The Baker’s Daughter

An international bestseller and Best Book of 2012 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee!

“A beautiful, heart-breaking gem of a novel written just the way I like them, with the past coming back to haunt the present, endearing heroines and a sunny, hopeful ending. You’ll wolf it up in one delicious gulp.” —Tatiana de Rosnay, international bestselling author of Sarah’s Key and A Secret Kept

In 1945, Elsie Schmidt was a naive teenager, as eager for her first sip of champagne as she was for her first kiss. She and her family have been protected from the worst of the terror and desperation overtaking her country by a high-ranking Nazi who wishes to marry her. So when an escaped Jewish boy arrives on Elsie’s doorstep in the dead of night on Christmas Eve, Elsie understands that opening the door would put all she loves in danger.

Sixty years later, in El Paso, Texas, Reba Adams is trying to file a feel-good Christmas piece for the local magazine. Reba is perpetually on the run from memories of a turbulent childhood, but she’s been in El Paso long enough to get a full-time job and a fiancé, Riki Chavez. Riki, an agent with the U.S. Border Patrol, finds comfort in strict rules and regulations, whereas Reba feels that lines can often be blurred. Reba’s latest assignment has brought her to the shop of an elderly baker across town. The interview should take a few hours at most, but the owner of Elsie’s German Bakery is no easy subject. Reba finds herself returning to the bakery again and again, anxious to find the heart of the story. For Elsie, Reba’s questions are a stinging reminder of darker times: her life in Germany during that last bleak year of WWII. And as Elsie, Reba, and Riki’s lives become more intertwined, all are forced to confront the uncomfortable truths of the past and seek out the courage to forgive.

The Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy Publisher Mauri Spagnol/Nord, Italy

 Foreign Edition Covers

Holland

Poland

France

Scandinavia

Italy

France

Praise for The Baker’s Daughter

“The Baker’s Daughter is both intricate and delicious.” —The New York Daily News 

“Replete with raw emotion and suspense, The Baker’s Daughter is a fascinating journey through a horrifying time in world history that will resonate long after you close the book.” —Historical Novel Society, May 2012 (Issue 60)

“A beautiful, heart-breaking gem of a novel written just the way I like them, with the past coming back to haunt the present, endearing heroines and a sunny, hopeful ending. You’ll wolf it up in one delicious gulp.”
—Tatiana de Rosnay, international bestselling author of Sarah’s Key and A Secret Kept

“The Baker’s Daughter was a constant warm companion to me during cross-country travels, a novel I looked forward to returning to night after night.  The rare book in which the modern-day story is as compelling as the wartime tale it contains, The Baker’s Daughter offers a look at Nazi Germany through the lens of the immigration issues of our own time.  El Paso, TX and Garmisch, Germany make for an unexpected harmony of flavors.”
— Jenna Blum, international bestselling author of The Stormchasers and Those Who Save Us

“A sensitive, multilayered novel, this is a moving examination of the effect war and the politics of exclusion, have on the human heart.”
—Amanda Hodgkinson, New York Times bestselling author of 22 Brittania Road

“A haunting and beautiful story… Spanning sixty years, and taking on forms of human cruelty and indifference ranging from the Nazis to modern-day immigration reform, McCoy forces us to examine the choices we make. I was riveted from start to finish.”
— J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of Commencement and Maine

“There is a reason we are drawn to such poignant and powerful novels as Tatiana de Rosnay’s Sarah’s Key and Jenna Blum’s Those Who Save Us. Sarah McCoy’s second novel, The Baker’s Daughter, certainly belongs beside them… she [McCoy] deftly explores how easy it is to allow first one’s integrity and then one’s humanity to slip away… a thoughtful reading experience indeed.”
—Chris Bohjalian, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Strangers and Skeletons at the Feast

“Sarah McCoy’s The Baker’s Daughter explores what happens when our loyalties (to country, cause, family, religion) clash with our intuition. A complex braiding of mystery, history, and personality, this novel is engaging and wonderful.”
—Sheri Reynolds, New York Times bestselling author of The Rapture of Canaan

“This is a beautifully told, richly detailed story that grabs your heart from page one and keeps its hold long after the last page. It is a book to discuss, to share and ultimately to savor.”
—Sarah Jio, author of The Violets of March

