This is the first book I have read by this author and I now know I need to go back and read more of her work! This historical fiction novel focuses on the work of a young Jewish woman who unexpectedly found herself working as a forger helping Jewish children to escape France. Told from two time periods, modern day Eva is on her way to Berlin to recover the Book of Lost Names, while young Eva is doing her best to survive the war and help others with her forgery talents. I think one of the things I like most about reading period pieces such as this is the opportunity to learn about pieces of history that aren't often mentioned in the history books. While this is a fictional work, the author did base it on actual research she had done concerning the documents that were forged so that refugees could escape the German occupied areas. This was a well told novel that kept me up late several nights reading! Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale or Pam Jenoff's Lost Girls of Paris.

Let me start by saying that I originally gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads immediately after finishing. But then, the book stayed with me. I kept thinking about it and even dreamed about it that night. So I changed my review to 5 stars and I believe it truly is a 5 star book.

I used to read a ton of historical fiction, but I took a break from it because the genre is mostly WWII fiction and I got super burnt out on it. Then I found this book on NetGalley and though it’s also set during WWII, there was a different take and perspective so I decided to request. I’m so glad I did because this book wrecked me in the best way possible.

This is a beautiful story of love and loss, of bravery, of courage, of hope. It’s a story of survival. The book bounces back and forth from heartwarming to heart wrenching. It is everything I needed right now and had no idea.

Eva was hands down my favorite character. I loved in the present time as an old woman and I loved her in the flashbacks as a young woman. She was brave, heroic, strong, and stood for what she believed in no matter what. Remy, her love interest and partner in forgery, was the kind of man one can only dream of. But he was torn between the Resistance and his love for Eva. Being the hero that he was, he always chose helping fight the war against the Germans, even if it meant he and Eva couldn’t be together.

I have to admit, I was not a huge fan of Eva’s mother. Yes, I realize that she lost a lot when her husband was taken by the Nazis. But the way she took everything out on Eva was so sad to read. She was controlling and hateful to her throughout most of the book. I believe Eva’s father would have been so proud about what Eva was doing, helping so many children escape to freedom, but her mother just refused to see the good she was doing.

The ending just completely killed me. I was ugly crying for the last half hour of reading. That’s the sign of a good five star book for me. The cry.

Please preorder a copy of this book – you will not be disappointed. Such an amazing story and not the typical WWII historical fiction you’re used to.

Eva is still working at her beloved job at the library at 86 years of age. She sees an article that gets her attention and she is off running. Back in World War 2 she lived in France and circumstances lead her to a situation that will stay with her all of her days. Her father is taking in the night while her and her mom are away assisting a neighbor. They have to leave their home and escape to a small mountain town. While there she is recruited to help forge documents. These documents are so important especially for the children trying to into Switzerland. So that families might find each other some day she forms a coding system in a book. The book of lost names is what the article is about. She travels all the way to Germany to get it back. This book relives her life from the loss of her parents, loss of the love her life, and loss of her identity. This book was emotional and I felt every heartbreak with Eva. The ending was a wonderful surprise.

I read a lot of Historical Fiction with WWII as the topic, and this book is one of the best. It caught my interest from the first page and did not want the story to end. Well written, researched, and executed, this story will stay with you long after reading the last word.

I must say that this is not the novel I expected to read. The title and blurb suggested that the focus of the novel would be how forged papers helped to not only save the lives of Jewish children during WWII, but also to preserve their true identities so that they could eventually be reunited with surviving relatives after the war. Instead, the book is mainly about two young college students who fall in love while they work together forging documents for not only the children, but also resistance fighters, downed Allied pilots, and others who need to escape occupied France.

It is a nice love story. Eve and her mother flee Paris in 1942 after they narrowly escape a Jewish roundup that captured Eve’s father. A tip from her father’s employer points them to a small mountain town that may be helping refugees and with little effort they arrive at Aurignon. By incredible luck, Eve is recruited by the parish priest who is impressed by the identity papers Eve forged for her mother and herself. In a library at the back of the church she meets Remy, a local young man, who is doing the same work. For the next three years, they work, fall in love, and contemplate a future with each other. Eve is conflicted because of their religious beliefs. Her mother keeps berating her for being interested in a Christian when there is a nice Jewish boy in the resistance who seems interested in the girl.

