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The Baker's Secret
From the multiple-award-winning, critically acclaimed author of The Hummingbird and The Curiosity comes a dazzling novel of World War II—a shimmering tale of courage, determination, optimism, and the resilience of the human spirit, set in a small Normandy village on the eve of D-Day.
On June 5, 1944, as dawn rises over a small town on the Normandy coast of France, Emmanuelle is making the bread that has sustained her fellow villagers in the dark days since the Germans invaded her country.
Only twenty-two, Emma learned to bake at the side of a master, Ezra Kuchen, the village baker since before she was born. Apprenticed to Ezra at thirteen, Emma watched with shame and anger as her kind mentor was forced to wear the six-pointed yellow star on his clothing. She was likewise powerless to help when they pulled Ezra from his shop at gunpoint, the first of many villagers stolen away and never seen again.
In the years that her sleepy coastal village has suffered under the enemy, Emma has silently, stealthily fought back. Each day, she receives an extra ration of flour to bake a dozen baguettes for the occupying troops. And each day, she mixes that precious flour with ground straw to create enough dough for two extra loaves—contraband bread she shares with the hungry villagers. Under the cold, watchful eyes of armed soldiers, she builds a clandestine network of barter and trade that she and the villagers use to thwart their occupiers.
But her gift to the village is more than these few crusty loaves. Emma gives the people a taste of hope—the faith that one day the Allies will arrive to save them.
On June 5, 1944, as dawn rises over a small town on the Normandy coast of France, Emmanuelle is making the bread that has sustained her fellow villagers in the dark days since the Germans invaded her country.
Only twenty-two, Emma learned to bake at the side of a master, Ezra Kuchen, the village baker since before she was born. Apprenticed to Ezra at thirteen, Emma watched with shame and anger as her kind mentor was forced to wear the six-pointed yellow star on his clothing. She was likewise powerless to help when they pulled Ezra from his shop at gunpoint, the first of many villagers stolen away and never seen again.
In the years that her sleepy coastal village has suffered under the enemy, Emma has silently, stealthily fought back. Each day, she receives an extra ration of flour to bake a dozen baguettes for the occupying troops. And each day, she mixes that precious flour with ground straw to create enough dough for two extra loaves—contraband bread she shares with the hungry villagers. Under the cold, watchful eyes of armed soldiers, she builds a clandestine network of barter and trade that she and the villagers use to thwart their occupiers.
But her gift to the village is more than these few crusty loaves. Emma gives the people a taste of hope—the faith that one day the Allies will arrive to save them.
336 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 2017
2207 people are currently reading
28691 people want to read
About the author
Stephen P. Kiernan
9 books1,011 followersStephen P. Kiernan's latest novel is THE GLASS CHATEAU, out June 20 and available for pre-order now.
Stephen's most recent book is UNIVERSE OF TWO, a love story set in 1944, amid the development of the atomic bomb. Charlie is a young math whiz drafted into the Manhattan Project, where his duty tests his morals. His sweetheart Brenda, prohibited for security reasons from knowing what he's doing, sees these ethical hesitations as weakness, and urges him to be a soldier, be a man. After the war, Charlie feels culpable for thousands of deaths, while Brenda feels guilty for making him contradict his conscience. Together they spend the rest of their lives seeking redemption -- and they find it.
Stephen also wrote THE BAKER'S SECRET, the story of D-Day from the French perspective: what it was like to live in occupied Normandy with no rights, little food and less hope, until one day hundreds of thousands of soldiers and sailors arrive to fight for liberation.
He's author of THE HUMMINGBIRD, about a hospice nurse whose husband has returned from his 3rd deployment in Iraq with PTSD, and she is determined to help him heal. It is a story about loyalty, patience, and fierce love.
Stephen's first novel was THE CURIOSITY, a scientific thriller and a love story across two centuries. The book came out in numerous foreign editions, and it is currently in development as a television series.
Stephen worked for decades as a journalist, winning over 40 awards. His first book, LAST RIGHTS, was a nonfiction expose of the overly aggressive medical treatment most people receive in the last chapter of their lives, with many suggestions for ways of providing more humane care. His second non-fiction book, the Silver Nautilus Award-winning AUTHENTIC PATRIOTISM, describes the potential for national renewal through nonpartisan civic engagement and volunteerism.
A graduate of Middlebury College, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Iowa's Writers Workshop, he lives in Vermont.
Stephen's most recent book is UNIVERSE OF TWO, a love story set in 1944, amid the development of the atomic bomb. Charlie is a young math whiz drafted into the Manhattan Project, where his duty tests his morals. His sweetheart Brenda, prohibited for security reasons from knowing what he's doing, sees these ethical hesitations as weakness, and urges him to be a soldier, be a man. After the war, Charlie feels culpable for thousands of deaths, while Brenda feels guilty for making him contradict his conscience. Together they spend the rest of their lives seeking redemption -- and they find it.
Stephen also wrote THE BAKER'S SECRET, the story of D-Day from the French perspective: what it was like to live in occupied Normandy with no rights, little food and less hope, until one day hundreds of thousands of soldiers and sailors arrive to fight for liberation.
He's author of THE HUMMINGBIRD, about a hospice nurse whose husband has returned from his 3rd deployment in Iraq with PTSD, and she is determined to help him heal. It is a story about loyalty, patience, and fierce love.
Stephen's first novel was THE CURIOSITY, a scientific thriller and a love story across two centuries. The book came out in numerous foreign editions, and it is currently in development as a television series.
Stephen worked for decades as a journalist, winning over 40 awards. His first book, LAST RIGHTS, was a nonfiction expose of the overly aggressive medical treatment most people receive in the last chapter of their lives, with many suggestions for ways of providing more humane care. His second non-fiction book, the Silver Nautilus Award-winning AUTHENTIC PATRIOTISM, describes the potential for national renewal through nonpartisan civic engagement and volunteerism.
A graduate of Middlebury College, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Iowa's Writers Workshop, he lives in Vermont.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,299 reviews
July 2, 2017
3.5 stars. This was a heartbreaking WWII story revolving around Emmanuelle “Emma”, a young baker who is forced to supply daily loaves of bread to the Nazi officers occupying her small French village.
While I enjoyed this novel, I felt that there was nothing that made it stand out from the several other WWII novels that I have read. There seems to be an influx of WWII novels being written over the last while and it takes an extremely strong storyline along with exceptional writing to stand out from the crowd.
I liked Emma’s character, but she had such a harsh and bitter side to her personality she often came across very rough and tough. I understand that this was the intention and that her roughness was an effect of the world she was living in, but she just wasn’t a highly likeable character for me. I admire and appreciate what she did but couldn’t quite fully connect with her.
I don’t think I will ever tire of reading wartime novels. I am drawn to them and always seem to find myself fascinated with what people endured and the strength they were able to find during these devastating times. I enjoyed this book, but wouldn’t consider it outstanding in its category.
While I enjoyed this novel, I felt that there was nothing that made it stand out from the several other WWII novels that I have read. There seems to be an influx of WWII novels being written over the last while and it takes an extremely strong storyline along with exceptional writing to stand out from the crowd.
I liked Emma’s character, but she had such a harsh and bitter side to her personality she often came across very rough and tough. I understand that this was the intention and that her roughness was an effect of the world she was living in, but she just wasn’t a highly likeable character for me. I admire and appreciate what she did but couldn’t quite fully connect with her.
I don’t think I will ever tire of reading wartime novels. I am drawn to them and always seem to find myself fascinated with what people endured and the strength they were able to find during these devastating times. I enjoyed this book, but wouldn’t consider it outstanding in its category.
May 13, 2017
IT IS June, 1944 and this small village in Normandy is under the occupation of German forces. Many have been shot or taken prisoner, but many are left alive, their services integral for the German forces.one such person is 22 year old Emma, once the Baker's assistant, she is now responsible for baking the baguettes a high ranking German officer finds he cannot do without.
