This is such an emotional story. Carly Schabowski has such a beautiful writing style, descriptive and emotive, and the multiple points of view really brought the story to life. It's a story focusing on the good in people even in horrific circumstances, and Isaac and Anna reinforce the acts of kindness necessary to remain human. Just beautiful.

I love historical fiction and, despite it being one of the darkest times in history, and I am always drawn to wartime stories surrounding the Holocaust. It was such a sad and a particularly brutal time for, not only the Jews, but whoever was deemed different to the ideal of the perfect race...blonde haired blue eyed Aryans. It makes my blood boil and my heart break as I read some of what was inflicted on them. I mean, they were human beings just like everyone else and yet they were shunned according to the propaganda spouted by Hitler and his national socialist party. How anyone could be so cruel to another goes beyond all understanding.

And yet in saying that, THE WATCHMAKER OF DACHAU is a beautiful tale that is based on a true story and yet it is not bogged down by historical facts or events that make for heavy reading, often taking away the beauty behind the story. This is not the case with this book. Although we are given insight into some of the heinous acts committed by the Nazis in these camps, it simply provides background, as the story is itself is one of love and hope.

Cornwall, England, 1996: Beginning with a Prologue set in England as an elderly woman prepares for a funeral, silently reminiscing as she takes out a beautiful watch decorated with gemstones...serving as a reminder of darker times. Her identity is unknown, but it is assumed that she is the much older Anna.

Dachau, Germany, January 1945: On his way home one evening, Isaac Schüller is captured by Nazis and taken to a train bound for the Dachau Concentration Camp. There he meets Elijah who informs him he is one of the lucky ones to have a much shorter journey as he has been on the train for days whilst others have been for weeks. The beauty outside their windows of the snowy countryside hides the terrible scenes inside where men, women and children are packed together, cold and utterly terrified. When the train suddenly halts and everyone is herded out into the cold, the bodies of those who had not survived the journey are left behind...bound for the pyres.

The prisoners are marched to the camp where they are stripped, deloused and showered in a cold spray of water before being given thin blue striped garments that serve as their uniform, barely enough to shield them from the cold. But upon arrival, Isaac is unexpectedly pulled from the crowd of other prisoners and questioned as to why he had such intricate instruments on his person when he had claimed to have had nothing. He explained that he is a watchmaker and they are the tools of his trade. The senior officer appeared interested before pocketing the tools and leaving Isaac to be processed.

When the prisoners are being allocated their work detail, Isaac is left standing in the freezing cold when his number had not been called out. Unsure why he has been singled out, Isaac is even more surprised when a guard takes him out of the camp to a nearby house where he awaits further instructions. He is taken to the study of Senior Officer Becher, whom he recognises as the man who questioned him with regard to his tools which now lay on display on the officer's desk. It seems with his talent for watchmaking, Isaac can be of use to Becher and he is installed in the outdoor shed where his spoiled and rather hysterical wife cannot be upset by his presence. His first task is to fix the grandfather clock that had been a gift from the Führer but alas has never chimed.

Twenty nine year old Anna Reznick from the women's camp at Dachau waits on and keeps house for the Bechers, who dine and carry on as if death is not all around them just a few hundred yards away. Trying her best to please the Bechers, Anna is constantly nervous and often dropping things causing great distress, albeit rather dramatically, to Madam (Leisl) Becher. She is often yelled at and ridiculed for her in-capabilities and the fact that she is a "dirty Jew". Leisl does not like her in the house contaminating her lovely possessions so Anna tries to stay in the kitchen with Greta, the cook, who takes pity on the girl often giving her food that her employers would not miss. When Isaac began work in the shed for Becher, Greta would also have Anna sneak food and coffee to him to help keep his strength up. She may be a woman from the village but Greta sees the skeletal frames of Anna and Isaac and does not condone starving them, aware that they need food and drink to be able to continue their work for the Bechers.

When Anna meets the much older Isaac the two become friends, sharing their stories, their memories and their dreams. And when Isaac comes across some papers beneath a floorboard in the shed he soon discovers the words he is reading are the private thoughts of another prisoner installed at the house as a gardener...with the initials J.A.L. But Isaac has met the gardener, a cheerful young man named Levi who looks for sunshine and happiness in everything, despite their imprisonment. He begins reading the diary to Anna and the two share the hopes and dreams and memories of someone just like them.

