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The Forgotten Names: A Tale of Heroism and Reclaiming Identity in Nazi-Occupied France
In August 1942, French parents were faced with a horrible choice: watch their children die, or abandon them forever. Fifty years later, it becomes one woman’s mission to match the abandoned names with the people they belong to.
Five years after the highly publicized trial of Klaus Barbie, the “Butcher of Lyon,” law student Valérie Portheret began her doctoral research into the 108 children who disappeared from Vénissieux fifty years earlier, children who somehow managed to escape deportation and certain death in the German concentration camps. She soon discovers that their rescue was no unexplainable miracle. It was the result of a coordinated effort by clergy, civilians, the French Resistance, and members of other humanitarian organizations who risked their lives as part of a committee dedicated to saving those most vulnerable innocents.
Theirs was a heroic act without precedent in Nazi-occupied Europe, made possible due to a loophole in the Nazi agenda to deport all Jewish immigrants from the a legally recognized exemption for unaccompanied minors. Therefore, to save their children, the Jewish mothers of Vénissieux were asked to make the ultimate sacrifice of abandoning them forever.
Told in dual timelines, The Forgotten Names is a reimagined account of the true stories of the French men and women who have since been named Righteous Among the Nations, the children they rescued, the stifled cries of shattered mothers, and a law student, whose twenty-five-year journey allowed those children to reclaim their heritage and remember their forgotten names.
World War II historical fiction inspired by true eventsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs, a historical timeline, and notes from the authorBook 70,000 wordsAlso by Auschwitz Lullaby, Children of the Stars, Remember Me, The Librarian of Saint-Malo, The Teacher of Warsaw, The Swiss Nurse
Five years after the highly publicized trial of Klaus Barbie, the “Butcher of Lyon,” law student Valérie Portheret began her doctoral research into the 108 children who disappeared from Vénissieux fifty years earlier, children who somehow managed to escape deportation and certain death in the German concentration camps. She soon discovers that their rescue was no unexplainable miracle. It was the result of a coordinated effort by clergy, civilians, the French Resistance, and members of other humanitarian organizations who risked their lives as part of a committee dedicated to saving those most vulnerable innocents.
Theirs was a heroic act without precedent in Nazi-occupied Europe, made possible due to a loophole in the Nazi agenda to deport all Jewish immigrants from the a legally recognized exemption for unaccompanied minors. Therefore, to save their children, the Jewish mothers of Vénissieux were asked to make the ultimate sacrifice of abandoning them forever.
Told in dual timelines, The Forgotten Names is a reimagined account of the true stories of the French men and women who have since been named Righteous Among the Nations, the children they rescued, the stifled cries of shattered mothers, and a law student, whose twenty-five-year journey allowed those children to reclaim their heritage and remember their forgotten names.
World War II historical fiction inspired by true eventsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs, a historical timeline, and notes from the authorBook 70,000 wordsAlso by Auschwitz Lullaby, Children of the Stars, Remember Me, The Librarian of Saint-Malo, The Teacher of Warsaw, The Swiss Nurse
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 11, 2024
175 people are currently reading
8988 people want to read
About the author
Mario Escobar
292 books1,309 followersMario Escobar Golderos has a degree in History, with an advanced studies diploma in Modern History. He has written numerous books and articles about the Inquisition, the Protestant Reformation, and religious sects. He is the executive director of an NGO and directs the magazine Nueva historia para el debate, in addition to being a contributing columnist in various publications. Passionate about history and its mysteries, Escobar has delved into the depths of church history, the different sectarian groups that have struggled therein, and the discovery and colonization of the Americas. He specializes in the lives of unorthodox Spaniards and Americans. Books
Autor Betseller con miles de libros vendidos en todo el mundo. Sus obras han sido traducidas al chino, japonés, inglés, ruso, portugués, danés, francés, italiano, checo, polaco, serbio, entre otros idiomas. Novelista, ensayista y conferenciante. Licenciado en Historia y Diplomado en Estudios Avanzados en la especialidad de Historia Moderna, ha escrito numerosos artículos y libros sobre la Inquisición, la Reforma Protestante y las sectas religiosas.
Publica asiduamente en las revistas Más Allá y National Geographic Historia
Apasionado por la historia y sus enigmas ha estudiado en produndidad la Historia de la Iglesia, los distintos grupos sectarios que han luchado en su seno, el descubrimiento y colonizacíón de América; especializándose en la vida de personajes heterodoxos españoles y americanos.
Su primera obra, Conspiración Maine 2006, fue un éxito. Le siguieron El mesías Ario (2007), El secreto de los Assassini (2008) y la Profecía de Aztlán (2009). Todas ellas parte de la saga protagonizada por Hércules Guzmán Fox, George Lincoln y Alicia Mantorella.
Su libro Francisco. El primer papa latinoamericano ha sido traducido a 12 idiomas, entre ellos el chino, inglés, francés, italiano, portugues, japonés, danés, etc.
Sol rojo sobre Hiroshima (2009) y El País de las lágrimas (2010) son sus obras más intimistas. También ha publicado ensayos como Martín Luther King (2006) e Historia de la Masonería en Estados Unidos (2009). Los doce legados de Steve Jobs (2012). La biografía del papa Francisco. El primer papa latinoamericano (2013). La Saga Ione (2013) o la Serie Apocalipsis (2012).Saga Misión Verne (2013)
www.marioescobar.es
http://www.amazon.com/Mario-Escobar/e...
http://www.sagamisionverne.es/
Autor Betseller con miles de libros vendidos en todo el mundo. Sus obras han sido traducidas al chino, japonés, inglés, ruso, portugués, danés, francés, italiano, checo, polaco, serbio, entre otros idiomas. Novelista, ensayista y conferenciante. Licenciado en Historia y Diplomado en Estudios Avanzados en la especialidad de Historia Moderna, ha escrito numerosos artículos y libros sobre la Inquisición, la Reforma Protestante y las sectas religiosas.
Publica asiduamente en las revistas Más Allá y National Geographic Historia
Apasionado por la historia y sus enigmas ha estudiado en produndidad la Historia de la Iglesia, los distintos grupos sectarios que han luchado en su seno, el descubrimiento y colonizacíón de América; especializándose en la vida de personajes heterodoxos españoles y americanos.
Su primera obra, Conspiración Maine 2006, fue un éxito. Le siguieron El mesías Ario (2007), El secreto de los Assassini (2008) y la Profecía de Aztlán (2009). Todas ellas parte de la saga protagonizada por Hércules Guzmán Fox, George Lincoln y Alicia Mantorella.
Su libro Francisco. El primer papa latinoamericano ha sido traducido a 12 idiomas, entre ellos el chino, inglés, francés, italiano, portugues, japonés, danés, etc.
Sol rojo sobre Hiroshima (2009) y El País de las lágrimas (2010) son sus obras más intimistas. También ha publicado ensayos como Martín Luther King (2006) e Historia de la Masonería en Estados Unidos (2009). Los doce legados de Steve Jobs (2012). La biografía del papa Francisco. El primer papa latinoamericano (2013). La Saga Ione (2013) o la Serie Apocalipsis (2012).Saga Misión Verne (2013)
www.marioescobar.es
http://www.amazon.com/Mario-Escobar/e...
http://www.sagamisionverne.es/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 326 reviews
June 3, 2024
France, 1992. Valérie Portheret is studying law and she’s researching the “Butcher of Lyon” Klaus Barbie and he was the head of the Gestapo in Vichy, France during WW II and he was an evil man. Her thesis is about him and it’s been five years since his trial for war crimes and she comes across an unexplained list of 108 children’s names.
Valérie investigates further and discovers the list contains the names of Jewish children saved from being transported in August 1942, they were smuggled out of Venissieux Interment Camp, given new names and some were taken in by sympathetic families and others lived in places like Chateau de Peyrins. Valérie visits the Chateau and is given the hidden written records of the children who found safety behind the castle's walls.
Valérie has to painstakingly sort through the names and workout those who were French children boarders, others who were Jewish and given new identities, she wants to find each child, and if they remember who they really are and were any reunited with members of their families after the war ended?
