LoveReading Says
Sweeping and suspenseful, Sarah Freethy’s The Porcelain Maker tells a poignant story of love between two extraordinary individuals who meet in 1929 as Germany teeters on the brink of monumental change. Interweaving past events and long-buried secrets with a daughter’s search for the truth in the present, lifetimes of love, heartbreak and unthinkable decisions are related in page-turning style.
1993. Clara is searching for the truth about her family and buys a set of figurines she hopes will lead her to it, among them a little rabbit. Before her death, her mother, Bettina, had called Clara’s father the “porcelain maker of Dachau”, and Clara is set on discovering who he was.
1925. Weimar Berlin. Jewish Viennese-born Max is a “future Bauhaus architect extraordinaire” when he meets beautiful art student Bettina, whom he calls his “little rabbit”. Skip forward a few years — they’re a devoted couple, and Bettina is being mentored by Kandinsky. At the same time, the threat of Nazism is on the rise. By 1937, Bettina’s Expressionist art is hailed “degenerate” and Max might be arrested at any time. This leads the couple to leave Berlin, and Max starts work in an SS porcelain factory with a new identity.
Heartbreakingly, Max is later arrested and sent to Dachau concentration camp. Bettina has no idea where he is, or what’s happened to him, and so two searches play out — Bettina’s and Clara’s. Richly detailed on the art of porcelain making, and shot-through with emotion as dreadful experiences and secrets are revealed, The Porcelain Maker is a vivid, tense, suspenseful read.
Joanne Owen
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Sarah Freethy Press Reviews
‘In her exquisitely crafted and poignant debut, Sarah Freethy brings readers an unforgettable tale of love and loss. The Porcelain Maker introduces us to a singular, riveting relationship forged between a talented Jewish architect and a gifted German painter during the heady days of the Bauhaus movement in the Weimar Republic of Germany. As the dark tide of Nazism washes over the land, the lovers face dangers unimaginable, learning that art alone can sustain and save them - and bear witness for the generations. Phenomenal’
Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Mitford Affair and coauthor of The Personal Librarian
‘Like the portrait of the Viking at the heart of her story, Sarah Freethy's The Porcelain Maker exists on two levels: on the surface, a story about a woman's search for the truth about her parentage, tracing the forgotten by the objects they left behind, and, beneath it, a heartbreaking story of beauty in the midst of brutality and love in an age of hate as two young artists fight to stay alive and together amid the horrors of Nazi rule in 1940s Germany. A story that will move and surprise you - and leave you reaching for the tissue box as the final details unfold’
Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author of Band of Sisters and the upcoming Two Wars and a Wedding
'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
‘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, Sunday Times bestselling author of One Moonlit Night and A Beautiful Spy
'Sarah Freethy’s The Porcelain Maker is a compelling historical novel . . . Freethy deftly moves between two timelines, one which follows the woman’s search in the 1990s, and the other which tells the story of her mother, a visual artist in Germany in the 1930s. At the center of both stories lies a porcelain factory at Dachau and the delicate pieces which were produced there. Freethy’s wonderful details enrichen the narrative, allowing the characters and the artwork to come alive as the mystery is finally solved. A riveting and immersive novel, at the intersection of art and war'
Laura Spence-Ash, bestselling author of Beyond That, The Sea
'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 searing and propulsive novel about bravery and betrayal, love and art. I was pulled into the story and swept along until the very end’
Claire Fuller, bestselling author of Bitter Orange
'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
