures his time in Dachau, as Bettina waits for him, and as you hope for the best. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Porcelain Maker by debut author Sarah Freethy is a great edition to the WWII era historical novels. I love the two time frames and how they move back and forth. The history discussed in this novel is new to me and it provided an interesting twist on the WWII era novel.

Wow. This book was EVERYTHING! I have that "just read an amazing book" feeling of delirium after finishing. This book is heartbreaking and so much evolves within the timeline of this novel. I have two criticisms, but wont disclose one to not spoil for others. One of them is the flashbacks to Clara's POV. Sometimes, it fell flat compared to the riveting chapters that take place in the past. Overall, a very good book. I highly recommend!

"Arbeit Macht Frei"...... Work Will Set You Free

The Porcelain Maker is a thought provoking historical fiction novel that pulled me in from the very first page. As I read this right after the Jewish New Year it gave me a lot to reflect on.
The Holocaust, concentration camps, and the suffering are something to never be forgotten.
This captivating story of Bettina, a Christian painter and Max, a Jewish architect who fall in love, hoping for a future together. The story was written in dual timeline, and weaves together beautifully.
Every time I read an historical fiction book I am learning something new. Information that is not in a textbook. I did not know that there was an actual German porcelain factory in Dachau.
A beautiful heart wrenching story of love, cruelty, loss, secrets.
I reached for the tissues many times as I felt the emotions of the characters. This book was very difficult to put down and will.stay with me for a long time.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing for the ARC of "The Porcelain Maker" in exchange for an honest review.
What a stunning debut novel.........and what a heart-wrenching, immersive reading experience this was. This book captivated me on so many different levels. It begins as an intriguing family mystery at a Cincinnati auction house in 1993 and then plunges backward into the darkest, most horrific era of world history.
As the evil of Nazis and fascism spreads across 1920's Germany, we're introduced to star-crossed lovers Max and Bettina, both brilliant creative artists in their respective fields. Max is an Austrian Jewish architect planning the Autobahn and Bettina's already making a name for herself as a groundbreaking avant-garde artist.
Like many others, Max and Bettina unwisely remain in Germany until it's too late to escape. Captured and sent to Dachau concentration camp, Max survives by his talent for sculpting porcelain figurines for no less than Nazi commander Heinrich Himmler. While desperately trying to contact Max,, Bettina joins a resistance movement by marrying a repulsive SS officer for the purpose of spying on him. The non stop peril these two artistically gifted soulmates find themselves in reaches excruciating levels of suspense and overpowering heartbreak.
In those 50 years later flash-forwards, Max and Bettina's story is painstakingly pieced together by Bettina's daughter Clara, the person seeking out figurines at that Cincinnati auction, the ones possibly crafted at Dachau. And here's where author Sarah Freethy delivers all the emotional gut-punches guaranteed to leave readers shaken and tearful.
With its sweeping epic history, aching romance and unbearable tension, I'd consider this as one of the Must Reads of this or any year. An absolute 5 star bell ringer.

The Porcelain Maker is an absolutely incredible debut novel by Sarah Freethy! I am a big fan of historical fiction, Freethy does an amazing job with dual timelines America 1993 and Germany 1929+ and a creative storyline about art, love, and betrayal. I truly appreciated the Bauhaus/porcelain factory angle.

This was a captivating super-fast educational read.

If you enjoy historical fiction then I predict you will like this book.

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.