Emma no longer believes in her faith, nor does she have any belief that the allied forces will come to the rescue. With that in mind, she sets out to do her best to ensure the survival of those left in the village, many who are slowly starving to death. Although this subject has been replayed many times in novels, the characters set this one apart. The characters are varied, from different occupations. from the resistance, to farmers, fishermen, and one young woman finds her own, frowned upon way, to survive. Emma who knows the town's pathways and short cuts better than most, finds ways to get things to those most in need. She is spunky, clever, and formidable, though this will put her in harms way.
When the invasion of Normandy finally does come, the scenes are horrific, as history dictates. A finely written novel, with some unique characters that captured my interest early on. It is often the people that risk much, that save many. The Germans are stereotypically portrayed with a few exceptions. This is a read I took to heart.
ARC from publisher.
Emma no longer believes in her faith, nor does she have any belief that the allied forces will come to the rescue. With that in mind, she sets out to do her best to ensure the survival of those left in the village, many who are slowly starving to death. Although this subject has been replayed many times in novels, the characters set this one apart. The characters are varied, from different occupations. from the resistance, to farmers, fishermen, and one young woman finds her own, frowned upon way, to survive. Emma who knows the town's pathways and short cuts better than most, finds ways to get things to those most in need. She is spunky, clever, and formidable, though this will put her in harms way.
When the invasion of Normandy finally does come, the scenes are horrific, as history dictates. A finely written novel, with some unique characters that captured my interest early on. It is often the people that risk much, that save many. The Germans are stereotypically portrayed with a few exceptions. This is a read I took to heart.
ARC from publisher.
May 5, 2023
THE BAKER’S SECRET takes us to a small village in Normandy during WWII. We follow Emma, her family, and the village as they live under the restraints of German occupation. The village citizens work together to stay alive and to help each other.
Emma is a very strong female character that you can't help but sympathize with and fall in love with. She is someone you would love to have had in your village during WWII.
Emma's strength and subtle resistance to the Germans was amazing. Emma knew how to be subversive and still stay alive.
Emma's role in helping to save the residents of her town was to follow the Kommandant's order to bake bread for him and his men every day.
Emma had a secret about baking this bread. She would sneak in two extra loaves to share with the townspeople by stretching the number of required loaves by two.
THE BAKER'S SECRET shows the unity the Europeans had to have in order to survive.
The characters were authentic, and you will become immersed in their lives and suffer with them as well as silently cheer with them when the courage they share turns in to a triumph.
I thoroughly enjoyed THE BAKER'S SECRET. The writing is marvelous and detailed. The book is one you won't want to put down.
If you read only one book this year, make it THE BAKER'S SECRET.
THE BAKER'S SECRET is a wonderful testimony and tribute to the people who lived through and survived WWII. 5/5
This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.
Emma is a very strong female character that you can't help but sympathize with and fall in love with. She is someone you would love to have had in your village during WWII.
Emma's strength and subtle resistance to the Germans was amazing. Emma knew how to be subversive and still stay alive.
Emma's role in helping to save the residents of her town was to follow the Kommandant's order to bake bread for him and his men every day.
Emma had a secret about baking this bread. She would sneak in two extra loaves to share with the townspeople by stretching the number of required loaves by two.
THE BAKER'S SECRET shows the unity the Europeans had to have in order to survive.
The characters were authentic, and you will become immersed in their lives and suffer with them as well as silently cheer with them when the courage they share turns in to a triumph.
I thoroughly enjoyed THE BAKER'S SECRET. The writing is marvelous and detailed. The book is one you won't want to put down.
If you read only one book this year, make it THE BAKER'S SECRET.
THE BAKER'S SECRET is a wonderful testimony and tribute to the people who lived through and survived WWII. 5/5
This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.
April 2, 2020
I’m always a bit suspicious of novels that on the one hand deal with a historic event but on the other invent a location to set the story in. You sometimes feel this is an easy way of both bypassing research and taking poetic licence to an excessive extreme. For example I’m not sure All the Light We Cannot See would have been quite so bewitching had it been set not in Saint-Malo but instead in a made up town. The backdrop of Saint-Malo gave Doerr’s book a solid foundation against which he could weave all his magic.
The Baker’s Secret is set in a fictitious town in northern France. Its central character is Emma, the town baker. She is given the task of baking bread for local German officers. Except instead of baking the required dozen loaves she adds sawdust to the flour and bakes fourteen. It’s a nice idea and probably very accurate regarding how tiny most people’s contribution to the resistance was. However, this is a strange floating novel with no real central plot line. We’re introduced to a variety of the town’s residents, all of whom are whimsical rather than recognisably true to life. This creates the atmosphere of a fable, as does the chatty voice of the narrative, but this novel never engaged me emotionally. It was a bit like a cartoon version of life in France during WW2.
The Baker’s Secret is set in a fictitious town in northern France. Its central character is Emma, the town baker. She is given the task of baking bread for local German officers. Except instead of baking the required dozen loaves she adds sawdust to the flour and bakes fourteen. It’s a nice idea and probably very accurate regarding how tiny most people’s contribution to the resistance was. However, this is a strange floating novel with no real central plot line. We’re introduced to a variety of the town’s residents, all of whom are whimsical rather than recognisably true to life. This creates the atmosphere of a fable, as does the chatty voice of the narrative, but this novel never engaged me emotionally. It was a bit like a cartoon version of life in France during WW2.
March 25, 2018
Here was the war's strangest lesson yet. All sorts of people -friends and family, yes,but also adversaries and annoyances - all kinds had died. As they left behind everything, work and home and habits and opinions and even hidden chickens, somehow Emma's heart broke for all of them, including the ones she couldn't bear. Somehow their dying made them unhateable.
Well, this was truly not a typical WWII fiction and by that I mean, our protagonist Emmanuelle (Emma) is not the typical type of heroine that our authors or our Hollywood script writers usually tote out for our entertainment. Emma isn't clasping her hands over her breasts and looking all doe eyed and saying things like "Oh those nasty German soldiers are sure going to get it when the Allies, especially the fearsome Americans come and defeat them." She isn't joining the Resistance, smuggling Jewish people or helping Allied pilots get back to Britain. Nope, Emma has seen too much death-watched the occupiers take away her father and lover and been witnessed to horrific acts. Emma scoffs at hope,of talk of her priest's God, and feels anger that the Allies are doing absolutely nothing while the people of the Norman coast are made to suffer under a forced occupation. Realistically, it would be hard to love Emma, but I did.
Let me tell you that Stephen P. Kiernan did his homework. Although he doesn't state much, only alluding to a visit to Normandy, I suspect that he probably heard many of the stories I did when I visited that particular area in the summer of 2013. If you look closely at the five beaches-Gold, ,Arrow, Juno, Omaha Utah, at all the war memorials and"welcome to our liberator signs" and actually take the time to listen to the stories of the local people, you will come away with one particular point the people of Normandy suffered under their occupiers. Although this story takes place in a fictional village, The Baker's Secret matches very much the tone of Suite Francaise, a book that really seemed to be a character sketch of how people in a time of war really do act.
Emma may have been as crusty as her bread, but she did what she could to survive and her victories often were little things like smuggling food to feed villagers or stealing fuel from the tank of a German officer. Her actions weren't for some big cause, just that she was a French woman that lived in a village and she wanted the war to end. That alone might make her one of my memorable characters of the year.
Well, this was truly not a typical WWII fiction and by that I mean, our protagonist Emmanuelle (Emma) is not the typical type of heroine that our authors or our Hollywood script writers usually tote out for our entertainment. Emma isn't clasping her hands over her breasts and looking all doe eyed and saying things like "Oh those nasty German soldiers are sure going to get it when the Allies, especially the fearsome Americans come and defeat them." She isn't joining the Resistance, smuggling Jewish people or helping Allied pilots get back to Britain. Nope, Emma has seen too much death-watched the occupiers take away her father and lover and been witnessed to horrific acts. Emma scoffs at hope,of talk of her priest's God, and feels anger that the Allies are doing absolutely nothing while the people of the Norman coast are made to suffer under a forced occupation. Realistically, it would be hard to love Emma, but I did.
