“A fascinating, heartrending page-turner that, like the real-life forgers who inspired the novel, should never be forgotten.” –Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday Inspired by an astonishing true story from World War II, a young woman with a talent for forgery helps hundreds of Jewish children flee the Nazis in this “sweeping and magnificent” (Fiona Davis, … “sweeping and magnificent” (Fiona Davis, bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue) historical novel from the #1 international bestselling author of The Winemaker’s Wife.
Eva Traube Abrams, a semi-retired librarian in Florida, is shelving books when her eyes lock on a photograph in the New York Times. She freezes; it’s an image of a book she hasn’t seen in more than sixty years–a book she recognizes as The Book of Lost Names.
The accompanying article discusses the looting of libraries by the Nazis across Europe during World War II–an experience Eva remembers well–and the search to reunite people with the texts taken from them so long ago. The book in the photograph, an eighteenth-century religious text thought to have been taken from France in the waning days of the war, is one of the most fascinating cases. Now housed in Berlin’s Zentral- und Landesbibliothek library, it appears to contain some sort of code, but researchers don’t know where it came from–or what the code means. Only Eva holds the answer, but does she have the strength to revisit old memories?
As a graduate student in 1942, Eva was forced to flee Paris and find refuge in a small mountain town in the Free Zone, where she began forging identity documents for Jewish children fleeing to neutral Switzerland. But erasing people comes with a price, and along with a mysterious, handsome forger named Rémy, Eva decides she must find a way to preserve the real names of the children who are too young to remember who they really are. The records they keep in The Book of Lost Names will become even more vital when the resistance cell they work for is betrayed and Rémy disappears.
An engaging and evocative novel reminiscent of The Lost Girls of Paris and The Alice Network, The Book of Lost Names is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of bravery and love in the face of evil.
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Eva Traube loved to read and thought books transport you into a magical world. She and her mother are Polish Jews fleeing Paris, France, 1942. Eva’s father is arrested and taken away during the night.
They discover a free zone up in the mountains in Aurignon, France. Little did Eva know, the blessed gift of her artistic skills would come to life as forgery. Mastering identity documents is an act of treason. The courageous towns’ people hid the children in their attics. While Eva created encrypted secret codes to disguise the children’s identity in a church missal.
After sixty years, Eva reads an article in the New York Times about her hidden missal. Now, she must return to Germany to claim the Lost Book of Names, and stays on to reveal the names. When she holds the missal in her hands, all her precious memories instantly flood her mind.
The author writes with such sensitivity, that it will move you to tears. An ending that left me in awe. This story will linger with you long after turning the last page.
I have been reading a lot of historical fiction set during World War II lately, and they are all starting to blur together for me, but then I read one that truly stands out and shines, and The Book of Lost Names is that story for me!
There are no words to describe how much I was blown away with this story. A hope when everything feels hopeless flows through the pages as Eve does her part to fight against the Nazi’s, using her talent to forge documents, and finds a unique and clever way to preserve the real names of the children that have escaped to Switzerland.
Courage in an unsure time, and faith in others in the Resistance, helps spur Eva’s efforts, and brings lifelong friends and an unexpected love. The relationship between Eva and Remy was a favorite part of this story for me, because without their combined intelligence and unique bond I don’t know if they would’ve been able to help how many people they did, and preserved a piece of history that I’ve never seen in any other story.
The suspense created just enough tension to keep me glued to the pages, wondering how everything would play out, especially with the children Eva interacted with. The ending was truly touching, and though I wish there would’ve been a few more details it was as best to be expected given the circumstances.
The Book of Lost Names is a beautifully written story that will stay with me for a long time, full of courage, bravery, and going above and beyond in one of the darkest times in our history.
*I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Gallery Books through NetGalley. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.
This was the beat book I have read in 2021. I don’t know really know what else to add to the reviews except it is a must read!!
