Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Baker's Daughter

So I started reading this book but had to return it to the library, but I really wanted to finish it, so I had to reserve it again. I got it back and finished the last few chapters the other night.

The baker's daughter of the title is Elsie Schmidt, who was a 16-year-old in Germany in 1944. Her family were good Nazis - her sister was a member of the Lebensborn program (look it up) - and Elsie was all but engaged to a high-ranking SS officer. Then she meets a young Jewish boy who changes her life forever.

Fast forward to 2007 El Paso, Texas, where Reba Adams is a reporter working on a feature story about Elsie's German Bakery - yep, that Elsie. Reba is "sort of" engaged to Riki but is uncertain about what she wants in life and where she's headed, and she finds herself drawn to Elsie and her daughter, Jane.

The novel goes back and forth between the past and the present, and between Elsie's story and Reba's. The author, Sarah McCoy (a Hokie!) does a nice job of juxtaposing Elsie's and Reba's journeys and maturation. And the characters are beautifully drawn, particularly Elsie, Reba, Jane, and Riki.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel about finding one's way out of a difficult situation, and figuring out what's important in life. I'm glad I was finally able to finish it.

The Baker's Daughter

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