Pre-order THE SEEKER OF LOST PAINTINGS, a sophisticated and thrilling historical page-turner about love and art, coming June 2025.
‘A page-turning journey to uncover a past of heroism, betrayal, love, and loss’ Heather Morris, bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz
'So compelling' Sunday Times
'A gorgeous debut' Heat
Two lovers caught at the crossroads of history
A daughter’s search for the truth
Germany, 1929.
When Max, a Jewish architect, and Bettina, a beautiful and celebrated German avant-garde artist, meet at a party their attraction is instant. In love with each other and the art they create, their talent transports them to the dazzling lights of Berlin. But Germany is on the brink of terrible change, and their bright beginning is soon dimmed by the rising threat of Nazism.
When Max is arrested and sent to the Dachau concentration camp, it is only his talent at making the exquisite porcelain figures so beloved by the Nazis that stands between him and certain death. At first, Bettina has no idea where Max has been taken but when she learns of his fate, she is determined to rescue him whatever the cost.
Now, a lifetime later, Bettina’s daughter, Clara, sets out on a journey to uncover the truth about her identity. As she weaves together the fabric of her past, she discovers the terrible secret her mother wanted hidden forever.
For fans of Heather Morris and Kristin Hannah, The Porcelain Maker is a sweeping, epic story of love, betrayal and art, set across Europe from the 1920s Weimar Republic, to dark and glittering 1930s Berlin.
Genre: Historical
‘A page-turning journey to uncover a past of heroism, betrayal, love, and loss’ Heather Morris, bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz
'So compelling' Sunday Times
'A gorgeous debut' Heat
Two lovers caught at the crossroads of history
A daughter’s search for the truth
Germany, 1929.
When Max, a Jewish architect, and Bettina, a beautiful and celebrated German avant-garde artist, meet at a party their attraction is instant. In love with each other and the art they create, their talent transports them to the dazzling lights of Berlin. But Germany is on the brink of terrible change, and their bright beginning is soon dimmed by the rising threat of Nazism.
When Max is arrested and sent to the Dachau concentration camp, it is only his talent at making the exquisite porcelain figures so beloved by the Nazis that stands between him and certain death. At first, Bettina has no idea where Max has been taken but when she learns of his fate, she is determined to rescue him whatever the cost.
Now, a lifetime later, Bettina’s daughter, Clara, sets out on a journey to uncover the truth about her identity. As she weaves together the fabric of her past, she discovers the terrible secret her mother wanted hidden forever.
For fans of Heather Morris and Kristin Hannah, The Porcelain Maker is a sweeping, epic story of love, betrayal and art, set across Europe from the 1920s Weimar Republic, to dark and glittering 1930s Berlin.
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
Visitors also looked at these books
Used availability for Sarah Freethy's The Porcelain Maker