At a time when the Holocaust and what happened was a touchy subject, many people didn’t want to talk about what occurred in France, they wanted to deny it happened and she had to overcome a lot of obstacles, resentment and opposition. It takes Valérie twenty five years to find out all of their names, what happened to them, she’s lucky to meet some of the survivors, member of the resistance and they dedicate a monument to the lost children and the brave people who saved them.
Valérie discovers the mothers of the children had one night to make a heartbreaking choice and teams of social workers, priests, members of the Red Cross and a psychiatrist, explained to them what they had to do, the children had to be secretly moved into a room in the camp without being noticed, kept quiet and smuggle out to a nearby orphanage and then relocated and without Klaus Barbie finding out and he went on a rampage afterwards.
I received a copy of The Forgotten Names by Mario Escobar from HarperCollins Focus and Edelweiss Plus in exchange for an unbiased review. Based on a real person Valérie Portheret, an ordinary woman who did the extraordinary. The mothers who made the hardest decision ever and showed ultimate love and selflessness. My favorite quote from the book "historians are humanitarians", five stars from me, another emotional and well written story by Mr. Escobar, I highly recommend The forgotten Names and his previous book, The Swiss Nurse.
Valérie investigates further and discovers the list contains the names of Jewish children saved from being transported in August 1942, they were smuggled out of Venissieux Interment Camp, given new names and some were taken in by sympathetic families and others lived in places like Chateau de Peyrins. Valérie visits the Chateau and is given the hidden written records of the children who found safety behind the castle's walls.
Valérie has to painstakingly sort through the names and workout those who were French children boarders, others who were Jewish and given new identities, she wants to find each child, and if they remember who they really are and were any reunited with members of their families after the war ended?
At a time when the Holocaust and what happened was a touchy subject, many people didn’t want to talk about what occurred in France, they wanted to deny it happened and she had to overcome a lot of obstacles, resentment and opposition. It takes Valérie twenty five years to find out all of their names, what happened to them, she’s lucky to meet some of the survivors, member of the resistance and they dedicate a monument to the lost children and the brave people who saved them.
Valérie discovers the mothers of the children had one night to make a heartbreaking choice and teams of social workers, priests, members of the Red Cross and a psychiatrist, explained to them what they had to do, the children had to be secretly moved into a room in the camp without being noticed, kept quiet and smuggle out to a nearby orphanage and then relocated and without Klaus Barbie finding out and he went on a rampage afterwards.
I received a copy of The Forgotten Names by Mario Escobar from HarperCollins Focus and Edelweiss Plus in exchange for an unbiased review. Based on a real person Valérie Portheret, an ordinary woman who did the extraordinary. The mothers who made the hardest decision ever and showed ultimate love and selflessness. My favorite quote from the book "historians are humanitarians", five stars from me, another emotional and well written story by Mr. Escobar, I highly recommend The forgotten Names and his previous book, The Swiss Nurse.
June 23, 2024
4.5 sad but worthy stars! The Forgotten Names was the fourth book that I had the privilege of reading by Mario Escobar. As in his prior books, I learned more about what had occurred during the Holocaust that I had not known about before I read The Forgotten Names. As hard as it was to read about these heart wrenching facts that actually occurred, it is so important. The acts of antisemitism and the determination to permanently eradicate the Jewish people from the face of the earth must never be forgotten or taken lightly. In The Forgotten Names, Mario Escobar, detailed the unselfish acts of the brave citizens of France, local resistance groups, clergy members, social workers and the Red Cross in Vichy, France in August of 1942. Klaus Barbie, better known as the “Butcher of Lyon” was intent on eliminating France of all its Jews regardless of age, gender or any health factors. Barbie was a ruthless German officer of the Gestapo that was in charge of Vichy, France from 1942-1944. No one, not children or the elderly, were safe from his unscrupulous and merciless actions. He was feared by all and for good reasons. Forgotten Names was written in a duel time line alternating between 1942 and 1992. I listened to the audiobook that was narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Saskia Maarleveld. Her performance was amazing and she easily distinguished between the many character's voices.
In 1992, twenty-three year old law student, Valerie Potheret, was trying to decide on her topic for her doctoral thesis. Initially, Valerie settled on researching all the evil that Klaus Barbie inflicted upon the Jewish people that resided in France during World War II. While Valerie was researching all the atrocities that Klaus Barbie inflicted upon the Jews, she discovered a list in a box that contained 108 names. That list piqued Valerie’s curiosity. After seeking out source after source, Valerie finally realized that the list of names belonged to the 108 Jewish children that had simply vanished from the Venissieux internment camp in August of 1942. The French government had kept the names of those innocent children who had been saved from deportation and most probably death hidden for years in the confines of the Chateau de Petrins. They tried to hide those heinous crimes from the world. When Valerie was told whose names were on the list, she knew that she had found the topic for her thesis. Valerie pledged that she would not stop until she located every person on that list. She worked relentlessly for twenty-five years to discover, identify, learn each child’s story and in some instances, give the child back their given name and learn what had become of each of the 108 children who were spared from deportation and most probably death. Valerie traveled tirelessly throughout Europe, Israel and the Americas to locate all of the 108 children.
Back in August 1942, the Jews that remained in Lyon, France had been rounded up and placed in the Venissieux Internment Camp. Klaus Barbie, better known as the “Butcher of Lyon” was intent on deporting all remaining Jews to a camp where they would be exterminated. Klaus Barbie was known to shoot Jews to their deaths and never showed an ounce of remorse. When a group of social workers, members of the local clergy and resistance members found out that the French gendarmes supervised by Klaus Barbie and the Nazis were planning on emptying the internment camp at Venissieux and sending all its prisoners to their death they discovered some “legally recognized exemptions “. The Nazi were not allowed to deport any Jews who were “old, disabled, pregnant, unaccompanied minors and war heroes who had fought in the French army.” Since almost all of the exemptions were being ignored by the French gendarmes, except for unaccompanied children, this brave group of people concentrated on obtaining legal documents for the unaccompanied minors in the hope of getting them out of the internment camp before the deportations started. Social workers tirelessly went from parent to parent begging them to sign documents that would release their rights as parents to their children. Their anguish they must have experienced in doing this must have been the hardest thing they were ever asked to do. There was only two days to accomplish all this. The volunteers designed a document that would legally allow parents to relinquish all their paternal rights and they would plead for the parents to sign it so their child could be saved from a sure death if deported. The children were entrusted to the members of Amitie Chretienne. In all, the volunteers were able to save 108 children.
I can’t even imagine how gut wrenching an act this must have been for each parent as they lost their children that day. When I read some of the exchanges between parent and child as they were about to part from one another, I cried like a baby. That was by far the ultimate sacrifice of a parent. They had to loose their child to save them from death. There were so many brave and courageous people who put their own lives on the line to help save those Jewish children. I admire all that they risked and did to save the lives of those children. Thank goodness that there were kind, loving and brave people who were willing to sacrifice their own safety to take these children into their homes and protect them and grow to love them. The Forgotten Names by Mario Escobar was about hope, resilience, determination, loss of identity, courage and “of the great humanitarian effort” of many. Most of the people mentioned in The Forgotten Names were real. Valerie Portheret really existed and dedicated twenty five years of her life trying to find the children who had vanished from Venissieux. She presented her doctoral thesis after she learned what had happened to all 108 of the children through her research, listening to the stories of the children she found and documenting everything that she learned. What a gift to mankind to have accomplished all that and to have shared her findings with others. Every time I think that I have learned all there is to learn about the Holocaust, a masterful author like Mario Escobar uncovered another atrocity that occurred. The Holocaust was such a tragic time in the history of the world. Stories like The Forgotten Names reminds us that we must remember so that history will never be repeated. I highly recommend The Forgotten Names by Mario Escobar.
Thank you to Harper Muse for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of The Forgotten Names by Mario Escobar through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
In 1992, twenty-three year old law student, Valerie Potheret, was trying to decide on her topic for her doctoral thesis. Initially, Valerie settled on researching all the evil that Klaus Barbie inflicted upon the Jewish people that resided in France during World War II. While Valerie was researching all the atrocities that Klaus Barbie inflicted upon the Jews, she discovered a list in a box that contained 108 names. That list piqued Valerie’s curiosity. After seeking out source after source, Valerie finally realized that the list of names belonged to the 108 Jewish children that had simply vanished from the Venissieux internment camp in August of 1942. The French government had kept the names of those innocent children who had been saved from deportation and most probably death hidden for years in the confines of the Chateau de Petrins. They tried to hide those heinous crimes from the world. When Valerie was told whose names were on the list, she knew that she had found the topic for her thesis. Valerie pledged that she would not stop until she located every person on that list. She worked relentlessly for twenty-five years to discover, identify, learn each child’s story and in some instances, give the child back their given name and learn what had become of each of the 108 children who were spared from deportation and most probably death. Valerie traveled tirelessly throughout Europe, Israel and the Americas to locate all of the 108 children.
