Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
In 1993, Cincinnati, we meet Clara Vogel, acquiring several porcelain figurines in an auction, among which is a piece called The Viking, which was inspired by one of her late artist mother’s most famous works. Clara’s search for the figure is motivated by her quest to find her father – a man she never met and whose identity is a mystery to her. All she knows is that he was “the porcelain maker of Dachau” – as revealed to her by her ailing mother, Bettina, before she passed away. The porcelain figure has a historically significant maker’s mark, which could be instrumental in tracing its origin and shed light on Clara’s family history. Her quest takes her into a deep dive into her mother's past, Bettina’s life in Nazi-occupied Europe and the man she loved. Told through dual timelines, Bettina’s story begins in 1929 and the Bauhaus movement and how she, a German painter, falls in love with Max, an Austrian Jew studying to be an architect. As they struggle to stay together and make plans to eventually leave Germany, fate might not be on their side.
The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy is a compelling work of historical fiction that revolves around love, loss, courage and artistic expression with an element of mystery at its core. The characters are well thought out and the author captures the time and place in history quite well. Both timelines are well developed and the narrative flows well, though I would have enjoyed this novel a tad more delved deeper into Clara’s life. Art plays a pivotal role in this novel, and I appreciated how the author utilized the theme of artistic expression and interpretation of the time to carry the story forward also shedding light on how censorship impacted artistic endeavors in Nazi Germany in the era leading into WWII. Labeled “Degenerate Art” Bettina’s early works like those of her modernist peers were deemed “unsuitable”, forcing many to abandon their passion and others to succumb to the pressures of creating works of art in keeping with the norms established by the regime.
“They had decided that almost all modern art was an act of aesthetic violence: a plot by the Jews and communists against the German people. Any number of artists, galleries and exhibitions had been attacked by brown-shirted thugs intent on causing trouble.”
This was the first time I came across any reference to Allach porcelain (originally the factory near Munich and the second location outside the Dachau concentration camp) and the patronage of SS head Heinrich Himmler and how the works were meant to symbolize the ideals of the Third Reich. I read a lot of WWII fiction and I appreciate it when a story incorporates an aspect that was previously unknown to me.
Novels set in this era are seldom happy reads and this novel is no exception. However, this is a beautifully written , emotional story that I would not hesitate to recommend to those who enjoy historical fiction set in the WWII era.
“In the aftermath so many survivors of the Shoah wanted to live the rest of the life they had and to forget. Who can blame them? But it means that we, their children and grandchildren, must do the difficult work of finding out their histories, of keeping that alive. It is essential, I would argue. If we fail to understand and share this learning, then we’re dooming future generations to repeat the same mistakes.”
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the physical ARC and the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The Porcelain Maker was published in the USA on November 7, 2023.
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