And so the novel goes. There are heroics and betrayals, but very little about the Jewish children being hidden in the town, In fact, there are only three scenes in the novel where children appear. Twice Eve briefly visits a home where she discusses the Wizard of Oz with a little girl and one scene where Eve becomes involved in an escape. That’s it. The coded book does not even feature much, except in the title. It is taken back to Germany by looters and is rediscovered 65 years after the war is over. So it was never actually used for its purpose, to match the new identities on the forged papers to the original names of the children so they could be reunited with surviving family members.

I was hoping for much more information about how the children got to the village. Who transported toddlers there? What were the back stories of their families. I wanted the satisfaction of Eve decoding the names and following the threads through postwar Europe as her efforts placed children back in the arms of loving relatives.

Instead, in 2005 Eve sees a picture of her book on a NY Times story and the very,very sprightly 86-year old boards a plane to Berlin to reclaim the book.

So, a nice love story with lots of history about forgers and how they worked. But maybe the title and blurb are a bit misleading,

One word - Awesome! In this historical fiction novel, the author gives us a glimpse into the life of a young Polish/French woman who begins forging documents to help others. During WW II, when the Nazis are capturing Jewish residents, Eva and her mother are able to escape, but she is forced to create new identities/paperwork to get them out of Paris. Quickly, the resistance identifies her artistic forging abilities and convinces her to work for them, saving countless lives, many of whom are innocent children. The church library becomes her workspace, and Remy becomes her accomplice (and love). From the very beginning, though, she is concerned about the children's pasts - that they will be erased when they change their names; so, she and Remy come up with a coded system for an existing book and call it 'The Book of Lost Names,' linking children's current and changed identities. I was captivated by this story, and the author's rendering of the main characters was so realistic that at times it felt like I was reading an actual historical account. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-copy of this book in exchange for a review. This book is scheduled to be released on July 21-2020.

This true story starts in Paris in 1942 and Eva Traube and her parents must escape before being sent off to an internment camp for being Jewish. Eva creates false documents to escape to a small mountain town where she becomes a valuable resource forging documents for adults and children. In the process, she meets Remy, another forger and they work side by side in the library of a church changing the names of children to get them to the Swiss border. Eva doesn’t want the children to forget who they were even though some of them are so young, they’ll never know. To do this, they devise a system to hide the names in an existing book. The storytelling was wonderful and full of suspense. The relationship between Eva and her mother seemed unfair until you thought about what her mother was going through. There is a terrific love story in this one and even though it is about such a tragic time in history, the author gives you a sense of hope. Well done!

This is an extremely well written historical fiction novel. I appreciated the attention to detail this author craftfully wove within the novel and storyline. Chapters flowed nicely and kept readers interested in what was going to happen next. This would be an excellent novel to discuss as a book club read. I look forward to reading more from this author, highly recommend!

Hero in hiding

This is the story of the horrible acts against the Jewish people in France. It is about a Jewish girl named Eva and how she became a hero saving thousands of lives of Jewish children. After the Nazi's took her father away Eva went to her father's boss who gave her some blank papers to fill out for herself and her mother to get them out of Paris. He told her to go to a small French town in the mountains.

After they arrived in the town, Eva met a priest and began forging documents for Jewish children and some adults hiding from the Nazi's and escaping to Switzerland. She worked with a man named Remy with whom she grew to love. A book with codes to keep track of the children they helped escape to Switzerland and their real names. They called it the book of lost names.

This is their story, the story of Remy and Eva. A story of love, loss and heartache. A story of courage and bravery. It is a story of a young girl asked to take on huge responsibility in the face of grave danger. Her thoughts and feelings, her disagreements with her mother over her work with the resistance. It is the story of the brave men and women in the resistance and how they fought to save Jewish lives.

This book was exciting, and heartbreaking. It was a horrible time for the Jewish people under a cruel and heartless Nazi occupation. It was a sad book and a happy book. I didn't want to stop reading and read way too long into the evening. I would recommend it.

