The Curator's Daughter

by Melanie Dobson

Libby ebook & Scott County Library paperback 399 pages

Published: 2021

Genre: Christian historical fiction

I didn't finish reading this before book club discussion, but it was definitely worth finishing! This book travels between 1999 Idaho, WWII France and Germany, and modern day Washington DC. The main story travels between Sarah / Ember, Hanna, and Lilli . . . but they are very intertwined. The male characters have a lot of connections, too. I almost made a character map! The main themes are racial purity, archaeology, secret-keeping, and second chances.

Chapter 2 - "She had to keep her eyes on preserving the past, not trying to control the future." (Hanna)

Chapter 2 - "The female curse of tears, a swift current of them, threatened to flood across the banks, and she blinked back the surge before it ruined her." (Hanna)

Chapter 3 - "Parents often brought their kids to remember alongside them, and that, to Ember, was the greatest tribute of all. These children would learn, she prayed, and not repeat the horror, this knowledge defeating any hatred in their hearts." (Ember at the Holocaust Museum)

Chapter 4 - "Perhaps she wouldn't have been afraid of this lion if she'd realized it was offering her life." (Hanna getting a drink of water from the scary lion fountain. Made me think of C.S. Lewis' Aslan!)

Chapter 21 - "'. . . the more we can work together to expose and end this cycle of hatred.'  'I'm afraid it will never end, Ember. Not if people continue to turn their backs on the love of God for all of His creation.' . . . . 'Words will never penetrate a hardened heart,' she said. ' The persecution won't end until people are willing to humble themselves and love their neighbors.'" (Conversation between Ember and Mrs. Kiehl - aka Lilli.)

 

Chapter 36 - "'Hitler knew the power of art and entertainment.'" (Dr. Graf explaining the collection of stolen art to Ember.)

Chapter 38 - "If, by a miracle, Elsie was still alive, she prayed that her daughter had chosen to love instead of hate. That she had stood up against evil." (Ember)

Chapter 42 - "Courage like that, Ember thought, could change the world." (Ember)

Chapter 45 - "There were good and bad members of every people group." (Lilly)

Chapter 46 - "And she prayed for Elsie, if she was still alive, that she would know the true love of a father and it would wash away any hatred from her heart, capturing her soul." (Ember)

Chapter 46 - "Love, overwhelming, swallowed her as she sank back into the leaves, the center stump steady beneath her hands. Beloved." (Ember in the labyrinth.)

Chapter 49 - "The Nazi officers ultimately hung themselves with their own pride." (Nuremberg trials - video footage)

Chapter 49 - "How could anyone do these things to another person? Nothing could justify this evil." (Nuremberg trials - video footage)

Chapter 53 - "But in her weariness, in the depths of exhaustion and despair, God stepped into her sorrow. No matter what happened tonight, she was in His care." (Hanna)

Chapter 53 - "As she looked up at him, an unexpected peace settled in the cool air like snowflakes on her meadow back home." (Hanna)

Chapter 54 - "Ember's dissertation had been focused on the past, but her gaze was on the future now. On the importance, the simplicity, of looking someone of a different nationality, a different background, in the eye. Talking with instead of at them, hearing their story. Replacing an identity of hatred with one steeped in God's love." (Ember)

Author's Note - "History is circling back around one more time, and I can't ignore the revival of hatred around our world. Nor do I want to forget the hope of God's redemption and love for all. That a spirit of fear does not come from Him (2 Timothy 1:7)."

Typically, I write my thoughts on each of my "notes" from the text. But right now, I don't want to. My main takeaway is to love God and love others. I want to seek to understand and listen, especially when it's easier to argue or ignore.

One niggling irritation - would Ember's advisor actually let her work on a thesis when she doesn't even know the focus of it? She's "looking for" a heroic German who made a difference during WWII. What did she spend her time on researching and writing before she stumbled on Mrs. Kiehl's story?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I was super curious about the cave with the potential "Holy Grail" from the start of the book. This one was well-written and thought-provoking.