The Violin Maker's Daughter: Absolutely heartbreaking World War 2 historical fiction

Sarah, her parents and her four sisters live in Colmar in the Alsace region – one that ping-ponged between French and German rule for much of World War II. Non-practicing Jews, with a Christian mother, the family doesn’t have the onus of “Juden” on their papers: in fact, only a few of their most trusted friends even know that her father is Jewish. Their surname of Mayer is very Germanic, and the girls all had names more French than Jewish, leaving them reasonably ‘safe’ in a wholly unsafe place. To add to their protection, Sarah’s father, a violin maker, was certain to keep his daughters close and indoors, not mixing about with others or being seen in the streets often, particularly since the annexation. Instead, Sarah’s days were spent learning the craft of the luthier from her father, playing music, and helping with her younger sisters. But the time has come and Colmar is no longer safe for the family. Arrangements are made for them to leave in stages, in secret. Sarah is to go first – and, while she protests and fights the inevitable, off she goes with hopes to meet up with her family in a few weeks. Naïve, spoilt and more than a bit in the midst of a typical teenaged strop, Sarah is led and guided by her emotions and how she feels of the moment. At only 17, and sheltered for most of her life, she’s not prepared for the constraint or changes in the world that she will see, and only longs for comfort from those she encounters. This Sarah is very age appropriate and it is easy to see just how unsettling and what an upheaval the situation is for her…moods swinging from abject homesickness to feeling ‘old enough’ to know her own mind, much information and advice is ignored, although she does ‘hear it’ – it will take some growth and understanding of the actual dangers before much would sink in. From the start, Sarah’s choices and emotions are tested, and when she finally listens to Raif, a German soldier that has deserted, she’s starting to grow up – even as she is developing ideas about their relationship and the ‘future’ for them. But, he’s listened and knows the ways of the world, and leaves to join the French Resistance, with information that they can use in their mission to stop the Germans. Sarah is brought into a collaborateur’s household as a governess/nanny, hiding her Jewish roots and her actual name, and finds a ‘friend’ in the sister of the woman she works for. Sarah is still so immature and trusting – desperate for friends, so she is often indiscreet – which leads to Raif and his cell of fighters being captured: headlines say they were ‘tried and executed” – but with her secrets out – flight is her only option. Armed with nothing but her anger and her ability to ‘appear’ as a gentile, with her fluency in both French and German, she’s joined the fight – and travels into Germany to gather information. What Maas has done is created a character in Sarah who is both lovable and eminently frustrating – but grows and learns with each new experience, fueled with her worry for her family, grief with the loss of Raif, and the horrors she sees around her. From learning to use her new found confidence in her own beauty, strangely enough fueled by her collaborateur ‘friend’, she’s shed the girlish things and found purpose , and with the war’s end, answers about family and people she met along the way. Gripping, emotional and wholly engaging, this is a story unlike others I’ve read before – with moments of actual history mixed in with a main character ‘inspired by’ an actual woman, and tactics used during the war. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.