Book Review: ‘The Porcelain Maker: A Novel’ By Sarah Freethy

In 1993 Clara is looking for answers about her father, and her family during WWII. Her mother Bettina died three years ago, and would never talk about that part of her life. The only clues she has to go on are porcelain figurines and a painting of the Viking. In 1929 Bettina, a German girl who paints, and Max, a Jew, who is an architect, then a figurine maker, meet and fall in love, and live together for years in Berlin, then the rise of Hitler upends their worlds. She is safe, he is not. As they plan to make their escape from Germany, fate intercepts, and they’re torn away from each other, with her expecting a baby. She does what she needs to do, and years later they meet again, with another plan to escape together, when fate once again throws them a curve. For Clara, she finally gets a break, and may finally learn about her past. An intense, well-written dual story WWII novel, that will keep you reading along to the very end. Make sure to have some tissues handy.

You can pick up The Porcelain Maker in stores on Tuesday, November 7th from St. Martin’s Press.