This book does such a great job of weaving together the generational consequences of the Holocaust. Young love was one of the many things separated by religion and judged even within families. Bettina and Max thought they had a path to freedom and love, but Nazi reach was even in the smallest villages. Escape was the only option for survival, but so difficult and dangerous. The revelation of just how broad the underground network for helping refugees was, and how the need to help crossed many ethnic and religious groups may be surprising to many.

For a small town baker to have to navigate a tragic past, where so many documents were destroyed almost seems like folly. But Clara, promises to do look for the past hampered by the present. The story that unfolds is hard to imagine in the magnitude of tragedy suffered by so many, and how in the case of Max and Bettina, shaped every moment of their life. Clara will soon learn that sharing a home and genetics is no guarantee you will know someone.

I found this book moving, compelling and hard to put down. Any fan of history should appreciate this story.

Knowing how the trip is going to end doesn't make the voyage any less interesting or important, especially when it's a harrowing journey about the horrors of Nazi Germany. The Holocaust has been explored from many angles, but few as personal and poignant as in The Porcelain Maker. While the main focus is on Max & Bettina- how they met, fell in love, and are ripped apart-their story reverberates through decades and generations. Told in dual time frames- from 1925 to 1942, and 1993-The Porcelain Maker is about one women's quest to learn the identity of her father, and hopefully understand why her mother refused to speak of him. In 1925 Max and Bettina are young artists enjoying life, love, and friends, but for Max his Jewish heritage makes him a true marked man. Max is captured and sent to Dachau to make Allach Porcelain figurines for the Reich, while Bettina searches for the man she loves. The plot of The Porcelain Maker is slow moving at times, and although expected, the ending is painful and gruesome. But it's the power of love to survive even in the face of true evil that speaks loudest. The Porcelain Maker is one couple's story of survival, but is a lesson for all of humanity.

This was so enjoyable. The writing was immersive. A great historical fiction. I have thought about this book everyday since I have finished. The characters were PERFECT! I will never forget about them. 1925-1990s the author covers a lot of time but very well done! It’s amazing that this is a debut.
Thank you to netgalley for the chance to read this e-arc!

The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy is a beautiful story about a tumultuous time in history. The story takes place in the past and present day, but does not jump back and forth, so it is easy to follow. Clara’s artistic mother never told her who her father really was, so she decides to investigate the past to find out the truth. This is a love story, but different than most historical novels. The author tells us a story about arts that were prohibited, and the genre of art that was preferred by the Nazis. The title of the novel will give you a hint of one of the prized genres.
I loved this book and could not put it down. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a one-of-a-kind historical novel. I cannot wait to read Sarah Freethy’s next story. Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

A touching story of a daughter who is searching for her father after the death of her mother. All she has to go on is some very special porcelain figures that her mother loved. Her determination takes her through some very sad portions of her mother's life that reveals the strong spirit and love that her parents had.

A poignant story that draws you in and holds you right until the end.

This was a beautiful, poignant and sad WWII book with well-drawn characters. I enjoyed the storyline and Clara’s search for her father. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Both historical and à romantic. Story is woven between past and present.. A beautiful story in the middle of the war.
I truly enjoyed it and highly recommended this book!

The Porcelain Maker is the story of two people, Bettina Vogel and Max Ehrlich, who's forbidden and tortured love endured until the very end. You see, Bettina was German and Max was Jewish. Bettina was an artist and Max was an architect. At first Bettina's work was considered unorthodox, but before long, she became famous. She and Max had big plans to run away together. When the time came for them to go, Bettina waited for Max at the train station but Max was arrested and put in an internment camp.

Bettina got pregnant and lost that baby. But then she got pregnant again. Unfortunately Max was in prison before she could tell him. She believed the only thing she could do to protect her baby was to marry. She chose to marry a Nazi officer named Karl. He believed the baby was his and Bettina didn't tell him any different.

