I absolutely loved this work of historical fiction by Kristin Harmel. The Book of Lost Names is set in WWII France. The storyline follows a secret group forging new identity papers for Jewish children being hidden in small towns in Vichy France. The children are then smuggled to safety in Switzerland. The characters are believable and relatable. I couldn't put this book down, as I was completely drawn in to the story. Though I knew that many children had been hidden and smuggled to safety during WWII, I never gave much thought as to the complexities involving identity documents. The Book of Lost Names is a gripping tale that I highly recommend..

This book was sweeping and so beautifully written. The storyline made for lovely and attention-grabbing historical fiction that was clearly well-researched. Prepare to be SWEPT. UP!

Your place in history. A question that haunts or resets every day. For a character like Eva history takes you captive and even in retirement never lets you go. What I loved about this historical novel is the fact that her place in history survived decades of her own life moving forward. History can make us present , or leave us in its wake. Eva reaches deep to give history its due. A beautiful story of a time when humans were tested in ways many did not survive. I’m glad to have learned of this page in history and a woman who was part of it. Happy reading

The fiction world has been bombarded with WWII-era fiction, and I've read dozens of them. Kristin Harmel has written 5 of them herself. I often wonder if every story has been told. But as more and more research is done, as families finally delve into what happened to their grandparents and great grandparents during that time, I suspect even more ideas for stories will rise from those nuggets of truth discovered. The spark of inspiration for THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES came from the true stories of people who worked as forgers of documents in France so that endangered children and families (Jewish) could make it to neutral Switzerland. Harmel added in the concept that someone would be compelled to save a record of the children's real names, using a code that would likely never be discovered. The Jewish Traube family knew life was changing in occupied Paris, but they did not heed the early warnings that their lives were in danger. It was a mere babysitting favor for a neighbor that saved Eva and her mother from being rounded up the night her father was. A plan to gain assistance in fleeing failed and Eva found herself having to forge documents and new identities for the two. Miraculously, the documents pass muster as mother and daughter travel to Aurignon where Eva soon finds herself using her artistic talents to help others flee the Nazis. The book is built around a dual time line -- in 2005, Eva, an elderly Floridian librarian reads that a library in Germany is trying to return Nazi stolen books back to their rightful owners and she happens upon a photograph of the centuries old book of worship she had used to record children's true names. While she is traveling ot Germany to lay claim to the book, her WWII story is told. The two stories meld well, and readers will easily get caught up in the danger and romance of Eva's new life in Aurignon, including a painful conflict with her emotionally broken mother. I love that forgery methods in the book are based on actual methods discovered and used during the war. One tiny detail that sticks out to me is that the documents once printed were folded and refolded numerous times to instantly age them and make them appear to have been carried around for months or even years. I highly recommend THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES for those who like WWII fiction. Set aside a chunk of time to read because once you start, you will want to read to the end. I received an advanced reader's copy for this novel from Netgalley. All opinions are mine.

Wow! This was amazing. The story, the characters, the emotions. Beautifully written. It was hard to put this down.
I read many novels set in WWII and it always amazes me how many stories exist. Based on real individuals and history.

I was able to read this through a Net Galley advance digital copy. Even though I have read many WWII era books (hasn't everyone by now?) I did find the subject matter of this one - forgery - to be very interesting. The writing was well done and the characters were developed quite well. I struggled a bit with the length and with it being a digital copy which not my usual reading medium. The last quarter of the book raced by though and I could not put it down which is a testament to the quality of the writing - I love a strong ending. I think there were parts that were predictable but it did not get in the way of the story and I was willing to "overlook" this because of the historical research that was apparent. I also found the author's notes at the end to add significantly to the appeal of the story; it was clever and emotional. I would have rated it a 3.5 if I could but with the strong finish decided to give it that extra boost.

“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.”
Kristin Harmel

Reading in this pandemic has changed me. I see so much as I turn the pages, so much can bring me comfort. This book was one of those. Eva’s story brought me so much comfort. I left this crazy space in time to visit another crazy space in time and I walked away feeling like I can do this another day. If Eva can do it, so can I right?!?

Let’s talk about this Historical Fiction shall we? I loved it, I really loved it. Kristin was so well researched. I just loved learning about this aspect of WWII, that I was not aware of. You know what this novel reminded me of? You know that Mr. Rogers quote... “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” This novel reminded me of this quote. Like a big hug.

I don’t want you to go in this novel lightly. It broke my heart. It truly did and there were some unlikeable characters. Eva’s mother was very distracting to me. But if I am being fair...I think it was a very accurate portrayal. Let’s be honest. We all had that one friend, with that mother that made you cringe. I was absolutely in love with Eva & Remy’s story though. It was well done and really enhanced the story.

