As with many historical novels, "The Curator's Daughter" had a dual timeline but I did not like the modern story. I think it would have been better had the whole plot been set in Nuremberg during WWII. I found Ember's story fairly boring and I couldn't connect with her as a character.

Hanna and Lily's stories, on the other hand, were fascinating and I admired Hanna's courage as she went behind her Nazi husband's back to compile the stories of Jewish families. The situation Lily found herself in was heartbreaking and powerful. Taken from her family because of her Aryan looks and given to Hanna and her husband, her story was compelling. ( )

Title: The Curator’s Daughter
Author: Melanie Dobson
Pages: E-book
Year: 2021
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
Ember is a graduate student in the present day writing her dissertation on unsung heroes of Germany during WWII who helped the persecuted Jews. Ember is also facing her past, growing up in a cult that practiced Aryan supremacy and the ultimate separation from her family. She is well-acquainted with what persecution looks like as this group practices it. She travels to get reacquainted with the mother of a man who humiliated her publicly in the past. His mother, Mrs. Kiehl, is a German WWII survivor, who just might hold the key to Ember’s search for a hero. However, Ember is not expecting this man to be at his mother’s home, but an unexpected storm throws them together. He insists he has found Christ and is a changed man.
Hanna Tillich is a German archeologist in 1940, searching for the Holy Grail. She thinks she might have discovered it but is told to immediately leave the cave where her group is working, leaving everything behind. She is called home as the fighting has increased. She is told she will be working in a museum, cataloging various precious artworks. She keeps detailed records but begins to wonder where all of this art is coming from. She is told nothing when she asks but that she should continue working. She is forced to marry a former archeological colleague when he joins the SS. He adopts a young girl without forewarning Hanna and drops her off at the house and leaves. Hanna grows to love Lily and teacher her about her prayer labyrinth just as Hanna’s mother had taught her. The Nazis want to use her home in Nuremburg as a base of sorts. She also wonders where her cousin has gone and discovers that her cousin’s husband is Jewish. Could they have been taken by the Nazi soldiers?
This is a heart-touching story that I highly recommend. There is mystery and intrigue, as well as a story of love and sacrifice. The characters are ones that readers will engage with and quickly come to care about. The story was filled with well-researched facts woven into a story that I couldn’t put down. This writer delivers with her historical fiction novels and is on my “must read” list. Don’t miss this one!
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. ( )

Really interesting book. I've been reading alot of historical fiction based in Germany during World War 2 and I always come away thinking that there is so much more to learn about besides the obvious horrors of the concentration camps. Fell down a rabbit hole researching the Solpersteine Project and the children who were stolen from Poland and "Germanized". Fascinating stuff. I found the constant jumping back and forth between characters in different time periods a bit annoying but manageable. Didn't even realize this was Christian fiction until I finished and although there was some religious references throughout, it wasn't distracting. ( )

I really, really wanted to read this book. It did not disappoint. The reason of my particular interest is because my parents were Germans living in their in this time period. Although their situations were greatly different then that of Hanna, they too, were caught up in this horrible time.
The book is a time slip book, something I seem to have read quite frequently, lately. This one was expertly accomplished and very believable. The story of Hanna was totally captivating to me. I couldn't put the book down. It was dramatic and poignant. The contemporary and historical timelines wove together into an excellent story as they converged perfectly. The research done was excellent. I highly recommend this book.

I received an ebook version from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own. ( )

Melanie Dobson’s latest story is a testament to the impact of history through the ages. Through the lives of two women, The Curator’s Daughter left an impact because of the connections between the Germany of World War II and the world we live in today.

Besides the journeys both Hannah and Ember take throughout the book, readers are given an education on the lengths the Nazis went to when they came across fine arts as well as the kidnapping of children from Poland and other countries.

This is a story of survival, hope of a better world, forgiveness, and so much more. After I read the final word and closed the cover, this book’s theme has stuck with me.

Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. ( )