The Baker's Secret
Lelita Baldock
Reviewed by Helen
This is my first book by Aussie author Lelita Baldock but it won’t be my last, this story is heart-wrenching, it is also beautifully written with empathy and emotion, set during the occupation of Latvia during World War 2 first by the Russians and then The Nazis and South Australia 2018 as we meet sisters Estere and Zenta and their family.
Estere and Zenta work in the family bakery with their mother Darta and father Nikolai, their brother Tomass works on the dockyards, life has been good but with the war coming closer things are changing in their quiet town of Riga Latvia, when first the Russians take over there is much cruelty, then the Germans arrive and oust the Russians and things get even worse, Tomass is forced to join the army, rations are cut, the Jews are being rounded up and Estere leaves for a while, Zenta stops going to school and is working harder in the bakery, life in changing and getting more dangerous.
When Estere arrives back home pregnant she is determined still to fight for Latvia’s freedom with the Latvian Resistance as her father had done many years ago and soon convinces Zenta to help while delivering her bread to customers, she also delivers letters and supplies. But with Nazis appearing to lose ground the tensions are rising, Estere has her baby a little girl Aina and danger arrives on their doorstep, Zenta must run with baby Aina to save her life, leaving her family behind and life again changes so much for Zenta, not knowing what happened to her family she moves on to the other side of the world with a baby and starts a new life in Australia and holds a secret that will tear lives apart.
Decades later Zenta knows she must tell her secret before it is too late, the tears I shed the heartbreak I felt but I also saw the courage, strength and determination that kept Zenta going all of those years and Estere what she went through searching for her daughter, the things they both lived through was shocking. I loved Zenta so much, this is a story that I highly recommend to anyone reader who loves an excellent historical fiction story, this is one not to be missed.
My thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review.
Estere and Zenta work in the family bakery with their mother Darta and father Nikolai, their brother Tomass works on the dockyards, life has been good but with the war coming closer things are changing in their quiet town of Riga Latvia, when first the Russians take over there is much cruelty, then the Germans arrive and oust the Russians and things get even worse, Tomass is forced to join the army, rations are cut, the Jews are being rounded up and Estere leaves for a while, Zenta stops going to school and is working harder in the bakery, life in changing and getting more dangerous.
When Estere arrives back home pregnant she is determined still to fight for Latvia’s freedom with the Latvian Resistance as her father had done many years ago and soon convinces Zenta to help while delivering her bread to customers, she also delivers letters and supplies. But with Nazis appearing to lose ground the tensions are rising, Estere has her baby a little girl Aina and danger arrives on their doorstep, Zenta must run with baby Aina to save her life, leaving her family behind and life again changes so much for Zenta, not knowing what happened to her family she moves on to the other side of the world with a baby and starts a new life in Australia and holds a secret that will tear lives apart.
Decades later Zenta knows she must tell her secret before it is too late, the tears I shed the heartbreak I felt but I also saw the courage, strength and determination that kept Zenta going all of those years and Estere what she went through searching for her daughter, the things they both lived through was shocking. I loved Zenta so much, this is a story that I highly recommend to anyone reader who loves an excellent historical fiction story, this is one not to be missed.
My thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review.
5 stars
January 25, 2024 by Storm Publishing