Back in August 1942, the Jews that remained in Lyon, France had been rounded up and placed in the Venissieux Internment Camp. Klaus Barbie, better known as the “Butcher of Lyon” was intent on deporting all remaining Jews to a camp where they would be exterminated. Klaus Barbie was known to shoot Jews to their deaths and never showed an ounce of remorse. When a group of social workers, members of the local clergy and resistance members found out that the French gendarmes supervised by Klaus Barbie and the Nazis were planning on emptying the internment camp at Venissieux and sending all its prisoners to their death they discovered some “legally recognized exemptions “. The Nazi were not allowed to deport any Jews who were “old, disabled, pregnant, unaccompanied minors and war heroes who had fought in the French army.” Since almost all of the exemptions were being ignored by the French gendarmes, except for unaccompanied children, this brave group of people concentrated on obtaining legal documents for the unaccompanied minors in the hope of getting them out of the internment camp before the deportations started. Social workers tirelessly went from parent to parent begging them to sign documents that would release their rights as parents to their children. Their anguish they must have experienced in doing this must have been the hardest thing they were ever asked to do. There was only two days to accomplish all this. The volunteers designed a document that would legally allow parents to relinquish all their paternal rights and they would plead for the parents to sign it so their child could be saved from a sure death if deported. The children were entrusted to the members of Amitie Chretienne. In all, the volunteers were able to save 108 children.
I can’t even imagine how gut wrenching an act this must have been for each parent as they lost their children that day. When I read some of the exchanges between parent and child as they were about to part from one another, I cried like a baby. That was by far the ultimate sacrifice of a parent. They had to loose their child to save them from death. There were so many brave and courageous people who put their own lives on the line to help save those Jewish children. I admire all that they risked and did to save the lives of those children. Thank goodness that there were kind, loving and brave people who were willing to sacrifice their own safety to take these children into their homes and protect them and grow to love them. The Forgotten Names by Mario Escobar was about hope, resilience, determination, loss of identity, courage and “of the great humanitarian effort” of many. Most of the people mentioned in The Forgotten Names were real. Valerie Portheret really existed and dedicated twenty five years of her life trying to find the children who had vanished from Venissieux. She presented her doctoral thesis after she learned what had happened to all 108 of the children through her research, listening to the stories of the children she found and documenting everything that she learned. What a gift to mankind to have accomplished all that and to have shared her findings with others. Every time I think that I have learned all there is to learn about the Holocaust, a masterful author like Mario Escobar uncovered another atrocity that occurred. The Holocaust was such a tragic time in the history of the world. Stories like The Forgotten Names reminds us that we must remember so that history will never be repeated. I highly recommend The Forgotten Names by Mario Escobar.
Thank you to Harper Muse for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of The Forgotten Names by Mario Escobar through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 19, 2023
Una novela narrada en dos lineas temporales, por un lado el año 1992, en Lyon, donde una joven estudiante está decidida a indagar en el pasado de unos niños salvados de ser deportados durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, incluso con muchas trabas…
.
Y por otro lado en el año 1942, narra la historia de como los nazis comienzan a deportar a todos los judíos de Francia. Y donde un grupo de personas normales, estarán dispuestos a salvar, sobretodo s los niños.
.
Una novela muy ágil donde Mario muestra la verdad, la verdad sobre un hecho real, donde un centenar de niños fueron separados de sus padres para que pudieran salvarse de los campos de concentración.
.
Una historia real, muy directa, con capítulos cortos, que se lee muy rápido, donde quizá me haya faltado algo de profundidad en algunos temas, pero que me ha gustado mucho, y que recomiendo mucho para saber más sobre este tema, necesario.
.
Y por otro lado en el año 1942, narra la historia de como los nazis comienzan a deportar a todos los judíos de Francia. Y donde un grupo de personas normales, estarán dispuestos a salvar, sobretodo s los niños.
.
Una novela muy ágil donde Mario muestra la verdad, la verdad sobre un hecho real, donde un centenar de niños fueron separados de sus padres para que pudieran salvarse de los campos de concentración.
.
Una historia real, muy directa, con capítulos cortos, que se lee muy rápido, donde quizá me haya faltado algo de profundidad en algunos temas, pero que me ha gustado mucho, y que recomiendo mucho para saber más sobre este tema, necesario.
March 6, 2024
The topic of the story was extremely interesting! However, I did not enjoy the way the novel was written. The structure of the storyline as well as the plot rather clumsy. The more modern time did not feel real even though the main character really existed! I would never have believed it if the author had not mentioned her at the end of the book. She did not feel convincing at all and I could not relate to her. The older timeline was much more interesting, but then again, the writing style felt clumsy. I do not know whether this is due to the translation or not. To me, this novel seemed more a draft than a finished work. The descriptions of the historical characters reminded me of journalistic reports which did not fit in a novel. I did read the whole book though as I was very interested in what happened to these children.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.
June 7, 2025
The Forgotten Names is a beautifully written and deeply moving story that brings real history to life. I was truly drawn in by the way the author blended past and present, using dual timelines to reveal how the characters and their circumstances evolved. The historical elements were powerful and eye-opening, and it’s clear that a great deal of care went into the research. I also appreciated the way the story unfolded gradually, keeping me engaged as connections came to light.
The character development was another strong point — I enjoyed watching them change and adapt as the story progressed. The emotional weight of the events felt real and impactful, and the book does a great job of reminding us of the personal stories behind major historical events.
That said, I did feel a bit of a disconnect from the characters emotionally. While their experiences were compelling, I never felt fully immersed in any one character’s inner world. I also listened to the audiobook and found the narrator a bit hard to understand at times, which made me wish I had read the physical version instead. Additionally, the book leaned more heavily into pure history than I expected — I was hoping for a bit more of a narrative-driven historical fiction experience.
Still, this is a worthwhile and powerful read that sheds light on important truths. It’s perfect for readers who appreciate fact-based storytelling with emotional depth and a strong sense of time and place.
The character development was another strong point — I enjoyed watching them change and adapt as the story progressed. The emotional weight of the events felt real and impactful, and the book does a great job of reminding us of the personal stories behind major historical events.
That said, I did feel a bit of a disconnect from the characters emotionally. While their experiences were compelling, I never felt fully immersed in any one character’s inner world. I also listened to the audiobook and found the narrator a bit hard to understand at times, which made me wish I had read the physical version instead. Additionally, the book leaned more heavily into pure history than I expected — I was hoping for a bit more of a narrative-driven historical fiction experience.
Still, this is a worthwhile and powerful read that sheds light on important truths. It’s perfect for readers who appreciate fact-based storytelling with emotional depth and a strong sense of time and place.
March 9, 2025
This is a difficult read - but one reminding you light dispels darkness. . . .but it can take so long to get that light sometimes.
Venissieux, France. . .can you imagine knowing you were bound for certain death, you are holding your children close when you are presented with an opportunity for your child to live. to LIVE. All you have to do is sign the paper that pronounces them without parents, without a past. Then you must turn your back and head toward your own dark future, without a sure promise, with only a sliver of possibility. It was a difficult read. Had to put the book down often.
Then there is that monster, Klaus Barbie. The second storyline in this book has a student who is working through his atrocities, and begins uncovering the stories of those children of brave parents who did indeed walk into oblivion on the hope of their children's tomorrows. Every reveal had two sides - someone's escape and KB horrors.
I learned about sacrifices I'd never been taught, braveness that I can barely imagine, and wonder at the magnificence that can spring up at the intersections of crisis.
