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Eva Traube Abrams, a semi-retired librarian in Florida, is shelving books one morning when her eyes lock on a photograph in a magazine lying open nearby. She freezes; it’s an image of a book she hasn’t seen in sixty-five 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 will she have the strength to revisit old memories and help reunite those lost during the war? As a graduate student in 1942, Eva was forced to flee Paris after the arrest of her father, a Polish Jew. Finding refuge in a small mountain town in the Free Zone, she begins 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.… (more)
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This is what I think of as historical fiction lite. It is researched, but it wears this lightly and isn't the focus of the story. The focus is, instead, on the characters' relationships, with the time frame more of a back drop than center stage. And while this sort of World War 2 fiction is very popular with my library patrons (and the book world in general, judging by the number of titles being turned out regularly), at this point in my reading life I'm looking for something with a little more meat to it. So when all Eva and her mother can talk about is that Eva's leaving behind their Jewish heritage but the only Jewish holiday that comes up is Hanukkah (twice), coincidences abound (I can't explain more without major spoilers), several characters' choices and motivations don't get explored, and I figure out a major plot twist early on, I'm left feeling like something's missing.
I must admit that the plight of Eva Traube unfolded before my mind's eye in startling detail, even if it was smudged in tones of grey with the occasional flashes of color.
Escaping Paris in 1942, a sliver ahead of the rounding up of Jewish Parisians by the Nazis, Eva makes her way to
By a set of twisted circumstances she ends up forging papers along with a fellow forgerer and Resistance member Rémy, for Jewish children being funnelled through to Swizerland. A local priest, Père Clément, is embedded in the program. Eva and Père's discussions about God and guilt and their efforts are touching parts of the story.
Eva is determined that as new identies are being forged for the children a list of their names should be kept. Using a mathematical code sequence, the Fibonacci sequence, she and Remy record the childrens'real identities in a religious text.
Spurred on by her mother's despairing voice that the Nazis were "erasing us, and we are helping them." It becomes "very important to [her] that they are not forgotten.”
Years later in 2005, now an elderly woman, widowed Eva Traube Abrams sees that particular tome, she referred to as The Book of Lost Names being discussed in an article about the looted books of Europe.
Now in the care of Berlin’s Zentral- und Landesbibliothek library, it's seen to contain mysterious markings. After sixty-five years Eva sights the book that had meant so much to her. Her decision whether to go Berlin or not to see for herself after all these years has her re-examining her buried memories from that time. As readers we join with her, swinging between those frenetic, fearful times and the present.
Lightly held, with just the right amount of emotion and understandings this is a fascinating look at dark times in World War II, and French history, particularly honing in on the dangerous work done by forgerers, capturing the uncertainty and dedication for many.
A Gallery Books ARC via NetGalley
Eva had to go to Berlin immediately to claim it.
We now move from present day to 1942 where Eva and her Mother escape
Eva and her mother travel to Aurignon, France, on the advice of a friend where they found lodging and an observant owner that realizes their papers aren’t real.
That turned out well, though, because the owner was part of the French Resistance. Eva was asked to help forge travel documents and birth certificates for Jewish children.
Eva didn’t want to allow the children to be lost forever to their real names so she and Rémy invented a code that would keep the children anonymous but be able to know their real names some day.
The code they used was brilliant, and Eva saved many children.
Now that it is 65 years later she hopes to help find the children and let them know their real names.
THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES is another impressive Kristin Harmel gem.
It will grab your heart and pull you in.
Words cannot express the beauty of this book.
All I can say is you must read this book to appreciate it. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Source: NetGalley and Gallery Books
Rating: 5 stars
In 1942, Eva was a young lady working her way through school and towards a career in literature. As a Jew living in Paris, Eva never imagined her entire world would come crashing down in the blink of an eye.
Eva and her mother’s escape is nothing short of miraculous and it all has to do with their faked papers. The two women, both terrified and alone, find themselves in a small town within the so-called free zone. Hoping to rest and formulate a plan for rescuing her father, Eva nor her mother have any intention of staying in one place for too long. The risk is great, and the danger is very real. Though Eva doesn’t know it, word of her excellently forged documents has reached the local priest and when he finally approaches Eva, it is with an offer she finds both difficult to accept and difficult to refuse.
