Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
The Book of Lost Names summary
Kristin Harmel
Brief summary
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of a young woman's journey during World War II, as she forges documents to help children escape the Nazis. It is a heartwarming tale of courage, love, and the power of art.
Topics
Table of Contents
The Book of Lost Names
Summary of key ideas
A Dangerous Love and a Web of Librarian Secrets
In The Book of Lost Names, by Kristin Harmel, we're introduced to Eva Traube, a young Jewish woman living in Paris during World War II. When her father is arrested by the Nazis, Eva and her mother flee to the free zone in southeastern France. There, Eva stumbles into a job at a local church, where Remy, a handsome forger, teaches her the craft of forging documents.
Their mission is critical: to create false identity papers for Jewish children being smuggled to Switzerland. Threatened by the constant fear of being caught, Eva and Remy find comfort in each other’s company, tracing a delicate line between their shared purpose and growing love.
The Lost Names: A Code of Survival
The church’s records of births, deaths, and marriages provide the raw material for their work. However, Eva cannot bear the idea that the children, too young to remember, may lose their real names forever. She convinces Remy to help her develop a system: an intricate code embedded within the pages of a centuries-old religious text that records the children’s true identities against their new fabricated ones.
Unbeknownst to them, this record, which Eva dubs The Book of Lost Names, becomes a crucial rallying point for the later reunification of families torn apart by the war. Yet, preserving their mission and the weight of their secrets becomes increasingly dangerous as Nazi influence intensifies around them.
Decades Later: The Past Resurfaces
The narrative then leaps forward to 2005, where an older Eva, now a semi-retired librarian living in Florida, spots an article in the New York Times. It's about the recovery of a war-time cache of stolen books, amongst which is a familiar volume: The Book of Lost Names. The sight of this book rekindles emotions that Eva has kept buried for over six decades: her love for Remy, the heartbreak of leaving him and the book behind, and the guilt of survival.
Compelled to recover the book and finally reveal the encoded names of the children to the world, Eva sets out on a journey back to France. She encounters a series of revelations, heartbreak and healing in her pursuit of closure and redemption.
Epilogue: A Story of Hope Amidst Darkness
In the end, Eva reunites with Remy who, to her surprise, had survived the war. She learns that he continued their mission and safeguarded the Book of Lost Names through the decades. The reunion provides a bittersweet resolution to their love story, layered with loss and longing, but filled with respect and shared memories.
Overall, The Book of Lost Names is a striking testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the lengths individuals will go to preserve identity and humanity during times of unthinkable adversity. Eva’s journey reminds us that even amidst the darkest periods of history, stories of courage, love, and hope persist.
How do we create content on this page?
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is The Book of Lost Names about?
The Book of Lost Names is a captivating historical fiction novel by Kristin Harmel. Set during World War II, it tells the story of a young woman named Eva who is forced to flee Paris and disguise her true identity. Through her forged documents and a secret code, she helps thousands of Jewish children escape to safety. The book explores themes of resilience, identity, and the power of words.
Who should read The Book of Lost Names?
- Readers who enjoy historical fiction and stories set during World War II
- People who are interested in stories about resilience, courage, and the power of friendship
- Those who appreciate books that explore the themes of identity, belonging, and the search for meaning
Categories with The Book of Lost Names
Book summaries like The Book of Lost Names
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
29 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth