Tragedy can bring out the best and worst in people. Some will do anything they can to survive, even though it goes against everything they believe in. Some people will find their way out to a better life. In the end we all struggle with what we think is best.
This book is about those journeys and struggles. It will stay with you for a long time.

I really enjoyed this story about Zoe and Chana and their family. I was immediately drawn in and wanting to read more and like how everything came together.

I would recommend this book to others.

In her acknowledgements at the end of the book “The Lost Baker of Vienna”, Sharon Kurtzman thanks her mother, aunt and grandmother for their stories she shares with the world. She also admits if she were ‘asked the party-game question of what person dead or alive with whom I’d like to speak, my answer” is always Aron Kraus, her maternal grandfather, purported to be one of the two original lost bakers.

In real life, her grandfather’s death sets into motion her grandmother and uncle’s quest to emigrate to America at the end of World War II. There are people who would rather see them dead. Her great-aunt meets a black-market dealer who promised her family safe passage if only her great-aunt will marry him, a prospect her mother eagerly supports. But what does the investigative magazine reporter, Zoe’s great-aunt want to do – spend her life looking over her shoulder or peacefully being a baker like her father?

Using pseudonyms, Kurtzman casts herself as Zoe, Chana’s great-niece who sets out as an investigative reporter to go to Vienna and discover the truth. In the process, this book makes the reader ask himself, “Are you the hunter or the game in life?” And, in so doing, shakes him to the core and demands an answer.

This novel is reminiscent of the recent true story of her mother’s escape to Canada after World War II, “The Traitor’s Daughter”, by Roxana Spicer. Through the sacrifices of two lost bakers, Kurtzman’s grandfather and the character Zoe calls her great-aunt Chana, Kurtzman weaves a story of treachery, determination and redemption.

4 and a half stars rounded up to 5. Thank you to the publisher Viking Penguin Random House and NetGalley for giving me access to this book for my review.!
The story is told from the point of view of Zoe in 2018 and from the point of view of Chana from Mid 1940s
This book is about freedom, independence, career, friendship, and love. It’s a tearjerker and beautiful. The things Chana goes through for those she loves, for who she wants to be, for her dream to own a bakery. She never gives up. Zoe learns of this story and discovers happiness and family in an unexpected way. 🩷

This dual-timeline novel takes place in 1946 and 2018. In the 2018 timeline, the main character, Zoe, has recently lost her grandfather and is motivated to try to learn more about her past by a message he left her. A magazine writer, her quest to find out about her past has her traveling to Vienna for a conference, which she gets her boss to foot the bill for, in hopes she can get an interview with an elusive member of the food industry (Henri Martin).

Henri shares the story of Zoe's ancestors through the 1946 timeline. This timeline is written as if from the perspective of Chana, Zoe's great-aunt, but it is really being told by Henri.

As with all WWII/Holocaust stories, this one is often heart-wrenching and hard to read. At the same time, it is, in a way, inspiring. Based on stories from the author's family, this is a well-written, very enjoyable novel. If you enjoy WWII/Holocaust novels, I think you will enjoy this one!

I truly am so grateful I had the opportunity to read "The Lost Baker of Vienna." I am always game for a WWII novel but I do not always love dual timelines; often they lack character development or I like one timeline but not the other...that was simply not the case here! Kurtzman does such a phenomenal job developing the characters in BOTH timelines.

Both Chana and Zoe are compelling characters with stories of pain, redemption, perseverance and resilient love that overcomes the odds. The supporting characters such as Chana's mother, Meyer, friends, etc. also showcased how many refugees were forced to make difficult decisions post war in order to continue to survive - hopefully this novel will help remind us to remain compassionate in our own present time.

This book also repeatedly emphasized not to allow the evil or hatred of what others have done to us to turn us into monsters ourselves, In a moment that was worthy of a response, maybe even violence, Chana reflects and redirects by saying "Hate has created enough monsters already."

One piece of feedback - When Chana and her love interest FINALLY share a kiss it's literally directly after she vomited. That element could easily be adjusted, just thought it was kind of gross given it was meant to be a climax moment.

I will say that the description of the book itself is spot on :)

Zoe Rosenzweig, a journalist, recently lost her grandfather, Aron Rosenzweig, who survived the Holocaust. Post-World War II, his family sought freedom & to leave Vienna, Austria. While he and his mother makes it to America eventually, his older sister, Chana, died in a fire before getting a chance for freedom in July 1946. In the present day in 2018, Zoe, seeks to learn more about her family heritage & discovers more secrets than she can imagine including ties to a famous Australian baking company.

In a dual timeline novel, The Lost Baker of Vienna, focuses on the importance of family, defining the meaning of freedom and what a wonan's vocation should be. It touches upon a post-World War II world where Jewish people continue to be marginalized & finding means for liberation without fear of persecution. It is a book you do not want to put down to find out what happens to Chana & the ties to the baking company. Although some parts may seem predictable, there is a twist at the end that will surprise readers.

Another novel set against the Holocaust and its aftermath, but my patrons, and myself truth be told, welcome them. The story jumps from 2018 back to 1946. Zoe Rosenzweig is reeling after the loss of her beloved grandfather, a Holocaust survivor. She becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to her family during the war and the bakery they owned. Once the war is over, Chana and her family have escaped to Vienna but find an unfamiliar world they need to find their way in. Chana channels that uncertainty into her love of baking, and along the way a relationship w a man who offers her security but also is dangerous. Recommended for public libraries.

Wow what a beautiful book. Chana and Zoe are such great characters. But also Henri and Aron are too. I loved the look back in time to help Zoe learn about her family.
The things Chana has to go through to make a life for herself, we're incredible. She is a very hopeful and optimistic character. There are moments of love and beauty, but there is also heartache and sorrow that she pushes through to make the life she ends up leading.
Zoe's determination as she learns more about her family, was great to watch her blossom.
I liked learning about these characters and their journeys through different times and across continents. I loved the look at baking too.
I really enjoyed reading this story and will be recommending it to everyone!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

The story of Chana, a Jewish young woman and her strength, perseverance, and courage during the years just following WWII. Her love of baking endures throughout the story and helps her overcome the many challenges she faces. The author does a beautiful job of keeping the reader engaged and coming back for more.

Enjoyed the love story in this historical fiction. I appreciate that you always had an idea who Henri was but yet you also were never positive, it gave the book a little mystery about the choices Chana would make and how the story would play out. Enjoyed the characters. Appreciate how the author showed how some of the characters may have done things that made them appear like bad people but that circumstances sometimes dictate making decisions that are easier to judge when you were not in that situation.

Sharon Kurtzman's The Lost Baker of Vienna is a welcome new take on a World War II novel. In Kurtzman's book, the events of the Holocaust are backstory, touched on briefly but casting a shadow over the characters and their interactions. The story concerns a food writer whose grandfather has just died, leaving behind a mystery about his connection to an elusive Australian couple known for a popular commercial baked good. Without giving away any details, what I liked most was the depiction of the aftermath of World War II, the confusing Wild West-like environment of Europe, in which people could be murdered with little consequence, black marketeers ruled everything, and all Holocaust survivors wanted was a way out. While there were a couple of wiggly or unlikely historical details, the story was satisfying and the twist, while a bit predictable, accomplished what it needed to. I probably would have given this 4-1/2 stars had that been an option, but I will recommend it to others.