A Review of The Book of Lost Names
I just finished reading The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel. Fast-paced and well-written, I just couldn't put it down! As a long-time reader and now circulation staff at my favorite place (MCLS) I’ve gravitated to stories that involve libraries and books in some way. (Read The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes - also highly recommended.) This historical novel is based on a true WWII story that magnifies the strength and courage of so many individual people that we must never forget. I’ve read many accounts of this ugly time-period, but never one that focuses on the fascinating world of forgery, specifically document forgery, a necessary skill for survival during the war. The hero of this book is a French resister, Eva Traube. Traube honed her artistic forgery craft to help hundreds of young Jewish children flee Nazis in France and smuggle them into Switzerland. Her story is sealed in a book of lost names, never to be forgotten.
Kristin Harmel has written several other books with this historical theme, French venue and war resistance, including The Winemaker’s Wife, When We Meet Again and The Room on Rue Amelie. I have read all of them and all available in our library system. In the Winemaker’s Wife, Harmel describes how the winemakers smuggled people, immunizations, and more out of occupied territories. In When We Meet Again, Harmel weaves a love story set in Florida with a German soldier - a piece of little known history of POWs working on sugar cane farms in the USA during the war in the 1940s. Another riveting “Paris” book is Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, her heartbreaking and hideous story about the Paris Roundup of Jews in Paris at the Vel d’Hiv. Harmel’s works are available in paper, audio and ebooks. During the pandemic, readers have found new ways to read, to obtain books faster, easier than the traditional paper book. Books on CD are great for traveling, even short distance rides and Playaways for extended dog walks.
Harmel explained her fascination with the topic and shared this in her acknowledgements in the final pages of the book. She described how she was able to refine her literary idea and develop it into a cohesive story. Nestled right in the pages were the other books that helped her with blending facts with realistic feelings and cultural phenomena of the time period. Other suggestions from her notes include non-fiction books: Adolfo Kaminsky: A Forger’s Life by Sarah Kamisky and A Good Place to Hide: How One French Community Saves Thousands of Lives During World War II by Peter Grose. Also suggested is The Book Thieves - The Nazi Looting of Europe’s Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance by Anders Rydell. All of these titles are available at our library system, and more. As much as I enjoy the historical fiction genre, non-fiction helps us remember even more what actually happened.
Often, as a reader, I may skip the preface, thanks, acknowledgments and recommendations. These sections within the book and on the outside cover provide excellent resources for “like” books or recommendations. Though I tend to jump right into a story, having some context of the author’s perspective might intrigue or captivate me to read beyond the first few pages. Check out your favorite author, they often suggest other authors that align with their own styles and interests. These tips will often bring inspiration for further reading on a topic that has piqued your interest.
Familiar with NovelList Plus? This is a comprehensive tool for every type of topic, youth, adult, fiction, nonfiction. This service provides reading lists, book discussion guides and even movies and TV shows on a topic. Access this service through your library membership, contact a reference librarian for assistance.
Kristin Harmel has written several other books with this historical theme, French venue and war resistance, including The Winemaker’s Wife, When We Meet Again and The Room on Rue Amelie. I have read all of them and all available in our library system. In the Winemaker’s Wife, Harmel describes how the winemakers smuggled people, immunizations, and more out of occupied territories. In When We Meet Again, Harmel weaves a love story set in Florida with a German soldier - a piece of little known history of POWs working on sugar cane farms in the USA during the war in the 1940s. Another riveting “Paris” book is Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, her heartbreaking and hideous story about the Paris Roundup of Jews in Paris at the Vel d’Hiv. Harmel’s works are available in paper, audio and ebooks. During the pandemic, readers have found new ways to read, to obtain books faster, easier than the traditional paper book. Books on CD are great for traveling, even short distance rides and Playaways for extended dog walks.
Harmel explained her fascination with the topic and shared this in her acknowledgements in the final pages of the book. She described how she was able to refine her literary idea and develop it into a cohesive story. Nestled right in the pages were the other books that helped her with blending facts with realistic feelings and cultural phenomena of the time period. Other suggestions from her notes include non-fiction books: Adolfo Kaminsky: A Forger’s Life by Sarah Kamisky and A Good Place to Hide: How One French Community Saves Thousands of Lives During World War II by Peter Grose. Also suggested is The Book Thieves - The Nazi Looting of Europe’s Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance by Anders Rydell. All of these titles are available at our library system, and more. As much as I enjoy the historical fiction genre, non-fiction helps us remember even more what actually happened.
Often, as a reader, I may skip the preface, thanks, acknowledgments and recommendations. These sections within the book and on the outside cover provide excellent resources for “like” books or recommendations. Though I tend to jump right into a story, having some context of the author’s perspective might intrigue or captivate me to read beyond the first few pages. Check out your favorite author, they often suggest other authors that align with their own styles and interests. These tips will often bring inspiration for further reading on a topic that has piqued your interest.
Familiar with NovelList Plus? This is a comprehensive tool for every type of topic, youth, adult, fiction, nonfiction. This service provides reading lists, book discussion guides and even movies and TV shows on a topic. Access this service through your library membership, contact a reference librarian for assistance.
- by Marcia, Lawrence Headquarters Branch
Comments
Post a Comment