The Porcelain Maker
'An absorbing study of love and art' Sunday Times
by Sarah Freethy
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Pub Date Jan 03 2024 | Archive Date Nov 09 2023
Simon & Schuster (Australia) | Simon & Schuster UK
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Description
‘A page-turning journey to uncover a past of heroism, betrayal, love, and loss’ Heather Morris, bestselling author of Three Sisters
'So compelling' Sunday Times
Two lovers caught at the crossroads of history
A daughter’s search for the truth
Germany, 1929.
When Max, a Jewish architect, and Bettina, a beautiful and celebrated German avant-garde artist, meet at a party their attraction is instant. In love with each other and the art they create, their talent transports them to the dazzling lights of Berlin. But Germany is on the brink of terrible change, and their bright beginning is soon dimmed by the rising threat of Nazism.
When Max is arrested and sent to the Dachau concentration camp, it is only his talent at making the exquisite porcelain figures so beloved by the Nazis that stands between him and certain death. At first, Bettina has no idea where Max has been taken but when she learns of his fate, she is determined to rescue him whatever the cost.
Now, a lifetime later, Bettina’s daughter, Clara, sets out on a journey to uncover the truth about her identity. As she weaves together the fabric of her past, she discovers the terrible secret her mother wanted hidden forever.
For fans of Heather Morris and Kristin Hannah, The Porcelain Maker is a sweeping, epic story of love, betrayal and art, set across Europe from the 1920s Weimar Republic, to dark and glittering 1930s Berlin.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781398511804 |
| PRICE | A$32.99 (AUD) |
| PAGES | 384 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Karren S, Reviewer
Bettina Vogel is a German modern artist and she meets Max Ehrlich at a party, he’s Jewish and from Austrian and studying to be an architect. They fall madly in love, Germany is on the brink of change, with the ominous threat of Nazism and the rise of Adolf Hitler.
Bettina’s art is labelled degenerative, as we know the Germans hated this style and destroyed paintings, Max and his parents who are still living in Vienna don’t know what to do, they should leave and soon.
The narrative has a dual timeline told from the two main characters points of view, Bettina and Clara, it starts in 1929 and ends in 1994 and it’s very easy to follow.
After Clara’s mother passes away, she’s trying find her father and uncover why her mum would never tell her who he was. All she knows is he made porcelain, in a factory and near the town of Dachau.
The story is based around the Allach porcelain factory, here the pieces were made using labour from the nearby concentration camp and Heinrich Himmler came up with the idea for both.
From 1936 to 1945, the factory made white porcelain figures, mainly cute animals and later household pottery and the pieces had the SS insignia stamped on the bottom of them and Himmler wanted it to represent German culture. When Max was arrested Bettina didn’t know where he is, and she had to make a difficult choice, later she found out he was at Dachau, working at the porcelain factory and she want's to see him.
I received a copy of The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy from Simon & Schuster Australia and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A story about lost love and the impact the war has on the two main characters Bettina and Max’s romance and relationship. Art is a focal point of the narrative and so is loss, secrets and mystery, afterwards Clara's left trying to put together the pieces of a puzzle, this takes patience and time.
It was really interesting reading about the Allach porcelain factory, I had never heard about it before, how could the beautiful animal figurines be made in such an inhumane place, four stars from me and a great debut novel by Ms. Freethy.
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