I love historical fiction ,especially WWII. The Book of Lost Names was lovely, and the history of coding and forging was clearly well researched and fascinating to read about.

Eva's relationship with her mother was probably my favorite part of the story. Her mother's pain at losing her identity is clear, and I've rarely read something from that perspective before, which made me appreciate it even more.

I love historical fiction and this is one of the best I have read in a long time, perfect for and world war II readers

Kristin Harmel is one of my favorite authors--I always love her books, and they give me all the feels. This book was no exception. Beautifully written, and I got lost in the story right from the first chapter. This book is a must not only for those who love WW2 historical fiction, but for book lovers as well. This is an emotional, beautiful, thought provoking book right up until the last page. I could not stop reading this book and had to know what happened. The book does switch between the WW2 time frame and 1995-both Eva's perspectives. This format can frustrate me sometimes, but in this case it was perfectly done and was necessary in the story. This is a fantastic book that is absolutely one of my favorites of the year!

"Once you've fallen in love with books, their presence can make you feel at home anywhere, even in places where you shouldn't belong."

Eva Traube, a Jewish forger in WWII, used the Fibonacci sequence to code the names of Jewish children so that they wouldn’t be forgotten. Years later, The Book of Lost Names is found in Berlin, and no one can understand the code.

Kristin Harmel is one of my favorite authors and has written such a memorable story so different from the ones I have read of hers before. It is a historical romance fiction. The story is about Eva whose family is Jewish and they have to leave Paris because the Germans were coming in and taking the Jews hostage. Eva and her mother luckily happened to be at a neighbors' house the night the Germans came in and took her father into hostage. Fearing for their safety, Eva created fake documents allowing her and her mother to escape to another city in order to get to Switzerland. Eva ends up helping out in this town to create fake documents for kids who are without their families and to be able to access getting across safely to Switzerland. Eva meets this man who she works side by side for many years named Remy and the two get close and fall in love. Remy ends up going out in the field to help in the underground and he and Eva lose contact with each other. The writing is amazing, and real; I could feel what the main character had to go though in this dark period in history, the horrible feeling of not belonging and hiding is so believable. Very well written, and engaging, moved smoothly and kept me intrigued. I highly recommend it to others.
I appreciate the opportunity to review this advance copy received by NetGalley.

A powerful novel of sacrifice and determination to help others through WWII. I greatly enjoyed the characters in this book -- full of strong qualities. There were many good and unexpected twists in the characters.

4.5 stars

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel has the classic historical fiction trope of a past and present timeline. In 1942, Eva Traube flees Paris as she is a Polish Jew and finds refuge in a free zone. In the present, Eva sees in the newspaper that her treasured book of lost names has been found amongst other books looted by the Nazis. I loved this historical fiction because it contained enough uplifting aspects to balance out the tragedy. I would love a sequel concerning more of the information within the book of lost names and how that might play out in the present day.

I adored this book! Kristin Harmel is on my very short list of go-to authors. I was swept up in this story about a brave Jewish girl doing her best to do the right thing. I felt her fear, her heartache, her loss and her happiness. I always enjoy books by this author.

Set as a frame story, we begin with Eva Traube Abrams, who comes across a photograph in a magazine while working in the library of a book she hasn’t seen for sixty-five years. The book in the photo, now housed in Berlin, baffles researchers not because of the printed text, but because of the hand-written code within. The religious text was believed to have been taken from France during World War II by Nazis, and the researchers are reaching out to find any leads to crack this mystery code.

Flash back to 1942, Eva is a graduate student in Paris who is forced to flee to the Free Zone because of her father’s Jewish heritage. In a small mountain town in the north near Switzerland, Eva discovers she has a knack for forgery, and creates hundreds of false identity papers for Jewish families fleeing persecution. With the help of a handsome forger named Remy, Eva creates The Book of Lost Names, which is actually a book within a book of code naming all of the families she forges papers for and their true identities.

This book really resonated with me long after I finished reading it, and to find out it was based on a true story made it all the more extraordinary. It is truly a tale of good standing up in the face of evil. I highly recommend reading this one!

A powerful true story that tells the story of a young woman who helped to escape Jewish children from the evil hands of the Nazis. She is a master forger and is brave in undertaking a labor of love and sacrifice during turbulent times. A must read.

I binged this book in one day! It was such a heart wrenching read. Eva's life is turned upside when the Nazi's in France start taking members of the Jewish community. After her father is taken she is forced to flee with her mother and ends up in a place she might be able to help others. As she learns that her art skills could help create forged documents she stays to assist. This choice causes a long line of consequences: strained relationships, new relationships, and reunited relationships. Remy is who Eva learns to work with as they create the documents for the children. As they learn to work together they learn that these children need a way to remember who they were: hence the creation of the book of lost names, a way to safely keep track of who the children become. As the Nazi's close in their operation becomes increasingly unsafe until they must disband, all making choices that impact the future.

This read tore me apart but gave me hope. The Book of Lost Names demonstrates the horror of WWII France and what the Jewish population unfortunately faced but it also showed that there were people to fight, people who put others first, and people who were not ready to give up.