Then in the midst of everything, the Becher's 11 year old son Freidrich returns home from school and is informed he will not be returning. Instead he is to be tutored at home and must occupy himself in the interim without disturbing his parents who clearly do not want him there. Freidrich is bereft at having left his best friend Otto and is clearly lonely as he wanders the house looking for something to do. His father tells him to play with his train set in his room but the engine has stopped working, so Becher has Isaac fix it. With his father often in Munich and his mother either in bed or shopping, Freidrich soon grows bored and attempts to amuse himself by striking up an unusual friendship with Isaac. Despite being told by his parents not to engage with the Jews, Freidrich has little left to occupy himself and sneakily does the opposite. He has no idea what takes place at Dachau nor what type of place it is. But his friendship with Isaac could prove dangerous should his parents discover his visits to the shed.

Both Isaac and Anna know that they are only of use to the Bechers for as long as they need them. Each morning they are taken to the house and each evening they are walked back to the camp where they are often ostracised by the other inmates who believe they have been singled out for special treatment whilst they all slave away with hard labour till they drop. Isaac has few friends apart from Elijah and Jan whilst Anna has Nina, with whom she shares the morsels of food Greta has secreted to her. Every night as they lay in their bunks, Nina ponders on the fate of her brother Kuba for whom she has been searching. Anna claims that she is sure he is still alive, if not just to placate her friend.

When the scent of lemons begins to envelop him, Isaac knows his time is running out. He writes a letter to Anna and to Fredrich enclosed with the diary of the unknown inmate J.A.L. and a watch he crafted especially for Anna. As much as he wanted to survive Dachau, he fears that he will not. Though at the same time he embraces the thought that he will see his beloved wife Hannah and young son Haim again. Grateful for the friendships he has forged in his short time at the house, Isaac pondered how Anna showed him how to love again whilst young Fredrich reminded him on his own long lost son.

As the tides begin to turn and whispers of the Americans coming to liberate them, there is unrest in the camp as the guards become lax in their duties or hurry to evacuate the remaining inmates before they can arrive. Those who are too sick to travel are left to die or thrown into the pyres that have been burning day and night. Can Anna and Isaac survive long enough to be liberated?

A story written of a time in history of which many would rather forget, THE WATCHMAKER OF DACHAU is both beautiful and heartbreaking. It pulls at the heartstrings and is as breathtaking in its beauty as it is in its horrors. Told through the various narratives primarily Issac, Anna and Freidrich, there is also the diary excerpts by J.A.L. that Isaac and Anna share...and whose identity is a mystery until the very end. And then everything falls into place.

THE WATCHMAKER OF DACHAU is not about the plight or the suffering of the Jews or the inferior as deemed by the Nazis. It is not about Hitler's cruel regime or his rise to power on the backs of those below him. It is not your typical tale of the Holocaust. It is about finding the strength to rise above their horrible circumstances. And of survival, of hope and of love.

Nothing I can say in my review can possibly do the justice this book deserves. I can only say to grab yourself a copy and experience it for yourself.

A definite 5 star read and recommended for fans of historical fiction with an interest in WW2 fiction surrounding the Holocaust.

I would like to thank #CarlySchabowski, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheWatchmakerOfDachau in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful story!  One of the best books in this genre that I have read.  The story of woven with hope in spite of all that is happening to the characters.  The story of endurance; mental and physical, and yet, even through all of that, we are still able to love and be loved.  I couldn't put it down., and did not expect it to end as it did.  Highly recommend.

Isaac Schüller a Jewish watchmaker ventures out on a cold January night in 1945 to visit his vacant shop and he’s caught on his way home. Suddenly he’s on a packed train, on his way to Dachau, after a nightmare of a trip and he arrives at infamous camp. On arrival everyone has to hand over their belongings, Isaac has none because he was picked up off the street and the guard doesn’t believe him, he searches him and finds his pouch containing his watch repair tools.

Isaac assumes he’s going to be in trouble and the next day he’s taken to the nearby house of the commander of the camp Herr Becher, who lives with his pampered selfish wife Liesl and young son Friedrich. Becher actually needs Isaac to fix a grandfather clock, plus watches and jewelry stolen from Jewish people and a train set of Friedrich’s that no one else could fix. He’s deposited with his precious tools into an old freezing abandoned garden shed and his first test is to fix the grandfather clock. While he’s useful Isaac has a chance of surviving Dachau, but he’s still at risk from freezing to death, starving and getting sick.

Anna Reznick works as a maid and laundress for the Becher's, she knows her survival also rests in their hands and they make her extremely nervous. Two very selfish, self-indulgent, greedy horrible people, who eat, drink and live in luxury not far from the infamous camp. She and Isaac meet at the commander’s house; they become friends, and each night they're marched back to camp by Herr Schmidt. Both Isaac and Anna received flack from other camp inmates because they had better jobs and as if they had any choice. They become really close; when Isaac discovers papers and letters hidden in the shed.? He shares them with Anna, putting them both in danger and reading the letters gives them hope during the darkest times.

