I have read a few historical fiction books before, but The Book of Lost Names has made me a fan. Kristin Harmel is a master in this genre. The way she makes you feel like you are experiencing that exact time period is remarkable. She does not just write fiction and put a random year from a long time ago; she has put in the time and effort to do the research of this time period and that is what makes an excellent historical fiction author.
The descriptions of the characters from their physical exhaustion to their emotional trials in this book are phenomenal - it is like you are experiencing them yourself. There are so many layers to this novel - love, sacrifice, trust, friendship, self-discovery - and it’s not just another WWII novel or another book about Jews escaping during the war. Yes, the novel revolves around the war, but the setting is not the main character in this book. The Book of Lost Names is more about the human experience and what is learned when all you have every known is gone in an instant and what your true self is when sacrifice and need is warranted. Definitely a 5⭐️ book for me and I highly recommend it.

I am often drawn to historical fiction weaved around events of World War II and The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel drew me in by the title. The tale we are treated to was unputdownable as we learn the tale of the young woman who helped hundreds flee the Nazis.

Full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer on July 21st. Link provided.

I loved this story. I learned something new about WW2 and the forgery of documents. I really felt like I knew the characters. My heart broke for Eva. I love how the story started in 2005 and we learned about Eva's history. I know this is an adult book, but I think high school students would enjoy it. It was fast paced and I couldn't put it down. But, I was sad for it to be over. I highly recommend this book . I can't wait to read others by this author.

First let me give thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Kristin Harmel for the ARC.

It has been a while since a book took me on such a journey. I couldn’t put this book down and read it straight through. It will stay with me for a very long time.

The Book of Lost Names reminds us that we must ever forget! The book centers around the forgeries of personal documentation to save countless number of Jews during WWII. Even though it is historical fiction, the basis of the story comes from real life forgers. I do not want to give away anything in this review. I experienced anger, joy, heartbreak and love while reading this beautifully written book. You will want to read this book!

Thank you to Kristin Harmel, Simon and Schuster Publishing, and NetGalley for providing this ARC Digital Download for review. The Book of Lost Names is a highly anticipated book to be published July 2020. If you enjoy WWII historical fiction and enjoyed “The Nightingale” (Kristin Hannah) you absolutely must put this book on your 2020 must read -TBR list. The focus of this book is on the resistance, the forgery documents, and the children who were saved by so many. Great read!

Here is another great Historical Fiction book. Characters and events drew me in. Kristin did a great job.

This is a moving story of historical fiction which takes place during the Nazi occupation of France. Kristen Harmel has written an intriguing story based on true events which follows the life of a young Jewish woman who becomes a forger of documents to aid Jewish children escaping the Nazis. I enjoyed this story which touches on friendship, love, memories, survival and loss. The novel would be appreciated by readers who enjoyed The Nightingale or The Alice Network.

Heartbreaking but a wonderful read. I knew very little if anything regarding forgers in WW II. This was an eye opening book and we’ll written. Lots of research went into this book and the story will grab your heart

Amazing book, I could not put it down! In 2005, 80 year old librarian Eva come as across an article about books stolen by the Nazis during WW11. In the accompanying picture Eva sees a book that she thought was lost decades ago. As she heads to Germany to retrieve the book, we are transported to the 1940s where a young Eva watches the Nazis arrest her Polish born Jewish father.. She escapes to small town in the free zone of France. , where she uses her artistic gifts to help Jewish children escape the Nazis.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this beautiful story.

I am a huge fan of historical fiction, especially WWII fiction, but there is a LOT of it out there and some of it starts to run together after a while. The Book of Lost Names is unique though even in a fairly saturated market. This is not a book I will forget anytime soon. I read the majority in one evening because once I really got going with it, I could NOT put it down - and now I'm writing this review with tears streaming down my face.

Some books in this genre have a tendency to get bogged down in the historical details to the detriment of everything else. That was not the case with The Book of Lost Names. The storytelling was incredible, the topic was new to me, (in all the WWII fiction I've read, this is the first I've read of the forgers and their contributions to the war effort) and the author did a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life.

This book is one of the best novels I have read about WWII and the treatment of the Jewish population. It showed how the Jewish fought the Germans back in a little town in France. People in the Resistance provided help to thousands of children in their escape to Switzerland. The characters showed their bravery, and even going against families wishes to protect lives. Even though I have read many books of this genre, I found this book so interesting and I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next.

Being a big fan of this author I was excited to read her newest book. In this story The main character Eva lives in Paris with her parents during World War 2. When her father is taken by the Nazi’s one night she escapes with her mom heading towards Switzerland. While stopping for the night Eva becomes involved with the resistance and becomes an expert at forgery, helping Jewish children escape France. Not wanting the children to lose their true identities her and her partner, Remy, write all the children’s names in code in a book so when the war was over they can hopefully reconnect with their families. This book was filled with love, bravery and the tale of how men and women risked their life’s forging documents to try to save all that they could. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves
Historical fiction.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this amazing book in advance.

