Reviews with content warning for Death - The Book of Lost Names

1942 Eva Traube and her mother has to flee Paris after her father, a Polish Jew, has been arrested. They find sanctuary in a small mountain village and the plan is to cross the border to Switzerland as soon as possible. But Eva gets in touch with the underground resistance and she can help them by forging papers so they can smuggle Jewish children out of France. In order to aid the children to reunite with their families after the war she and Rémy, another forger, come up with a code they write down in an old book. They call it "the book of lost names". But when the war is over both Rémy and the book are missing...

This book is based on a true story, which always makes it a little more special. Even if I've read a fair share of WWII books I don't think I've ever read something from inside the resistance - at least not in this way. It's heartwarming to read about people risking their own lives to keep Jewish children out of the concentration camps.

The story is told mostly in past time, during a couple of years in the 40's. In present time it's 2005 and Eva, now living in the US, sees an article about books the Nazis stole during the war. In one of the pictures she recognises "the book of lost names", a book she hasn't seen in 65 years. Researchers seem perplexed by what they think is a code in the book, but they have no idea what it means. Eva is the only one who knows.

There are of course tragic and sad parts in this story, but also a lot of hope and warmth. In the beginning I found Eva's suspiciousness a bit over the top, as she always thought someone had betrayed them. At the same time it's easy to understand. But then she trusts somebody completely, just because they went to school together?! I'm also a bit upset with her mother, who doesn't seem to understand how important it is for Eva to remain and help, instead of crossing the border right away. It comes out as very selfish, but I can see her point of view too, at least in some ways. And when it really matters, she's on Eva's side...!

Content Warnings

liferhi_inspired's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

📝 Present Day in 1st Person POV, Past in 3rd Person POV

Once again, another amazingly written WWII historical fiction novel that taught me something new. Although this book focuses on the work of forgers during the war, it reminded me a bit of The Nightingale. It wasn’t quite as intense, but this definitely wasn’t fluffy either.

I love how the non-linear timeline left so many questions, that were slowly revealed as the story unfolded. I quickly found myself immersed in the story and I didn’t want to stop reading. Be prepared for this story to take over your emotions for a wild ride, I definitely shed a few tears along the way.

Content Warnings

msennflinn's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

mandi4886's review

Go to review page

medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

maria1085's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I love historical fiction, especially when I learn something new. This book was about the people who were forgers for the resistance during WWII. Although the characters were fiction I felt as if I knew their stories. Eva and Remy’s story was my favorite. Their connection was strong from the start and I loved how their relationship evolved throughout the story. Eva’s mother was a tough character for me. I understood where she was coming from but how she handled some situations was difficult for me to understand. This was my second Kristin Harmel book and it did not disappoint. I read this as a buddy read with a few other people and I liked our chat at the halfway point, and looking forward to our chat at the end. As I was reading this I was reminded a lot of The Nightingale, which is one of my favorite historical fiction books of all time. I would definitely recommend this book for fans of Kristin Hannah and historical fiction fans. ~Maria

Content Warnings

More...