Sweet story of friendship ended in tragedy, and building a life always in search of someone lost to you in childhood. Can Lena create a life of her own choosing, or will she always be trying to please others? So many struggles in this book. Familial relationships, marital relationships, all are human and murky, but Lena works through it all.

I did not connect with this story. I couldn't root for the main character, yet I could sympathize with her, it's forgettable tale. I will read more by the author.

Thank you Netgalley and Little A for the ARC. My opinion is my own.

If you’re drawn to historical family sagas with emotional resonance, thoughtful reflections on trauma, and evocative food symbolism, this book offers a moving, layered reading experience. However, if you prefer fast-paced plots or fully fleshed character arcs, you might find its slow pacing and occasionally unresolved subplots frustrating.

Anya and Joseph lived in Loz, Poland and survived Auschwitz and the holocaust and travel to America due to the generosity of a long lost cousin. Now they live in Brooklyn with their teenage daughter Lena, she doesn’t feel very close to them and like many people who experience extreme hardship and trauma they don’t talk about the past.

I think Lena’s character at times portrays what it was like to be a child of survivors of concentration camps, nothing she does seems to get through the wall her parents have built around their hearts and lives up to the memory of her deceased older sister Ruby. Lena knows her parents owned a successful bakery in their homeland, Lena wanted to go to college and be a lawyer and this all changes when she meets Luke and they marry and open a bakery.

I received a copy of The Baker of Lost Memories by Shirley Russak Wachtel from NetGalley and Little A Publishing in exchange for an unbiased review. I found the narrative confusing, it starts with Lena and her best friend Pearl camping out in the front yard on a holiday in the Catskills and Pearl disappears, and Lena starts and stops so many things and is very inconsistent.

I must admit I didn’t like Lena’s attitude towards her parents, how she found them embarrassing, yet she wanted to make them proud by opening a bakery with her dysfunctional and lazy husband.

Three things stopped me from not finishing this book, I liked Kenny’s character and Lena did finally see the light and helped her mum and I thought it would have to be better than the author’s previous novel A Castle in Brooklyn. I suggest reading this novel for yourself and I might have missed the true meaning and message the author was trying to convey and three stars because I don't go any lower than that.

The Baker of Lost Memories" by Shirley Russak Wachtel is a poignant and evocative novel that explores the power of food, love, and memory. Set in a small Italian town, the story follows a young baker who discovers a mysterious recipe book that holds the secrets of the past. As she bakes the treats, memories and emotions are unleashed, connecting her to the people and places around her. With its rich descriptions and heartfelt storytelling, this novel is a sensory journey that celebrates the beauty of tradition, community, and the healing power of food.

The Baker of Lost Memories is well researched and thought out, but fell flat for me execution wise. I liked the writing but lost interest about halfway through. Thank you NetGalley and Little A for the eARC

EXCERPT: Of course, her true passion, the thing she wanted to spend her days doing, was baking. Since the honey cake fiasco years earlier, Lena had continued to keep a watchful eye on her mother whenever she baked her rugelach for the Jewish New Year or the hamantaschen when Purim came around. Between those occasions, Lena would make versions of her own baked goods, even creating a few original recipes like a chocolate layer cake with strawberries or peanut butter nougats. Sometimes, if the finished product was good enough, she would share it with her friends and even her parents. If, however, the dish lacked the right amount of flavoring or was oversalted, before anyone could see it, she would secretly toss it into the garbage with all the other failures. For their part, Anya and Josef largely ignored her efforts, deeming some of her creations "very good", holding back their praise as they cautioned her to pursue a more solid, profitable career. And even though Lena wished that baking could possibly become a full-time career, even though when she was a girl, she had coveted the idea of owning a bakery just as her parents had prior to the war, she knew the real reason they discouraged her. There were too many memories. Memories of another daughter who had been a baker, possibly the best baker in the world. as a result, for Lena, baking remained a hobby.

ABOUT 'THE BAKER OF LOST MEMORIES': Growing up in 1960s Brooklyn, Lena wants to be a baker just like her mother was back in Poland prior to World War II. But questions about those days, and about a sister Lena never even knew, are ignored with solemn silence. It’s as if everything her parents left behind was a subject never to be broached.

The one person in whom Lena can confide is her best friend, Pearl. When she suddenly disappears from Lena’s life, Lena forges college, love and marriage with a wonderful man, the dream of owning a bakery becoming a reality, and the hope that someday Pearl will return to share in Lena’s happiness—and to be there for her during the unexpected losses to come.

Only when Lena discovers the depth of her parents’ anguish, and a startling truth about her own past, can they rebuild a family and overcome the heart-wrenching memories that have torn them apart.

MY THOUGHTS: In a nutshell - too much telling and not enough showing.

I found it difficult to maintain interest in what could have been a touching and heart wrenching story but instead was labored and distanced.

There was a lack of momentum, and I could not form any sort of connection with any of the characters. The 'Pearl aspect' was obvious and irrational from the start and I found the continuation of it irritating.

Just as irritating is Lena's lack of self-confidence, her antipathy towards her parents, and her constant bending to Luke's will.