Let me tell you that Stephen P. Kiernan did his homework. Although he doesn't state much, only alluding to a visit to Normandy, I suspect that he probably heard many of the stories I did when I visited that particular area in the summer of 2013. If you look closely at the five beaches-Gold, ,Arrow, Juno, Omaha Utah, at all the war memorials and"welcome to our liberator signs" and actually take the time to listen to the stories of the local people, you will come away with one particular point the people of Normandy suffered under their occupiers. Although this story takes place in a fictional village, The Baker's Secret matches very much the tone of Suite Francaise, a book that really seemed to be a character sketch of how people in a time of war really do act.
Emma may have been as crusty as her bread, but she did what she could to survive and her victories often were little things like smuggling food to feed villagers or stealing fuel from the tank of a German officer. Her actions weren't for some big cause, just that she was a French woman that lived in a village and she wanted the war to end. That alone might make her one of my memorable characters of the year.
May 11, 2017
Emma has learned how to bake bread, pastries, cakes and the most beautiful creations trained by her critical mentor, Ezra. Ezra has been the village baker since before she was born. She is forced to watch him wear the six-pointed star of David by the German occupiers of her coastal Normandy village. The Nazi kommandant notices the bakery and commands Emma to bring him 12 loaves of bread every day. His men bring her the flour and other ingredients used to make the bread. In order to help feed as many of her neighbors as possible, Emma adds ground up hay to the bread mixture to make 14 loaves instead of 12.
This is Emma's first act of defiance to the occupiers but certainly not her last.
An excellent story that brings the occupation of France and the D-day invasion to life. This book reminded me in part of "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" and the darker "Skeletons at the Feast."
I really enjoyed this one!
This is Emma's first act of defiance to the occupiers but certainly not her last.
An excellent story that brings the occupation of France and the D-day invasion to life. This book reminded me in part of "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" and the darker "Skeletons at the Feast."
I really enjoyed this one!
March 6, 2018
The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan
Imagine living 5 Km/3 miles from the Normandy Beaches that will, unbeknownst to you, be the location for the Allied invasion, and the beginning of the end to WWII. In a small French village named Vergers, it is spring, 1944, and the occupying German army is wreaking havoc on the locals. You have seen your neighbor’s husband executed in cold blood and then several soldiers grab the new widow, take her into a barn and rape her repeatedly. Yet every day you get up before daylight and prepare bread for the senior officers’ mess. Emma, the baker, short for Emmanuell, takes the flour ration provided by the Germans to bake the bread, and, by adding a little ground up straw can make 2 additional loaves to give to starving friends.
There is hope. The French have heard rumors of the Allied invasion that will rid the locals of the daily nightmare they endure. They believe it is coming but don’t know when. While they wait, the underground resistance provides whatever assistance they can give the Allies.
The Normandy location for the story is what attracted me to the book. Having visited the DDay Beaches several years ago, and knowing the area the author described, made the excellent story much more meaningful. I enjoy historical fiction and this novel was a nice departure from others I have read. Hats off to Mr Kiernan for writing a memorable story. Highly recommended.
Imagine living 5 Km/3 miles from the Normandy Beaches that will, unbeknownst to you, be the location for the Allied invasion, and the beginning of the end to WWII. In a small French village named Vergers, it is spring, 1944, and the occupying German army is wreaking havoc on the locals. You have seen your neighbor’s husband executed in cold blood and then several soldiers grab the new widow, take her into a barn and rape her repeatedly. Yet every day you get up before daylight and prepare bread for the senior officers’ mess. Emma, the baker, short for Emmanuell, takes the flour ration provided by the Germans to bake the bread, and, by adding a little ground up straw can make 2 additional loaves to give to starving friends.
There is hope. The French have heard rumors of the Allied invasion that will rid the locals of the daily nightmare they endure. They believe it is coming but don’t know when. While they wait, the underground resistance provides whatever assistance they can give the Allies.
The Normandy location for the story is what attracted me to the book. Having visited the DDay Beaches several years ago, and knowing the area the author described, made the excellent story much more meaningful. I enjoy historical fiction and this novel was a nice departure from others I have read. Hats off to Mr Kiernan for writing a memorable story. Highly recommended.
May 29, 2017
The Baker’s Secret is about the experiences of a Normandy village under the Nazis. It aspires to be a kind of fable and its whimsical chatty tone (not quite of the “dear reader” variety but not far off) irritated me until I got used to it. I was suspicious that the author was trying to cash in on the success of The Book Thief and All the Light We cannot See – world war two as adult fairy story. All the characters are both larger and smaller than life – ordinary people who have been given an exaggerated defining trait, often of a comic nature. There’s a mad boy who climbs trees, a wastrel who sleeps with pigs, a priest who appears sympathetic to the Nazis. An odd thing about this novel is there aren’t any resolutions to the few mysteries it poses. At the end of the day there’s little at stake save the safety of the characters. No subplots of note.
Eventually I did begin to enjoy the story but I’m not sure about this new trend of moondusting what the Nazis did. There were one or two moments when the feelgood fairy story tone of this jarred. For me an accomplished rather than an inspired novel. 3.5 stars.
Eventually I did begin to enjoy the story but I’m not sure about this new trend of moondusting what the Nazis did. There were one or two moments when the feelgood fairy story tone of this jarred. For me an accomplished rather than an inspired novel. 3.5 stars.
May 22, 2021
A young girl fights daily to survive the nightmare of Nazi occupation in Normandy. Along with her survival she fights for the survival of her fellow villagers. A heroic daily battle by someone who never thinks of herself as a heroine, just as a survivor. The author takes you on Emma's journey getting to know many of the villagers as they all struggle to survive the oppression. You feel as if you were walking beside her, feeling her constant fatigue, her constant hunger. This book will remain in your mind, long after you finish it.
I was going to rate this with 3 stars as I was reading it. It's one of my favorite genres. It was good as I was reading it, but not anything really different. During the very last part of the book it picked up the pace and things started to happen. It's definitely four star now.
I was going to rate this with 3 stars as I was reading it. It's one of my favorite genres. It was good as I was reading it, but not anything really different. During the very last part of the book it picked up the pace and things started to happen. It's definitely four star now.
August 31, 2018
3.5 war torn stars
Can we, living in a country that is free and enjoying that freedom ever really comprehend the terror, the hardship, and the awfulness of having a world war come to your door? For Emma and the people who lived in this coastal town off the Normandy coast, this was their life, a life described in the book The Baker's Secret.
Having read many books revolving around the theme of war, I am constantly amazed by the resiliency of the people who lived during that time. This story of Emma and those who surrounded her was a tale of courage, of the fact that people often find a way to fight tyranny even from the comfort of their small village. The setting was a small time frame before the D day invasion and the theme was about people who created many ways to fight their German oppressors. For Emma, her way was to bake bred adding straw to the dough in order to fool the Germans and be able to provide two loaves a day to the starving villagers. For others, it was through joining the Resistance and though their lives were often in danger and the threat of death hung over their heads, they carried on. Emma doesn't stop just with her baking of bread. She devises a plan to help the villagers and at risk to her own life does her part to never acquiesce to the captors.
This was a story of courage, of a zeal to find oneself never really a captive of an oppressive enemy. Providing hope and that ability to see a future where things would be better kept these people moving forward. They typified what is so strong in the human nature, that ability to look towards freedom as a life's goal. “No deception lasts forever. Truth rises like good bread dough.” For Emma, for all who have lived through the ravages of war, that truth is ever present, and the seeking of freedom is never lost.
As Ken Follett once wrote "World War II is the greatest drama in human history, the biggest war ever and a true battle of good and evil. I imagine writers will continue to get stories from it, and readers will continue to love them, for many more years"
Thanks once again to my local library for providing me with hours of reading this story.