The Watchmaker Of Dachau is a story about finding kindness, loyalty, friendship and love in one of the most awful and cruel places. Some of characters in the story are wonderful, especially Isaac, Anna, and Nina, Greta and young Friedrich and I enjoyed reading about the relationships formed between them. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, thanks to NetGalley for my copy and four stars from me.

I was drawn to this one as this is one area of history that both intrigues me and breaks my heart into little pieces. I have previously enjoyed books such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Violinist of Auschwitz and this book is up there with these books when it comes to heartbreaking historical fiction

The majority of the book is set in 1945, and takes place in the Dachau Concentration Camp.

The friendship between Anna and Isaac is authentic and touching, and it grows organically through their interaction as the story develops. It is clear they have an impact on each other: Isaac provides Anna with a strong and stable friend; Anna reminds Isaac of the beauty and kindness that can still exist in the world, despite the horrors of war.

It is hard to think about the character of Friederich without drawing comparisons with Bruno from The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. He is naive, curious and longs for human connection, probably as any young boy his age should. He provides a different layer to the narrative, as seeing the horrors through his eyes only re-inforces and highlights the evil that was done at these concentration camps.

The use of the letters to tell the story of a previous camp prisoner tells both a unique and parallel story to the one we read about in the main narrative. This subplot again shows the human need for love and connection. This is a useful and effective narrative device that brings out many of the main messages and themes of the book.

Overall, this has been a heartbreaking and tumultuous read that has really made me think, especially about the issue of memory. When it comes to the Holocaust, there is of course the desire to forget, but this is outdone by the need to remember.

I highly recommend this book to fans of emotional historical fiction that is steeped in realism and based on factual research.

historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, romantic, danger, concentration-camp, love, WW2, grief, bullies, injustice, family-dynamics, friendship*****

This is a story centered on some very ordinary but special people in very horrible time and place. It is inspired by a true story and embodies the adage that Where there is life, there is hope. The publisher's blurb is a good hook and there is no need for recap or spoilers. This is a wonderful book!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!

The Watchmaker of Dachau is a beautiful tale based on a true story. It’s captivating and hopeful yet tragic and devastating. It hooks you from the very first page and makes for a great weekend read as putting it down is something you won’t be able to do.

Written from multiple points of view, we meet Isaac, an older man swept off the street and taken to Dachau concentration camp. Upon searching him, the guards find a small tool kit and learn that he is a watchmaker who can fix things. He is then plucked from the barracks and taken to the commandants home on the outskirts of the camp where he is put to work fixing things from a grandfathers clock to a toy train. He’s allowed to work in the garden workshop and quickly finds a diary of sorts hidden under the floor boards. Along with Anna, another prisoner brought to the house to wait on the commandant and his family, they read the diary, allowing them to remember what it feels like to be in love and have hope. 

I love the multiple points of view of this story and how it’s a story within a story. The characters are beautiful written and the background descriptions paint a very vivid picture of a horrible place and time in the worlds history. I highly recommend this story but have your tissues ready. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Carly Schabowski for early access to this compelling novel.

Very well written and atmospheric. I'm a big fan of WWII books and this one did not disappoint. I cared a lot about the characters.

Inspired by a true story, The Watchmaker of Dachau is gripping from the first page.  It envelopes you with sorrow and despair, but also sheds lights of hope.  As one would expect from a book about victims of concentration camps during WWII, painful emotions leap from the pages.  Emotions that stayed with me, even after I finished the book.

The book takes place towards the end of WWII, in the concentration camp Dachau.  When work duty was assigned, select prisoners in the camp were taken to local officers' homes for different types of work.  Anna is selected to be a maid for Officer Becher, and Isaac, with his fine talent of fixing watches, is chosen to 'fix things' at the same house.  Becher's son Friedrich (age 11) also arrives home from boarding school during this time.  
I feel my words cannot do this book the justice it deserves.  How can I, living in modern America in 2021, even begin to understand how Anna and Isaac, or the rest of the prisoners felt?  I can't.  I can't imagine living in a shack, on straw packed together for a mattress, only receiving one ladle of watered down soup for dinner and half of a piece of stale bread to be halved for my breakfast.  I can't image not being able to see my family and also not knowing if I would ever see them again.  I can't imagine living in such fear, wishing that death would consume me so I didn't have to feel the blows of the officers or the pains in my stomach from starvation. I can't and hopefully never will.