For a book of less than 300 pages, this seemed much longer. There are far better books out there chronicling the generational trauma suffered by the families of those interred in concentration camps.

⭐⭐.3

#TheBakerofLostMemories #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: A daughter of Holocaust survivors, Wachtel was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a doctor of letters degree from Drew University and Professor Emerita of English at Middlesex College in New Jersey. The mother of three grown sons and grandmother to three precocious granddaughters, she currently resides in East Brunswick, New Jersey, with her husband, Arthur. (Source: shirleywachtel.com - abridged)

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Little A via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of The Baker of Lost Memories by Shirley Russak Wachtel for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Thank you NetGalley, Little A Books and Shirley Russak Wachtel for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of The Baker of Lost Memories.
This historical fiction novel is a family drama spanning from the devastation of the Holocaust to the late 1970’s. I needed more description of the effects of WWII to understand Anya and Josef’s lack of emotions toward their daughter, Lena. They had been through a lot but I wanted more attachment to their story.
The characters are flat with the author doing more telling than showing. I felt I was watching the action instead of being immersed with them. Many puzzle pieces are missing until the end which was rushed and the pieces fit together too nicely.
I love books about bakeries and running a business but the characters were so unhappy that I knew they would be unsuccessful and bitter toward each other. Communication was lacking due to their history but it could have solved many problems. I would like more depth from this author but I will give her another try.

Well written interesting novel.A book about the. daughter of holocaust survivors and their relationship.Strange episode when her friend Pearl disappears and then reappears later on in the story.#NetGalley #fandomhouse

This book is an intimate look at complex family dynamics, both blood bonds, and those we consider family. The story brings you back in time, and really shows you how the past can echo through to future generations. It’s a ripple effect, generational trauma that continues to be passed on, tearing families apart and making them distant instead of pushing them closer. War devastates, and even though Lena didn’t directly experience it, she still feels the ways in which it left her parents scarred. I got lost in the memories and emotions that flowed off the page, Wachtel truly brings both characters and setting to life around the reader. It’s like stepping back through time. If you’re looking for an emotional, and at times heartbreaking, read, then you’ll want to grab this.

It took me awhile to get into this one. I'm glad I stuck it out but it did drag in places. Overall, a good read!

Rich, poignant, and haunting!

The Baker of Lost Memories is a simmering, heart-tugging tale that transports you to Brooklyn during the 1960s and into the life of one Jewish family, especially the youngest daughter Lena, who even though was born after the war, struggles to understand and overcome the family’s extreme loss and silent pain caused by the Nazis.

The prose is tight and intense. The characters are multilayered, vulnerable, and scarred. And the plot is a tender tale of life, loss, trauma, tragedy, grief, guilt, loneliness, desperation, familial drama, secrets, survival, redemption, and new beginnings.

Overall, The Baker of Lost Memories is a compelling, evocative, immersive story by Wachtel that I thoroughly enjoyed and which had just the right amount of intrigue, harrowing history, and palpable emotion to be a captivating tale for lovers like myself of the historical fiction genre.

Lena just wants to be a baker like her mother was in Poland before World War II. But really, she wants to make her mother love her, like her sister who disappeared. Lena goes to college and gets married. Her husband ends up buying her a bakery and they become part of the community where many stop for cookies and cakes. Lena’s life is not what she pictured it, even if she is baking.

The Baker of Lost Memories is a nice historical novel of love, and memories, and community. Also how we comfort ourselves when life doesn’t look like we want it to.

Thank you NetGalley and Little A #TheBakerofLostMemories #NetGalley

My thanks to Net Galley and Little A for this arc to review.

I liked this book. Josef and Anya were very likeable characters that you felt something for with their first daughter s fate and them escaping to American , having their second daughter, and opening the bakeries. Great family saga, and well written.

My issues. The Pearl part of the story. Where did she go when she popped back later in the book? The explanation of her story by her father, then the last chapter with her. What was that? Then Lena. How she treated her parents through most of the book. And Luke! Lol...don't get me started with him.

I just couldn't connect to this book - the characters are fully developed, but I just didn't feel anything about them. The storyline is full of historical detail and that part was interesting. It seemed slow starting and dragged a bit, I found it hard to stay interested.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is a story about a family in two time periods. The undertone of generational trauma from WW2 has penetrated their relationships. Lena’s decisions and sometimes their painful outcomes provide depth to her character as she struggles to obtain her goals. as We are also privy to the agony Lena’s parents faced in Poland. The dual time periods and characters made this an interesting read.

This had potential but then fell flat for me and I couldn't get the energy to pick it up. Sad because the plot sounded interesting and the cover is gorgeous but it was not engaging my historical fiction heart. Sorry = thank you for the advanced read.

This was an interesting story of historical fiction that focuses on the effects of a hidden family history and generational trauma. While the storylines were interesting, I feel that at times, the story was stretched too long and at other times, it seemed rushed. Overall, a good book. Thanks #NetGalley

"The Baker of Lost Memories" is enjoyable but loses steam around the halfway mark. Lena's constant indifference and annoyance of her parents coupled with Luke's narcissistic abuse and manipulation got to be tiresome. The ending was rushed and I had hoped for more of a storyline with Kenny.

**Thank you Net Galley for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**