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A review by sunshine608
The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy
4.0
So it’s no secret based on my GR read list that I books involving WWII and the Holocaust is a Genre that I enjoy reading. I think its goes back to my childhood and growing up In Germany.
Anyway, that background leads me to The Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy. Another book I learned about while on GR, and by an author whose previous work- The Time it Snowed in Puerto Rico, I enjoyed.
Once I learn that a book is about the Holocaust, I tend to not read the descriptions because I’ve found that it makes me compare books to others and I like reading with a fresh slate.
The Baker’s Daughter is written in the same tone as others such as Sarah’s Key and Those Who Save Us, in that it parallel’s two story lines- one present day and one in Europe during the 1940’s. This particular story focuses on Elise, a young teenaged girl goring up during the last months of the war. The daughter of a Baker, her family struggles under a crippling war and rations that threaten what’s left of their livelihood. Elsie’s older sister is away in the Nazi’s Lebensborn Program ( which I never heard about until reading this book) and it interesting to see a factious Pro-Nazi account ( even if it was only briefly).
The current day story involves Elsie as and the elderly co-owner of a German Bakery in Texas with her daughter when journalist Reeba walks in to write an article on her. Reba’s story follows her love-affair with an Immigration and Customs official and her struggle to understand her family.
I was much more interested in Elsie’s story than Reba’s but found Reba an enjoyable character. I just struggled to place her within the context of the story and felt that Riki’s full story would probably be a better tie-in with the overall story in terms of Riki’s struggle with his job. I was a little worried that when his job was instructed there would be a parallel between that and what was happening in Elsie’s story, but there wasn’t.
I really enjoyed this story, again Elsie’s much more than Reba’s and I think this book is a great addition to my shelves. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys this “genre” as well as to those who enjoyed Sarah’s Key and Those Who Save Us.
Anyway, that background leads me to The Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy. Another book I learned about while on GR, and by an author whose previous work- The Time it Snowed in Puerto Rico, I enjoyed.
Once I learn that a book is about the Holocaust, I tend to not read the descriptions because I’ve found that it makes me compare books to others and I like reading with a fresh slate.
The Baker’s Daughter is written in the same tone as others such as Sarah’s Key and Those Who Save Us, in that it parallel’s two story lines- one present day and one in Europe during the 1940’s. This particular story focuses on Elise, a young teenaged girl goring up during the last months of the war. The daughter of a Baker, her family struggles under a crippling war and rations that threaten what’s left of their livelihood. Elsie’s older sister is away in the Nazi’s Lebensborn Program ( which I never heard about until reading this book) and it interesting to see a factious Pro-Nazi account ( even if it was only briefly).
The current day story involves Elsie as and the elderly co-owner of a German Bakery in Texas with her daughter when journalist Reeba walks in to write an article on her. Reba’s story follows her love-affair with an Immigration and Customs official and her struggle to understand her family.
I was much more interested in Elsie’s story than Reba’s but found Reba an enjoyable character. I just struggled to place her within the context of the story and felt that Riki’s full story would probably be a better tie-in with the overall story in terms of Riki’s struggle with his job. I was a little worried that when his job was instructed there would be a parallel between that and what was happening in Elsie’s story, but there wasn’t.
I really enjoyed this story, again Elsie’s much more than Reba’s and I think this book is a great addition to my shelves. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys this “genre” as well as to those who enjoyed Sarah’s Key and Those Who Save Us.