The Book of Lost Names

Review of The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️While shelving books at the library one day, Eva comes across a newspaper article with a photo that immediately catches her eye; because in the photo is a book that she hasn’t seen in over 60-years. The accompanying article describes the Nazi looting during the war and the current work being done to reunite the books with the original owners. The article further describes how the book in the photo holds some sort of code that no one has deciphered. Eva holds the answer to that code. In 1942, she and her mother fled their home after her father was arrested. Finding safety in the Free Zone, her fake documents catch the attention of a resistance leader. Eva is urged to join the resistance by forging documents for Jewish children fleeing the country. In doing so, she finds a way to track the real identities of the names of those she has changed…in the Book of Lost Names.It’s pretty much understood that any book set during WWII is going to be heart-wrenching. Problem is, I wasn’t expecting this one to gut me like it did. This is one that will give you all the feels. Alternating between past and present, the narrative was captivating and thought-provoking, the writing flawless, and the characters inspiring. It’s a story about faith, family, survival, and the trust in relationships; but most of all, it’s about hope. This one isn’t as heavy as other WWII novels with plots centered around concentration camps. Instead, this book focused on a part of the resistance efforts and those who positioned themselves as allies. It was a unique, refreshing and welcome angle that included the right amount of romance. The Book of Lost Names is a perfect pick for book clubs with a wealth of themes to discuss; it’s easily a top historical fiction favorite for me and I’m sure it will for you too. Everyone needs to read and experience the beauty that is this book.

A very good book that keeps your attention and does not go into great detail about the worst parts of the holocaust victims. It ends up with a feel good ending.

As a book lover, I automatically find books like this one enticing. Even the cover enchanted me; it's the way I like to picture myself in a historical novel, or walking along the contemporary Champs-Elysses with a paperback friend. Plus, I sensed this book would be similar to The Book of Lost Friends, one of the best novels I've read so far this year.While Lost Names wasn't as similar as I expected, it's still a strong, well-written book. Eva Traube Abrams' understated bravery and intelligence, and the way she is pulled quite unexpectedly into the resistance, kept me rooting for her. Her forging talents amazed me, and the idea she and Remy had about encoding the book was nothing short of brilliant. Speaking of Remy, I enjoyed his banter with Eva, as well as how their relationship blossomed from "slightly annoyed and unwilling partners" to love.Lost Names also contains a lot of the deep ethical questions I expect from a well-written WWII novel. I especially liked Mamusia as a conduit for those questions. At face value, her actions and reactions can seem overly bitter and selfish, and she's so entrenched in denial that it's easy to write her off. But the deeper into the book you go, the more you realize Mamusia is stronger than she looks and wants the best for Eva, which includes remembering who she is. Considering the unrelenting Nazi campaign to erase Jewish identities, Mamusia becomes heroic in her own right.i loved the unexpected spiritual thread in Lost Names, too. I usually read Christian fiction, and while this is not that, I could sense the characters had relationships with God and wanted to explore those. I was particularly struck by Eva finding solace in a Catholic church, the last place she usually should've been and maybe would have been welcomed. Pere Clement, as well, was a pleasant surprise in that he was not a stereotype. Overall, the idea of Jews and Christians working together to stop the Nazi regime was a sobering reminder of our humanity, and a heartwarming thread.The suspenseful threads here are spot on as well. I had an inkling of who the traitor was at various points, but was also thrown enough red herrings that I wondered a couple of times. Additionally, I loved the twist with Erich. You'd think you'd see something like it in more WWII novels, but I haven't come across it much if at all. I would like to see more characters like Erich and Joseph in other novels, characters whose motives are the exact opposite of what you might expect but make total sense in the big picture and add an element of surprise to familiar story conventions.As always, it's the little scenes that make a great book. I'd have liked to see more of some; for instance, I loved Eva's scene with little Anne/Frania and wanted to see her interact with the children more. I wanted to see more introspection from Eva, especially about faith, and maybe more interactions with people, like Madame Noirot. Often, it seemed like Eva or Remy or someone else would have a brief interaction or moment of development, and then move straight to the next phase. That's kind of a hazard of a war story, I know, but I sometimes felt like there were a few blank spaces needing to be filled in.With all that said, Book of Lost Names is a solid 4.5 and nets a recommendation. I'll be looking for more like it, across all historical periods. And yes, it is a good companion to The Book of Lost Friends if you want to compare and contrast, or share both with your book club.

The Book of Lost Names by Kristen Harmel is a heartfelt book based on factual events. Highly recommend it, especially if you love books. The writing exists on several levels, emotional, spiritual and family values.

This story tells another side of the war, of those who bravely served in the resistance. A beautiful Testament to family, friendship, love and never giving up hope.

You have to be ready for this. I was not. I think I'll take a break from historical fiction after this. I felt like I lived this story. The ups and downs had me crying. It is amazing writing and an a!zing story.

Beautifully written. A great read and so hard to put down. I hope to read more titles by this author.

It's a good page-turner -- lots of suspense.I'm sure the Resistance forgery activities are historically accurate, and we do get an excellent picture of the heroic behaviors of desperate people, as well as the cruel villainy of the Nazis -- but the mother's preoccupations make no sense: fear and grief, sure, but complete denial of reality once they were smack in the middle of it? I doubt it. And the heroine became downright foolish after she knew she was a marked woman. Perhaps a silly detail: I wish the author had done a bit of research on pre-war Polish Jews. There is no way the family spoke Polish rather than Yiddish amongst themselves.