My reviews can be seen here: https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...
Can we, living in a country that is free and enjoying that freedom ever really comprehend the terror, the hardship, and the awfulness of having a world war come to your door? For Emma and the people who lived in this coastal town off the Normandy coast, this was their life, a life described in the book The Baker's Secret.
Having read many books revolving around the theme of war, I am constantly amazed by the resiliency of the people who lived during that time. This story of Emma and those who surrounded her was a tale of courage, of the fact that people often find a way to fight tyranny even from the comfort of their small village. The setting was a small time frame before the D day invasion and the theme was about people who created many ways to fight their German oppressors. For Emma, her way was to bake bred adding straw to the dough in order to fool the Germans and be able to provide two loaves a day to the starving villagers. For others, it was through joining the Resistance and though their lives were often in danger and the threat of death hung over their heads, they carried on. Emma doesn't stop just with her baking of bread. She devises a plan to help the villagers and at risk to her own life does her part to never acquiesce to the captors.
This was a story of courage, of a zeal to find oneself never really a captive of an oppressive enemy. Providing hope and that ability to see a future where things would be better kept these people moving forward. They typified what is so strong in the human nature, that ability to look towards freedom as a life's goal. “No deception lasts forever. Truth rises like good bread dough.” For Emma, for all who have lived through the ravages of war, that truth is ever present, and the seeking of freedom is never lost.
As Ken Follett once wrote "World War II is the greatest drama in human history, the biggest war ever and a true battle of good and evil. I imagine writers will continue to get stories from it, and readers will continue to love them, for many more years"
Thanks once again to my local library for providing me with hours of reading this story.
My reviews can be seen here: https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...
April 23, 2017
I read a lot of WWII fiction and this is one of the best that I've read that concentrates on the suffering of a small town in France during the occupation. The people in the town don't have any real idea of what is going on in the big picture of the war, they mainly know how it is affecting them to have German troops occupying their town and ruling their lives.
The novel takes place in the village of Vergers, a small village in France about a mile from the ocean and centers around the town baker, Emma. Emma had been ordered by the German command to bake 12 loaves of bread for them every day and was given enough flour to bake just 12 loaves. Instead she mixed ground up straw with her dough so that she had enough dough to make 14 loaves and could share 2 loaves with the people in town who were the hungriest. Even though her mentor had been killed by the Germans, her father had been sent away on a train and her boyfriend had been sent to join the German army, Emma still felt that it was her duty to help the people in her town as best she could. Emma is courageous and puts her life on the line to help the people in her town. She doesn't think of herself as heroic but feels that she is doing what needs to be done to help people get through each day.
The author does a fantastic job of depicting the realities of war on the people who are not part of the fighting but are the collateral damage of the war. He gives an honest portrayal of the indignities that the Germans forced onto the citizens and depicts the lives of the people who are starving and desperate in detail. This is a novel about looking for a flicker of light in the darkness and being able to find it with the help of friends.
Thanks to LibraryThing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The novel takes place in the village of Vergers, a small village in France about a mile from the ocean and centers around the town baker, Emma. Emma had been ordered by the German command to bake 12 loaves of bread for them every day and was given enough flour to bake just 12 loaves. Instead she mixed ground up straw with her dough so that she had enough dough to make 14 loaves and could share 2 loaves with the people in town who were the hungriest. Even though her mentor had been killed by the Germans, her father had been sent away on a train and her boyfriend had been sent to join the German army, Emma still felt that it was her duty to help the people in her town as best she could. Emma is courageous and puts her life on the line to help the people in her town. She doesn't think of herself as heroic but feels that she is doing what needs to be done to help people get through each day.
The author does a fantastic job of depicting the realities of war on the people who are not part of the fighting but are the collateral damage of the war. He gives an honest portrayal of the indignities that the Germans forced onto the citizens and depicts the lives of the people who are starving and desperate in detail. This is a novel about looking for a flicker of light in the darkness and being able to find it with the help of friends.
Thanks to LibraryThing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 29, 2017
There are many stories still to be told about World War 2, and I love to read as many of them as I can. The Baker’s Secret ranks at the top of my list of books about this era along with Jillian Cantor’s The Lost Letter (out in June 2017). Stephen Kiernan’s writing is beautiful and magical, and his characters are authentic and brave beyond words. The story takes place in Vergers, a French town on the Normandy coast on the eve of D-Day. The town is occupied by the Nazis who have beaten down the townspeople with countless acts of cruelty including rationing food to the point that everyone is slowly starving. Even after digesting countless novels about Europe during World War 2, I am still stunned and angered by the intentional and horrific cruelty the Nazis inflicted on anyone who crossed their paths, including the people living in the various places they occupied. The opening portion of this book focuses on several such incidents which made me worry the entire book would be very depressing. However, as the story progresses, Kiernan tells the wonderful tale of the courageous baker Emmanuelle and her fellow villagers who worked to defy the Nazis in their own subtle ways. The Baker’s Secret is still a tear jerker (have plenty of tissues handy!), but the book’s message is one of optimism and the ability of humans to overcome even the most tragic circumstances.
The ending of the book is phenomenal. I cannot say much more without spoiling the story, but once you hit the last 80 or so pages be prepared to do nothing else but read until you finish this wonderful book. I highly, highly recommend The Baker’s Secret. It is truly a must-read. Thanks to Great Thoughts, Great Readers and the publisher for my copy of this ARC.
The ending of the book is phenomenal. I cannot say much more without spoiling the story, but once you hit the last 80 or so pages be prepared to do nothing else but read until you finish this wonderful book. I highly, highly recommend The Baker’s Secret. It is truly a must-read. Thanks to Great Thoughts, Great Readers and the publisher for my copy of this ARC.
May 4, 2019
Heartbreaking and inspiring. A beautifully written read that's exceptionally moving.
September 12, 2017
Slow descriptive novel - I just couldn't get into the characters - in fact never connected with any of them. This book bored me. Especially after all the beautiful reviews, i was sorely disappointed.
June 22, 2017
It looks like I'm a little bit of an outlier on this one...I liked it okay, but didn't love it. In my opinion there are SO many great WWII historical fiction books out there and this one didn't stand out to me. I really loved the setting, the small village on the Normandy coast just before the D-Day invasion. The villagers were just beaten down, barely trying to survive, and some of them had hope that the Allies would rescue them and some thought it would never happen. I liked that part of it, knowing the doubters would be proven wrong. Reading about the invasion was, of course, awe inspiring. I still am struck dumb when I think about it. That part of the book was excellent, 5 stars for sure, but the 3/4 before it was just okay. The characters weren't terribly developed and it seemed like there were a lot of loose ends at the conclusion. Not great, but okay.
September 2, 2018
This is a well written book about the human capacity to survive under the worst conditions.
When the Nazis occupy the village of Vergers on the Normandy coast, they force the residents to undergo unimaginable hardships. After her mentor, a Jewish baker, is murdered, 22 year old Emma is forced to bake bread for her occupiers. In order to stretch her flour rations, she bakes ground hay into their loaves, and gives the extra bread to some of the villagers. Soon a bartering system has been set up through her, and they are able to thwart their occupiers in various ways, at great risk to their lives. Although Emma herself has lost hope of any rescue by the Allies, she is baking hope into every clandestine loaf she makes.
Although Emma is the “star” of this book and is very well portrayed, there are a lot of other well written, quirky characters who add so much to this book. Grandmother Meme, who is supposedly senile but has well timed flashes of lucidity; Goat who is so sympathetic even though Emma hates him; Monkey Boy who is heroic in his own way; Odette, who risks everything by keeping her ears open; and a host of others.
This is a good historical fiction about the lead up to D-Day. It’s interesting in that it’s told from the point of view of a town in France where they aren’t expecting anything like this to happen. It has the standard incidents of the atrocities by the Nazis. It really doesn’t add anything to that narrative. It’s a good story but not a great story. I’ve read better and I’ve read worse. I’m not sure if I would call a book like this enjoyable, but it absolutely held my interest.