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel is one of my favorite reads of this year. The story drew me in from the start and stays with long after the last page. Set during WWII and the forced occupation of France, the plot follows an 80’s something librarian as she retraces her life in the Resistance. Privy to a special book in which the names of Jewish children were written, she also left private notes for someone special. Needing answers to long ago questions, she flies to Paris—the result is a heroic story of those who fought for the persecuted, for freedom, for life. It is profoundly moving. I am so glad I read this book.
Beautiful, tragic, hopeful— how do I best describe The Lost Book of Names by Kristin Harmel? All of them apply to this fantastic book. I have to admit that I may have read too many historical fiction novels, particularly those set in World War II. I picked up this book and expected more of the same. However, I was completely unprepared for what I found in this book. Yes, there are some similarities to the other books in this genre. But what sets this book apart from the rest is its strong narrative voice that captures and keeps your interest throughout. It is masterfully plotted and the story moves along beautifully as a result. I highly recommend this book to readers of many genres. I think it has wider appeal than you might think. So good! I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.
I was completely enthralled while reading this book. Eva was a graduate student in Paris in 1942. Her and her Jewish mother are forced to flee Paris after the Nazis take her father prisoner. They find refuge in a small town, Free Zone. She starts forging documents for jewish children fleeing to Switzerland. Eva, along with another forger, decide they need a way to record the names of the children so they can be reunited with family down the road. This is when they come up with “‘The Book Of Lost Names”!
I was on the edge of my seat when reading this book. It was so well written and I loved so many of the characters. Yes, it was perhaps predictable, but the fact that it was based on a true story, I found it to be so Interesting. I loved it!
I listened to this as an audibook. The narrators were excellent. The story gave me insight into a sliver of history that I did not know about. It moving without being melodramatic.
This book was by turns tragic, hopeful, intriguing, and horrifying—as most books about The Holocaust are. Even though Ava, Remy, Erich and Pere Clement weren’t real people, they represent so many strong men and women who stood up to the German occupation and did what they could to make the world a better place. I was so glad to read their story, and those of the French Resistance and how they helped fight against the evil in the world. I received this book in a giveaway from the author and was under no obligation to write a review.
Things are not always as they seem. Loved the main character and learned about what life was like during the war.
“Because books bring us to another time and place.” This quote by a character in The Book of Lost Names is so true about historical fiction for me. And this book is a perfect reason why I appreciate and love historical fiction so much. Kristin Harmel has a gift of taking history and bringing it back to life through her realistic characters and vivid portrayal of historical events. I had no idea there were document forgers in the French Resistance during WWII. Ms. Harmel took me to another time and place in the pages of this book through the eyes of retired Eva Traube Abrams as a piece of her past reappears 65 years later. The Book of Lost Names. This is the story of Eva’s past as a document forger and the daughter of Jewish parents.
Ms. Harmel has written a novel that made me take a look at what happened in history through these pages. I became one with the characters living the horror and dread of what was unfolding during the invasion and the rounding up of a people just because of their religion. Living in fear as Eva and her mother flee Paris. The anxiety was palpable when the forged documents were scrutinized by the Germans. I felt the terror of never knowing when their cover could be compromised and exposed. The heartbreak of losing families and loved ones was excruciating. I joined Eva as she and her underground resistance put their lives on the line to protect the children and see them to safety. “I mean that I would rather die knowing I tried to do the right thing than live with knowing I had turned my back.” Their resolve in the face of these extreme circumstances was heroic. I felt I was experiencing these events because of Ms. Harmel’s incredible writing.
I will always appreciate how the author wrote this story to honor the spirit and determination of the Jewish and French people in unbelievable and horrific times. I love learning new things from history and this book has taken me to that place. I was especially touched by this passage…. “….But we aren’t defined by the names we carry or the religion we practice, or the nation whose flag flies over our heads. ….. We are defined by who we are in our hearts, who we choose to be on this earth.” I want to thank Ms. Harmel and Netgalley for the honor of reading this book! A five star read for me.