*A sincere thank you to Mario Escobar, HarperCollins Focus, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #TheForgottenNames #NetGalley
Venissieux, France. . .can you imagine knowing you were bound for certain death, you are holding your children close when you are presented with an opportunity for your child to live. to LIVE. All you have to do is sign the paper that pronounces them without parents, without a past. Then you must turn your back and head toward your own dark future, without a sure promise, with only a sliver of possibility. It was a difficult read. Had to put the book down often.
Then there is that monster, Klaus Barbie. The second storyline in this book has a student who is working through his atrocities, and begins uncovering the stories of those children of brave parents who did indeed walk into oblivion on the hope of their children's tomorrows. Every reveal had two sides - someone's escape and KB horrors.
I learned about sacrifices I'd never been taught, braveness that I can barely imagine, and wonder at the magnificence that can spring up at the intersections of crisis.
*A sincere thank you to Mario Escobar, HarperCollins Focus, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #TheForgottenNames #NetGalley
March 17, 2024
The triumphant story of the French men and women who did everything they could against incredible odds to save the lives of Jewish children from the Nazi Extermination camps.
April 21, 2024
When I see Mario Escobar has a new book available I simply have to get it, he never missed a beat and has always giving us historical facts mixed into a good story. Again he didn’t fail...
The story in a few words:
August 1942
French parents were faced with a horrible choice: watch their children die, or abandon them forever. To save them, Jewish mothers of Vénissieux were asked to make the ultimate sacrifice of abandoning them forever. The result of a coordinated effort by clergy, civilians, the French Resistance and members of other humanitarian organizations 108 children somehow managed to escape deportation and certain death in the German concentration camps.
Early 1990’s
Student Valérie Portheret in the midst of doing her doctoral research into the 108 children who disappeared from Vénissieux fifty years earlier made it her mission to match the abandoned names with the people they belong to. It took her a twenty-five year journey to allow the children to reclaim their heritage and remember their forgotten names.
My thoughts:
Told in dual timelines this account of true events is both sad and captivating. It is very well-said to keep our interest at its peak and us pushing on. It is chilling story that places us in the zone where Klaus Barbie was the German commander who ruled Lyon, France with an iron fist and did not hesitated to torture anyone. We do have graphic scenes to make the point. Of course this story is not fun to read, seeing the Jewish population hunted and shipped to concentration and children taken from their parents in order to save them is heartbreaking.
Although the conversation is fictionalized and the timeline may be out of sync, the characters are real and the events well documented. The timeline for those who hate this, the back and forth is on occasion and I felt it did not interfered with the flow. The chapters are short and the narration active. “The Forgotten Names” is well-said and well-done.
I received this Arc from Harper Muse via Netgalley for my thoughts: this is the way I see it.
The story in a few words:
August 1942
French parents were faced with a horrible choice: watch their children die, or abandon them forever. To save them, Jewish mothers of Vénissieux were asked to make the ultimate sacrifice of abandoning them forever. The result of a coordinated effort by clergy, civilians, the French Resistance and members of other humanitarian organizations 108 children somehow managed to escape deportation and certain death in the German concentration camps.
Early 1990’s
Student Valérie Portheret in the midst of doing her doctoral research into the 108 children who disappeared from Vénissieux fifty years earlier made it her mission to match the abandoned names with the people they belong to. It took her a twenty-five year journey to allow the children to reclaim their heritage and remember their forgotten names.
My thoughts:
Told in dual timelines this account of true events is both sad and captivating. It is very well-said to keep our interest at its peak and us pushing on. It is chilling story that places us in the zone where Klaus Barbie was the German commander who ruled Lyon, France with an iron fist and did not hesitated to torture anyone. We do have graphic scenes to make the point. Of course this story is not fun to read, seeing the Jewish population hunted and shipped to concentration and children taken from their parents in order to save them is heartbreaking.
Although the conversation is fictionalized and the timeline may be out of sync, the characters are real and the events well documented. The timeline for those who hate this, the back and forth is on occasion and I felt it did not interfered with the flow. The chapters are short and the narration active. “The Forgotten Names” is well-said and well-done.
I received this Arc from Harper Muse via Netgalley for my thoughts: this is the way I see it.
June 4, 2024
The first half of this book read almost like a textbook, with many names, dates, and facts to keep straight . The parts about the actual rescue of the children were more interesting, so I gave it three stars.
I’m guessing that the strange, very difficult to read formatting was due to the book being an Advanced Reader Digital Copy. It really slowed down my progress in reading, and made it less enjoyable as well.
*I received a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*
I’m guessing that the strange, very difficult to read formatting was due to the book being an Advanced Reader Digital Copy. It really slowed down my progress in reading, and made it less enjoyable as well.
*I received a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*
March 2, 2025
I enjoy historical fictions but this was a disappointment. It was written more like nonfiction. There were some many characters to keep up with and you really didn’t get much backstory. I would had like more story about Valerie and her thesis. She found all 108 children that were saved but not much is said about them.
September 3, 2024
Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
“Human beings aren’t naturally good, but neither are we irrationally evil. It’s just that our hearts house evil and selfishness. I’ve heard some say that the Nazis are cruel because they aren’t human. But turning them into wild animals or beasts doesn’t help undo the horror they cause. That’s what the Nazis have done against the Jews: attributed to one nation the ills of the entire world. The truth is that all of us are prisoners of egocentrism and all of us are capable of horrible wickedness.”
The Forgotten Names is the story of a heroic act without precedent in Nazi-occupied Europe. A network of institutions and people of different ideologies and beliefs came together to carry out one of the largest rescue operations organized during World War II.
In Mario Escobar's own words —Writing a historical novel implies describing a part of the world that no longer exists, a part that has disappeared little by little and given way to something else. Someday the impetuous winds of time will buffet us until we, too, are history. The images engraved on our pupils, the sum of emotions and experiences that we all represent, will disappear forever. That futility of life makes us simultaneously giants and pygmies, believing the only way to prolong our existence is to perch atop the shoulders of the next generation and whisper a few phrases into their ears.
Today, some four thousand French men and women are recognized by the international community as Righteous Among the Nations. Thanks to these Righteous, three-fourths of the Jews in occupied France did not die. The majority of these were children.
At the peak of world war II , Germany had ordered France to hand over all the Jews which counted to about 60000 people including kids in that group too. When it didn't feel right, a group of people came together to rescue these kids, because rescuing others was not an option but they had found an exemption that could help them save these kids.
The danger was constant, death was around every corner, and it was enough to know that the primary interest of the other was survival. Yet no one could pull it off without other people’s help. The individualism from before the war—that sense that a person’s life mattered to only the one who lived it—was a daydream from the past. The only way to survive in the world they now lived in was, simply, to trust others.
At the age of twenty-three, Valérie began her riveting research into the rescue of the children of Vénissieux. After discovering a box with the children’s files, her research became a twenty-five-year journey to find those lost children and give them back their true identities.
The story of the forgotten names alternates between the main story of how a group of people saved 108 children from the clutches of death and Valerie's journey of finding out how did it happen and who these children were.
The hundreds of exemption requests on the table were much more than paper forms for him. They were people’s lives, families who would disappear forever if they crossed the Rhine and reached Germany.
What Hitler did to jews is unfathomable... No matter how many books I have read about holocaust, every time I read a new one I experience the horrors again. Jews were like rats. They could outlast almost anything. So they had to be treated like the infectious animals that they were. There could be no mercy or compassion. Though the Nazis’ victims at times could look like innocent women, children, and older people, in actuality they were a dangerous plague that corrupted entire nations.
Genocidal tyrants like Adolf Hitler had always existed, but they only triumphed when an entire people became willing accomplices to their crimes. The world I grew up in was kinder than this one. We fought in the Great War and faced crises and plagues, but human beings still had souls. I’ve seen so much, madame. I wish I could drive it all out of my mind and heart. These people don’t know the hell they’re about to be taken to. The Nazis are devils with no souls.”
The forgotten names had my attention from the first page and it didn't let it waver till the end. The narration is too good, enjoyed every bit of it.
Thank you Harper Muse| HarperCollins and Netgalley for this wonderful Audiobook which I highly recommend to everyone.
This book is sure gonna stay with me for a very long time.