After the Nazis raid their Paris apartment and arrest her father, Eva forges identity papers for herself and her mother and flee to the free zone and on to Switzerland. But in a small town in the free zone, her papers are recognized as forgeries by a group that need her help. They produce false documents to help hundreds of Jews escape, many of them children. Eva, feeling heartbroken that these children won't remember their own names or heritage, creates a code in a religious text linking the children's forged identities to their real names. After the war ends, Eva discovers that the book has been confiscated by the Germans. Then in 2005, Eva now in her 80s, sees an article about lost books and recognizes her book of lost names. Desperate to recover the book, she travels to Germany, hoping to discover a message from the love of her life who disappeared in the war.
Inspired by a true story of forgers during the war, this book was informative and fascinating. Highly recommended for anyone that enjoys historical fiction of WWII.
Thank you to Kristin Harmel and Gallery books for the opportunity to read this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Harmel has added another excellent book to the list of recent titles that showcase the role of women in WWII. Like The Nightingale, Code Name Helene, and The Alice Network, this centers on how women helped in the resistance efforts to defeat the Germans and save innocent lives.

The story takes place in France and centers on Eva, a young grad student with artistic talent who works in a library in Paris. When she needs to have her and her mother’s Jewish identity papers changed, it falls upon her to forge their own documents. This leads to her helping hundreds of people, predominately children, get forged documents to help them escape to Switzerland.

The book is based upon real events, though the characters are fictional. As Ava works with Remy, a young man from the resistance, she decides it’s important to track the birth names of the children who are given fake identities. A secret code that relies on the mathematical Fibonnaci Sequence, is inserted into a religious book’s text to document the names so that children might someday reclaim their heritage. This book was confiscated by the Germans and after being missing for over half a century, resurfaces in Germany. When the elderly Ava reads a news account searching for the owner of the looted book, she knows it’s her book that contains the key to the lost names of the Jewish children who fled France during the war. She immediately sets off for Germany from her home in from America to retrieve the book and share the secret of the code.

Little known stories like Ava’s are part of the rich history of the resistance, and especially the role of women. The events in the book are based upon the stories of real forgers, though the characters and the particulars are fictional. Similar to the novel, there are people today seeking to reunite owners with books stolen by the Germans. Authors like Harmel use the details of historic events to weave a rich tale that enlightens as well as entertains. This is another engaging book to add to the list of outstanding historical fiction.

Reading the description of this book reminded me of Irena's Children. This story for me, all Holocaust stories in general, is always heartbreaking and heavy. Knowing what these people had gone through especially children. The book is very well-written. It gives you an insight into what happened in WWII in France.
#NetGalley #TheBookofLostNames

This eBook was provided by Gallery Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting and well-written World War II novel about a young French Jewish woman who becomes involved with the resistance, forging identity papers to help Jewish children escape from Occupied France. Definitely worth reading for anyone who likes World War II fiction.

Well written and descriptive. The author caught the mood of the era very well. Great character development. An interesting and engaging story.

This is a perfect blend of modern and period piece. I absolutely adored this book. Wonderfully written. So well researched. Such deep characters that I felt every emotion for. Yes, yes yes.

Book of Lost Names by Kristen Harmel

Brief Summary:

Highlights: Eva, a librarian comes across an article that chills her blood. A book that survived the Nazi looting of libraries has resurfaced and seems to contain a code that researchers can’t crack. Eva hasn’t seen the book since her days as a forger during the War. When she and Remy worked long hours to forger papers for hundreds of Jewish children and secretly coded their names so their identities wouldn’t be lost; until the day their resistance cell was compromised and he disappeared. This is my third book by Kristen Harmel. I requested it and was thrilled to read it because she is one of my favorite authors.

I had incredibly high expectations and she exceeded them! This book compares to the Nightingale, the Lost Girls of Paris and the Things We Cannot Say! I absolutely loved learning about how the forgers worked and the stories of the children tugged at my heart strings. This was also a heartwarming read for an art lover. I was absolutely glued to this book and finished it in 24 hours. I could barely tear myself away.

Explanation of Rating: 5/5; I would give this five plus stars if I could

Favorite Quotes: I’m frightened. I am too, but the greatest deeds in life require us to rise above our fear.

The idea of a German ally was still taking some getting use too. It was a reminder that it didn’t matter where someone had come from, virtue could live within everyone.

Once you have fallen in love with books, their presence can make you feel at home anywhere; even in places you shouldn’t belong.

This is a must read for WWII historical fiction enthusiasts. Please please please give us a movie.

Thank you to Net Galley and Gallery Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I already bought a copy of this book for my personal library to support the author!

Kristin Harmel is THE author to read if you are interested in WWII historical fiction stories. I loved reading her latest hit and will be recommending this book to all of my friends.

I started this book last night and finished it today! What an exciting read! I actually didn't want it to end. I haven't read anything else by this author but I will definitely watch for more books by her. She has a unique way of writing. I felt like I was in the story. So much about history is in this book, When I was reading it I was reminded of Kristin Hannah's book, so I recommend it for fans of Nightingale. A true feel-good book! I love love loved the ending! You are never to old to find your one true love.