“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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Excellent. I loved it!!
Before reading the book, I had not given much thought to the treacherous and dangerous requirement of forging papers for persons needing to leave France during the war. Kristin Harmel does an excellent job in portraying her characters; weaving intrigue, romance, and some suspense in the story; and creating a sense of place where the events occur.
I loved the characters and the story. It all came alive! WWII is my favorite and The Book of Lost Names had everything I love in it!
Another riveting plot from Harmel. Suspense, action, history and a love story–could not put it down. Sheds light on the brave forgers who risked their lives to save countless Jews during WWII, also the millions of books the Nazis confiscated thinking they would be valuable, just as they had done with art. Complex characters and a brilliant story!
The Book of Lost Names is a historical novel that chronicles one Jewish woman’s experiences in France during World War II. The book begins with Eva, an elderly American librarian, seeing an article in the newspaper about books that were taken by the Nazis during the war. Eva recognizes the book in the article as hers and heads to Berlin to reconnect with her past and the book of lost names. On her journey, she reflects on all of the events that occurred during those harrowing war-time years and her role in the resistance.
The book switches between the present and 1940s France when Eva and her mother are forced to flee Paris. They end up in a remote Parisian town where Eva joins the resistance as a forger creating documents for orphaned Jewish children that are fleeing to Switzerland.
As they witness the atrocities of war, Eva’s mother makes a startling comment that changes Eva’s life forever. “They are erasing us, and we are helping them.” Eva, worried about their identities being erased, uses a book to secretly record the real names of the children.
This is a captivating look at how one woman changed the lives of hundreds of young people. Eva is a complex protagonist who joins the resistance, despite her mother’s protests, and puts her own life on the line to help others. In the midst of war and rebellion, Eva falls in love, deals with her mother’s disapproval (and often abusive ire), and realizes what is most important to her.
The love story is a slow-burning piece of happiness and lightness in the middle of chaos and tragedy. Eva and Remy have a deep and profound connection, and those feelings never fade. Other relationships in the story are fascinating as well, including Ava’s complicated relationship with her mother, the unique friendship with an old school friend, and the family-like relationships among the members of the resistance.
I also like that the book examines the different ways in which people deal with pain, tragedy, and loss. Eva is a fighter. She pushes back and refuses to sit passively, especially when the people she cares about are in danger. Eva’s mother falls prey to bitterness, anger, and despair. Others in the resistance, like Remy, Pere Clement, Genevieve, and Madame Noirot fight for the future, offer support and sanctuary and remain vigilant in their optimism and surety.
The powerful messages made in this book, not just about the war but about people, highlight universal themes. For example, Eva in the present is in her eighties and is very much underestimated. People disregard and discourage her because of her age. It is similar to her years in the resistance when she is underestimated because of her youth and gender. Messages about freedom, persecution, and the profound effect one’s actions have on others are other poignant messages throughout the story.
Though I generally liked the pacing of the novel, the ending felt a bit abrupt. There were some questions left unanswered in relation to the lost names, Remy, and Eva’s relationship with her son. I would have like to see more resolution and explanation in these instances. That being said, the ending was also emotional and moving. It was equally devastating and uplifting, and I didn’t want it to end. I wept copiously through the events of the last several chapters of the story. Though this was my first read by Kristin Harmel, it certainly won’t be my last!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early read in exchange for an honest review.
After a short break from reading historical fiction, this was the absolute perfect one to make me fall back in love with the genre. I could not put it down and I cannot say a single negative word about it. Harmel’s charaters always have a knack for staying with you but nothing like this group. This novel was absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking in the best way possible. I couldn’t recommend it more.
THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES by Kristin Harmel is a beautifully written novel with well-developed characters and an extensively researched subject that, when combined, will enchant you. Inspired by the heroics of a female forger in WWII, the talented Harmel weaves a tale that will stick in my heart and makes me want to learn more about the real-life people behind the story.
Told with a dual timeline, we meet Eva Traube, former graduate student and daughter of two Polish Jews who immigrated to Paris for a better life. When Germany occupies Paris, her father is arrested, and, thanks to arrangements he made, she and her mother are able to flee to the Free Zone, where she finds her purpose working with Rémy forging papers for Jewish children fleeing France. Determined to ensure the children don’t lose their identity completely, she and Rémy find a way to record the names in a code only they can read. As the two work together a friendship and more evolves.
I love watching Eva come into her own and grow as a person, despite her mother’s displeasure with her choices, and vocal distrust for those Eva works with. I hated watching how her Mother changed but could understand the reasons for the changes. I also love the way Rémy developed as a character. It was interesting to see the differences between Eva of present and Eva of the past and how much her family did not know about her past. The story touched my heart and I read the last quarter with tears in my eyes. There were a few twists and the ending was unexpected and very satisfying. THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES was, for me, a wonderful way to escape to a different time and place. One I got started I couldn’t put it down and flew through the pages. The only time I was disappointed was when I read the last word.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
#thebookoflostnames #kristinharmel #gallerybooks
Wow!!! What a book! It gives me all the feels. I love historical fiction taking place during WWII and have read many fiction and non-fiction books regarding this subject. Kristin Harmel’s research and dedication are reflected in this book. She is one of my favorite authors so I was excited, but a little anxious, to see if she could, yet again, write another best seller. Guess what? She did!! Doing it among many good authors writing about this time period.
The first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful book cover! Then, after reading just a few pages, I was fully captured by The Book of Lost Names.
Eva, a captivating main character is an experienced librarian. As all librarians do, Eva was shelving books one day at work when she came across a book titled The Book of Lost Names, a book she had not seen in 65 years. The book contains secret code and Eva is the only one that understands it.
Eva, Remy and Pere tell the story of the lives they have saved during WWII. They are everyday ordinary heroes during a dark time and wanted to make sure that others weren’t forgotten or abolished from history. Their names are forever captured in The book is finished.
A BIG thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this magnificent ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#netgalley #thebookoflostnames
I had vowed I wasn’t reading any more WWII books, but I’m so glad I relented and read “The Book of Lost Names.” This is a wonderful book about those who worked as identity forgers in France during the war, primarily to get innocent Jewish children to safety in Switzerland. Thank you to the Facebook group Friends & Fiction for introducing me to this wonderful Florida author, Kristin Harmel.
The Book of Lost Names I just got done listening to was so so Good! I really loved this audiobook! It is the best historical fiction that I have ever read or listened to. You MUST read or listen to it. For the last 4 hours of the book I could not stop listening to it. I had to listen until the end before I could take a break. It is the first book that I have read or listened to by Kristin Harmel. She is so talented! I will definitely be listening to all her other books. The narrator Madeleine Maby did a awesome job too. This is a Must read! You won’t be disappointed.
I could not put this book down. It showed a piece of WWII history that you don’t often hear about. This was well researched even as a work of fiction and was enlightening.
I will start by saying I can’t recommend this enough. My husband and I read it as an audiobook and found ourselves finding reasons to invent random roadtrips so we could continue reading. The narration is very good and the story is compelling about a time in history that is such a popular genre to write about right now. But this is not just any ordinary WWII story. Author Kristin Harmel has focused on a more obscure part of that history, one that isn’t written about much. Specifically, she has created a story based on the talented forgers who crafted official documents for the French Resistance who evacuated Jewish children left homeless when their parents were taken to concentration camps. Eva fell into this profession by accident. She’s a young, but talented, artist, and her skills are needed. Pulling no punches, this story brings you in immediately and keeps you hooked with each intense twist and turn. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, there’s another bend in the road, and what you thought you knew vaporizes. This tale is based on a real events, and it’s well-researched. Do yourself a favor and settle in with this book. You will care about the characters, you will become invested, and you definitely won’t be sorry.
A unique way to show good hearted people trying to save Jews and resistance fighters. Forging documents undoubtedly saved many lives. Hiding true identities in code within a religious tome is ingenious.
After Tatus is taken by the Germans, Eva will do whatever she can to save mamusia and herself. Her talents are discovered by the underground and she is quickly recruited to forge documents to help others to get to the safety of Switzerland. She thinks to record names secretly to preserve identities. The people of Aurignon are primarily good. They band together to use each person’s strengths or talents to help save others. In that, a little light shines amongst the darkness of such awful days.
This book is moving. At times, hope is present. At others, heartbreak reigns. All historical fiction books about WWII are tragic. However, The Book of Lost Names mixes in the joy of saving others. The two emotions mix and swirl to make this novel feel special amongst this genre.
I received an ARC from Gallery Books through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.
The Book of Lost Names tells the story of Eva, who becomes a forger for the French Resistance, helping children escape to Switzerland by changing their identities. This is a beautifully written story of resilience and bravery in an extremely difficult time.
One quote that resonated with me and seems especially poignant at this time…”It was a reminder that it didn’t matter where someone had come from; virtue could live within everyone.”
If you enjoyed this book, I would also recommend The Last Train to London by Meg Waite Clayton. While the stories are completely different they both focus on strong, brave women during WWII.
Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy; all opinions are my own.
Absolutely loved this book!
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel is a poignant, yet realistic Holocaust story primarily involving two forgers, Eva and Remy but with a strong cast of accomplices. It revolves around a Catholic church in a small mountain town in the free zone of France, Avignon. One of the many activities of this cell of the resistance is to smuggle children across the border to neutral Switzerland. Some are meeting their families there, most are now orphans looking for a new life. In order to succeed, they need new papers, with news names. Eva and Remy, and later, Genevieve provided these papers. Remy often was one of the adults who crossed the border with the children, pretending to be a parent. Until the last trip, when Eva went, too. But instead of crossing into Switzerland per her instructions, she came back into France with Remy and was able to spend one night with him before he returned to his other duties. She discovered the cell in her town, which included nearly everyone she knew had been arrested. There was a traitor amongst them. They didn’t know who. The arrests included her mother, who she later discovered had been shot, regaling the shooter with the information that her daughter was a hero for all she had done.
This is a lovely story told in two parts: the early 1940s and 2005, which Harmel did masterfully, giving the reader the entire story, past and present. Her character of Eva, a young, and then older, Jewish woman from Paris was beautifully written so the reader empathizes with her very move. The peripheral characters will portrayed well enough to play their parts, especially including Eva’s parents. The priest, Pere Clement, embodied all the ideal traits a priest should have. This was a beautiful story, as happy a story as an Holocaust novel can be, given the topic. There were heroes … meet some of them. I recommend it.
I was invited to read a free ARC of The Book of Lost Names by Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thebookoflostnames
Wow!!!! is the word for The Book of Lost Names. I feel so blessed to have won the ARC from Kristin Harmel
as a giveaway. Kristin is a wonderful story teller in every sense. I couldn’t put the book down once I started reading and didn’t want it to end. The author has done a tremendous amount of research to tell us a story about Eva Traube who was a forger and helped hundreds of Jewish children move to neutral Switzerland while forging their real identities. She along with Remy another forger find a way to preserve the names of the children in hopes they would be found by their families once the war was over. The story is full of human emotions like compassion, love, hope and despair which are very relatable. I had tears in my eyes when the book ended. I came out truly educated about historical facts of World War II which I had not heard about before. Thank you Kristin Harmel for ARC which I absolutely devoured. I cant wait to read other books by you.
Haunting Story of The Unsung Heroes of WWII
This novel is a tear-jerker. While it is fiction, it is based on the historical truth about the French Resistance smuggling out Jewish children and saving their lives in WWII. The characters in the story are based on the many heroes of WWII. For all of the atrocities of the war, there were everyday folks trying to make a difference by saving lives. I hope that the loss of live and innocence is never forgotten. This book is very well done. No one is made bigger than life which just goes to show the difference that regular people can make. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
Was Eva seeing correctly? Did this newspaper article actually show the book she had used during the war to put children’s names in that they had to change to protect their identity?
Eva had to go to Berlin immediately to claim it.
We now move from present day to 1942 where Eva and her Mother escape from Paris with documents she forged the morning after her father was arrested and taken to a prison camp.
Eva and her mother travel to Aurignon, France, on the advice of a friend where they found lodging and an observant owner that realizes their papers aren’t real.
That turned out well, though, because the owner was part of the French Resistance. Eva was asked to help forge travel documents and birth certificates for Jewish children.
Eva didn’t want to allow the children to be lost forever to their real names so she and Rémy invented a code that would keep the children anonymous but be able to know their real names some day.
The code they used was brilliant, and Eva saved many children.
Now that it is 65 years later she hopes to help find the children and let them know their real names.
THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES is another impressive Kristin Harmel gem.
It will grab your heart and pull you in.
Words cannot express the beauty of this book.
All I can say is you must read this book to appreciate it. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Eva’s father is taken one night by the Nazis. Eva and her mother were spared because they were helping out a neighbor. They flee Paris and Eva, by chance, begins a life as a forger to help young Jewish children escape the Nazis.
This is a great story based on a real person. Eva is a strong woman during this terrible time period. She is determined to preserve all the real names of the children. Eva has to change the real names to fake ones and she understands when the war is over, someone will be looking for them.
This story did move a little slow for me, especially in the middle. But, I enjoyed the premise of preserving the names of all the children which were saved. And to know people risked their lives to see that happen is a great joy during this time of war. Kristin Harmel did a great job with the history and the intensity surrounding this tale. Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.