So if you like historical fiction based on WWII, this one is pretty good.
When the Nazis occupy the village of Vergers on the Normandy coast, they force the residents to undergo unimaginable hardships. After her mentor, a Jewish baker, is murdered, 22 year old Emma is forced to bake bread for her occupiers. In order to stretch her flour rations, she bakes ground hay into their loaves, and gives the extra bread to some of the villagers. Soon a bartering system has been set up through her, and they are able to thwart their occupiers in various ways, at great risk to their lives. Although Emma herself has lost hope of any rescue by the Allies, she is baking hope into every clandestine loaf she makes.
Although Emma is the “star” of this book and is very well portrayed, there are a lot of other well written, quirky characters who add so much to this book. Grandmother Meme, who is supposedly senile but has well timed flashes of lucidity; Goat who is so sympathetic even though Emma hates him; Monkey Boy who is heroic in his own way; Odette, who risks everything by keeping her ears open; and a host of others.
This is a good historical fiction about the lead up to D-Day. It’s interesting in that it’s told from the point of view of a town in France where they aren’t expecting anything like this to happen. It has the standard incidents of the atrocities by the Nazis. It really doesn’t add anything to that narrative. It’s a good story but not a great story. I’ve read better and I’ve read worse. I’m not sure if I would call a book like this enjoyable, but it absolutely held my interest.
So if you like historical fiction based on WWII, this one is pretty good.
June 26, 2017
Emmanuelle is bitter. The traumas she suffers and witnesses age her beyond her twenty-two years. The war is consuming everything and everyone she loves, and she has lost all hope that the Allies will help. And yet…
Her youth and her intelligence call her to action. One small act of defiance (adding a bit of ground straw to her flour rations as town baker) allows her to increase her yield from twelve to fourteen loaves–enough bread to satisfy the demands of the Nazi occupiers, with two left over to secretly distribute to the townspeople.
Yet it is not enough.
Each deception exposes a new desire. Each desire inspires a new idea on how to undermine the Nazis to obtain it. Each little triumph keeps the spark of hope glowing in the people of the town. Even for those Emma dislikes or who dislike her, they are bound together in their shared wish to see the destruction of the oppressors.
THE BAKER’S SECRET beautifully demonstrates the power of small acts done with great care, and the ripples that expand outward from those acts. In spite of how hardened Emma has become, she is a protagonist with whom the reader forges a strong alliance. Her sorrows are ours. Her pain is ours. Her joy, ours.
Kiernan is a writer of enormous talent, and this novel is a triumph. The reader knows D-Day is coming, and can hardly wait for Emma to find out. In spite of knowing the catalyst for the climax, there are still many surprises; so much is revealed when June 6th, 1944 finally arrives.
I read the novel in a weekend, and I already know THE BAKER’S SECRET will my make my “Best of” list of 2017. I give it my highest recommendation.
Her youth and her intelligence call her to action. One small act of defiance (adding a bit of ground straw to her flour rations as town baker) allows her to increase her yield from twelve to fourteen loaves–enough bread to satisfy the demands of the Nazi occupiers, with two left over to secretly distribute to the townspeople.
Yet it is not enough.
Each deception exposes a new desire. Each desire inspires a new idea on how to undermine the Nazis to obtain it. Each little triumph keeps the spark of hope glowing in the people of the town. Even for those Emma dislikes or who dislike her, they are bound together in their shared wish to see the destruction of the oppressors.
THE BAKER’S SECRET beautifully demonstrates the power of small acts done with great care, and the ripples that expand outward from those acts. In spite of how hardened Emma has become, she is a protagonist with whom the reader forges a strong alliance. Her sorrows are ours. Her pain is ours. Her joy, ours.
Kiernan is a writer of enormous talent, and this novel is a triumph. The reader knows D-Day is coming, and can hardly wait for Emma to find out. In spite of knowing the catalyst for the climax, there are still many surprises; so much is revealed when June 6th, 1944 finally arrives.
I read the novel in a weekend, and I already know THE BAKER’S SECRET will my make my “Best of” list of 2017. I give it my highest recommendation.
October 4, 2017
Emanuelle was thirteen when she began her apprenticeship with Ezra, the village's baker. Til the Germans took over, it was almost an idylic existance. Because Ezra was Jewish, he was eventually killed by the Nazis. Thus, Emma becomes the main baker and catches the Germans attention. She is ordered to bake twelve loaves of bread for the Nazi officers stationed in her French village every morning. She manages to make fourteen by mixing ground hay with the flour and distributes the two extra loaves to her village. Soon, she is managing a secret network and exchanging different goods. These acts of resistance help not just the villagers, its what sustains her.
I read a lot of historical fiction, particularly pertaining to this time period and this work did not stand out for me. There are numerous novels whose backgrounds are WWII and Nazi occupation and it is possible to write one that differs from the lot. This novel did not do that. The cover is lovely, the idea is great, the prose is nicely written but the execution is lacking. Emma is the central character. She is daring and stubborn but always finds a way to help out her village. While she might not come off as the most sympathetic person that is understandable given her current situation. The remaining characters appear to be chosen at random, they are not memorable nor do they add to the narrative. The plot does not really go anywhere, its stagnant. This work failed to keep me engaged throughout the length of the novel. The setting and time period were aptly chosen but that is not enough to make a compelling story. Not sure if I would recommend this book. All and all, it was just okay.
I read a lot of historical fiction, particularly pertaining to this time period and this work did not stand out for me. There are numerous novels whose backgrounds are WWII and Nazi occupation and it is possible to write one that differs from the lot. This novel did not do that. The cover is lovely, the idea is great, the prose is nicely written but the execution is lacking. Emma is the central character. She is daring and stubborn but always finds a way to help out her village. While she might not come off as the most sympathetic person that is understandable given her current situation. The remaining characters appear to be chosen at random, they are not memorable nor do they add to the narrative. The plot does not really go anywhere, its stagnant. This work failed to keep me engaged throughout the length of the novel. The setting and time period were aptly chosen but that is not enough to make a compelling story. Not sure if I would recommend this book. All and all, it was just okay.
November 10, 2022
Note: after reading, I think it would be a great movie….
“On June 5, 1944, as dawn rises over a small town on the Normandy coast of France”, Emmanuelle is making bread that sustains her fellow villagers in the dark days since the Germans invaded her country.
Emma(22) is the town baker with a “Baker’s Secret” adding & hiding baking ingredients to feed her hungry town who believe there is no end to WW II, town’s hungry is “relentless”.
When the Germans invade, Uncle Ezra, the current town baker is forced to wear the mandatory yellow Jewish star & meets a fate to leave his baking behind to a “Labor Camp”.
The local Kommandant tastes & likes her bread…. Allowing her to bake extra dozens each day.
Emma takes over with her “Baker’s Secret” & she is able to add/extra ingredients to bake a few extra loaves of bread for her town’s friends & residents.
Emma’s “Baker’s Secret” hides extra dough ingredients making “2 extra loaves each morning” for her village, behind the Germans “back” (e.g. without getting someone's permission).
During the read I enjoy the twist made to the German Captain Thalheim portrayed as ruthless man, killing & controlling others at all costs until his “real” virginity & weakness is exposed by Emma.
His masculinity hidden becomes his own defeat. The twist is nice & unexpected…
“On June 5, 1944, as dawn rises over a small town on the Normandy coast of France”, Emmanuelle is making bread that sustains her fellow villagers in the dark days since the Germans invaded her country.
Emma(22) is the town baker with a “Baker’s Secret” adding & hiding baking ingredients to feed her hungry town who believe there is no end to WW II, town’s hungry is “relentless”.
When the Germans invade, Uncle Ezra, the current town baker is forced to wear the mandatory yellow Jewish star & meets a fate to leave his baking behind to a “Labor Camp”.
