When I see a book is about WWII, it's almost always instantly added to my TBR. I just love reading about wars and find the history behind it so fascinating. On top of that authors are typically very creative in when writing stories in this time period. So when I saw The Forgotten Names, I immediate knew I wanted to read it. While the content and history behind the story was interesting, I found it hard to connect with the story. It didn't pull me in like I wanted it to. Upon finishing the book, I learned that this has been translated and I honestly think that affected my reading. I don't think the translation came across as a beautiful story like it probably was written in its original language. Now, I'm not saying that this book was poorly translated or anything, I just feel like the writing didn't pull me in like it should have. However, this book was a very quick read. I enjoyed that the chapters were so short, and as I mentioned above, I thought the topic was interesting. I'm not sure if I'd recommend this or not, but if you want to learn more about Jewish children and how someone went to learn their true names and stories, then you might want to check this one out.

This book was fantastic and heart wrenching. Mario Escobar did a wonderful job of bringing mothers’ heartbreaking decisions to life, as well as highlighting the beautiful souls who saved the children. I think that these stories being told through the lens of someone in the 1990s was a brilliant choice, as it brought perspective to the story that otherwise would not be there.

I definitely recommend this book to historical fiction lovers.

The Forgotten Names by Mario Escobar is a heart bruising and poignant story about those who courageously risked everything during World War II France to save the lives of 108 children. Many channels in the astonishing rescue team which hid the children and transported them included clergy, ordinary (yet extraordinary) citizens and Resistance members. While reading I reflected on the fact that those precious lives have since impacted many others including their own families. Had they not been heartbreakingly signed over to freedom fraught with danger along the way by selfless parents, they would surely have perished. Nazi Klaus Barbie was instrumental in the torment and deaths of thousands of innocent people. Every life saved was a miracle and victory and needs to be celebrated.

Decades later, Valérie Portheret, who researched the discovered list of 108 names and included her findings in her thesis, painstakingly identified them and visited as many as she could in person. What a challenging and rewarding twenty-five-year task!

It is unimaginable to be faced with saying goodbye to your children, knowing it would be for the last time. Reading of the screams of children and parents is haunting and moving. Every day after would be a living nightmare wondering where they were and what became of them. The "Righteous Among the Nations" are true heroes.

Not only is the story gripping and gut wrenching, the writing is powerful in its simplicity. This is a very important book, clearly well researched, and should be required reading. It reads like a Nonfiction more than a novel and is based on factual events and people.

My sincere thank you to Harper Muse for providing me with a digital copy of this outstanding book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy for review purposes; all opinions are honest and mine alone.


In the midst of researching Klaus Barbie for her thesis, law student, Valerie Portheret, discovers a list of 108 children that were smuggled away from the Nazi’s by a tiny group of very determined resistance workers in Lyon, France. After convincing her professor that THIS is where she needs to focus her research efforts, Valerie spends 25 years uncovering the details, locating the children, now in their 70’s, and remembering THE FORGOTTEN NAMES.

Altho’ this book is classified as historical fiction, the fictional aspect is minimal, IMO. Author, Mario Escobar, adds dialogue between characters and rearranges events, (within a very reasonable timeline), in order to make the historical facts more interesting and readable.

A few other reviewers have not enjoyed the format for this book but I found it added to the veracity. Can you imagine what it would be like to find a list of 108 names that was 50 years old and with almost nothing to go on, try to locate the people? The world is a big place, 50 years is a literal lifetime and names get changed. For these children, names were changed on purpose and later on, marriage for women, new countries for others and on and on. As the research happens, the contemporary timeline pops into the book with updates as to Valerie’s progress. In the past timeline, events occur chronologically. Both timelines are written in short chapters. The translation is flawless.

Escobar is able to tell a story about horrific events without resorting to gratuitous and graphic language. It’s one of the elements I most admire about his writing. Given the current events in our world today, THE FORGOTTEN NAMES is a book that should be read by many📚

Read and reviewed from a NetGalley eARC, with thanks

Set in two time lines, this important and interesting piece of historical fiction is based on the life’s work of Valerie Portheret, a French doctoral student whose research was on the Jewish children of Lyon that were saved from the gas chambers by French resistance in 1942 Vichy France. Valerie’s hope was to examine historical evidence and then identify rescued children, then find them as adults in order restore their identities . Although I’ve read much about the Holocaust and the Nazi final solution, I was previously unaware of this mission.

When Jewish refugees were being rounded up as foreigners with no rights under the French constitution, by order of Petain, puppet of the villainous Nazis rulers, and Klaus Barbie, the notorious Butcher of Lyon. there were brave French non Jewish citizens, one a Catholic priest with Jewish ancestry, who devised a plan to save the children of doomed adult Jews. Parents had to relinquish their rights in order for the children to be hidden in new homes. Heart rending stories were told of parents tearfully signing away rights to their beloved sons daughters, as the older generation was led to their death.

