The Forest of Vanishing Stars

A Novel

By: Kristin Harmel

Narrated by: Kristin Harmel - author's note, Madeleine Maby

Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Parade “Best Books of Summer” pick * Real Simple pick * She Reads “Best WWII Fiction of Summer 2021” pick

The New York Times bestselling author of the “heart-stopping tale of survival and heroism” (People) The Book of Lost Names returns with an evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis—until a secret from her past threatens everything.

After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest—and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change everything.

Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds, and suffused with the journey-from-the-wilderness elements that made Where the Crawdads Sing a worldwide phenomenon, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a heart-wrenching and suspenseful novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author whose writing has been hailed as “sweeping and magnificent” (Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author), “immersive and evocative” (Publishers Weekly), and “gripping” (Tampa Bay Times).

©2021 Kristin Harmel Lietz. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"In this compelling coming-of-age story, narrator Madeleine Maby portrays the mysterious Jerusza in a wise and foreboding tone. The intuitive woman kidnaps Yona from Berlin just before her second birthday and raises her in the Naliboki Forest of Poland. Maby's depiction of Yona, initially brimming with curiosity and wonder, evolves to reflect the girl's growth into an increasingly self-assured young woman after Jerusza's death. As WWII approaches, Yona's purpose becomes clear: She is to help the Jews who are hiding in the forest. The author delivers a note on the historical underpinnings of this story at the end of the audiobook. Light, plaintive clarinet music introduces and ends the production." (AudioFile Magazine)

Exceptional WWII Novel

I enjoyed every part of this book. Although thecstiry pursues such an evil, tragic time in history, the theme of survival shines through. The author's care to avoid caricatures and make each character come to life is remarkable. She also has made me more deeply consider the length I may go to help others, sacrificing my own needs and wants for their sake. I highly recommend this for your next book!

A must read

So we’ll written. Allows the reader to be immersed in the middle of the lives of the people doing their best to survive in the most tragic of times.

Amazing story!

The book grabbed me from the beginning, it was incredible! I felt so much for the Characters, it’s a must read!

Wonderful!

The story and narration are superb. Wonderful illustration of hidden stories and life lessons that come out of WW2.

Captivating: This story should not be over-looked and here’s why:

Did the beginning have magical undertones? Yes. Did the main character seem unbelievable? Yes. But this is a work of fiction. A well-researched one. The magical undertones seem to be from popular children’s fables in the region in order to give the story an anchor in regional culture that is being explored throughout the story.

Therefore, this novel is being overlooked by many.

The writing is purely captivating. It hurts not only when you get your hopes up, but when you fear of getting those hopes up again. That the humanity that we all share, will win out in the end, and then it doesn’t. And that it could happen again, if these stories are not told. When an author goes in for deep-research into a culture as well as brutal events, it is worth a listen.

Loved this story

Sorry as well to hold, and I truly enjoyed it. Very relevant to today’s world.

A light in the dark

I truly enjoyed every aspect of this book. It felt real, shocking, and continued to captivate to the end. This story is a testament to survival, being human, and what it means to connect and embrace each other in the dark.
I love a historical fiction that feels well researched and takes care to be as accurate as possible. The authors note was powerful to the true stories of people who survived during this time.
A must read!

Lovely story

A new take on WWII history and Jews who survived in the forests with a wonderful story woven throughout

Wonderful book will read again

Initially I found the book fanciful and the conversations wordy and yet still trite. But that didn’t last long. The book got rolling and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will reread it. I will give it as gifts. It’s very informative. Would highly recommend listening to the authors note at the end.

love it!

I love this book so much! it was hard to put down! the characters were my favorite part!