The porcelain maker by Sarah Freethy

“In the end, art and love are all we leave behind.” p360

The Porcelain Maker is author Sarah Freethy’s first novel and is inspired by the true story of the white porcelain pieces much coveted by Nazi officers and made by inmates of concentration camps. This story tells of the great love and unbearable tragedy that befall fictional characters Max Ehrlich, a Jewish architect and Bettina Vogel, a spirited advant-garde artist.

The story begins in Cincinnati 1993, with Clara, the child of Bettina, trying to source porcelain objects; in particular one known as the Viking and modelled on her mother’s famous painting. With Bettina now passed away, Clara is desperately trying to find out the missing piece of the puzzle to her identity.

Throughout the novel, the story changes from the present time to the past. Max and Bettina meet in Weimer, Germany 1925 where they are part of a young group of free-thinking artists and bohemians who enjoy what life has to offer. They eventually travel to Berlin in the early 1930’s and set up life together. They live frugally but their happiness is complete. Max becomes all too aware that life as they know it is changing rapidly but Bettina is loath to leave. Eventually they do escape with support from friends, but Max is ultimately betrayed and thrown into Dachau.

Bettina is bereft and left to make a difficult and dangerous choice to protect her child. This leads her on a journey of great subterfuge to find Max who now is working at the Porzellanmanufaktur Allach, the porcelain factory in Allach. But the story does not end there, and Clara with her daughter Lotte have so much more to discover.

This is a story of a daughter’s search for her past, hidden secrets and of a love that endured terrible hardships. It is a story of beautiful art, greed and brutality, but also how in the very worst of times there are glimpses of trust, hope and courage.

Themes: World War Two, Germany, Art, Porcelain, Romance, Tragedy, Betrayal, Family, Generations, Friendship.

Kathryn Beilby