What a lovely book. This was an incredible look at the horrors of WWII and the people trying to save lives through providing new identities to those who needed to escape with their lives. Kristin Harmel did an exquisite job with the characters, making their struggles believable and pulling the reader into the story fully committed to these characters’ outcomes. I will definitely read more of her work and recommend this book.
What an interesting book! I’ve read so many books set in WWII but I believe this story to be unique. I found the first few chapters to be very intense. I had a sense something was coming and I just had to keep reading to find out what happened next. There were several parts of the book that were like this for me. I enjoyed the characters…such unique personalities that I loved in a few and couldn’t stand in the others. That makes it all the more life-like though. I appreciate the research Kristin Harmel has put into a book like this. The Author’s Note was so very interesting to me and I noted several books to read later about this WWII topic of forgery. This is the first book I’ve read of Harmel’s. I look forward to reading her others.
Well written story about a piece of WWII history I’d never heard.
I usually shy away from books about the war. I find they overwhelm me. This book is heartbreaking at times and yet it has wonderful moments of hope too. This book is so well written and the audio is wonderful. The narrator Madeleine Maby is amazing that I was drawn into the story at once. Kristin Harmel does a wonderful job of describing the life of Eva from the day her Jewish father is taken to the day more than 60 years later when she comes full circle. It is well-written historical novels that help to let future generations know what horrors the holocaust caused and how everyday people were true heroes, saving lives and giving hope when no hope seemed to exists. A book not to miss.
Masterful storytelling and perfect fantastic narrator for this novel. The faith journey was handled with a deft touch. My father was a WWII veteran and helped liberate France and was in Paris at the end of the war, (and helped liberate some of the concentrations camps) so I’ve always had an interest in WWII stories especially those with stories of helping save Jewish people from Hitler’s evil. Stories like this help us remember that these atrocities should never be repeated. Wonderful book and I highly recommend!
A 5 star read to start the year off with! There are many novels about the Resistance, but this is my favorite so far. It’s a hard topic, but author, Kristin Harmel writes in a way that that flows easily and keeps your interest. The way she describes the coding the main characters developed to preserve the names of Jewish children separated from their parents was very interesting. I also love how this story comes full circle – from 1944 to 2005. I highly recommend!!!
While reading The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel made me think of the movie “Casablanca” but with a better flavor of the French Resistance and the beneficial things they did to help Jewish children flee the Nazis during World War II. If not for the talents of those people, many more would have been caught, and possibly killed. This book grabbed me from page one, not letting go until I finished reading it later that day. I will warn you to keep a box of tissues nearby while reading this book. This is not just another survival story during the Holocaust but also a love story and a story of remembrance. It is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of bravery and love in the face of evil. I highly recommend this book to other readers.
The Book of Lost Names is a fabulously written novel set in WWII. The storyline is intriguing.
Lives up to the considerable hype! Harmel is firing on all cylinders here with perfect pacing, a great plot, wonderful inspiration from history, and exactly the right amount of present-day framing to make the past-set story really pop. Highly recommended!
I checked this book out of our library because I had heard so many good things about it. Well, let me tell you, the people that had talked about it did not do it justice. This is a remarkable book that tells us what happened to so many of the Jewish children who were saved during the Hitler time period. Today, it seems as if people are looking for the bad or the wrong in people but during this time they knew who the bad were and choose to do something about it. Kristin Harmel takes us into the lives of people who are very talented and could have moved on to Switzerland and never looked back but instead they put their lives on the line to help those who needed it.
Everyone that was risking their lives worked together through many denominations of churches and with a group of freedom fighters that would not give up easily. The book mainly takes us through a family Eve and her parents and what happens to their life when the occupations of WW2 happens. Eve becomes Eva and falls for a man named Remy and we watch as their love grows even during these turbulent times.
You will laugh, and most certainly cry when different situations arise and want to get to the end of the story to see what happens. Will you cry or be so happy you can’t stand it. Wait and see…………