2024 the best last names review

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“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.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gallery Books (May 25, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 198213190X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982131906
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 1 x 8.25 inches
Reviewer: Jessica
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great read!!
Review: I loved this book! It has a great mix of love, courage, loss, happiness, and action. The characters draw you in, and it is interesting to read that some of the book is based on true events.

Reviewer: Jia J
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great story!
Review: I loved this book. The words flow effortlessly and the story is heart breaking and heart warming. I couldn't put it down. One of my favorite authors.

Reviewer: monique lazard
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: heart wrenching story with a satisfying ending. loved the book! I do recommend it highly !
Review: The story interested me the most. Although I think Kristin is a very good writer i found her writing s bit sub par. I would give it 4 1/2 stars but don’t know how to do this t. Overall an excellent book and a great read.

Reviewer: Moya
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I could not put this book down
Review: I’m not going to give the story away as I enjoyed it immensely not knowing what was coming next. I loved this book & Kristen Harmel is a very accomplished author who not only had an excellent storyline but produced a wonderfully researched book. I could not put it down.

Reviewer: Gram53
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Powerful story
Review: If you love historical fiction about WWII, this is a must read. This was a page turner. I had a difficult time putting it down.

Reviewer: Katie Hales
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great Read!
Review: I love this book! I found it on audible, and I listened to it with my husband. We both loved it, and that is why we bought the actual book for his mom for a birthday present. It is a great book if you are interested in historical fiction stories with a mix of romance.Unfortunately I did not take a picture of the book before we gave it away as a present, but it was in great condition. I highly recommend this book.

Reviewer: Holly
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Get ready to cry.
Review: 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.

Reviewer: jan fraunfelder
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: informative and yet entertaining
Review: Learned a lot about the forgers I. WWII and yet weaved into a love story. Loved the book. Good read

Reviewer: Evelyn Freedman
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: An excellent book. It is well written and is spellbinding in its content and story. I couldn't put it down and read it over 3 days. highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Claudia Marín
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Lo devoré en una semana. Fantástico.

Reviewer: karen phillips
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: What a wonderful book. Thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish. I didn’t want to put it down. 5 star

Reviewer: Nanci B Dexter
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I really enjoyed this book, and the details related to forgery and the real-life situations that Kristen is able to convey were fascinating.I highly recommend The Book of Lost Names!

Reviewer: Sandra Howard
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A nice read, a relive of someone's past, very enjoyable