The Porcelain Maker: A Novel

by Sarah Freethy

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Historical fiction, love story, an intergenerational search for truth — The Porcelain Maker is a beautiful blend of so many wonderful elements. Inspired by true events, this is the story of courage, family and so much more.

An epic story of love, betrayal, and art that spans decades, through the horrors of World War II to 21st century America, inspired by an actual porcelain factory in Dachau.

Germany, 1929. At a festive gathering of young bohemians in Weimar, two young artists, Max, a skilled Jewish architect, and Bettina, a celebrated avant-garde painter, are drawn to each other and begin a whirlwind romance. Their respective talents transport them to the dazzling lights of Berlin, but this bright beginning is quickly dimmed by the rising threat of Nazism. Max is arrested and sent to the concentration camp at Dachau where only his talent at making exquisite porcelain figures stands between him and seemingly certain death. Desperate to save her lover, Bettina risks everything to rescue him and escape Germany.

America, 1993. Clara, Bettina’s daughter, embarks on a journey to trace her roots and determine the identity of her father, a secret her mother has kept from her for reasons she’s never understood. Clara’s quest to piece together the puzzle of her origins transports us back in time to the darkness of Nazi Germany, where life is lived on a razor’s edge and deception and death lurk around every corner. Survival depends on strength, loyalty, and knowing true friend from hidden foe. And as Clara digs further, she begins to question why her mother was so determined to leave the truth of her harrowing past behind...

The Porcelain Maker is a powerful novel of enduring love and courage in the face of appalling brutality as a daughter seeks to unlock the mystery of her past.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250907820
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/03/2024
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	5.38(w) x 8.25(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

SARAH FREETHY worked as a writer, script consultant, producer and development editor in television before turning her hand to fiction. The Porcelain Maker is her first novel. She lives in England with her family.

Editorial Reviews

09/11/2023

Freethy’s underwhelming debut revolves around a protracted love affair between a German Christian artist and an Austrian Jewish architect. Bettina Vogel, the artist, meets Max Ehrlich for the first time in 1925 Weimar Germany, where they share a mutual interest in the Bauhaus school of art. As the Nazis rise to power in the 1930s, Bettina’s brother joins the party and opposes her romance with Max. Eventually, Max disguises his Jewish identity and gets work as a porcelain sculptor. In a parallel narrative set in 1993, Bettina’s daughter, Clara, pursues the mystery of her paternity. She finds a clue in a 1941 photo from the Dachau death camp depicting her mother and two other men, one of whom is identified as Max. Clara’s visit to her dying mother early on discloses that Bettina survived WWII, leaving only Max’s fate, and his role in Clara’s life, as open questions. Freethy keeps up momentum with the story of Clara’s search, but her depiction of the concentration camps feels cursory, and torrid prose doesn’t help (“Their mouths met and merged, melting in a white heat that should, by rights, have burned them both entirely”). This doesn’t stand out amid the glut of WWII fiction. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Once I started reading The Porcelain Maker, I didn't want to stop...Freethy is brilliant as she weaves two time periods effortlessly into a page-turning journey to uncover a past of heroism, betrayal, love, and loss." —Heather Morris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Three Sisters

"In her exquisitely crafted and poignant debut, Sarah Freethy brings readers an unforgettable tale of love and loss.... Phenomenal." —Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Mitford Affair

"As detailed, delicate, beautiful, and brutal as the hidden porcelain Sarah Freethy conjures, this heart-rending debut intertwines real history and characters both noble and endearing into a story to live in, learn from, and love." —Meg Waite Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Postmistress of Paris

"A heartbreaking story of beauty in the midst of brutality." —Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author of Band of Sisters

"A riveting and immersive novel, at the intersection of art and war." —Laura Spence-Ash, bestselling author of Beyond That, the Sea

"A standout novel of heartbreak, survival and hope in time of war. Gripping, beautifully written, The Porcelain Maker is destined to be a huge bestseller." —Rachel Hore, bestselling author of One Moonlit Night and A Beautiful Spy

"A searing and propulsive novel about bravery and betrayal, love and art. I was pulled into the story and swept along until the very end." —Clarie Fuller, bestselling author of The Memory of Animals

“With its well-researched plot, engaging characters, and dramatic twists, Freethy’s debut works as both a World War II love story and a testament to the ability of art to speak truth to power. Readers of Heather Morris and Kelly Rimmer will be captivated.” —Booklist

"An absorbing study of love and art fighting for survival in an age of hate." —The Sunday Times

From the Publisher

In a practiced-sounding tone, Kristin Atherton narrates this dual- timeline historical fiction revolving around Nazi-era porcelain figurines created at the Allach Porcelain Factory in a sub-camp of Dachau concentration camp. There Clara Vogel searches for her father's identity. Atherton adopts a Midwestern accent for the opening scenes, set in 1993 Cincinnati. The balance of this story is set in Germany from 1929 through 1942. Atherton reverts to a polished British accent with hints of German as Austrian-Jewish architect Max Ehrlich and Bettina Vogel, a celebrated avant-garde painter, are drawn to each other and begin a romance laced with sadness. Atherton's steady, cultured tones help dull the horrors of Nazi Germany, especially the concentration camp and virulently anti-Semitic and racial slurs. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2024 - AudioFile