“Elsie Schmidt is the brave and unforgettable heroine of Sarah McCoy’s beautifully written tale of family, friendship, and love. The Baker’s Daughter demonstrates how the past can teach us–if only we will listen.”
—Kelly O’Connor McNees, author of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

Book Reviewers and Bloggers

“It’s a great one to curl up to with a mug of tea.” —Bethanne Patrick, executive editor of Book Riot on NY1

“A page-turner, right!” — Kristen Shaughnessy, NY1 “

The Baker’s Daughter reminds me of why I read fiction. Thinking about the ideas brought up in McCoy’s novel, I don’t get depressed. I feel rejuvenated, affirmed that caring is not wrong, that it matters to me to live by the tenets I hold dear and that what I do matters. Reading fiction isn’t hiding from the world. It’s gathering strength to carry on.” —Daily Kos 

“McCoy’s masterful characterizations make it easy to forget that The Baker’s Daughter is a novel. Readers form such tight connections to Elsie and Reba that we rejoice in their victories and let the tears flow at their sorrows. We learn the importance of opening our hearts to others and that the smallest acts of questioning, bravery and rebellion, can help change the world.” —SheKnows.com

“McCoy nails it… This is a novel of mothers and daughters, sisters (and grandmothers), of romance, love, war, fear, insecurity, patriotism, cowardice, lies, despair, and, ultimately, truth and understanding.” —Sunny Solomon, Bookin’ With Sunny

“I could hardly put down The Baker’s Daughter. The vivid prose, fascinating characters, and suspenseful plot kept me turning pages long past my bed time. The present and the past are interwoven seamlessly, and I found myself reading as fast as I could to find out what happened in each time, though I loved reading both time periods equally.” —Erika Robuck, historical book reviewer and author of Hemingway’s Girl 

“McCoy paints a very honest and obviously quite well-researched story about how unveiling the past can help those in the present, how past traumas can be used as moments of inspiration and growth. The Baker’s Daughter is a story that I will forever cherish, a story that sparked hours of discussion with my husband (a history buff), a truly inspirational tale.  Highly recommended.” —Jenn Lawrence, Jenn’s Bookshelves

“This is my first ‘favorite’ read of the year. Great character development, picturesque historical descriptions, and skillful balancing of past and present are gracefully woven together like a cozy afghan that I wanted wrap myself in for extended periods of time.” — Heather Schmitt-González, Girlichef

”The Baker’s Daughter is, hands-down, the best book I’ve read so far this year, and I am confident that it will be on my ‘best of’ list for 2012… a perfectly crafted novel…”—Anna Horner, Diary of an Eccentric

“The Baker’s Daughter is a triumph of the human heart… I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction, women’s history, and those looking for critiques on families and love. I don’t think its possible for me to capture in this review how much I loved this book and how deeply it spoke to my heart.” —Reading Lark 

“The story in turns melted my heart and broke it… McCoy adds her beautiful and gentle prose to make it seem almost like a love song.” –Sandy Nawrot,

You GOTTA Read This! “The Baker’s Daughter is riveting and haunting and I loved every word… I can’t wait to get my hands on more from Sarah McCoy.” –A 5-star review from Novel Escapes

“…will go down as my favorites of the year and it’s not even the middle of February. The latest terrific novel that I’ve completed is The Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy… an outstanding book club discussion…The Baker’s Daughter is sure to be huge… It’s a wonderful story with wonderful characters and it’s not to be missed!” —Julie Peterson, Booking Mama

“The Baker’s Daughter is vividly written and highly entertaining; I couldn’t put it down…Whether you read this for a book club or just for your own pleasure,The Baker’s Daughter offers plenty for you to munch on.” —Melissa, The Feminist Texan

“… an engrossing, engaging, and moving exploration of love, family, obligation, and the terrible gray area we live in…This would make a great book club pick — so many facets to invite conversation and discussion — and it would make a good gift for someone who isn’t sure they like historical fiction.” —Unabridged Chick

“The Baker’s Daughter is a multi-layered book with themes of war, immigration, and human cruelty.  It is also a story of full of love, food, compassion and survival. This is a book you will definitely want to savor. Gutenacht.” —Book Snob

“What an emotional powerhouse! I love books that make me weep with sadness and feel such empathy to the characters. This book does that and so much more… Her story will stay with me. I have her tucked under my heart.” —Life in The Thumb

“In Sarah McCoy’s fantastic novel, Elsie Schmidt and her family, the bakers of the title, are just these people and her portrayal of them takes the normal black and white morality and turns it into just about every permutation of grey possible… The book is well written and engaging and I found myself unable to put it down once I was fully invested in the story.” —BookNAround

“The historical research is accurate and so strikingly frightening… if you love history, love stories, or a story of love over hate, this book will stir in your heart for a long time.” —A Woman, A Wife, A Mom blog

The Baker’s Daughter Book Tour Events & Online Review Links

2013

Sunday, January 13 | Allendale, NJ
3:00 p.m.

SKYPE visit with the Page Turners book club.

Tuesday, January 22 | El Paso, TX
6:00 p.m.

German Community Center of Fort Bliss.

Book Clubs of Fort Bliss Evening with the Author.

A photo recap of the night.

Saturday, February 2 | Milwaukee, WI
12:00 p.m.

SKYPE visit with the West Lake Ladies book club.

Wednesday, February 20 | Pepperell, MA
7:00 p.m.

SKYPE visit with book club led by Jane Carver.

Thursday, February 28 | Landstuhl, Germany
6:30 p.m. Central European Time

SKYPE visit with Army spouse’s book club of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

Wednesday, March 13 | Emerald Coast, FL
11:00 a.m. CT

SKYPE visit with Between the Lines book club.

Friday, March 22 | Charlottesville, VA
12:00 p.m.

New Dominion Bookstore, 404 E. Main Street

Virginia Festival of the Book 2013

Featured author on Fiction: Parallel Stories panel with lovely fellow authors Tara Conklin and Dana Sachs.

Tuesday, May 21  | Sugar Grove, IL
11:00 a.m.

SKYPE visit with Lifelong Learning Institute, sponsored by Waubonsee Community College.

Spearheaded by Professor Kim Carew.

Thursday, May 23  | El Paso, TX
4:00 p.m.

El Paso High School Library

Featured author visit with library-sponsored EP High student and staff book club.

Monday, June 17 | El Paso, TX
11:00 a.m.

Doris Van Doren Library Auditorium

The Third Monday Book Group visit as the featured June Book Pick.

Tuesday, June 25 | Mount Joy, PA
7:00 p.m.

The Milanof-Schock Library

SKYPE visit with the Mount Joy Book Discussion Group.

Monday, August 5 | Cloudcroft, NM
1:00-3:00 p.m.

Michael Nivison Public Library, 90 Swallow Place, first floor

“Meet Sarah McCoy Reception”

High Noon Book Club’s special event for The Baker’s Daughter, summer featured selection.

Sponsored by Michael Nivison Public Library, Imaginary Books Shop and the High Noon Book Club.

Cake, recipes from the book, tea and good discussion to be served. Free and open to the public.

Photo recap of the event festivities.

Wednesday, September 18 | Houston, TX
2:00 p.m.

SKYPE visit with Congregation Beth Israel Library led by Temple Librarian Judy Weidman.

Wednesday, September 25 | Providence, RI
6:00 p.m. registration.

7:00-10:00 p.m. event.

Reading With Robin‘s annual “Evening With Authors” extravaganza.

Robin has a fabulous bestselling author lineup for 2013! I’m humbled to be featured alongside the shining Jenna Blum and divine Jane Green.

Get your tickets NOW. This party sells out every year!

Tuesday, November 19 | El Paso, Texas
5:30-8:00 p.m.

Fort Bliss Sergeant Majors Academy Book Club

German Community Center, Fort Bliss

“Meet Sarah McCoy Reception” dinner and discussion.

Monday, November 25 | Detroit, MI
7:00 p.m.

SKYPE visit with the Motor City Mavens book club.

Saturday, December 7 | Miami, FL
8:30 p.m.

SKYPE visit with Pembroke Pines book club.

2012

Tuesday , January 17 | The Divining Wand

Featured Q&A: Larramie (a.k.a. the “author’s fairy godmother”) returns from hiatus to asks me some signature, divine questions.

Friday, January 20 | Magical Musings

Featured guest: I’m giving author Marilyn Brant a recipe from the book you won’t find in the book.

Tuesday, January 24 | Goodreads
2 p.m. ET

Live video launch party with Jael McHenry (The Kitchen Daughter).

All readers are invited to the The Baker’s Daughter celebration. Ask questions online and chat live with the authors.

Wednesday, January 25 | Brava! with Beth Hoffman

Featured guest post: “Who is that Man in the Moon?” Popping in for tea on Beth’s purple velvet sofa to talk about The Baker’s Daughter‘s fathers and my own.