Written more like non fiction, or news reporting, the book told a riveting tale of humanity’s attempt to avert evil. There are many individual stories told but not all were followed though. It would have been good to have a chart summary of the children and their journey to adulthood. Although I would have preferred a more focused in depth characterization, the story is extremely relevant in today’s world , where levels of antisemitism are at a new high, where Holocaust deniers abound and the world turns a blind eye to Jewish deaths.

Four twinkling stars for a book that must be read by all who seek the truth and would like to acknowledge real heroes. My thanks to NetGalley’ and Harper Muse for an ARC in exchange for an honest review Publication date is very soon, June 11,2024. Order it now.

Courtesy of Netgalley and Harper Muse, I received the ARC of The Forgotten Names by Mario Escobar. This well researched historical novel introduced me to the plight of the French Jews incarcerated at the Vénissieux camp in Lyons, before their deportation to German concentration camps. Emotionally recreated in this story, the brave French clergy, Resistance members, civilians and social service organization personnel resisted the Nazis and saved 108 Jewish children in August 1942. Valérie Portheret was later drawn to research the identity of these children, for 25 years, completing her doctoral thesis with this information. A compelling tribute to the resilience of the children and their saviors!

The story of the many children who's parents had to decide to abandon them or watch them perish during was intriguing to our main character during her studies and ultimately helping match names to loved ones.
I did really enjoy the subject matter, as I love historical fiction based in WWII especially.
I felt the dialogue included a lot of information dumping both of historical events and character development statements as well as other full pages of paragraphs that read like a textbook to me.

This historical fiction novel tells the story of a group of Jewish children who were saved during the Holocaust in France. There are so many characters in this book that it was hard to keep track of everyone. The writing was also dry and not compelling. I love learning about history through historical fiction but this book would have worked better had it been written as a nonfiction book.

The first half of this book read almost like a textbook, with many names, dates, and facts to keep straight . The parts about the actual rescue of the children were more interesting, so I gave it three stars.
I’m guessing that the strange, very difficult to read formatting was due to the book being an Advanced Reader Digital Copy. It really slowed down my progress in reading, and made it less enjoyable as well.
*I received a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a different take on a WWII story and I loved that it was based upon a true story. A young woman, Valerie Portheret, is writing her thesis and originally focuses on Klaus Barbie. But the story of the 108 children who lost their parents in order to live. I have heard of the story of the English isle parents who sent their children off but did not realize that there was a group in France who did the same to selflessly give their kids a chance.

Such a captivating tale about selfless love, family, and survival. Highly recommend!

An emotional dual time line novel of what comes after. Valérie Portheret is determined to reunite French Jewish children who were given up by their parents during WWII with the rest of their families. Not so easy as their names had been changed, their identities forever hidden. Or not. This moves between 1942 and the 1970 forward. It's a good one for fans of the WWII genre. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Mario Escobar is one of my favorite authors to read in Spanish and English. He’s books are well researched and they will. Certainly educated in WW2 topics. I wished more of he’s book get translated in English in the future.

A gripping, harrowing account of an actual events in Lyon, France during WWII. ‘The Forgotten Names’ is an historical fiction inspired by the rescue of 108 Jewish children who disappeared from Vénissieux, France and the remarkable group of people who saved them from certain deportation to German concentration camps.
Valerie Portheret began researching for her PHD in the 1990s and came across this amazing story of the rescue of these children.
The reader is taken on a journey of heartache, terror and unbelievable courage as we learn of the coordinated effort of resistance members, religious leaders, social workers and civilians who all aided in rescuing and protecting these children.
Valerie, over a 25 year period, sought to reclaim the names and heritage of these children of Lyon.
It is so important that stories like this well researched book should never be forgotten.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Valerie Portheret is researching the notorious Nazi murder, Klaus Barbie. She ends up getting lost in a story of 108 Jewish children who were rescued from the concentration camp. The parents had to sign off their rights to be able to save them. The children were smuggled out of the concentration camp and given new names. Valerie wanted to give the 108 children back their given names. Broke my heart to think about what the parents had to give up to allow their children to have a future.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Muse and Mario Escobar for the ARC for my opinion.