When it is all said and done this is a great historical fiction read. I will highly recommend it.

I love Kristin Harmel and I loved this book. Also- I cried.

Thank you so much to Gallery Books, NetGalley and Edelweiss for my advanced copies. I requested from both places because I have no chill and this was one of my most anticipated books of the year.

This book did not disappoint.

What I loved-

The Dual Timeline- I am a sucker for a dual timeline. This book flips back and forth between 2005 and wartime France. (WWII-1940's)

The Story- I love me a WWII Novel. There are just so many stories to be told. I am fascinated and will never be tired of reading this sub-genre. The Book of Lost Names is based on a true story and is one very unique to anything I had read.

The Writing- Kristin Harmel continues to write books that I cannot put down. Her books are always beautifully written and easy to follow.

The Characters- most were likeable. Eva's mother was difficult but her character was well developed and the reader begins to understand why she is the way she is. The characters in this novel were very vivid and real to me. I was invested and cared what happened to them.

Overall- highly recommend. This is one of Kristin Harmel's best. She is an auto-buy author for me and I already cannot wait for her next book.

Loved the book. Forgers, French resistance, Catholics, Jews, and Nazi's. Children needing false papers to escape. A whole town helping.

This journey back to the French Resistance efforts during WW II is a story of faith, courage, and stepping outside your comfort zone. Eva is a multi-dimensional character who values and loves books on many levels.

The description of the town brings so much of visible charm. I was also enchanted by the invisible charm of the closeness of people working together, being part of a network which helps hundreds of innocent children, who some lost their parents, to escape the injustice inflicted upon them.. Unsettling and yet very powerful..

This is a book that is hard to put down once you start reading. Wonderful historical fiction! So believable that I found myself looking to see if there really was a book of lost names. It serves as a reminder of the horrific times that people in Europe and especially the Jewish people endured during WWIi. Truly unimaginable the suffering people endured at the orders of Hitler. I won't report the book as the cover has adequate detail of the story. You won't be disappointed. Characters are very realistic and you might want to yell at the overly prideful mother and tell the daughter ''please don't go back into danger''. You are transported in time and are with them as events unfold. Excellent read!
I was provided an Advanced Reader Copy of the book and was under no obligation to provide a review.The opinions expressed are my own.Thanks to the author,publisher,and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The Book of Lost Names is an amazing work of historical fiction. It's beautifully written, the characters wonderfully drawn and complicated. Based on a true story, it's the tale of Eva Traube Abrams, a Jewish woman, who records the names of Jewish children fleeing the Nazi's. The novel is full of love and loss, betrayal and loyalty. The Book of Lost Names will make you cry, but also give you faith in the good of humanity.

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel will leave you hopeful, sad, smiling, laughing out loud, and crying, but mostly it will leave you amazed at the bravery and the resilience of the human spirit. The book follows Eva, a young Jew from France whose father is taken. As she is trying to save her mother, she stumbles on a way to save others too. In a small mountain town, she helps others who forge documents to get children to safely. They record the names of the children in code in a book at an old Catholic church. Over fifty years later, the book turns up and Eva begins a journey to the book, remembering who she was in the process, remembering what war costs and how it shapes us. This was a great book. Anyone who loves reading historical fiction will enjoy this one. Not just a good book, but a book that will bring you closer to yourself and those around you.
I freely offer my opinion for this story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the chance to read it.

If you love historical fiction, stop everything and pick up “The Book of Lost Names” by Kristin Harmel. I cannot say enough about this book. I loved every single page and couldn’t put it down.
Set in France during the German occupation, this book follows a Jewish girl named Eva who is forced to flee Paris and in doing so finds herself as part of the French Resistance. While the characters are fiction, Hammel does an amazing job of shedding light on the people who forgery did during World War II.
The story is incredibly moving and will have you wanting to pass it on immediately to your friends and family.

This is a great book. The only thing that I didn't like was that Eva was a little dense when she was supposed to be strong. Other than that, I loved the characters. It was haunting and heartbreaking at times.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel. I always struggle with books around this time period, they are so tragic and it is so heartbreaking to know that it really happened. I absolutely loved this novel. Eva and Remy’s love story is so perfect and real. I loved reading about the forging that they did to help hundreds of French Jews escape into Switzerland. It was inspiring to read about. Knowing they were doing this was incredibly dangerous, yet they felt compelled to make a difference and help these people. Then Remy and Eva are separated, then reunited, then separated again. The war ends and they both go on thinking the other is dead. But the very last chapter left me in happy tears. Excellent WW11 read!

