The Forest of Vanishing Stars: A Novel

Kristin Harmel

Jul 2021 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this eBook

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).

Ratings and reviews

I received a free electronic ARC of this historical novel from Netgalley, Kristin Harmel, and Gallery Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read 'The Forest of Vanishing Stars' of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Kristin Harmel is an author to follow. Her works are consistently first-rate, her story told with heart and soul, her facts well researched. Yona was a child of two in 1922 when she was kidnapped from her hardline Berlinese parents by Jerusza, a hardened loner woman now pushing 80 years old, and taken to live the life of a regimented forest traveler, in summer moving every few days from hollow tree to handmade shelter, avoiding humankind, and living off the land. It is the only life she can remember, and Jerusza is despite her faults an excellent teacher of maintaining the basics and avoiding everyone else. Summers were times to gather and dry and store fish, mushrooms, acorns, and 'borrowed' staples and clothing from area farmers, and winters were spent in a dug-out, the weather making it not necessary to continually change their location. There were rules - moving about only with beginning snowfall, keeping fires limited to nighttime to avoid visible smoke, storing creek water or snow for liquid needs. The number-one rule according to Jerusza, you must always keep the universe in balance. Summer and winter, day and night. Sustenance and poison, good and evil. You must know the darkness to appreciate the light. It was a very confining lifestyle, and lonely for a small girl but she knew nothing else. And then through the rumbles of approaching WWII, Jerusza dies. Yona is grown, and well trained. She can maintain her lifestyle just as it was. But she will make changes - and include people in her orbit. People hiding from the Nazis, Jews looking for escape in the forests- she can help them. She must help them. And so she does. It's an awesome tale, told quite well. I loved it. Hope you will, as well.

EVOCATIVE! This is an evocative story written by international bestselling author, Kristin Harmel, and is based on true stories of survival against all odds. THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS is the story of a toddler who who was stolen from the bedroom of her wealthy German parents’ home. Yona was raised in the wilderness by an old woman and taught survival skills that few people ever learn. Though she was taught to trust no one, she is soon drawn to a group of Jewish Refugees that are hiding from the Nazis. They have escaped from captivity but have no clue how to stay hidden and alive in the forest. Yona has spent all her life almost completely in the isolation of only being in the presence of the woman who raised her. Being accepted into this ragtag group forces her to grow and develop a new set of skills (relationship skills). She finds herself responsible for a group of people and must decide how to allow others to take leadership roles instead of relying totally on herself. It is very interesting to observe her as she interacts with the first group of people she is ever around as a community. Later on, another group is discovered and Yona sees an entirely different type of group due to the type of leadership. She learns the difference between a man who will honor and cherish her as opposed to one who just wants to use her to meet his own needs. Harmel brings many unexpected twists and turns into this story. It is a deep and rich coming of age story. It is also a story of basic survival in the midst of the horrors of war. It is the story of hate, fear and love. I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Gallery Books & NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.

Not my usual type of read The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel. Historical, WWII, Jews, Nazis. What started out for me slow and took awhile to get into the storyline. Did grab me after awhile. I would give it an almost 4 1/2 rating but closer to a 4. First time I'm reading this author.

About the author

Kristin Harmel is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels including The Forest of Vanishing Stars, The Book of Lost Names, The Room on Rue Amélie, and The Sweetness of Forgetting. She is published in more than thirty languages and is the cofounder and cohost of the popular web series, Friends & Fiction. She lives in Orlando, Florida.