The book is told from different points of views.  As a reader, it allows us to descend in to the minds of Anna and Isaac, the pain they feel and the sadness of being stripped from the lives they once lived.  We also see the happenings through the innocent eyes of Friedrich, who doesn't understand why he is supposed to hate the kind man working on watches in his family's shed.   Who also doesn't understand why there are children in the camp not far from his house, living in the harshest of conditions.  

Carly Schabowski has done a magnificent job of writing a book that gives the audience a small glimpse into the devastation that occurred during WWII.  I know this book will stay with me for a long time.  As Isaac inscribed on the inside of his watch (remember me), I definitely will.

Brilliant, memorable and emotional. I have been on an emotional rollercoaster reading this. Issac is an amazing memorable character. Every part of the story is beautifully told and full of emotion. These incredible characters brought the pain, hunger and hopelessness of Dachau to life. In amongst all of the death and cruelty was a strength to survive. I will think of this book when I smell lemons.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

I can imagine reading "The Watchmaker of Dachau" by Carly Schabowski for my book club.  It has plenty of interesting plot lines and characters to warrant a decent discussion.  Some of the material is pretty grim but that's the nature of a book set in a concentration camp.

It has echoes of "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah, so if you enjoyed that then you will enjoy this too.

Incredibly moving story of.an older man, the watchmaker, and his imprisonment at Dachau.  His skills that enabled him to have a different job, the story of the hidden journal and the discovery of the owner.  Isaac befriends Anna and Friedrich behind the keeper's back.  His knowledge and skills that allowed him to gain small favors as well as the friends. m To never forget and to listen, hear and carry on the stories of that tragic horrific time is essential.  Anna we discover her story of her family, her time in prison and how she befriends Nina.  The story twists and intersects in when you least expect it.  

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and the author for allowing me the privilege to read this story for an honest review.  This one will stay with me for a long time.  Thank you again.

Sad but beautifully told😢 Stellar🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

What a heartwrenching tale of the atrocities committed in the Nazi death camps.  Principal characters Anna and Isaak fight daily against starvation, the cold and the whims of their cruel Nazi captors in the final months of WWII.  Their struggle and their backstory from before their imprisonment is a page-turner, and the romantic writings by a fellow prisoner that they discover in a hidden corner of a shed are sublime.  There's even a serendipitous twist to the end that I never saw coming.

I love a well-written historical novel that immerses me in the time, lives and emotions of the characters.  Carly Schabowski's story of love, loss and sacrifice under brutal conditions is a fascinating rendering of the camps.  It's sad, eminently memorable and a thoroughly worthwhile read.

Thanks to publishers Bookouture and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book;  this is my voluntary and honest review.

A heartbreaking story about the lives of those affected in WWII.  The pain of being imprisoned and treated as unworthy, less than nothing.  Having to read about the women prisoners carrying out the bodies of other women in the camp, those that had died from typhus or just plain malnutrition, was absolutely heartbreaking.  I hate to believe that horror existed.  Yet it did. 

The Watchmaker Of Dachau focuses around Isaac and Anna.  Prisoners of the Jewish camps.  Each day they are retrieved from their prison camp and taken to work for the Bechers. They are not to be seen nor heard throughout the day by the Bechers.  At the end of the day, they must return to the horrors of the prison camp, 

The book had me hooked from the first page.  This was my first book written by Carly Schabowski but I did enjoy her style of writing. I will read more of her books and I will recommend The Watchmaker of Dachau.  Thank you to the publishers for providing me with ARC copy for my unbiased opinion.

The Watchmaker of Dachau by Carly Schabowski is an emotional World War II novel with multiple points of view.

During January 1945, Isaac, a Jewish watchmaker, was captured and sent to Dachau. Since Isaac brings tools with him, he is chosen to work at Strurmbannfuhrer (Senior Officer) Becher’s house fixing anything that is broken. Anne is a maid for the Bechers. Friedrich is the Becher’s son that just returned from school and is missing his friends. All three are dealing with loneliness. Isaac and Anne are dealing with the daily struggles of Dachau and Friedrich is dealing with parents that don’t care about him. The three of them become friends in this great story told from all of their perspectives.

I really enjoyed The Watchmaker of Dachau. This story is heartbreaking and hard to read at points, but this book is a great read. The Watchmaker of Dachau grabbed my attention from the first page. There were some parts that were so horrifying I had to take a break from reading. The worst part is that what is described in this story actually happened. One of my favorite parts of this book is the characters. All of the characters are hardworking and compassionate. The three main characters become friends. I liked that the story was told from the different viewpoints of the characters especially since they had vastly different experiences. Having the story told from two prisoners and the child of a Nazi was very interesting.