Audiobook rating : 5 stars
Book rating : 4.5 stars
“Human beings aren’t naturally good, but neither are we irrationally evil. It’s just that our hearts house evil and selfishness. I’ve heard some say that the Nazis are cruel because they aren’t human. But turning them into wild animals or beasts doesn’t help undo the horror they cause. That’s what the Nazis have done against the Jews: attributed to one nation the ills of the entire world. The truth is that all of us are prisoners of egocentrism and all of us are capable of horrible wickedness.”
The Forgotten Names is the story of a heroic act without precedent in Nazi-occupied Europe. A network of institutions and people of different ideologies and beliefs came together to carry out one of the largest rescue operations organized during World War II.
In Mario Escobar's own words —Writing a historical novel implies describing a part of the world that no longer exists, a part that has disappeared little by little and given way to something else. Someday the impetuous winds of time will buffet us until we, too, are history. The images engraved on our pupils, the sum of emotions and experiences that we all represent, will disappear forever. That futility of life makes us simultaneously giants and pygmies, believing the only way to prolong our existence is to perch atop the shoulders of the next generation and whisper a few phrases into their ears.
Today, some four thousand French men and women are recognized by the international community as Righteous Among the Nations. Thanks to these Righteous, three-fourths of the Jews in occupied France did not die. The majority of these were children.
At the peak of world war II , Germany had ordered France to hand over all the Jews which counted to about 60000 people including kids in that group too. When it didn't feel right, a group of people came together to rescue these kids, because rescuing others was not an option but they had found an exemption that could help them save these kids.
The danger was constant, death was around every corner, and it was enough to know that the primary interest of the other was survival. Yet no one could pull it off without other people’s help. The individualism from before the war—that sense that a person’s life mattered to only the one who lived it—was a daydream from the past. The only way to survive in the world they now lived in was, simply, to trust others.
At the age of twenty-three, Valérie began her riveting research into the rescue of the children of Vénissieux. After discovering a box with the children’s files, her research became a twenty-five-year journey to find those lost children and give them back their true identities.
The story of the forgotten names alternates between the main story of how a group of people saved 108 children from the clutches of death and Valerie's journey of finding out how did it happen and who these children were.
The hundreds of exemption requests on the table were much more than paper forms for him. They were people’s lives, families who would disappear forever if they crossed the Rhine and reached Germany.
What Hitler did to jews is unfathomable... No matter how many books I have read about holocaust, every time I read a new one I experience the horrors again. Jews were like rats. They could outlast almost anything. So they had to be treated like the infectious animals that they were. There could be no mercy or compassion. Though the Nazis’ victims at times could look like innocent women, children, and older people, in actuality they were a dangerous plague that corrupted entire nations.
Genocidal tyrants like Adolf Hitler had always existed, but they only triumphed when an entire people became willing accomplices to their crimes. The world I grew up in was kinder than this one. We fought in the Great War and faced crises and plagues, but human beings still had souls. I’ve seen so much, madame. I wish I could drive it all out of my mind and heart. These people don’t know the hell they’re about to be taken to. The Nazis are devils with no souls.”
The forgotten names had my attention from the first page and it didn't let it waver till the end. The narration is too good, enjoyed every bit of it.
Thank you Harper Muse| HarperCollins and Netgalley for this wonderful Audiobook which I highly recommend to everyone.
This book is sure gonna stay with me for a very long time.
Audiobook rating : 5 stars
Book rating : 4.5 stars
June 11, 2024
Rating- 3 Stars
(E-ARC)
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Harper Muse for letting me have a early copy of this book and for letting me give my honest review of this book.
The Forgotten Names is a World War 2 historical fiction book that has been inspired by true events where in August 1942, French parents were faced to either watch their children die or to give them their parental rights to let these children have a chance at life. 108 children managed to escape deportation and death from the German concentration camps. It shows the results of a number of individuals such as clergy, civilians and humanitarian organisations and the French Resistance who risked their lives to save these children. This book shows what these individuals did to save these children where their lives were often on the line. Furthermore, this book also focuses on a law student called Valeire Portheret who looks into these children for her thesis five years after the trial of Klaus Barbie. Valerie strived to help find these children to reclaim their heritage and remember their forgotten names.
When I first started this book, I had no idea about this in World War 2 and was super interested to learn what happened to these children. It is always things like this that are left out of history and are something everyone should know. This book was really hard to put down as you really want to find out what happened to the children. This book really brought some many emotions especially the things that the children and adults did to escape from the work camp. The way the Red Cross allowed this to happen made me so mad but at the same time the French Resistance were only able to do so much themselves.
Unfornately despite it being an interesting topic for the story, it did fall flat for me. The short chapters really kept you engaged but there were so many characters that it was really hard to keep up with. It would have been helpful if the author had labelled who's point of view it was instead of including multiple ones. Multiple times, there were a lot of children being introduced in one chapter. I feel like if a few of the children were focused on it would have made it less confusing. The short chapters also meant that you were not able to connect with the characters. As a result, it felt quite choppy and abrupt because as soon as you finished one point of view you were quickly whisked to another after three pages. In some cases, personally I did not feel that some of the points of views were needed.
Some of the characters did not feel as important and were only mentioned maybe once or twice in the book. Despite them not being important, the author included a lot of history about characters which really felt journalistic. It felt like it was a history lesson. It could have been a lot less and made it flow a lot better. This was especially the case for the ones who helped the children. Despite Valerie helping to locate these children, she is only seen in the book a handful of times to do some research and seminars. I really felt like you do not get to know this character at all despite being the main character. This made the ending super disappointing and out of the many characters introduced you only knew what happened to a few of them.
(E-ARC)
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Harper Muse for letting me have a early copy of this book and for letting me give my honest review of this book.
The Forgotten Names is a World War 2 historical fiction book that has been inspired by true events where in August 1942, French parents were faced to either watch their children die or to give them their parental rights to let these children have a chance at life. 108 children managed to escape deportation and death from the German concentration camps. It shows the results of a number of individuals such as clergy, civilians and humanitarian organisations and the French Resistance who risked their lives to save these children. This book shows what these individuals did to save these children where their lives were often on the line. Furthermore, this book also focuses on a law student called Valeire Portheret who looks into these children for her thesis five years after the trial of Klaus Barbie. Valerie strived to help find these children to reclaim their heritage and remember their forgotten names.
When I first started this book, I had no idea about this in World War 2 and was super interested to learn what happened to these children. It is always things like this that are left out of history and are something everyone should know. This book was really hard to put down as you really want to find out what happened to the children. This book really brought some many emotions especially the things that the children and adults did to escape from the work camp. The way the Red Cross allowed this to happen made me so mad but at the same time the French Resistance were only able to do so much themselves.
Unfornately despite it being an interesting topic for the story, it did fall flat for me. The short chapters really kept you engaged but there were so many characters that it was really hard to keep up with. It would have been helpful if the author had labelled who's point of view it was instead of including multiple ones. Multiple times, there were a lot of children being introduced in one chapter. I feel like if a few of the children were focused on it would have made it less confusing. The short chapters also meant that you were not able to connect with the characters. As a result, it felt quite choppy and abrupt because as soon as you finished one point of view you were quickly whisked to another after three pages. In some cases, personally I did not feel that some of the points of views were needed.
Some of the characters did not feel as important and were only mentioned maybe once or twice in the book. Despite them not being important, the author included a lot of history about characters which really felt journalistic. It felt like it was a history lesson. It could have been a lot less and made it flow a lot better. This was especially the case for the ones who helped the children. Despite Valerie helping to locate these children, she is only seen in the book a handful of times to do some research and seminars. I really felt like you do not get to know this character at all despite being the main character. This made the ending super disappointing and out of the many characters introduced you only knew what happened to a few of them.
May 4, 2024
I have probably read more fiction set in WWII than in any other area, so I am always on the lookout for stories that have not yet been told. When I read the synopsis of this book and learned that it would tell the story of a group of children who were saved from deportation from France to the German concentration camps thanks to the work of a group of committed citizens, I was intrigued, especially when I found out that the story is based on real events and real people.