Thanks to Kristin Harmel, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This wonderful book shows how people in the French resistance put their lives on the line to save others during WWII. In particular, Eva, a young Jewish woman who loves books, discovers that she is an expert forger of documents that help hundreds of innocent children, adults, and downed Allied airmen escape from France to Switzerland. She feels strongly about these people losing their original identities by adopting false credentials. She devises a code that will allow her to help them trace their roots when the war ends. Unfortunately, the book is taken by the Germans and it is 60 years before she unexpectedly learns of its existence!

The Book of Lost Names is a nearly flawless novel. Its only imperfection is that it covers the most tragic period in human history-but you can't fault it for that. The Book of Lost Names is seen through the lens of Eva-Jewish herself, she uses her artistic ability (Eva's father calls her talent "a gift from God) to forge indentity papers for hundreds of Jewish refugees (mostly orphaned children) to help them escape Nazi invaded France into Switzerland. There's only passing references to concentration camps (and even less of the horrors within), so The Book of Lost Names doesn't have the gruesomeness of many stories about the persecution of six million Jews at the hands of Hitler. But what The Book of Lost Names lacks in grit it more than makes up for in grace and guts. It is a stunning work about the triumph of the human spirit and the good that comes when people from different backgrounds work together against a common enemy. One of the characters is a Catholic priest, but his musings about faith and hope should resonate with everyone. Named one of the most anticipated books of the summer by People Magazine (this honor would be given even if Miss Harmel had not worked there), The Book of Lost Names deserves every accolade it receives.

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

What a roller coaster of emotions that grips you when you read this book! I read it twice and then I set it aside and then two weeks later I read it again because the way the author, Kristin Harmel has written it , it will haunt you and sear your soul! Her ability to make you feel as if you were there and feeling everything the characters were doing and experiencing is phenomenal!
The book is about getting Jewish children from Nazi invaded France into the safe hands of people wanting to adopt children in Switzerland and other countries. The French Resistance utilized French civilians to aid in whatever capacity they could to get these children and others safely across the border. Some were used to house the children in safe places within their homes at great peril to themselves and their own families. Others were used to travel with the children across the mountains and forests and across the enemy lined borders to get them into the neutral country of Switzerland. Then there was our main protagonist Eva Traube a French born Jewish young girl of Polish parents who had only artistic skills. What could she do for the Resistance especially since now she was left alone with only her mother to keep safe who was blaming her for removing her from the area where she grew up. The reason she did this was because her father was kidnapped right out of there apartment while they were away and he ended up in the famous death camp, Auschwitz. She knew if they returned that they would end up right beside her father.
A friend of the family told her about this area close to the neutral zone and she knew that was the safest place and where she could possibly do the best good for her country.
While there she was introduced to a priest who had major contacts with the French resistance and to another young man , Remy, who had some artistic skills, but nothing like Eva. They showed Eva what she could do with these skills to become a Master Forger and enable these children to get the proper documentation and identities so that they can flee Nazi control! Remy was able to turn the forging over to Eva and he now could focus his true purpose on escorting the children and helping the Freedom Fighters develop explosives. He has more knowledge in the chemistry aspect and he wants to be doing more and Eva wants him to be safe with her.
Eva is worried that the children will lose their identity because they are so young and by having new ones they are becoming erased. They will not remember who they were and that bothers her to the point that her & Remy come up with a way that people will not forget. So, what they do is take the name of the children and correspond it to the new name they were given and with a code key that Remy has devised has inserted it within a book that most people would not note or more than likely pick up off a shelf and read.
Somehow during the course of the war misinformation was released and Eva ends up in the United states married to someone else and has one son. Neither her husband nor son were ever aware that Eva was part of the French Resistance.

This sounds like such a simple retelling of a story of one Jewish persons actions during Hitlers time! It is so much more than that.
I would be doing such a disservice if I would tell you all that happens because believe me there is so much that happens in this book from betrayal to spies and lost love and rekindled passion!!
Mother and daughter and son the nuances of the dynamics that happen in families.