Max had worked at a porcelain factory before he was imprisoned. Since porcelain figurines were all the rave with the Nazis, Max's old boss requested that he come to work for him

Bettina had done a painting called The Viking which was her prized piece. Max remembered the painting and created a porcelain sculpture of it. Karl saw it and bought it for Bettina. Because of the finite detail and one little object in the painting that no one could see but that Max knew about, she knew he had created it. So she had her husband arrange for her to meet the sculptor. In the meantime, one of the Nazi upper echelon commissioned Bettina to do a series of porcelain figures. She decided she would go to the porcelain factory and work with Max. It was absolute heaven for them to be able to work together. Toward the end, Bettina came up with a scheme whereby she would bring their daughter, Clara, and one of her husband's uniforms to Max and with a little help from Max's boss and his secretary, the three of them would escape.

Up until this point Karl had been away in Paris on assignment. He wasn't due back for another couple of weeks. So Bettina went home with the intention of escaping the following day. She had already packed a bag with Clara's clothes and toys. Unfortunately, not long after she got home. Karl arrived. It turns out he'd had people spying on her and he knew about the bag that she had packed. He told her he was leaving for Paris again and he was taking Clara with him. He made arrangements for a doctor to come and see her and to ultimately lock her away in an asylum.

When Bettina didn't show up at the porcelain factory, Max's boss went to her apartment to find out what had happened to her. Her sister-in-law was there and informed him that Bettina was away in Italy. Of course Max was beside himself when she hadn't arrived. When his boss told him what had happened to her, he felt all was lost.

The book was back and forth between the 1940s and present day where Clara was in search of her father. Her mother had told her little about him. She had told her that her father was the porcelain maker. So Clara had traveled all over the world in search of the Viking and other sculptures that her father had created. She found an old picture with her mother, Max and two others. After extensive research, she and her daughter Lotte ended up in Munich. It was there that they met Max's old boss. She brought the photograph with her and he told her who Max was. What I haven't said is that Bettina had passed away by the time Clara went searching for her father.

I found this story intriguing and it had an element of suspense. I like it very much even though at times it was sad. You'll have to read the book to find out what happened to Max. I gave this book five stars.

The Porcelain Maker was an interesting book. It wasn’t my typical book and I confess the first fourth of the book had me struggling.
I enjoyed the mystery of the book. It caught my attention in that aspect. I also was consumed with the time period during World War II and found it most gripping.

I read the entire book. The author made me want to know what happened to the main couple along with the character Clara. There were a lot of people mentioned throughout the book and I must admit it was hard for me to keep up.

I appreciate the opportunity to review this book.

I consider myself pretty well-read when it comes to WWII and the Holocaust but this book manages to bring an aspect to light that I hadn’t previously been aware of - the Allach porcelain run by the SS itself.

This book was well-written, easy to read, and also educational. I recommend d this book to anyone who enjoys Holocaust fiction, or learning about 1940s era arts scene.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing this book for my review - the opinions expressed here are purely my own.

This is an amazing love story and very sad at the same time. It starts in pre WWII and brings to life the horror of Germany and man inhumanity to man in Hitler's Germany. This I a story everyone needs to read incase we should forget. the author does an amazing job of bringing the characters to life and going back in history and present day.

This is an entertaining, well-written, compelling, WWII historical fiction novel, based on an actual place, which is told in two timelines. It is fast paced, and vividly describes the lives of an architect and an artist during the war, and the search for answers by the artist's intelligent daughter. There is courage, suffering, sacrifice, endurance and heartbreak, and a satisfying, bittersweet conclusion.
NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Ms. Sarah Freethy kindly provided me with an ARC of this outstanding novel, and this is my honest opinion.

I read so many books about the suffering during WW II. This one was one of the better stories, although just as sad as so many others. Why do we continue to do this to other humans?