Unfortunately, my expectations far exceeded the reality. I think that this story would have much more effectively told in the form of narrative nonfiction. As a work of fiction, even using the real events and real names of some of the people involved, it doesn't seem very real. For starters, there are just too many people and too many names to keep track of everyone, and often names of people are given who appear in just one scene in the book. I understand that the point of telling this story is to make the names known, but giving a name just for the sake of giving it, without telling us the story of the person behind the name, really doesn't do much for me as a reader. I also found that even the characters who appear again and again are very one-dimensional. Ironically, the only character who really gets fleshed out a bit is Klaus Barbie, probably the worst of the villains, but even he gets relatively short shrift. All in all, everything felt rushed and superficial, like I was reading a draft of a story and not the final work. Moreover, nothing felt quite real to me; the dialogue felt too modern and even the descriptions of what people were eating felt ridiculous given that there was a war on.
I am glad that I learned about this act of bravery on the part of the priests, social workers, and everyday French men and women who helped to save these children, though I don't think their efforts have been done justice by this book. I'm thankful that some references are given for further reading at the end so that I can learn more and get a better sense of what happened in Lyon, France, in the last days of August 1942.
Thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This book will be published July 11, 2024.
Unfortunately, my expectations far exceeded the reality. I think that this story would have much more effectively told in the form of narrative nonfiction. As a work of fiction, even using the real events and real names of some of the people involved, it doesn't seem very real. For starters, there are just too many people and too many names to keep track of everyone, and often names of people are given who appear in just one scene in the book. I understand that the point of telling this story is to make the names known, but giving a name just for the sake of giving it, without telling us the story of the person behind the name, really doesn't do much for me as a reader. I also found that even the characters who appear again and again are very one-dimensional. Ironically, the only character who really gets fleshed out a bit is Klaus Barbie, probably the worst of the villains, but even he gets relatively short shrift. All in all, everything felt rushed and superficial, like I was reading a draft of a story and not the final work. Moreover, nothing felt quite real to me; the dialogue felt too modern and even the descriptions of what people were eating felt ridiculous given that there was a war on.
I am glad that I learned about this act of bravery on the part of the priests, social workers, and everyday French men and women who helped to save these children, though I don't think their efforts have been done justice by this book. I'm thankful that some references are given for further reading at the end so that I can learn more and get a better sense of what happened in Lyon, France, in the last days of August 1942.
Thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This book will be published July 11, 2024.
May 17, 2024
Valerie Portheret is a law student who is writing her thesis. While she originally wanted to write about Klaus Barbie, she is pulled towards the 108 children who lost their parents to survive.
The book jumps between past and present describing what the children and family went through. Imagine having to give up your child to prevent them from being sent to sure death. Many French Jew parents did this to protect who they loved the most. It also involves Klaus desperately trying to catch the children at the covenant where they were briefly housed at.
This book is about love, survival, and doing what is right. I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading books about WWII or historical fiction.
The book jumps between past and present describing what the children and family went through. Imagine having to give up your child to prevent them from being sent to sure death. Many French Jew parents did this to protect who they loved the most. It also involves Klaus desperately trying to catch the children at the covenant where they were briefly housed at.
This book is about love, survival, and doing what is right. I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading books about WWII or historical fiction.
June 5, 2024
This historical fiction book is based on true stories of the Jewish children who were given up to save their lives during World War II. An excellent book and highly recommended. Brilliant audio as well. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC/Audiobook.
June 7, 2024
I received a copy for review purposes; all opinions are honest and mine alone.
In the midst of researching Klaus Barbie for her thesis, law student, Valerie Portheret, discovers a list of 108 children that were smuggled away from the Nazi’s by a tiny group of very determined resistance workers in Lyon, France. After convincing her professor that THIS is where she needs to focus her research efforts, Valerie spends 25 years uncovering the details, locating the children, now in their 70’s, and remembering THE FORGOTTEN NAMES.
Altho’ this book is classified as historical fiction, the fictional aspect is minimal, IMO. Author, Mario Escobar, adds dialogue between characters and rearranges events, (within a very reasonable timeline), in order to make the historical facts more interesting and readable.
A few other reviewers have not enjoyed the format for this book but I found it added to the veracity. Can you imagine what it would be like to find a list of 108 names that was 50 years old and with almost nothing to go on, try to locate the people? The world is a big place, 50 years is a literal lifetime and names get changed. For these children, names were changed on purpose and later on, marriage for women, new countries for others and on and on. As the research happens, the contemporary timeline pops into the book with updates as to Valerie’s progress. In the past timeline, events occur chronologically. Both timelines are written in short chapters. The translation is flawless.
Escobar is able to tell a story about horrific events without resorting to gratuitous and graphic language. It’s one of the elements I most admire about his writing. Given the current events in our world today, THE FORGOTTEN NAMES is a book that should be read by many📚
Read and reviewed from a NetGalley eARC, with thanks
In the midst of researching Klaus Barbie for her thesis, law student, Valerie Portheret, discovers a list of 108 children that were smuggled away from the Nazi’s by a tiny group of very determined resistance workers in Lyon, France. After convincing her professor that THIS is where she needs to focus her research efforts, Valerie spends 25 years uncovering the details, locating the children, now in their 70’s, and remembering THE FORGOTTEN NAMES.
Altho’ this book is classified as historical fiction, the fictional aspect is minimal, IMO. Author, Mario Escobar, adds dialogue between characters and rearranges events, (within a very reasonable timeline), in order to make the historical facts more interesting and readable.
A few other reviewers have not enjoyed the format for this book but I found it added to the veracity. Can you imagine what it would be like to find a list of 108 names that was 50 years old and with almost nothing to go on, try to locate the people? The world is a big place, 50 years is a literal lifetime and names get changed. For these children, names were changed on purpose and later on, marriage for women, new countries for others and on and on. As the research happens, the contemporary timeline pops into the book with updates as to Valerie’s progress. In the past timeline, events occur chronologically. Both timelines are written in short chapters. The translation is flawless.
Escobar is able to tell a story about horrific events without resorting to gratuitous and graphic language. It’s one of the elements I most admire about his writing. Given the current events in our world today, THE FORGOTTEN NAMES is a book that should be read by many📚
Read and reviewed from a NetGalley eARC, with thanks
June 13, 2024
The Forgotten Names is an inspiring, compelling, and unforgettable WWII story of sacrifice and heroism.
Inspired by true events and real people, The Forgotten Names is the story of Jewish children who were smuggled out of Nazi-occupied France during WWII. The contemporary timeline shares the story of real-life law student, Valérie Portheret, as she attempts to track down these children from the list of 108 to hear their stories and provide them with any available birthright heritage from 1942. It took her twenty-five years.
“You won’t get the children.”
Just as I think I might be burned out on WWII histfic, I come across a stand-out read.
Some of the most poignant and unforgettable WWII stories are the ones about saving innocent children. In The Forgotten Names, 108 are saved. One of the most compelling parts of the story is their rescue from Venissieux, an internment camp, where they were held.
Protestants, Catholics, and Jews often worked together to help the under served during this time, especially Jewish children. How did people with different beliefs come together to rescue children and save as many as possible? It’s a miracle in the darkness. Organizations like the Organization to Save the Children were formed at great risk to its members. Lyon, France seemed to be the center of this Resistance and was known especially for the number of children saved.
An unimaginable choice…
Saving the innocent requires sacrifice on many levels. The most heartfelt and tragic sacrifice is made by parents who, with almost no certainty of seeing them again, relinquish their children to strangers in hopes that their lives will be spared. I often wonder what I would be capable of doing to save my children’s lives. The brave souls who hide, smuggle, and transport the children risk and at times sacrifice their own lives as they protect and keep secrets. The children exchange their sense of security and happy childhoods for survival. The sacrifice is staggering but inspirational.
Mario Escobar provides us with a well-researched, well-paced, and well-written multilayered story from multiple perspectives. At the beginning, I took notes to keep multiple characters and locations from the 1942 timeline straight in my mind. The author helps us see the story from the perspectives of the organizers of the Resistance, the caretakers responsible for the children’s safety and security, and from the children. We also have a perspective from the lawyer in 1992 as she tracks down the names. This is a complex and compelling dual timeline story and TBR worthy.
Content Consideration: WWII atrocities, separation of families
I love untold stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the most difficult and unthinkable circumstances. I’m highly recommending The Forgotten Names for fans of well-written, well-researched, and compelling WWII historical fiction. Readers who appreciate stories that focus on saving the innocent will find this story riveting and memorable. It has secured a place on my best of 2024 list.