The local Kommandant tastes & likes her bread…. Allowing her to bake extra dozens each day.
Emma takes over with her “Baker’s Secret” & she is able to add/extra ingredients to bake a few extra loaves of bread for her town’s friends & residents.
Emma’s “Baker’s Secret” hides extra dough ingredients making “2 extra loaves each morning” for her village, behind the Germans “back” (e.g. without getting someone's permission).
During the read I enjoy the twist made to the German Captain Thalheim portrayed as ruthless man, killing & controlling others at all costs until his “real” virginity & weakness is exposed by Emma.
His masculinity hidden becomes his own defeat. The twist is nice & unexpected…
August 22, 2019
I loved this book. A story of German occupied Village during WWII, and the courage of those French Village People.
February 24, 2021
This novel takes place near the end of WWII but it is not a war story. It is a story of survival. Twenty two year old Emma is an apprentice to Jewish master baker, Ezra, in a small Normandy Coastal village which has been under Nazi occupation 4 years. Each day 22 year old Emma gets a small ration of flour arranged by the German comandante who has ordered her to bake 12 baguette loaves for himself and his army. But Emma has a secret: she has discovered she can make 14 loaves of bread by adding finely ground straw to the flour. While pessimistic about ever receiving any help, let alone rescue, from the Allies, Emma brings hope to neighbors and friends by putting her life on the line and distributing the two extra loaves to her townspeople, many of whom are starving to death. She gradually establishes a small bartering network, delivering other hidden supplies. "She uses ingenuity, intelligence, wit and grit to help her fellow villagers survive the occupation and the torture and daily torment that the German's bring upon them. While many of the village's men are fighting elsewhere, Emma wages her own quiet war and proves that heroes come in many forms."
The development of each of the characters is well rounded, superb. I will not forget Emma, Ezra, Odette, Meme, Monkey Boy, or "The Goat." The book is both heartbreaking and uplifting, especially near the end, when Emma and Monkey Boy are sitting in the tree watching the Normandy D-Day invasion. "Emma suffered daily for friends and neighbors. They {the allied forces} were doing it for strangers, throwing themselves on that beach, slaughtered until the sea ran dark, and another wave came, and was slaughtered, and another, whole cities of men. They had never met Emma, she would never meet them, and still another wave.
It was so humbling, Emma clung to the tree and did not think she could continue to breathe. The weight of their sacrifice might crush her. Here they had died, and up the beach they were still dying, in flocks and willingly for the idea that she, Emma herself, and her friends and family and neighbors, ought to live in freedom. Who on earth deserved such a gift?"
A few months ago I decided I was through with WWII books, but The Baker's Secret was my bookclub's February choice so I was obligated, and I'm so glad. This was a joy to read!
The development of each of the characters is well rounded, superb. I will not forget Emma, Ezra, Odette, Meme, Monkey Boy, or "The Goat." The book is both heartbreaking and uplifting, especially near the end, when Emma and Monkey Boy are sitting in the tree watching the Normandy D-Day invasion. "Emma suffered daily for friends and neighbors. They {the allied forces} were doing it for strangers, throwing themselves on that beach, slaughtered until the sea ran dark, and another wave came, and was slaughtered, and another, whole cities of men. They had never met Emma, she would never meet them, and still another wave.
It was so humbling, Emma clung to the tree and did not think she could continue to breathe. The weight of their sacrifice might crush her. Here they had died, and up the beach they were still dying, in flocks and willingly for the idea that she, Emma herself, and her friends and family and neighbors, ought to live in freedom. Who on earth deserved such a gift?"
A few months ago I decided I was through with WWII books, but The Baker's Secret was my bookclub's February choice so I was obligated, and I'm so glad. This was a joy to read!
September 18, 2019
This story is more about the characters than the time period of WWII. You will not find much about WWII from this book. If you’re not picky about historical details, then you may still enjoy this book.
December 23, 2017
The Baker has a Big Secret! What can it be? Is it a devastating Secret? Is it a dangerous Secret? Is it a Secret one would die for? Is it a Secret that will save a loved one? What is this Secret that's so profound it's marked in the title? Are you ready? Are you sitting down? The Baker has a Secret...she sprinkles a little ground hay into her batter so she can make 14 baguettes instead of 12. Pick yourself up off the floor. I know that was a doozy! Hope I didn't ruin the book for you with that awesome reveal (*insert dripping sarcasm). Anyhow, this isn't a spoiler. First, it's revealed in the first 2 minutes of the book. Second, it's LAME! I haven't used that word since grade school but it's the one that fits best. So, so lame! When a book starts like that it can either get better (even if it can't shake off the ridiculousness of the 'secret') or it can get worse. You'd think by that revelation that it could only go up. Well, you'd be wrong! This waste of time in paper form got worse! No plot. No historical detail whatsoever. This WWII based book not only has no historical detail other than what one can gleam off Wikipedia, it's actually grossly ridiculous! One character, a girl sleeping with a German (in love with the German), gets silk stockings from him but is starving, wasting away (clearly the love isn't too reciprocal). So the main character, feeling bad for the girl, brings her an egg a day..WHICH SHE USES ON HER HAIR TO KEEP IT LUSH! In WWII! I use the word hungering loosely in this book since the main character bakes delicious crusty French bread, breeds chickens so the town has eggs, and gets fresh fish-including lobster!-for her friend that runs the local restaurant. Oh and did I mention she wrestled, by hand, a wild boar, and cooked it without any German knowing, for the 'hood (I mean come on!!). Then there's the Calvados she drinks when in the mood. This town ate better than any European from 1939-1945...and the story is about a town hungry and lacking during WWII! This would be funny if it weren't beyond ridiculous and insulting to the reader. Worst of all, it's impossible to connect with these characters. I was shocked that this got good reviews. There are many, many excellent WWII books out there. If anyone thinks this good, I'll leave you with a few recommendations of actually good books. I stopped reading The Bakers Secret with 30 pages to go because I couldn't bear another wasted minute on this awful book. Eventually I finished it, a month or two later, simply because I was hoping there was something redeeming even at the end of the book (though mostly I just wanted to be done and never see the thing again). One of the worst books I've read in a long time. I highly recommend NOT reading this book. It's a painful slog.
July 7, 2020
Του στερώ τα 5 αστεράκια μόνο και μόνο γιατί θα μπορούσε να δουλευτεί λίγο περισσότερο η πλοκή, καθώς επίσης υπήρχαν σε ορισμένες περιπτώσεις αφηγηματικά κενά. Δυστυχώς, υπήρχαν και κάποια ελάχιστα τυπογραφικά λάθη που ήταν ενοχλητικά. Ωστόσο, η ιστορία είναι όμορφη, ο λόγος ρέει. Μυθιστόρημα εποχής, βασισμένο στην απόβαση της Νορμανδίας κατά τον ΒΠΠ. Ανυπομονώ να διαβάσω κι άλλες ιστορίες του συγγραφέα... πολλά υποσχόμενος...!
October 29, 2023
I didn't think I would ever be able to describe a story set in WW2 occupied France as CUTE, but this is it. Emma (Emmanuel) wages her own style of resistance against the occupying German army. This involves baking bread, stealing fuel and distributing supplies amongst the villagers, all behind the German's backs. Obviously there are some grim moments but generally a really good uplifting story.
November 17, 2017
In ‘The Baker’s Secret’ by Stephen Kiernan describes life in the village of Vergers, France under German occupation. Emmanuelle is the author’s focus in a village filled with varied and colorful characters. Kiernan excels at bringing the villagers of Vergers into vivid life.
Didier is a young man who grew up with Emma and is also know as the Goat. “A ragged young man with a half-grown beard...., the Goat sometimes slept on a shelf in Emma’s empty hog shed, emerging in the morning steeped in the smell of pig urine, a scent as pungent as ammonia.” Didier becomes part of the Resistance.
