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The Watchmaker of Dachau: An absolutely heartbreaking World War 2 historical novel Paperback – January 17, 2021
Carly Schabowski (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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An unforgettable novel of human kindness, inspired by an incredible true story.
Snow falls and a woman prepares for a funeral she has long expected, yet hoped would never come. As she pats her hair and straightens her skirt, she tells herself this isn’t the first time she’s lost someone. Lifting a delicate, battered wristwatch from a little box on her dresser, she presses it to her cheek. Suddenly, she’s lost in memory…
January 1945, Dachau, Germany. As the train rattles through the bright, snowy Bavarian countryside, the still beauty outside the window hides the terrible scenes inside the train, where men and women are packed together, cold and terrified. Jewish watchmaker Isaac Schüller can’t understand how he came to be here, and is certain he won’t be leaving alive.
When the prisoners arrive at Dachau concentration camp, Isaac is unexpectedly pulled from the crowd and installed in the nearby household of Senior Officer Becher and his young, pretty, spoiled wife. With his talent for watchmaking, Isaac can be of use to Becher, but he knows his life is only worth something here as long as Becher needs his skills.
Anna Reznick waits table and washes linens for the Bechers, who dine and socialise and carry on as if they don’t constantly have death all around them. When she meets Isaac she knows she’s found a true friend, and maybe more. But Dachau is a dangerous place where you can never take love for granted, and when Isaac discovers a heartbreaking secret hidden in the depths of Becher’s workshop, it will put Anna and Issac in terrible danger…
A gorgeously emotional and tear-jerking read set during World War Two. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, We Were the Lucky Ones and The Alice Network.
What readers are saying about The Watchmaker of Dachau:‘Beautiful and heartbreaking… pulls at the heartstrings… breathtaking in its beauty… 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.’ Confessions of a Bookaholic, 5 stars
‘Affecting, heart-breaking and powerful tale… haunting, atmospheric and intensely dramatic tale that will shock, devastate, enthral and captivate readers… a superb novel I won’t forget in a hurry.’ Bookish Jottings
‘A book that put me through the emotional wringer… a beautiful and emotional read, a powerful story that begs to be read… so thought-provoking that it lingers after you have put it down.’ Sharon Beyond the Books
‘I haven't read anything as touching or heartfelt as The Watchmaker of Dachau in years… incredible… made me smile & shed happy tears.’ @bookworm.britt
‘Powerful… an epic, moving story… a must-read. You’ll find yourself grabbing tissues in this atmospheric tearjerker and wishing the last page was chapters and chapters away. I devoured it in one sitting… a masterful painter of words!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Beautiful… captivating and hopeful yet tragic and devastating. It hooks you from the very first page… putting it down is something you won’t be able to do… highly recommend.’ @toreadistobreathe, 5 stars
‘I need to dry my eyes now after reading this book… a deeply profound book that was deeply moving… one I will not forget.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
- Print length280 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJanuary 17, 2021
- Dimensions5.06 x 0.64 x 7.81 inches
- ISBN-101838886419
- ISBN-13978-1838886417
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Product details
- Publisher : Bookouture (January 17, 2021)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 280 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1838886419
- ISBN-13 : 978-1838886417
- Item Weight : 9.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.06 x 0.64 x 7.81 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #74,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #194 in Jewish Historical Fiction
- #573 in Military Historical Fiction
- #1,382 in War Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Carly is the USA Today bestseller of historical fiction novels The Ringmaster's Daughter, The Watchmaker of Dachau, The Rainbow and The Note.
She lives in a tiny cottage in Oxfordshire, with barely enough room to swing a cat. Yet, she has managed to dwell in such a hobbit-type abode for some years with her two dogs, who keep her company as she reads, writes, eats chips, and drinks the occasional gin.
Her interest in WWII history spans from a familial connection, and inspired her to complete a PhD regarding the author's responsibility to historical fiction. Whilst an achievement, she gained 20 lbs, and became a hermit.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
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Issac Schuller is a watchmaker who was grabbed by the gestapo as he was leaving his shop and was loaded into a cattle car and taken to Dachau. Issac was singled out to work at Senior Officer Becher's home first fixing the grandfather clock, then repairing the watches and jewelry stolen from the prisoners. He works in an old shed used by the gardener and soon discovers a loose floor board which leads to a journal of sorts written by someone with the initials J. A. L. Another prisoner, Anna, works as a domestic in the home of Becher and his sadistic wife, Liesl. The Bechers have a son, Friedrich, who had to return from boarding school and they find him a nuisance and are often mean to him. There are multiple narrators and a nonlinear timeline in this book but everything meshes together very nicely. This was a very sad read at times but also there was a lot of human kindness and compassion shown by the prisoners to one another.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this very sad but yet very compassionate book in exchange for an honest review.
pamarella
PRCS
Each chapter alternates between the primary characters in the storytelling and it’s done very well. Early on the character back stories are laid out but as soon as they all arrive at camp and more specifically the Commandant’s house, the interplay between Issac, Anna and Friedrich speed along seamlessly.
Altho’ Issac is the watchmaker, it's Friedrich, the 11 year old son of the Commandant, who shines in this story. His character is unusual as a lead to begin with and the amount of growth he experiences over the course of the story is something to cheer about. This is the kind of character I will remember for a long time.
The historical horrors of life in Dachau are presented by author, Carly Schabowsky, but not so descriptive as to make the book unreadable for sensitive folks. It’s a fine line to walk between truth and gratuitousness. She does a nice job showing how love, family and hope can remain even a tiny spark in darkness that was as great as Dachau.
A fine work of historical fiction that’s both informative and inspirational 📚
Top reviews from other countries



For me the key characters were beautifully constructed. Who could not have empathy for them in their suffering The feeling of cold in the winter was done in such an involving way and then the continuous hunger for the people in the Dachau concentration camp.
The author introduced a considerable number of turns along the way. As a reader one could not have known for a long time who the woman in the prologue was, and I am sure like me would come to the wrong conclusion .
The "bad " Germans were also built so well in my view particularly the vanity of the German boy's mother and her total lack of empathy for her son. The German father seemed to have a dual personality and then was heading for mental breakdown. At times he had almost near normal feelings and then so hate filled.
A very powerful as well as emotional read.


Greta was a character I loved, I could see her, the elderly aunt looking out for everyone, cooking and feeding the prisoners when she could, putting her own life at risk.
I feel I have to read these books to know what war can do to a man, woman and child. So sad and terrifying the crossover from human to inhuman.