Thanks #NetGalley @harpermusebooks for a complimentary e ARC of #TheForgottenNames upon my request. All opinions are my own.
For more reviews visit my blog www.ReadingLadies.com where this review was first published.
Inspired by true events and real people, The Forgotten Names is the story of Jewish children who were smuggled out of Nazi-occupied France during WWII. The contemporary timeline shares the story of real-life law student, Valérie Portheret, as she attempts to track down these children from the list of 108 to hear their stories and provide them with any available birthright heritage from 1942. It took her twenty-five years.
“You won’t get the children.”
Just as I think I might be burned out on WWII histfic, I come across a stand-out read.
Some of the most poignant and unforgettable WWII stories are the ones about saving innocent children. In The Forgotten Names, 108 are saved. One of the most compelling parts of the story is their rescue from Venissieux, an internment camp, where they were held.
Protestants, Catholics, and Jews often worked together to help the under served during this time, especially Jewish children. How did people with different beliefs come together to rescue children and save as many as possible? It’s a miracle in the darkness. Organizations like the Organization to Save the Children were formed at great risk to its members. Lyon, France seemed to be the center of this Resistance and was known especially for the number of children saved.
An unimaginable choice…
Saving the innocent requires sacrifice on many levels. The most heartfelt and tragic sacrifice is made by parents who, with almost no certainty of seeing them again, relinquish their children to strangers in hopes that their lives will be spared. I often wonder what I would be capable of doing to save my children’s lives. The brave souls who hide, smuggle, and transport the children risk and at times sacrifice their own lives as they protect and keep secrets. The children exchange their sense of security and happy childhoods for survival. The sacrifice is staggering but inspirational.
Mario Escobar provides us with a well-researched, well-paced, and well-written multilayered story from multiple perspectives. At the beginning, I took notes to keep multiple characters and locations from the 1942 timeline straight in my mind. The author helps us see the story from the perspectives of the organizers of the Resistance, the caretakers responsible for the children’s safety and security, and from the children. We also have a perspective from the lawyer in 1992 as she tracks down the names. This is a complex and compelling dual timeline story and TBR worthy.
Content Consideration: WWII atrocities, separation of families
I love untold stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the most difficult and unthinkable circumstances. I’m highly recommending The Forgotten Names for fans of well-written, well-researched, and compelling WWII historical fiction. Readers who appreciate stories that focus on saving the innocent will find this story riveting and memorable. It has secured a place on my best of 2024 list.
Thanks #NetGalley @harpermusebooks for a complimentary e ARC of #TheForgottenNames upon my request. All opinions are my own.
For more reviews visit my blog www.ReadingLadies.com where this review was first published.
March 21, 2023
Jamás dejará de sorprenderme cuanta maldad hubo en esta época de la historia en la que se desarrolla la novela.
Cuando crees que ya lo había leído todo y que no puede haber algo peor, aparece otro monstruo más.
.
Esta vez nos encontramos en Francia.
Contada en dos tiempos.
1992. Una mujer querrá averiguar qué pasó durante 1942 con aquellos niños que lograron salvar de los nazis y devolverles su identidad. Para ello deberá enfrentarse a su Universidad y a un pues lo que quiere olvidar.
1942. Los nazis llegan a Francia y comienzan su "limpieza". Un grupo de personas anónimas intentará salvar a los más pequeños e inocentes del destino que se les impone.
.
Distinta a lo que he leído hasta entonces de esta época, pues las anteriores lecturas siempre se desarrollaban en campos de concentración y esta novela me ha dado otra visión del horror que sembraron los nazis.
Basada en hechos reales, por supuesto.
Sin profundizar demasiado, se hace ligera y amena de leer. Con un ritmo pausado pero con capítulos cortos en los que cambia de personaje y con lo que va hilando ambas historias.
.
La verdad, hay partes en las que se me ha hecho un nudo en la garganta.
Y pensar que todavía hay gente que se cree superior a otra.
Desde luego, nada hemos aprendido de los errores y horrores del pasado. (Algunxs)
.
Os recomiendo muchísimo su lectura.
No os dejará indiferente.
Cuando crees que ya lo había leído todo y que no puede haber algo peor, aparece otro monstruo más.
.
Esta vez nos encontramos en Francia.
Contada en dos tiempos.
1992. Una mujer querrá averiguar qué pasó durante 1942 con aquellos niños que lograron salvar de los nazis y devolverles su identidad. Para ello deberá enfrentarse a su Universidad y a un pues lo que quiere olvidar.
1942. Los nazis llegan a Francia y comienzan su "limpieza". Un grupo de personas anónimas intentará salvar a los más pequeños e inocentes del destino que se les impone.
.
Distinta a lo que he leído hasta entonces de esta época, pues las anteriores lecturas siempre se desarrollaban en campos de concentración y esta novela me ha dado otra visión del horror que sembraron los nazis.
Basada en hechos reales, por supuesto.
Sin profundizar demasiado, se hace ligera y amena de leer. Con un ritmo pausado pero con capítulos cortos en los que cambia de personaje y con lo que va hilando ambas historias.
.
La verdad, hay partes en las que se me ha hecho un nudo en la garganta.
Y pensar que todavía hay gente que se cree superior a otra.
Desde luego, nada hemos aprendido de los errores y horrores del pasado. (Algunxs)
.
Os recomiendo muchísimo su lectura.
No os dejará indiferente.
July 3, 2024
As thousands of French Jews began to be deported to Germany in August of 1942, social workers attempted to document exemptions for as many as they could. The Germans decided not to accept exemptions for any adults, so the social workers offered the parents a heartbreaking way to keep their children alive and in France. They must be declared unaccompanied. This required parents to sign away their parental rights with the knowledge that they would probably not ever see them again. A harder decision could not be asked of them, yet they realized it was the only way to keep their children alive. These Jewish children were collectively smuggled away to other families through a joint heroic effort by civilians, clergy, French Resistance and social service organizations.
In 1992, a law student, Valérie Portheret, began her doctoral research into the 108 children who disappeared from Vénissieux and escaped deportation. Her research brought her to stowed and forgotten lists of names she began to identify as these same children. She ended up making this her life’s work to pair these names with the survivors they belonged to. This was no easy task. Her heroic efforts are celebrated in this beautiful story based upon true events.
The audiobook narrated by Saskia Maarleveld is as exceptional as the story itself. Her accent, inflections and portrayal of characters proves to capture the passion that Mario Escobar pens in his stories and bring it to life.
My only misgiving regarding this book is that it contains around five cuss words that, in my opinion, were unnecessary and depicts a closed door scene of an unmarried couple. I received this audiobook from the author/publisher free of charge, with no expectation of a positive review.
In 1992, a law student, Valérie Portheret, began her doctoral research into the 108 children who disappeared from Vénissieux and escaped deportation. Her research brought her to stowed and forgotten lists of names she began to identify as these same children. She ended up making this her life’s work to pair these names with the survivors they belonged to. This was no easy task. Her heroic efforts are celebrated in this beautiful story based upon true events.
The audiobook narrated by Saskia Maarleveld is as exceptional as the story itself. Her accent, inflections and portrayal of characters proves to capture the passion that Mario Escobar pens in his stories and bring it to life.
My only misgiving regarding this book is that it contains around five cuss words that, in my opinion, were unnecessary and depicts a closed door scene of an unmarried couple. I received this audiobook from the author/publisher free of charge, with no expectation of a positive review.
November 9, 2025
Halfway between historical fiction and documentary, this romanced depiction of the rescue of 108 children from a concentration camp in Lyon had me completely hooked.
I read half of it before bed yesterday, kept thinking about what was happening to the characters until I fell asleep, then had to finish their story first thing in the morning!
Resilience, determination, hope, faith, humanity, kindness; these are what make the world go round.
« Please, go right ahead. I’ll leave you alone with history. »
« It’s always the right time to remember the past. »
« No matter how unbearable the obstinate cold of winter, life would rise from the ashes. »
I read half of it before bed yesterday, kept thinking about what was happening to the characters until I fell asleep, then had to finish their story first thing in the morning!
Resilience, determination, hope, faith, humanity, kindness; these are what make the world go round.
