The Book of Lost Names

Written by:
Kristin Harmel
Narrated by:
Madeleine Maby

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
159
Narrator
54
Release Date
July 2020
Duration
10 hours 50 minutes
Summary
“A fascinating, heartrending page-turner that, like the real-life forgers who inspired the novel, should never be forgotten.” —Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday

Inspired by an astonishing true story from World War II, a young woman with a talent for forgery helps hundreds of Jewish children flee the Nazis in this “sweeping and magnificent” (Fiona Davis, bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue) historical novel from the #1 international bestselling author of The Winemaker’s Wife.

Eva Traube Abrams, a semi-retired librarian in Florida, is shelving books when her eyes lock on a photograph in the New York Times. She freezes; it’s an image of a book she hasn’t seen in more than sixty years—a book she recognizes as The Book of Lost Names.

The accompanying article discusses the looting of libraries by the Nazis across Europe during World War II—an experience Eva remembers well—and the search to reunite people with the texts taken from them so long ago. The book in the photograph, an eighteenth-century religious text thought to have been taken from France in the waning days of the war, is one of the most fascinating cases. Now housed in Berlin’s Zentral- und Landesbibliothek library, it appears to contain some sort of code, but researchers don’t know where it came from—or what the code means. Only Eva holds the answer, but does she have the strength to revisit old memories?

As a graduate student in 1942, Eva was forced to flee Paris and find refuge in a small mountain town in the Free Zone, where she began forging identity documents for Jewish children fleeing to neutral Switzerland. But erasing people comes with a price, and along with a mysterious, handsome forger named Rémy, Eva decides she must find a way to preserve the real names of the children who are too young to remember who they really are. The records they keep in The Book of Lost Names will become even more vital when the resistance cell they work for is betrayed and Rémy disappears.

An engaging and evocative novel reminiscent of The Lost Girls of Paris and The Alice Network, The Book of Lost Names is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of bravery and love in the face of evil.
Reviews
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Barbi N.

I enjoy the book. I was not a fan of the mom character. I think it was a sign of the times. I did not enjoy the cheesy predictable ending. Other all the book was wonderful!

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Tammy M.

I liked the book. However, it had a similar structure to “The Nightingale”. I also felt like it dragged in places. But overall it was a good read with a sweet, albeit unrealistic, ending.

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Shulamit R.

This is my fourth book that I have read/listened to by this author. Each book has been great. Only wish that the author would let the main characters have more time together then them just finding themselves at the very end of the book.

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Carol M.

Loved the book and the plot. Though the ending was predictable, the story needed a happy ending after all the characters went through.

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Y Ben

Great book I enjoyed every moment. Thank you

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Anonymous

A page turner. Well written. Character descriptions were realistic, including the mother. I know nothers like her. The cheesy predictable ending was a welcome relief to a terrible time. Harmel's inspiration is, I'm sure, based on a man's true story that I recently learned about on YouTube. Thank you Kiristin Harmel. I look forward to other reads by you.

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Leslie L.

amazing! still shaking

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Rachelle S.

I highly recommend this book....lots of twists and turns.....enjoyed it....such powerful time in history....we are extremely grateful for the sacrifices of others.

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Teresa M.

Great book. I throughly enjoyed it. WW11 was a terrible time in history and I’m sure this is just a small picture of what life was like. I have heard of many underground groups that helped get Jews and others out France etc. Thought the ending was predicable, but that doesn’t take away from the overall book.

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Anonymous

Good subject based on solid research but the fictional protagonist and her mother were very overdrawn and quite dislikable. The story moves along on improbable coincidences. I finished it but was often tempted to give up due to increasing dismay at key characters. I really wanted to enjoy and value this work but alas, it did not work for me and I am an avid reader of historical fiction situated in WWII.

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Beth M.

Good story. A bit long in the middle for me... but I enjoyed the book

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Ali M.

Lovely book. An ode to books, family, and bravery.

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Georgina C.

Loved this book!

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Nancy K.

Beautifully written, excellent narration & captivating story or courage, resilience & love. I loved this book.

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Joy R.

Excellent book Kept my interest

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Debra D.

Loved it!

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