I am exhausted from reading books set around World War II. The books seem to be everywhere and the story line is always so sad. So, I was very hesitant to read The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel. It received good reviews so, I was curious. I am very glad I read it! The detailed character development captured me right away. Yes, the story is set around the struggles of war but I felt Harmel focused more on the characters building loyalty, courage, and love for mankind rather than the horrible situations of World War II.

The story moves between 2005 and World War II but the majority of the novel is set in the 1904s. In 2005, we meet Eva, a semi-retired librarian in Florida. One day she sees a paragraph in a magazine about a book that she has not seen in sixty-five years - The Book of Lost Names. The article is about the looting of libraries by the Nazis across Europe and the search to reunite people with the books taken from them long ago. The book Eva recognizes is an 18th century religious text thought to have been stolen from France. Eva feels the immediate need to travel to Berlin to see the book. It has intrigued researchers with a complex code on the pages but no one knows what the meaning, except Eva.

In 1942, we meet Eva as she and her mother are forced to leave Paris after her father, a Jewish man from Poland, is arrested. They travel to the mountains. Eva’s talent of forging documents is discovered by leaders of an underground movement. She is recruited to forge paperwork for Jewish children fleeing to neutral Switzerland. In hopes that the Jewish children will be reunited with their families after the war, Eva creates a code in the book connect the original names with the new names on false documents. Eva works tirelessly to create many, many documents for the children. There is a touching scene when she meets some the children. After this, her commitment deepens.

Eva’s trust in others is evident throughout the book. As the story continues, she begins to face challenges that threaten her ability to trust anyone.

An excellent story — thank you NetGalley for sharing.

Action filled from the start without sacrificing character development. There was just the right amount of intrigue and romance. The characters are all well written, interesting, and distinct. I was fully invested in their lives wondering what was going to happen next. The story follows Eva a Jewish woman and her mother living in Paris trying to escape being arrested by the Nazis during WWII. Partly because of her talent as an artist and partly because of her love of books Eva falls into working as forger for the resistance. This book focuses on forgers during WWII and how Eva tries to preserve the real names of children too young to remember for themselves. Often with historical fiction that focuses on specific aspects of history the story can feel off balance. There is either too much emphasis on the history and the characters are weak or the history is a mere backdrop for a love story. This felt perfectly balanced, the time, the cause, the characters were all important. Also, I have to say that ending is a tearjerker but amazing. The only thing I would have like a little more of was modern day Eva but over I thoroughly enjoyed this book

This is a story of the Jewish and French resistance in the south of France during World War II. Some might complain the story is too simply and too predictable; however, this tragic story is beautifully told. The protagonist desire that no child's name be erased is inspiring. The context of the story, that of a librarian, remembering back to her youth is very well crafted.

I flew through this book in two days. I enjoyed the view of WWII through a forger's eyes. There was a sliver of a love story woven through the book, but it did not overtake the whole story. This book gave a glimpse into life for a forger during WWII in Southern France. I would recommend to family and friends.

Thank you to Galley Books and Kristin Harmel for this wonderful read. Only recently have we begun to be exposed to the many women who did their part to fight Nazism during WWII - The Book of Lost Names gives a voice to some of these fighters. Through Eva we see first hand how anyone can do their part - it’s only a matter of how much you’re willing to risk - family, security, and even true love. The part Eva played can be measured in the 100s of lives she saved and the future generations that exist because of her efforts. Mazal Tov Ms. Harmel on a brilliant book.

Move over Kristin Hannah and make way for Kristin Harmel. I’ve read three of Kristin Harmel’s books and, like the others, I absolutely loved her newest novel, The Book of Lost Names. It reminded me a lot of The Nightingale, one of my favorite books and was reminiscent of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. The Book of Lost Names is chock-full of suspense, romance and treachery. Set in Paris and a small fictional town in Vichy, France, Harmel delivers a fascinating slice of little-known WW II history—the story of Nazi looted books and document forgers whose courageous, but dangerous, work helped save the lives of thousands of children. This page-turner is full of plot twists and it features what might be my new favorite ending of all times. In addition to a well-written, well-researched, compelling story and a formidable cast of characters, the love of books, reading and libraries is a shining theme that pervades the novel.
Marilyn Baron, Immediate past chair Roswell Reads, One City-One Read Program

This is what you want historical fiction to be! Perfectly captures Eva's depth of humanity and hopes as an uncertain world evolves around here, guiding her steps. I was so moved at many points, I had to put the book down. In a good way. Settings came alive, character interactions left me breathless, and I came away with a sense of knowing this character, having hope, knowing that it all can come together. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this gem for review. I will read more of Harmel's works, for sure.

Received this book from Net Gallery and by almeans,this was a fantastic read! I learn more and more ever time I read history and this is a very well researched and written book about this certain time in history. During WWII, has a had to be changed to protect people and children,but kept a book on their real names.One woman with help did this but she tells her story of why,what and who of why this book was made,where it is. Listen to her fantastic story of what was done to change people's lives. This was very well researched and you can tell with the wonderful flow of her writing and story! Pay attention as you read,but it's outlined so beautifully! I will be reading more of Kristin Harmel stories. Enjoy and hold on to soon tissues!