The Baker’s Daughter

I am thrilled to share this book with you- The Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy.

Sarah’s first book, The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico, was a beautiful coming of age story of an adolescent girl.  My review is here.   The Baker’s Daughter is SO much more.  Sarah has grown immensely as a writer as evidenced by the depth of story telling, research and character development in this book.  I had no idea it was Holocaust related when I curled up with it.  Regulars of this site know that I gravitate to Holocaust fiction.

The book is so very captivating that I don’t want to spoil it.  The story vacillates from 1945 Europe when Elsie  wants to drink champagne and meet a nice young man.  She and her family are sheltered from the worst of the Holocaust as a Nazi soldier wants to marry her.   An escaped Jewish boy, Tobias,  shows up on her doorstep and she knows she must protect him.

Fast forward to modern times in El Paso, Texas (where the lovely author lives).  Reba Adams, a magazine writer, is looking for a story and meets the owner of a bakery there. As Reba’s personal life comes out, she becomes enthralled with the story of the bakery owner.

This is a MUST-READ!

A few quotes-

Of Reba’s boyfriend Riki, McCoy writes, “Riki was a homesteader by nature and had only been north as far as Santa Fe and east to San Antonio.  That was partly what drew him to Reba.  She was from “beyond”.  She’d walked into his life with the world on her shoulders, and through her, he’d hope he would see everything he ever wanted without stepping outside his door.”

Of a scar from a cut on his mother’s hand, Tobias, the Jewish boy recalls his mother saying, “I always felt badly for it but she said the marks on our lives are like music notes on the page they sing a song.”

Crown Publishing provided a review copy of this book.  All opinions are my own.

What are you reading and where are you going?