Hitler tried to erase a whole race, but the actions of some strong people who stood up regardless of what the repercussions would have been did what they could to save a few!! It takes a few to make a difference!! People who gave up their lives for a principle to make sure that a bully wouldn’t win!
Eva’s mother made a remark that resonated with me and I plan to have a friend embroider a sampler for me,
“To Lose One’s Goodness is to Lose One’s Self. You Are Giving into Evil.”
If you bring yourself down to their level then you are no better than they are.

I would recommend this book for anyone to read!!!

Anyone who believes they have suffered should read about the Jewish who were in concentration camps and the death marches.

I read some of the source books the author provided and they are extremely enlightening! The Resistance fighters throughout France, England Germany, Poland, Austria, and Russia were very much a force that enabled the Allied Forces to bring Hitler down! They were the eyes and ears and the spikes that kept biting and being the pain in the butt for Hitler’s forces!
I am of German descendants and my grandmother was born in Hungary. So, this book really brought to home how devastating it had to have been for the people of this country! I lived in Germany for three years and was there when the East Berlin Wall came down. The emotions that was in play that day all came out as I read this.
Thanks to Kristin Harmel for delving into such a heady subject matter, but in doing so, bringing it to life in such away to communicate that the people who stood up and those who suffered won’t be forgotten!!!
I received a netgally advanced copy and this is my honest opinion!!!!

A detailed glimpse at history through a fictional tale…
Kristin Harmel, in her poignant and brutally realistic fictional tale The Book of Lost Names, shares with her readers the horrific experience of Jews in Nazi occupied France and the unsung heroes who found amazing ways to save countless Jewish children and adults from certain death in the concentration camps.



Sometimes understanding a book is better explained in reading the author’s own words as to why they wrote it. I would like to share Kristin’s explanation for writing The Book of Lost Names as found in the Author’s Notes; while researching her previous novel, The Winemaker’s Wife she encountered references to the the role that forgers, people who used “their artistic and scientific ingenuity to produce convincing documents that allowed innocent people to survive,” played in the Nazi Resistance. A New York Times article about the Nazi looting of books and the fact that many of these stolen books are still in German libraries made her realize that she could “write a novel about forgery, framed by a story about a looted book that meant everything to someone… forgery techniques, Nazi looting… all wrapped up in a story about love, loss, courage, and the highest stakes.”





The true talent of a historical fiction author lies in their insatiable curiosity to investigate and their ability to translate that information into a factual yet fascinating and captivating story. Kristin is such an author. The Book of Lost Names is detailed in facts yet riveting in its storytelling. It literally transports you to the dark time of the Holocaust where you participate in the disbelief, shock and fear that Eva, a French born Jew. experiences. At the cusp of adulthood, Eva should be looking forward to all of the wonders of becoming an adult but is instead thrust into a situation where she becomes responsible for the fates of innumerable innocent lives when she stumbles on Resistance fighters who convince her to help them forge documents. This wonderfully crafted story is told as a flashback; Eva’s elderly self exhumes her past when she learns that the book, which holds the original names (in code) of the children whose identities she changed, still exists. Her decision to travel to Germany to claim the book leads to revisiting the events of her past life under Nazi occupation.


For many, the story of the Holocaust does not have a happily ever after ending. Eva’s story and others in The Book of Lost Names, while filled with heartbreak, is also a testament to the strength, courage, and love that still can exist in the midst of horror and suffering. It is also a reminder that there are those still among us, who may appear to be old and meek, but who posses a wealth of knowledge and experience that will disappear when they are gone. The Lost Book of Names is a fascinating and excellent tribute to unsung heroes of the Holocaust and a must read for all ages.

There are so many books written about this period of time, and the sacrifices and pain many suffered through. This novel takes on a view from not only helping others but the dignity that is lost or preserved. The struggle between what to do that is right, and what you should do for family is another level of challengers the author relates to. Enjoyable, although troubling times.

A sad, powerful and moving story ! So beautiful ! When Eva's father was taken by the Germans she found the strength to flee with her mother. Her mother was angry and depressed for leaving her husband behind. At a time when Jews were not safe Eva found her strength and became part of the resistance. This was her true calling. Many sacrifices were made, lost love. An exceptional book in every way with a wonderful ending. I can't recommend this book enough !!!!

