The story is fascinating - a young woman who doesn’t know that she is the illegitimate daughter of Goethe, living in a small village in Alsace. Raised by her mother and grandfather, the local parson, Anna is sent to Weimar to live with the father she hadn’t known about, to make a marriage that will give her the security she lacks in the village. Anna quickly becomes friends with her father’s current (and long term) live in love, Christianne, who Goethe refuses to marry in spite of their having a child together, Anna’s half brother August. The relationships between Christianne, Anna’s father, her half brother, all make up a fascinating part of the story. When a nobleman asks for Anna’s hand in marriage, she refuses it, preferring instead a love match with a local theater worker.

The story itself is fascinating, and Anna is a wonderful character.

CK McAdam has done it again!! The story of Anna- the Poet’s Daughter is a must read and I could not put it down!!! The author has brought historical fiction into modern times tackling not only the relationships between a father and daughter during Anna’s coming of age, but also the challenges of a young woman finding her voice and stepping out of her father’s shadow. I can’t wait to see what time period CK McAdam’s tackles next!!