The local veterinarian is Guillaume. “Guillaume had famous hands - giant and strong, yet capable of acts of astonishings delicacy - which the villagers had seen deliver a breached calf, resuscitate a lifeless piglet, and remove the worst of boils from the eye of a retriever.” Kiernan goes on to say “those hands could also dispatch an animal beyond saving, the deed done with compassionate speed.” These are only a couple of the characters that Kiernan so vividly describes.
There’s also the village baker, known to all as Uncle Ezra, who takes Emma on as his apprentice. Uncle Ezra is a grump but he has quite a reputation for his baked goods. “Emma swept and carried, cleaned and dried, while Uncle Ezra ranted continuously about how, whatever she did, she had done it wrong.”
Uncle Ezra does not fare well under the occupying army. As a Jew, he is forced to wear the Star of David on his clothing. One day, soldiers appear to search the bakery and a gun is found in the flour. It’s obvious that the gun was planted so the Nazis can point an accusing finger at Uncle Ezra. Afterwards, Emma begins to bake bread for the Kommandant. In order to stretch food, she begins to grind straw and add it to her flour rations. That way she comes up with two extra loaves of bread, which she shares with the villagers. She barters and carries this and that between her neighbors, and manages to satisfy some of their wants.
Emma thinks of it as a ‘circle of wants.’ Yves wants fuel for his boat, so he can take it out a second time and catch fish for his neighbors. The occupying army provide him with just enough fuel for one trip out, then take all of his fish. Pierre has some extra fuel from rations for his tractor, but Pierre wants tobacco. Marguerite wants a light bulb. Emma manages to trick a light bulb from one of the most unliked characters in the story, DuFour. DuFour cozies up to the occupying army by ratting out his neighbors. When she takes the light bulb to Marguerite, Marguerite gives her tobacco which she take to Pierre, and Pierre gives her fuel, which she takes to Yves. As the story continues, Emma makes more trades and the villagers come to rely on her as a steady provider of food. The biggest secret however, is that she is using ground straw as a filler for the bread she gives to the occupying army.
The animals in the novel are also bigger than life. Emma has a rooster named Pirate who is very territorial.
“Emma watched him shuffle across the barnyard, holding himself like something breakable, until Pirate burst out from behind the old hog shed in full disaster, a long night’s frustration fueling his passion, crowing for all he was worth. Thalheim winced, hands to his ears, kicking in the bird’s direction, but the rooster darted out of reach without pausing the fierce defense of his territory. To Emma, seeing the captain in retreat from that noisy annoyance tasted better than bacon.”
Kiernan spends some time describing two huge work horses, Apollo and Neptune. When Neptune breaks her leg in the hedgerow, she has to be put down. Apollo is heart broken and throughout the book, he appears like a lament. I believe he is meant to symbolize all the things the people in the village have lost due to the war.
“She was the draft horse Apollo, a huge-hooves giant wandering the world in search of Neptune, his partner under Pierre's home for fifteen years, exerting identical power, at the identical pace."
For Emma, that lose is her boyfriend, Phillips, who is conscripted to fight for Germany, and her father, being taken by the Nazis and shipped away. It’s also the lose of her mentor Uncle Ezra.
One of my favorite things about this novel is Kiernan’s use of imagery and metaphor. It is so beautiful, I just want to sink down in some of his lush lines. Here’s a couple of examples.
“The moon threw shadows across the yard, a painter expert exclusively in the palette of gray and blue."
“As she watched, though, Emma had to admit that there was an elegance to the umbrella’s fall: like a trapeze artist, swaying close to the bluff and then away, a flower thrown overboard from a ship, smoothly back and forth, a feather fallen from a nest, gliding down to a place on the sand, where it landed without a sound.”
This is a lovely story that would benefit from a more robust analysis than I could ever give, so I hope more capable folks than I will immerse themselves in this tale.
Didier is a young man who grew up with Emma and is also know as the Goat. “A ragged young man with a half-grown beard...., the Goat sometimes slept on a shelf in Emma’s empty hog shed, emerging in the morning steeped in the smell of pig urine, a scent as pungent as ammonia.” Didier becomes part of the Resistance.
The local veterinarian is Guillaume. “Guillaume had famous hands - giant and strong, yet capable of acts of astonishings delicacy - which the villagers had seen deliver a breached calf, resuscitate a lifeless piglet, and remove the worst of boils from the eye of a retriever.” Kiernan goes on to say “those hands could also dispatch an animal beyond saving, the deed done with compassionate speed.” These are only a couple of the characters that Kiernan so vividly describes.
There’s also the village baker, known to all as Uncle Ezra, who takes Emma on as his apprentice. Uncle Ezra is a grump but he has quite a reputation for his baked goods. “Emma swept and carried, cleaned and dried, while Uncle Ezra ranted continuously about how, whatever she did, she had done it wrong.”
Uncle Ezra does not fare well under the occupying army. As a Jew, he is forced to wear the Star of David on his clothing. One day, soldiers appear to search the bakery and a gun is found in the flour. It’s obvious that the gun was planted so the Nazis can point an accusing finger at Uncle Ezra. Afterwards, Emma begins to bake bread for the Kommandant. In order to stretch food, she begins to grind straw and add it to her flour rations. That way she comes up with two extra loaves of bread, which she shares with the villagers. She barters and carries this and that between her neighbors, and manages to satisfy some of their wants.
Emma thinks of it as a ‘circle of wants.’ Yves wants fuel for his boat, so he can take it out a second time and catch fish for his neighbors. The occupying army provide him with just enough fuel for one trip out, then take all of his fish. Pierre has some extra fuel from rations for his tractor, but Pierre wants tobacco. Marguerite wants a light bulb. Emma manages to trick a light bulb from one of the most unliked characters in the story, DuFour. DuFour cozies up to the occupying army by ratting out his neighbors. When she takes the light bulb to Marguerite, Marguerite gives her tobacco which she take to Pierre, and Pierre gives her fuel, which she takes to Yves. As the story continues, Emma makes more trades and the villagers come to rely on her as a steady provider of food. The biggest secret however, is that she is using ground straw as a filler for the bread she gives to the occupying army.
The animals in the novel are also bigger than life. Emma has a rooster named Pirate who is very territorial.
“Emma watched him shuffle across the barnyard, holding himself like something breakable, until Pirate burst out from behind the old hog shed in full disaster, a long night’s frustration fueling his passion, crowing for all he was worth. Thalheim winced, hands to his ears, kicking in the bird’s direction, but the rooster darted out of reach without pausing the fierce defense of his territory. To Emma, seeing the captain in retreat from that noisy annoyance tasted better than bacon.”
Kiernan spends some time describing two huge work horses, Apollo and Neptune. When Neptune breaks her leg in the hedgerow, she has to be put down. Apollo is heart broken and throughout the book, he appears like a lament. I believe he is meant to symbolize all the things the people in the village have lost due to the war.
“She was the draft horse Apollo, a huge-hooves giant wandering the world in search of Neptune, his partner under Pierre's home for fifteen years, exerting identical power, at the identical pace."
For Emma, that lose is her boyfriend, Phillips, who is conscripted to fight for Germany, and her father, being taken by the Nazis and shipped away. It’s also the lose of her mentor Uncle Ezra.
One of my favorite things about this novel is Kiernan’s use of imagery and metaphor. It is so beautiful, I just want to sink down in some of his lush lines. Here’s a couple of examples.
“The moon threw shadows across the yard, a painter expert exclusively in the palette of gray and blue."
“As she watched, though, Emma had to admit that there was an elegance to the umbrella’s fall: like a trapeze artist, swaying close to the bluff and then away, a flower thrown overboard from a ship, smoothly back and forth, a feather fallen from a nest, gliding down to a place on the sand, where it landed without a sound.”
This is a lovely story that would benefit from a more robust analysis than I could ever give, so I hope more capable folks than I will immerse themselves in this tale.
