The Baker's Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan

TheBaker's Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan

Summary

A young lady, who starts as merely an apprentice in a bakery, is able to rise above the violence of the war, and carry an entire town through strength of spirit and tenacity.

My Spin

In the interest of full disclosure, I will say, I do love a good WWII era novel, I am fascinated by the ability to survive absolutely horrible circumstances and the strength of character and spirit that comes of it.

I also enjoyed Stephen P. Kiernan’s 2015 novel The Hummingbird. 

There have been a number of WWII era books lately with strong female protagonists, but none such as Emma, the center of The Baker’s Secret. Kiernan is completely successful in creating a strong female protagonist, rich with depth and realism.

The novel is set in a village of Normandy just before D-day.

Emma, is an embittered young woman, working with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She no longer believes in anything besides survival. Having lost faith in God and the Allies, Emma is focused on getting through each day, with a future that is increasingly bleak.

Emma, a prodigy at baking, who formerly worked for the town’s baker, finds herself in the attention of a German officer, who insists she is to provide the daily bread for the troops, and as such is allotted the ration to make 12 loaves each day and in exchange is left in peace by the occupiers. Girl can bake.

Risking it all, she is able to sneak in an extra two loaves per day, using the troop’s rations, which she in turn shares with the townspeople and sets up a local bartering system. This allows the townspeople to provide each other with some needed items and puts Emma at the center of the village ring of resistors.  She finds herself in the role of provider for her village throughout the dark days of the war, making bread and arranging various exchanges, right under the noses of the troops.

She is a clever and tough young lady, and her ability to unify the town, allows them to survive day-to-day with the Germans and all the brutalities of war, while she brings little pieces of hope in a time of horror and despair.

The reader is aware that D-Day is creeping closer and closer, and as the audacities increase and Emma despairs, it makes for a great buildup of tension in the plot. Will Emma lose it all, in turn failing all the townspeople?

In short

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, very strong characters. A great book about a girl who didn’t set out to be hero, but used her survival instincts and never gave up, and become one because of that.