« Please, go right ahead. I’ll leave you alone with history. »
« It’s always the right time to remember the past. »
« No matter how unbearable the obstinate cold of winter, life would rise from the ashes. »
March 3, 2025
This book was so sad. Following the difficult scenarios of heroes of jewish children was sometimes boring in certain details, but other times agonizingly exciting. I couldn’t handle the torture scenes hardly, even though it didn’t go into too much detail it was just so disgusting what Nazis did to people heartlessly. And at the end I was so annoyed that there was a very nondescript sex scene. But like, why? why did that need put in there? Sigh. Overall wouldn’t necessarily recommend. there’s a lot better WWII books to read.
June 8, 2024
The heartbreak that this audiobook shares is unimaginable. Every single time I think I’ve gotten to a place where I can no longer be surprised by the atrocities that occurred, I find another story and my heart breaks once again.
The story told through dual timelines was very well done. The narrator did a wonderful job - especially with using proper annunciation and accents throughout. This was my first book by this author but certainly won’t be my last. There was solid character building, the plot moved along at a pace that kept my attention, the title and cover were well thought out, and the emotional pull was definitely there.
I would absolutely recommend this to those interested in WWII novels or historical fiction in general.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Mario Escobar, and the publisher for allowing me access to this novel prior to release in exchange for an honest review.
The story told through dual timelines was very well done. The narrator did a wonderful job - especially with using proper annunciation and accents throughout. This was my first book by this author but certainly won’t be my last. There was solid character building, the plot moved along at a pace that kept my attention, the title and cover were well thought out, and the emotional pull was definitely there.
I would absolutely recommend this to those interested in WWII novels or historical fiction in general.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Mario Escobar, and the publisher for allowing me access to this novel prior to release in exchange for an honest review.
August 15, 2024
I listened to the audiobook. It’s a very moving story of many of the citizens of Lyon, France to hide over 100 Jewish children during WWII in 1942. Then years later there was an attempt to find all the children 70 years later. I really enjoy the writing of Mario Escobar. His historical fiction novels of the early 1900s are written in a way that weaves facts with fiction. The story has its heartbreaking moments and triumphs too. It’s very moving.
September 30, 2024
The Forgotten Names comes to us by way of a discovery made by pure luck due to the research of a young student working on her doctorate geared toward the “Butcher of Lyon”, Klaus Barbie. This young student is our determined and committed heroine in this true story. Her name is Valérie Portheret, a name of huge importance to the lives of 108 children in 1942 during the period of deportation to concentration camps by the Germans. In this case, the 108 were in France. When Valérie discovers the list of names and then the purpose for its existence, she has a turn of interest in her road forward. It seems the Nazi agenda sighted unaccompanied minors as exemptions for deportation. Valérie committed the next 25 years of her life to discover what happened with each of these 108 children. Those who resisted the Nazi agenda played a big part in the rescue of each of these children. Often times their own safety was put in a precarious situation.Parents releasing their little ones, names being changed, transporting, and placing in safe environments hopefully for the rest of their years. Our heroine, Valérie, and all involved in the efforts of the resistance share heart-wrenching moments through this entire event. Not only were the lives of the children in danger, but their’s were, as well. The author, Mario Escobar keeps the reader intensely committed to the need to know. I had the need to know. That period of time in Europe was both hellacious and heroic. This story tells both. Valérie’s story doesn’t end for the next 25 years. An amazing accomplishment is achieved due to her devotion to locate each of the 108. A must read.
July 12, 2024
*****I received this audiobook free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This is an important art of history. I will say I have read other books where it is written in a more captivating way.
This is an important art of history. I will say I have read other books where it is written in a more captivating way.
dnf
October 22, 2024DNF p. 211 (63%)
Escobar's writing is interesting, but I ended up DNF-ing
Reasons -
Pretty confusing with many characters and time jumps
No real connection to any of the characters
Language I wasn't a fan of (God's name in vain, G-D, s-t used once)
Romance that looked like it could get steamy (and I didn't think the romance fit in such a serious book) - up to where I read and then skipped ahead, there was a closed-door scene with lead up. The main antagonist visits a brothel as well, though it's entirely closed-door with no lead up.
Even without the content, it would only have been a 3 star read, and I'm trying to avoid a reading slump, so I decided to DNF.
Escobar's writing is interesting, but I ended up DNF-ing
Reasons -
Pretty confusing with many characters and time jumps
No real connection to any of the characters
Language I wasn't a fan of (God's name in vain, G-D, s-t used once)
Romance that looked like it could get steamy (and I didn't think the romance fit in such a serious book) - up to where I read and then skipped ahead, there was a closed-door scene with lead up. The main antagonist visits a brothel as well, though it's entirely closed-door with no lead up.
Even without the content, it would only have been a 3 star read, and I'm trying to avoid a reading slump, so I decided to DNF.
November 18, 2025
Interessant verhaal, gebaseerd op feiten over Joodse kinderen in Frankrijk die door een list zijn ontsnapt aan de nazi's.
November 15, 2025
Luisterboek; fascinerend hoe het verzet 102 kinderen van het kamp veilig heeft ondergebracht in adoptie gezinnen onder de neus van de nazi’s (waargebeurd verhaal)
June 9, 2024
Imagine if you had to give up your children in order to save them from imminent death? Such was the case in 1942 when the Jewish mothers of Vénissieux, signed away their children never to see them again, in order to save their precious children from the Nazis.
Years later a student, Valérie Portheret, decides to do her doctoral thesis on the 108 children who managed to survive due to the heroic efforts of civilians, clergy, and the French Resistance, and others, members of Humanitarian Organizations. who risked so much to save these children. It was the time of Klaus Barbie, commonly referred to as The Butcher of Lyon, whose mission was to wipe every Jew off the face of the earth.
Valerie becomes obsessed with finding the children and returning the only thing she could to them, their true names. In her twenty five years of doing so, she is able to give the children their names and their heritage back.
The story takes place in duel timelines, and many of the things related were factual. The horror of mothers losing their children, children losing their parents was both shocking, sad, and emotional. It's always ever so difficult to imagine how cruel the human character can and will be.
Thank you to Mario Escobar, Harper Muse, and Netgalley for the ability to listen to this tragic story.
Years later a student, Valérie Portheret, decides to do her doctoral thesis on the 108 children who managed to survive due to the heroic efforts of civilians, clergy, and the French Resistance, and others, members of Humanitarian Organizations. who risked so much to save these children. It was the time of Klaus Barbie, commonly referred to as The Butcher of Lyon, whose mission was to wipe every Jew off the face of the earth.
Valerie becomes obsessed with finding the children and returning the only thing she could to them, their true names. In her twenty five years of doing so, she is able to give the children their names and their heritage back.
The story takes place in duel timelines, and many of the things related were factual. The horror of mothers losing their children, children losing their parents was both shocking, sad, and emotional. It's always ever so difficult to imagine how cruel the human character can and will be.
Thank you to Mario Escobar, Harper Muse, and Netgalley for the ability to listen to this tragic story.
June 3, 2024
he Forgotten Names by Mario Escobar is an appalling, yet redemptive story about children during World War II. I have read tons of books on World War II, and every story appears to be a little different. Showing the good and horrors of humanity. As the story is written, there are a number of viewpoints from a good chunk of the rescuers to the children to a priest to a Nazi solder. For a while, it was hard to follow the story. But then I didn’t worry about whose point of view the section was in, I just focused on the time period. Made it so much easier to follow the plot. Again, as someone who reads about these dreadful events, I would hope that if I was put in the same situation that I would stand up for the Jewish people no matter the cost. Escobar does a wonderful job at creating empathy for the characters as he shares their plight with the Nazi’s. Even though the creation of the characters are not really that three-dimensional by learning their backgrounds or what makes them tick, readers can still feel horrified with the terrors that does occur to another human by the hand of another who believes he is superior. There are a number of cuss words. A couple of scenes that allude to horrible situations, so be careful when allowing less mature younger children to read this novel. Overall, The Forgotten Names by Mario Escobar brings to light the saving grace of 108 children who were saved from having to go to the concentration camps even though they had to take on new identities. A wonderful story to read.
I received a complimentary copy of The Forgotten Names by Mario Escobar from Harper Muse Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.
I received a complimentary copy of The Forgotten Names by Mario Escobar from Harper Muse Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.
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