Forging papers in a Nazi-controlled world is madness, but Eva has the skill and along with her lone helper, Rémy they are able to churn out documents that will allow hidden Jewish children to get safely to Switzerland. The hours are long, the work is grueling, and the documents must be impeccable if they are to pass Nazi inspections. As if all this weren’t enough, Eva does this work knowing her mother disagrees with the assignment and routinely reminds Eva of her unfulfilled promise to recover her father. For Eva, the work is something she feels she must do, a task that is seemingly small but has tremendous ramifications for the children who are saved. Aside from the ever-present fear of being caught, Eva’s greatest concern is the children losing their own Jewish identity in order to make their escape possible.
As Eva’s life and work trudges on in the small town, the war rages on all around them and the threat of discovery is always looming. Rémy takes on a new and far more dangerous role within the resistance network and Eva welcomes a new partner. As the end of the war nears, the situation for Eva and her mother become desperate and desperate measures are taken. Outside of her mother, father, and Rémy, Eva’s greatest care is that the names of the children she has helped save never fall into the hands of the Nazis. To protect the book is to protect the innocent and Eva will do almost anything to ensure its safety.
The Bottom Line: Once again, I have found myself drawn to a Nazi-era/Holocaust read. Once again, I have myself sucked into one of Kristin Harmel’s exquisite reads and regret nothing. What a book this turned out to be! I found myself furiously turning pages as I became completely engrossed in this story. Eva’s life is extraordinary in the most horrific way, yet she deals with the challenges, the fear, the disapproval, and the danger with grace and humility. Eva’s journey is harrowing and as she comes ever closer to danger the pace of the book increases. Lest you think this is only a sad recounting of one family’s struggle during World War II, rest assured, there is an HEA and it is so worth all the danger, the fear, and the years that have passed. Once again, Harmel has woven a desperately beautiful story that reminds us of true evil and the wonderful bits of humanity, love, and grace that face down that evil and triumph over it.
Eva's love of books is a critical theme throughout and will resonate with book lovers.
This is the story of Eva Traube, her parents, and loved ones as they struggle with the round-ups of Jews, the search for hiding spots and the ultimate
The difference between this and the multitudes of other similarly themed books, is the breath-holding "oh no" gasps that just don't seem to end till the book does!
This book is touted as historic fiction. It takes place during WWII and the Holocaust. I read a lot about this topic, and I was encouraged, at first, by the attempt to show that the Church was not always anti-Semitic. It had
When the novel begins, an 87 year old librarian, Eva Traube Abrams, discovers an article about a book that has been found in a Paris library, a book that has been missing for more than six decades. During WWII, she and another man had created this book. It contained a code that was intended to be used to identify the children they rescued, so that after the war they could reunite them with their families.
When Eva’s father was arrested, Eva and her mother fled to Paris and made it to the Free Zone. With the help of her father’s friend, Eva had used her artistic talent to forge papers giving them new identities. She then used this talent and became the Underground’s forger, creating documents that provided new identities for Jewish children who were then smuggled into Switzerland and freedom.
Working for the Underground, Eva and Remy, a fellow forger, fall madly in love with each other. Their relationship feels like a high school crush and her behavior seems a bit out of character. Often a four year old or six year old makes a comment that seems to have more common sense and a more adult philosophy than Eva did. As a character, I found the very young Eva, a bit too arrogant, while at the same time, also very naĂŻve. It was a contradiction in her personality. I kept thinking would the real Eva please stand up! It was hard to identify her age. At times, she seemed like an uninformed teenager or a spoiled brat, but then so did her mother. They seemed to be in an alternate reality, neither quite comprehending the real danger they were facing nor the real danger they had escaped. They seemed utterly out of touch with events, and their expectations and actions often forced the reader to suspend disbelief.
Fortunately, the book is about forging documents during the war, and it is not about real people. I cannot believe that someone who had escaped the clutches of the Nazis would have so often behaved so thoughtlessly, endangering others. She seemed to be rather selfish, satisfying her own needs above all, and although she was often exposed to extreme danger, she seemed unaware and yet escaped unharmed. In reality, I believe the character would have been caught, tortured and possibly executed.
The depiction of Eva Traube’s mother, Mamusia, was a caricature of a Jewish mother, in the worst light. The author paints her as constantly shaming and blaming Eva, filling her with guilt for actions that should have been praised. While the jokes about Jewish mothers may sometimes elicit laughs, this book did not. Mamusia seems like an ungrateful bigot who rejects those of other religions entirely and has no appreciation for the risks her daughter takes on her behalf or on the behalf of orphans. Her husband, Tatus, on the other hand, is painted as a compassionate, open-minded individual who holds no prejudices against those of other religions. At that time, and in some circles today, that is completely untrue. Decades after the war, I had an uncle who sat Shiva for his daughter when she married out of the religion. He threatened to commit suicide, as well. Actually, even Eva’s eventual marriage is kind of a fairy tale that defies reality.