Thursday, January 26 | Great Thoughts Blog

Featured guest post: Writing about my first plane ride memory as a child in “The Journey is as Great a Story as the Destination.”

Friday, January 27 | Beyond The Margins

Featured guest post: “The Significance of Settings: Bee Mindful.”

Saturday, January 28 | The Debutante Ball

Featured Q&A: Quirky and fun questions from the Debs plus my poetic answer to the question: “If you were an animal, what kind would you be and why?”

Monday, January 30 | Caroline Leavitt’s Blog

Featured Q&A: The lovely Caroline has me over to Leavittville.

Tuesdsay, January 31 | BermudaOnion’s Weblog

Featured Q&A: My fellow Hokie, Bermuda Onion, and I will sit down for a chat.

Wednesday, February 1 | The Pencil Box

Featured guest on Someone’s Awesome Nightstand: Take a peek at my nightstand with Victoria Loustalot.

Thursday, February 2 | BethFishReads

Featured guest: Mrs. BethFishReads and I will have Thursday Tea together.

Friday, February 3 | Writer Unboxed

Featured guest post.

Monday, February 6 | Diary of an Eccentric

Featured review: “The Baker’s Daughter is, hands-down, the best book I’ve read so far this year, and I am confident that it will be on my “best of” list for 2012… a perfectly crafted novel…”

Tuesday, February 7 | You GOTTA Read This!

Featured review: “The story in turns melted my heart and broke it… McCoy adds her beautiful and gentle prose to make it seem almost like a love song.”

Wednesday, February 8 | The Feminist Texan Reads

Featured review: “The Baker’s Daughter is vividly written and highly entertaining; I couldn’t put it down…Whether you read this for a book club or just for your own pleasure,The Baker’s Daughter offers plenty for you to munch on.”

Thursday, February 9 | Girlichef

Featured review: “This is my first ‘favorite’ read of the year.  Great character development, picturesque historical descriptions, and skillful balancing of past and present are gracefully woven together like a cozy afghan that I wanted wrap myself in for extended periods of time.”

Friday, February 10 | Unabridged Chick

Featured review: “… an engrossing, engaging, and moving exploration of love, family, obligation, and the terrible gray area we live in…This would make a great book club pick — so many facets to invite conversation and discussion — and it would make a good gift for someone who isn’t sure they like historical fiction.”

Monday, February 13 | Book Snob

Featured review: “The Baker’s Daughter is a multi-layered book with themes of war, immigration, and human cruelty.  It is also a story of full of love, food, compassion and survival. This is a book you will definitely want to savor. Gutenacht.”

Tuesday, February 14 | Life in the Thumb

Featured review: “What an emotional powerhouse! I love books that make me weep with sadness and feel such empathy to the characters. This book does that and so much more… Her story will stay with me. I have her tucked under my heart.”

Tuesday, February 14 | Women’s Fiction Writers

Featured Q&A: In my second visit to WFW, Amy Sue and I chat about The Baker’s Daughter and more.

Wednesday, February 15 | BookNAround

Featured review: “In Sarah McCoy’s fantastic novel, Elsie Schmidt and her family, the bakers of the title, are just these people and her portrayal of them takes the normal black and white morality and turns it into just about every permutation of grey possible… The book is well written and engaging and I found myself unable to put it down once I was fully invested in the story.”

Thursday, February 16 | Dallas, TX
7:00 p.m.

a Real Bookstore, 113 Prairie Road, Fairview, TX

Sunday, February 19 | Concord, MA

3:00 p.m.

Concord Bookshop, 65 Main Street

A recap of the afternoon by Dawn, hostess extraordinaire at Concord Bookshop.

Tuesday, February 21 | Clarksburg, MD
7:00 p.m.

Novel Places Bookshop, 23341 Frederick Road

A recap of the night by Savvy Verse & Wit.

Wednesday, February 22 | Literate Housewife Blog

Featured Q&A: The Literate Housewife and I are having a virtual Noke party.

Wednesday, February 22 | SheKnows.com

Featured author Q&A with SheKnows.com Book Lounge.

Thursday, February 23 | WTVR CBS’s ‘Virginia This Morning’
9:00 a.m.

Chatting live about The Baker’s Daughter on CBS 6’s ‘Virginia This Morning’.

Thursday, Febr