The Book of Lost Names


A captivating historical fiction story full of bravery and resilience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Eva Traube was forced to flee Paris in 1942 with her mother after the arrest of her father, a Polish Jew. She finds a refuge in a church in a small mountain town in the Free Zone. There she begins forging identity documents for Jewish children fleeing to Switzerland.

In erasing these children’s identity Eva knows she must find a way to preserve the real names of the children who are perhaps too young to remember who they really are. She and Remy, her forging partner, keep records of the children secretly coded in a eighteenth century religious book she now calls The Book of Lost Names.

Eva survives the war and now over 65 years later, She is a semi-retired librarian in Florida. It is at the Library that she spies a photograph of her book from 1942, The Book of Lost Names along with thousands of other valuable books had been looted by the Germans in the final days of the war and it is now housed in a Berlin library. At 86, Eva questions whether she has the strength to revisit old memories And see the book again.

REVIEW
THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES is a tension-filled and thought-proving World War II historical fiction drama. Eva’s character is a strong, smart and resilient woman, who is the pillar of the story. Her character is well-developed and the dialog is delightful.

This riveting story is as smartly structured as the code in Eva’s secret book. The writing is engaging and evocative and transports us to Paris and the fictional town of Aurignon, South of Vichy during the height of the war. You can’t go wrong with this engaging story of bravery and perseverance. If you liked The Lilac Girls or The Alice Network you will love this one

Author Kristen Harmel is a international best selling author of numerous books including The Winemaker’s Wife and The Room on Rue Amélie. Kristin was born just outside Boston, Massachusetts. After graduating with a degree in journalism from the University of Florida, she spent time living in Paris and Los Angeles and now lives in Orlando, with her family.

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Gallery Books
Published July 21, 2020
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

4.5 stars.
“Sometimes something as simple as a pen and a bit of imagination can alter the course of history.”
In The Book of Lost Names we follow Eva, a French-born Jew, as she flees Paris for Aurignon where she becomes a forger of documents for Jewish children fleeing the country. I’ve read many WWII novels, but this was the first that told the story of the war through the eyes of a forger. I never really considered the important role they played and I enjoyed learning something new. I devoured this book in a day. I simply couldn’t put it down. When I came to the end, I was satisfied but I also wanted more. It was that good.

This has been one of my favorite books. I enjoyed it so much I purchased another title by this author. Page turner and what a beautiful ending!

Kristin Harmel has done it again! Her latest journey in this WWII historical fiction novel is emotionally moving. You will learn about part of the resistance that was such an important part of this period of time. The willingness and bravery of so many individuals is astounding. I continue to be amazed at the boundless sacrifices people were willing to make because it was the right thing to do...even it cost them their life.

I would definitely grab a box of tissues before you open the book and get lost in Eva's story and the part the foragers played in the downfall of the Third Reich. While a story with a dual timeline, the majority of the book is spent during WWII. The moment between time periods flows smoothly. The characters are well developed. In fact, so much so, that you will care deeply about their lives and their efforts for the resistance.

Your heart will soar, you'll hold your breath as you experience dangerous situations, you will doubt the integrity of some individuals, and your heart will ache at moments. Such a myriad of emotions. The twists and turns have you anxiously waiting to see what will happen next. Love, loss, fear, hope, family relationships, trust, betrayal, and bravery are primary aspects of this fabulous book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own. I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed the trip with Eva. This book will stay with me a long time. The tears are still pooling in my eyes as I write this review. Please! Put this book on your list of books to read! It i worth every second you spend absorbing the words and the story of such beautiful and dedicated individuals. I can't wait for the author's next gift in the form of a story for us.

This is a great story of strength and perseverance during WWII. Readers who enjoy historical fiction on this topic but find it can be too heavy will enjoy this one as it does get too “dark” in my opinion. The main character is a French/Jewish YA woman who works with the resistance in getting Jews to Switzerland. She finds herself tangled up in love, loss, and family problems along the way. A sad, sweet, but somehow uplifting story.