I like historical fiction and stories about artists, so this novel hit two of my interests. The story of the architect turned porcelain sculptor to survive imprisionment by the Nazis was informative. The 1993 story of Claire looking for her real father seems to be a popular trend in current fiction with characters looking to find out secrets of the past. I found this book fascinating and very readable.

The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy is a gorgeously written historical fiction novel set in both the past and the present. In Germany in 1929, Max, a Jewish architect, and Bettina, a Christian painter, meet and fall in love. Around them the world is falling apart as Hitler and the Nazis slowly wrap their noose around central Europe. Max is sent to Dachau and Bettina fights to save him. Fast forward to 1993 and we meet Clara, Bettina's daughter, who attempts to unravel the truth about her mother's past.

"It seems that people will swallow anything if you feed it to them piece by piece."

I really loved this story and devoured it in 2 days. The writing is beautiful, I connected with the characters, and it painted a picture of a story that (I believe) has not been told). It's what I would consider "light historical fiction" which gives us a glimpse into history but is not too graphic. Of course, I immediately googled Dachau porcelain and there was a factory in Dachau work camp that Jewish prisoners worked in, creating porcelain figurines for the Third Reich. I am really excited for people to read this book - it was beautiful and heartbreaking.

Most definitely a different take on historical fiction about the Holocaust!

We have the story of Clara Vogel searching worldwide for what she has nailed down as clues to who her father is.

Growing up, she never knew who her real father was and was content with that until her mother said something very specific. Since that time, Clara started hunting for her father.

Her search brought her to an auction, which brought her to a,room of a Holocaust survivor who had recently passed away. In that room, she found a picture of who she suspected was the Holocaust survivor, her mother and another man. Seeing this picture brought up many thoughts and feelings.

With the help of her daughter Lotte, Clara goes on a very focused hunt so she can learn who she really is.

Does Clara get the answers she's looking for? Does she get more than she's looking for? Can and do the present meet the past?

Alternating between past and present, “The Porcelain Maker” is a riveting historical fiction that serves to remind us all of the atrocities that we are capable of committing when we allow intolerance, fear, and hate to drive our actions. By shining a spotlight on Max and Bettina, a fictional couple immersed in the art world, the author demonstrates how Hitler’s regime infiltrated every aspect of society, set on destroying anything diverse, unique, or creative in its wake. Boasting multi-dimensional characters and a storyline rich in detail, the author delivers a heart-wrenching story you won’t soon forget!

The Porcelain Maker is a unique viewpoint of a holocaust story. I have read very few books dealing on the subject of art and artists during the time of World War II and have not read anything about porcelain making during this time. This book follows a couple through pre-war time and as the war escalates. It also follows the story of a relative discovering their family history. The Porcelain Maker
explores relationships and the handling of art by the Nazis. This book kept my interest and kept me turning the pages. I enjoyed reading this story and will re-read it as the first time was a quicker read due to the short availability of the digital copy. Pick up a copy and dive in today. I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I love books where I learn something that I probably should have known. After reading this, I spent many hours reading about the porcelain makers near Dachau and the intersection with the war. This is a beautifully written account of a different view of the Holocaust. This is a great read for anyone interested in historical fiction and will likely spark a round of research around wartime porcelain.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

The porcelain maker, what an emotional story.
We have two different time frames.
Germany, 1929 continuing through World War II.
Max, a Jewish architect and Bettina, a painter, are drawn to each other with hopes for a bright future together.
What corrupted these plans is Nazi Germany. You have to read the book to understand what is happening with both of them.
You then will understand why Bettina never wanted to talk about the past.
America, 1993.
Clara, Bettina’s daughter is determined to get to know the identity of her father.
Clara’s quest to piece together the puzzle of her origins brings her back to Germany where she and her daughter try to contact anybody that might bring some clarity in her mother’s past.
Doings so she is learning about the darkness of Nazi Germany. Knowing true friend from hidden foe can mean the difference between life or death.
I consider this one of the books that is hard to put down before you have finished it.