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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Eva Traube Abrams is an elderly librarian with a secret past that not even her children are aware of. When Eva stumbles upon a news story about an old book, she immediately recognizes it as The Book of Lost Names. The reader is transported to Paris during WWII. Eva is a young Jewish woman who must flee Paris with her mother after the arrest of her father. Eva and her mother find themselves in a small French town in the Free Zone, close to the Swiss border. A sympathetic landlady takes them in after recognizing their forged documents. However, the fakes are so good that they get the attention of a local priest who is running an underground mission out his church. The priest recruits Eva for an important project: forging documents to help smuggle orphaned Jewish children into Switzerland. When the Nazis come to town, Eva must risk everything to continue her mission.
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I love historical fiction, but I have a rule: for every WWII-centric story I read, I need to read at least two stories set in different time periods. The historical fiction market is saturated with WWII stories, and they were all starting to run together in my head. It’s for that reason that I haven’t read a WWII-centric story in quite awhile. The Book of Lost Names is excellent, and I’m glad I gave it a chance! I was immediately drawn towards Eva’s bravery and spirit. Every character is well developed, though not all are likable. The plot is solid and contains just enough suspense to get you through the slower parts. One can consider this to be a dual-timeline story, though most of story is told from young Eva’s perspective with a few short chapters from elderly Eva’s perspective. I knocked a half star off because I found the ending to be a little too clean to be believable. Make no mistake, though; this is a wonderful story that I enjoyed quite a bit! Thank you @gallerybooks @kristinharmel and @netgalley for my advanced reader’s copy. The Book of Lost Names is out now!

This book was so fantastic, it is one I plan to read again. I highly recommended to anyone who enjoys historical fiction!

The story unfolds as Eva and her mother (Jewish) are accidentally spared from being taken away by German soldiers during WWII. They escort her father from their apartment, and Eva and her mom escape after Eva forges documents for them.

This story is a journey of their struggles, the horrors of the war, the kindness of strangers, the resilience of humankind, and the braveness of so many who fought the war without ever setting foot on the battlefield.

It's extremely well written and kudos to the author for her extensive research for this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book. I plan on purchasing my own copy so I can read it again.

Wow, what a great story!

Eva has to think fast to help herself and her mother escape after her father is captured by Nazis. She happens to be very artistic and is able to do enough with fake documents (and some help) to get them to safety. She finds herself quickly pulled in towards some sympathetic and helpful people in her new city.

She struggles with her mother’s anger towards her, but when she is recruited to help save Jewish children escape she has to accept. She forms a little community with her fellow forgers, a kind priest, a book seller and an inn keeper. She makes forged documents to help the children escape to safety.

Her mom accuses her of trying to erase her own Jewish roots because she has taken on a false last identity herself. She’s spending a lot of time in a Catholic Church and her fellow forger Remy. In part because of her mother’s words, she decides to save the children’s old names in a book. She has to encode the names and hide the book, so the children’s new identities are never tied to their old ones. When it is safe, the record can be brought out again.

This story mostly takes place during WWII but also spends a bit of time in 2005. In that timeline, Eva is 86 years old and has seen the book of lost names in a newspaper. She hasn’t seen the book in decades. She decides to get on a plane and fly out to see it.

I don’t want to risk saying anything that could be a spoiler. I just wanted to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I enjoyed it so much that I will definitely seek out this author’s previous and future books.

I got an early ebook edition from NetGalley and saved it a little while before reading. Thanks for sharing it with me!

Thanks to NetGalley & Gallery Books for an e-ARC of Th Book of Lost Names.

Kristin Harmel's latest historical fiction, The Book of Lost Names, immerses us in the world of those who specialized in forging documents for Jewish people in World War 2. Through their efforts, many children were saved and escaped to freedom.

Eva Traube and her mother have escaped Paris after her father was arrested, and in a small town in southern France she becomes skilled in replicating official documents, giving Jewish children new names and identities. She and her fellow forger, Remy, develop a coded system to keep track of the former names of the children, and the book they use becomes the Book of Lost Names. Decades after the war, Eva, widowed and living in Florida, sees a news article of a Parisian trying to return books stolen by the Germans to their rightful owners, and she heads to Paris to claim the book.

Ms Harmel is able to take her research and weave such interesting characters and sties for us. As with her previous work, The Winemaker's Wife, I appreciated learning about the French Resistance. I'd recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction.

What a charming read! I loved this WWII story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.