I recommend The Watchmaker of Dachau for historical fiction fans especially fans of World War II novels.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for The Watchmaker of Dachau.

This was a good WWII story.  My one and only criticism would be that there seemed to be some hard to get to coincidence.  

I loved Isaac!  I will forever think of all the Isaac's, Anna's, Levi's, etc...whenever I smell a lemon.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced readers copy.  This book is due to release January 20, 2021.

Great book i thoroughly enjoyed the story of Anna and Isaac , amd i look forward to reading more by this Author

I did fi d tbe writing very nice and beautiful but I had trou le getting into the story.  While I do love the idea of historical fiction this just wasn't for me

This is the only book I have ever chosen to read about life in a Nazi concentration camp, my reasoning for avoidance previously being that I would find the graphic content so harrowing that it would leave an indelible imprint in my head.  I ignored my gut instinct and decided to give The Watchmaker of Dachau a read and am now able to write what I hope will assist people who like me who are suffering the same dilemma to read or not to read.
Isaac Schuler has evaded capture by the Nazis for most of the war but finds himself bereft of most of his belongings on a rail journey herded like cattle aboard wagons to a lesser known concentration camp in Dachau.  
On arrival the guards discover he has transported a small set of watch repair tools which lead them to putting him to work at the home of senior officer Becher alongside the camp.  
Conditions in the camp are based on true accounts and yes, they are harrowing, and made me sob, but they also helped me to see the courage, friendship and compassion that can survive in such dark times.  
Anna is a young Jewish girl held at the camp who also finds herself ordered to provide maid services to the Becher family and both she and Isaac develop a deep bond of friendship as they are transported by guards and spend precious snatched minutes together in the rickety shed where Isaac is left to work on repairing the stolen items snatched from the dead Jewish inmates.
In the midst of this arrives 11 year old Freidrich Becher who is the only son of the Becher couple.  Freidrich is an unexpected delight, so at odds with his egocentric vile parents.  Left to his own devices he begins to befriend Isaac and Anna and discovers the true purpose of the camp and whilst he is sheltered from the extent of the atrocities which are happening on his doorstep by Isaac upholding the worst of the information, he begins  to show that he has a sense of compassion for others, regardless of the Nazi regime.
There is a beautiful passage where he plays music and encourages Isaac and Anna to dance because he knows this will bring joy. I
Another story is also woven in alongside as Isaac unearths a pile of letters under the floor of the shed and he slowly uncovers this as he reads with Anna.  
The closing chapters are very sad and moving and you will need a box of tissues but there remains some light in the final pages. 
I am so pleased I manned up and read this book.  I will never forget this book. it leaves you feeling eternally grateful to all those who sacrificed so much to bring to an end the terrible suffering and loss of life inside these camps. 
Thank you so much to Carly Schabowski, Bookouture and Netgalley for allowing me to review this proofcopy.

4.5 Stars 

The Watchmaker of Dachau is yet another story that deals with the horrors of WW II. The main story is set during 1945, the last few months, where people who could escape for years got captured and tortured. Many more lost lives while some continued to hope and survive, waiting to be rescued. 
The prologue and epilogue are set in 1996, Cornwall, England. The past is divided into three POVs (though all are written in the third person). Issac, the watchmaker, Anna, the maid, and Friedrich, the son of Senior Officer Becher and his bratty wife, are the major three people who offer us viewpoints. We see another POV, one that is filled with love, pain, confusion, memories, and philosophy. 
Characters like Greta, Jan, Nina, Elijah, Levi, and others add to the story. We see many thoughts and reactions from the characters, all of which seem as real as they can get. It is evident that the author did her research very well. She and her editor also made sure not to dump their research into the book.
The focus was on bringing the characters to life and making them appear human rather than using them as mere tools to share historical details. For me, that’s what made the book so effective. I love how Friedrich’s character was used throughout the book. It’s one of the highlights of the story. 
The writing is both descriptive and concise. It’s not fast-paced but is not too slow to make the reader lose interest. 
Right from the prologue, we see hints provided to the reader about what’s to come. This is no crime fiction, but it’s seemed like the author’s way of preparing the reader and allowing them to make their own conclusions. It is clever writing. 
I was disappointed by the ending (not for what it is was, but well, I wished it to be a wee bit different). I don’t want to say more and reveal anything. That said, I did have an inkling that it would be on similar lines (ref: hints). 
Overall, this is a sad yet beautiful book about love, hope, and rebuilding a new life after surviving the worst nightmare. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.