May 26, 2017
The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan shines a spotlight on the resilience of humanity amid the brutality of war. At times it’s tempting to look away, to ignore the rawness of survival, to pause the bleak hopelessness that clouds Emma’s life. It’s painful to see the abuses of the church’s Monsignor – a man who should, by his very job description, be the source of hope and integrity in the occupied village. The honesty is graphic in places, discreet in others, and in every aspect of the story humanity’s fierce will to survive is both inspiring and sobering.
I loved reading about Emma’s craftiness in figuring out how best to help the starving and otherwise needy villagers (thanks to the Nazi occupation) all while avoiding detection. She vehemently denies being part of the Resistance, yet it’s her work that enables the local Resistance movement to thrive. While harsh and bitter loss follows her, Emma’s strong will remains resilient. Her grandmother is my favorite character in the book and I often wanted to stop reading just to hug her.
The writing is beautiful, almost poetic, with haunting lines such as:
“The guttural ruled the elegant, the command replaced persuasion, the shout overwhelmed the subtle.”
And this description of what the Allied invasion meant to the people of France, especially to Emma:
“The weight of their sacrifice might crush her. Here they had died, and up the beach they were still dying, in flocks and willingly for the idea that she, Emma herself, and her friends and family and neighbors, ought to live in freedom. Who on earth deserved such a gift?”
Bottom Line: The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan is exquisite in its prose and authentic in its execution. Its reality is painful, yes, but inspiring at the same time, and readers will gain a deeper understanding of both the occupation of France and the importance of D-Day and the subsequent Allied sacrifices. Keep a tissue box handy, but read this book with hope, hope that Emma doesn’t have. You already know what happened on June 6, 1944, but now see it with fresh eyes from the heart of a young woman who didn’t dare believe it was possible yet helped make it so.
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
See my review at Reading Is My SuperPower
I loved reading about Emma’s craftiness in figuring out how best to help the starving and otherwise needy villagers (thanks to the Nazi occupation) all while avoiding detection. She vehemently denies being part of the Resistance, yet it’s her work that enables the local Resistance movement to thrive. While harsh and bitter loss follows her, Emma’s strong will remains resilient. Her grandmother is my favorite character in the book and I often wanted to stop reading just to hug her.
The writing is beautiful, almost poetic, with haunting lines such as:
“The guttural ruled the elegant, the command replaced persuasion, the shout overwhelmed the subtle.”
And this description of what the Allied invasion meant to the people of France, especially to Emma:
“The weight of their sacrifice might crush her. Here they had died, and up the beach they were still dying, in flocks and willingly for the idea that she, Emma herself, and her friends and family and neighbors, ought to live in freedom. Who on earth deserved such a gift?”
Bottom Line: The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan is exquisite in its prose and authentic in its execution. Its reality is painful, yes, but inspiring at the same time, and readers will gain a deeper understanding of both the occupation of France and the importance of D-Day and the subsequent Allied sacrifices. Keep a tissue box handy, but read this book with hope, hope that Emma doesn’t have. You already know what happened on June 6, 1944, but now see it with fresh eyes from the heart of a young woman who didn’t dare believe it was possible yet helped make it so.
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
See my review at Reading Is My SuperPower
June 23, 2019
I would give this novel 3.5 stars if I could. “All through those years of war, the bread tasted of humiliation.” The novel is about the resiliency of a small village in France under German occupation during WWII. Did I enjoy the novel? Yes. Given all the novels with WWII/enemy occupation themes lately, I have to admit there were other novels I enjoyed a bit more.
March 3, 2020
The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan was better than three starts, but not quite 4. So I will go with 3.5 ***1/2. Truth be told the only reason I picked up the audiobook, well narrated by Cassandra Campbell, was because it said that it was set in a small Normandy village on the eve of D-Day. I will soon be taking a tour of Normandy, so, I thought, Voilà! I don’t believe Normandy was ever mentioned in the novel, nor were any of the famous battles that took place there. Instead it was a slice of life of rural French people living in the Normandy area and how their lives changed under the occupation of the German army. The story did not touch upon the Holocaust (a fact that in other WW II books had bothered me; how can WW II even be mentioned without reference to the Holocaust, which to me as a Jewish person was central to the war), but in The Baker’s Secret, I found the story so compelling that I was able to temporarily accept the exclusion.
It’s not to say, however, that the particular hatred harbored by the Germans (Nazi is another word not found in the book) doesn’t arise in the story. The story’s protagonist is Emmanuelle (Emma), who we see early on making the bread that has sustained her fellow villagers in the dark days since the Germans invaded her country. She learned the art of baking bread as an apprentice to “uncle” Ezra. She thought of him as an uncle because her apprenticeship started when she was just 13. She often complained that he worked her too hard, but inwardly she felt close to him. So when he was forced to wear the Yellow Jewish Star and soon after, was shot dead, for supposed insolence, before her eyes, Emma felt his shame and anger and powerlessness.
As the villagers accommodate to life under occupation, while suffering and starving, Emma is forced to make 12 loaves of bread daily for the German soldiers and in so doing figures out a way to make a few extra loaves for those around her who need it most. Emma does not join the resistance, but I believe the author meant for her to represent some of the plain, ordinary people who in their small ways resisted the absolute might and repression of the conquerers.
I recommend The Baker’s Secret as one small example of how during the Second World War people in the thick of it sometimes survived and often did not and that they too had their stories to tell.
It’s not to say, however, that the particular hatred harbored by the Germans (Nazi is another word not found in the book) doesn’t arise in the story. The story’s protagonist is Emmanuelle (Emma), who we see early on making the bread that has sustained her fellow villagers in the dark days since the Germans invaded her country. She learned the art of baking bread as an apprentice to “uncle” Ezra. She thought of him as an uncle because her apprenticeship started when she was just 13. She often complained that he worked her too hard, but inwardly she felt close to him. So when he was forced to wear the Yellow Jewish Star and soon after, was shot dead, for supposed insolence, before her eyes, Emma felt his shame and anger and powerlessness.
As the villagers accommodate to life under occupation, while suffering and starving, Emma is forced to make 12 loaves of bread daily for the German soldiers and in so doing figures out a way to make a few extra loaves for those around her who need it most. Emma does not join the resistance, but I believe the author meant for her to represent some of the plain, ordinary people who in their small ways resisted the absolute might and repression of the conquerers.
I recommend The Baker’s Secret as one small example of how during the Second World War people in the thick of it sometimes survived and often did not and that they too had their stories to tell.
July 14, 2017
Here I go again...back to WWII. Truthfully, I must learn to "never say never". While I have felt rather inundated with WWII stories, I just keep on reading them. I do take some consistent breaks, but overwhelmingly, they sneak into my currently reading materials and then I proclaim yet again that I am "ready for a break".
I began this novel very optimistic. The writing is lovely...it is lyrical...descriptive...and fresh. I found myself rereading passages and looking forward to returning to this book. However, I did get bogged down some. There was creativity in the main character's understanding of human nature and how to manipulate others to serve the higher good. What this novel lacked for me was "build-up". More like I remember the movie of Schindler's List the violence is often sudden, gruesome and then you have the clean-up. Life goes on. I never really "felt" deeply in this book.
It was a good read just not a great read. It isn't one that I will be highly recommending, but I do not regret reading it and looking at this reprehensible war from yet another viewpoint. There were some memorable characters who to me held the most interest.
I began this novel very optimistic. The writing is lovely...it is lyrical...descriptive...and fresh. I found myself rereading passages and looking forward to returning to this book. However, I did get bogged down some. There was creativity in the main character's understanding of human nature and how to manipulate others to serve the higher good. What this novel lacked for me was "build-up". More like I remember the movie of Schindler's List the violence is often sudden, gruesome and then you have the clean-up. Life goes on. I never really "felt" deeply in this book.
It was a good read just not a great read. It isn't one that I will be highly recommending, but I do not regret reading it and looking at this reprehensible war from yet another viewpoint. There were some memorable characters who to me held the most interest.
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