Another true story is brought to life by the brilliant researcher and author, Mario Escobar. Forgotten Names is a breathtaking narrative of WWII set in France. The story flashes back to 1942 in Venissieux and forward to 1992. Law student, Valerie Portheret is researching the notorious Nazi murderer, Klaus Barbie. She stumbles onto a list of 108 Jewish children who were smuggled away to avoid certain arrests and murder.
Both horrific and heroic, this highly engaging story reveals a forgotten piece of history. Thanks to Valerie’s 25-year-long quest to find those 108 children, we learn of “a heroic act without precedent in Nazi-occupied Europe.” (Pg.20) “Too many people wanted to forget this most ignominious era of French history, but she was determined to make serious sacrifices to keep the memory of those children from dying out.”(Pg.31)
Escobar’s writing is beautifully both philosophical and poetic. “It was never entirely clear if death was the end of something or just the beginning of something else.” (Pg.129) “The soul’s bitterest hour is when it comes face to face with its deepest fears.”(Pg.137) “There are moments in life that can change a person’s existence forever.” (Pg.107) “In that embrace, time slowed down and ceased its lurching. From then on for Rachel, minutes flowed into hours with the harmonious rhythmic cadence life was meant to have: time in motion seasoned by love and peace.” (Pg. 312)
Escobar’s figurative language takes the reader into the story setting. “They walked along the bank of Saone River as the evening sun seemed to set the facades of the houses behind them on fire.”(Pg. 109) “Her words floated in the air, the same air breathed fifty-two years before by the families of the Venissieux camp.”(Pg.192) “The music stole the magic from the surrounding birdsong, and Rachel’s closed eyelids were an insufficient barrier for her tears.”(Pg.25) “Rachel’s playing lit up a piece of heaven within the hell that a few greedy men had turned the world into.”(Pg.172)
I highly recommend this piece of historical fiction to “keep alive the chain of memory. When that chain breaks, we are all left nameless.” (Pg.21)

The Forgotten Names was not an easy book to read. There was a lot packed into the pages. I found it hard at times to keep track of some of the names. There was no better way than my struggles to gain understanding. I began to grasp the challenges that all those that assisted in saving Jewish children faced. Thanks to the author, we can all learn about the unsung heroes and those that survived.

The Forgotten Names helped me gain understanding of what the parents faced when they chose to give up their children, to give them a chance to survive. The parents were so brave, their love so strong, that they gave their children a chance, a hope for a future.

Even writing this review and thinking about the story has brought more tears. No matter how many books I read, I just can't grasp what happened, why it happened. Those that helped the children escape Vénissieux knew the importance of life. They risked theirs to save others. I will never be able to remember all of their names but they will always have my respect. They were heroes that should never be forgotten. Just as the atrocities of World War Two should never be forgotten.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This story follows the amazing rescue of 108 children from Lyon, France overnight late August 1944. I could feel the terror, heartbreak and despair alk involved when through the time peroid. My only complaint would be sometimes the story was a bit 'history book' but push through for the bravery and heroism displayed by everyday citizens of all backgrounds!

Definitely some hard parts to read and I came away from this story quite grateful that my life trials have never been so brutal or final. A story that is deep and real.

Oh my goodness I loved this book, the way it broke my heart and put it back together again was unreal. I cried, sobbed in fact, and couldn’t breathe at certain points. It was incredible. A beautifully done historical fiction. I highly recommend

The Forgotten Names is a difficult read because of the subject matter, but Escobar brings the story to life and the novel is rich with details and historical context. Escobar is always worth a read and this is no exception.

“Sometimes we must hold on to whatever life offers us, no matter how small.”

“Taking children from their mothers was one of the hardest things. While you were saving one life you were destroying another.”

The will to live and what we will do to protect the ones we love is heartbreaking in Mario Escobar’s new novel, The Forgotten Names. This is a true story about Valerie Portheret, a doctoral student, who spent 25 years of her life dedicated to finding the 108 Jewish children who were taken from their parents, and rescued from Venissieux, an internment camp, on the outskirts of Lyon, France right before being sent to their deaths. At that time Lyon was the capital of the resistance. Valerie wanted to make sure the children’s names were never forgotten and that they knew who they were and who their birth parents were after the war. It also delves into the life of Klaus Barbie, the infamous Butcher of Lyon who was dedicated to sending all the children and Jews in Lyon to their death. I have read so many Holocaust books and still can’t fathom how so many human beings could inflict such horrific pain on so many people. And as we know these acts of barbarism are still going on today.

Most often the executioners are the celebrities and the victims are just numbers. I believe today we are trying to change this and we must continue to change this. We must document all the names of the people who are victims of horrific crimes so that their names are never forgotten.

The Forgotten Names was very well researched. It is a story that is extremely important to be told. The way the story was told was a little disjointed for me as well as I found it difficult to keep track of all the names, though this would not prevent me from recommending this book. Thank you Mario Escobar for continuing to write about this very important topic so that the world never forgets the Holocaust was real. Here is hoping you write a book about the Israel, Hamas conflict in Gaza. We thought the Holocaust could never happen again………

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.