I question the message the author wishes to impart to her audience as she tells this story. Why did she make the person who ultimately betrays the members of the underground, destroying their network and their rescue effort, a man with a Judaic background? Why did she portray Jews as so shallow and self absorbed while the Christians were heroic in all their deeds? I do not think that this book would educate the reader on the plight of the Jew during WWII nor would it endear the reader to their need for a homeland. On the whole they seemed backward and utterly selfish which is an unkind picture of their reality.
Throughout the novel the only character I didn't like was Eva's mother. There were times I wanted to slap her for the cruel words she flung at the daughter and for not understanding the danger she, and the people around her, were facing. I could understand her grief but not her inability to face reality or accept her daughter's drive to help others.
Based on fact, I found the forging of fake identity documents fascinating. Eva's determination to record the hundreds of children whose names were changed, so their pasts would be preserved, was incredibly moving. So many children, so much heartache! Yet, so many saved thanks to the bravery of others. I also loved that Eva was a librarian and passionate about books. I, too, am a librarian and share her passion, and have witnessed the magic that occurs when the right book is placed into the right hands at the right time.
"The Book of Lost Names" is a novel I would highly recommend to lovers of romantic, historical fiction. By the end, I was in tears and I will definitely be looking for other books by this author.
The small town is part of a resistance network hiding Jewish
Excellent book about a how a person can grow brave and determined under unfathomable circumstances.
I enjoyed reading this book that felt like a Young Adult novel.
Eva is caring for her mother too, who is a difficult character, creating what seems like a false conflict- Eva is clearly doing important work and is in a relatively safe space instead of a German concentration camp, but her mother can't stop carping about how disappointed she is in Eva for failing to save her father and for staying to help others instead of... going to Auschwitz and somehow rescuing her father I guess. I found myself really disliking the mother, while every other character in the book is very likeable.
I actually liked the 2005 timeline and would have liked to see more of it.
In the end, though, I didn't like the book. It's powerful (as all Holocaust books are), and yes it had me tearing up- I think the story is great. But I found the writing annoying- dialogue is full of cliche, and the protagonist is absurdly naive even after going through the horrors of wartime. I winced through much of the dialogue.
A horrendous time in Europe and a hate for a religion that held no bounds, they cared not the age or sex of the individual and the infection spread to many sadly, no mater their religion or place in society. While
This story focus on a young woman Eve, and her struggle to survive, but what an amazing life she ends up living, and the sacrifices she makes, and we go along to meet others that come on her path. We are introduced to talented people whom are forgers, and what a vital part they played in the resistance and saving lives.
There are times when you will need tissues, and others will make you sigh, and there are a few chuckles here, and many moments of heart in your throat!
Make sure to read the author's notes at the end, and now I want to read some of her previous books, this one was that good!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Gallery Books, and was not required to give a positive review.
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
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,
Eva, a semi-retired librarian in her 80s is shelving books and sees a newspaper picture of a book that she immediately recognizes. It's a book that she hasn't seen in over 60 years and she refers to it as 'the book of lost names'. Much to her son's disapproval, she immediately books travel to Munich to see the real book. The German librarian who wrote the article discussed that many books had been taken back to Germany by the Nazis and he was trying to find the original owners. He also mentioned that there was some sort of code in the book and he had no idea what it was. But Eva knew what the code was - she had written those codes in that book during the war when she lived in France.
This is a book about love and war, friendship and family and endangering your own life to help other people. The characters are well written and the story line is intriguing. Plus I learned some history that I'd never known. I knew that children were sent to safe places without their parents but not about them changing their names or about the importance of forgeries during the war. This was a wonderful book and is now on my list of favorite books about strong women in WWII. Eva is a character that I won't soon forget.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
I'm a sucker for historical fiction that involves WWII and knowing more about this part of history was great.
Eva was an amazing character. She's strong, willing and even when she had doubts she just went for it
My only criticism of this book, and it's a personal preference, nothing against the story, I would like to have more historical features, more facts and just a little less romantic. But I do understand that it was needed to make this story what it is.
Knowing that it is based on something that is a fact, it's comforting because it's a part that was not lost like so many names.
Eva is a young Jewish girl living in Paris when WWII arrives and the Nazis Invade. To help keep things straight, she uses a book to document the names of the children she helps to escape so that she can reconnect them later with their real identities.
The story flips
Thank you Netgalley and Gallery books for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion.