The Book of Lost Names - Kristin Harmel

The Book of Lost Names

ByKristin Harmel

  • Release Date: 2020-07-21
  • Genre: Historical Fiction
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 2,771 Ratings

Description

“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, 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.

Reviews

  • Incredible book

    5
    By Penniemd
    Incredible book. My first book by Kristen Harmel and I am not disappointed. I could not put it down. This historical fiction brings to light the many lives saved through artistic talent, dedication and sacrifice. The characters and stories come to life, an emotional book. I am looking forward to reading more books from this author. Thank you for touching hearts.
  • Not her best

    3
    By Amigo73
    There are better novels by this author. There was a lot of slow-moving, repetitive filler, or stilted, unrealistic dialogue. This was a shame because it was a great premise. Everything, sadly, fell short of the mark.
  • Lost book of names

    5
    By Lolipop22222222220
    Absolutely loved!
  • You Can’t Put It Down!

    5
    By AimeeA1227
    An excellent story of bravery and hope that we all need to look for in this chaotic world! May we all be brave and yet also humble.
  • Very moving story

    5
    By KathyFRN
    Great read!
  • Beautiful Story

    5
    By Secret to death
    Love this story and could not put down!
  • Wonderful book! Hard to put down!

    5
    By mgklem
    Such a beautiful and heart wrenching story so well written! It is a must read! Many details from the war that just give a glimpse of the heroes and horrors that so many Jews experienced. Five star for sure!
  • Wonderful!

    5
    By RDismuke
    Wonderful story - I was fully immersed in every page!
  • 3/24

    4
    By Kurt's
    I had never really thought about France much in WWII or forgery. I enjoyed the characters and a happy ending.
  • Great book!

    5
    By JaxyCurt
    Great book! Good character development. Loved the story

About "The Book of Lost Names"

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