In this New York Times bestseller, two women in different eras face similar life-altering decisions, the politics of exclusion, the terrible choices we face in wartime, and the redemptive power of love.In 1945, Elsie Schmidt is a naive teenager, as eager for her first sip of champagne as she is for her first kiss. She and her family have been protected from the worst of the terror and desperation … worst of the terror and desperation overtaking her country by a high-ranking Nazi who wishes to marry her. So when an escaped Jewish boy arrives on Elsie’s doorstep on Christmas Eve, Elsie understands that opening the door would put all she loves in danger.
Sixty years later, in El Paso, Texas, Reba Adams is trying to file a feel-good Christmas piece for the local magazine, and she sits down with the owner of Elsie’s German Bakery for what she expects will be an easy interview. But Reba finds herself returning to the bakery again and again, anxious to find the heart of the story—a story that resonates with her own turbulent past. For Elsie, Reba’s questions are a stinging reminder of that last bleak year of World War II.
As the two women’s lives become intertwined, both are forced to confront the uncomfortable truths of the past and seek out the courage to forgive.
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Clever use of historical and contemporary stories.
I’m not quite finished with this book yet. In the beginning, I thought too much time was spent in El Paso, while I was wanting to know about the title character. As the story is ending, these two characters are coming closer.
Excellent read! Loved the characters and the story line! Keeps you reading and very inspirational!
A great book. It was exceptionally well written.
Enjoyed this book, it kept me interested to the end.
Although I have read many WWII books, The Baker’s Daughter had an unusual story line from a German family’s experience. The family owned a bakery in their community and they ended up helping others survive during the war, including a Jewish child.
I found the life of the bakers daughter to be a great read.
I liked the perspective of a German family that were not Nazis but loved their country. Most WWII stories emphasize the story from the perspective of people who were sent to camps or were Nazis.
I enjoyed the unique setting
I loved reading this book. It was an easy read and kept me intrigued. I really couldn’t put it down.
I really enjoyed this book and all of its depictions during such a difficult time. I really felt for the characters.
great story with twists and turns.
Historical significance
Excellent book. We must never forget what people had to endure during Hitler’s reign and how some were able to continue and make a life for themselves after the war.
Strong female characters.
loved this book
Another WW2 novel; this one about non Jewish Germans and life on the home front. Some stock characters but a lively and engaging central character.
I liked it but the way Jane spoke was unrealistic for a doctor’s daughter.
This book was a total surprise. It is a page turner that kept my interest from beginning to end. It goes between the past and present with two main characters. There is Reba who is struggling with her not so happy past and her uncertain future. Then Reba meets Elsie, a World War II German now living in the USA. The book follows their lives, …
Well written and held my interest