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.
The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristen Harmel is a story of resilience, survival and love from World War II. The book deals with the horrific crimes of the Nazis not just against the Jews but against many other people. The main character is Yona who was taken from her German parents in 1922 by an old women who believed that she had to save her. Yona is raised in the forest with almost no contact with people, she’s taught not just how to fend for herself and kill if necessary but educated well. After the old woman dies Yona starts to interact with people and discovers many refugees hiding in the forest who she feels compelled to help. The book does not shy away from the horrors inflicted by the Nazis but it also highlights how love and the strength of the human spirit can make life worth living in horrendous circumstances. This is a very powerful story, told well and its clear the author has undertaken a lot of research. This novel reminds us we must never forget the past and we can, and should, all play our part to make the world a safer and kinder place.
The premise of this novel sounded intriguing and I wanted to love it but was so disappointed and struggled to read to the end. I found it preachy, cliched and too imbued with religious faith for me. While based on historical events the plot lines, especially the ending, felt contrived and unbelievable. It seemed more like a young adult novel than historical fiction. The most interesting part for me was in fact the historical note at the end.
This was, for me, a WW2 novel with a difference. It tells of Jews hiding from the Germans by living in the forests. It is the tale of a girl who was kidnapped from her parents at the age of two, and brought up in the forest by her kidnapper. She turns her knowledge of the forest to use in helping the Jews who have fled their homes during the war.
There are times when this book is harrowing. The plight of the Jews is dire, and they have many hardships to endure. It is however, a fascinating account of an aspect of the war with which I was not familiar. It is definitely well worth reading.
The novel starts well with a lean into magical themes. A stolen baby by an old woman who gives off witchy vibes, a predetermined destiny. Reading the first 200 pages I was eagerly awaiting the emergence of hero with a reliance on ‘old magic’. Sadly, this did not happen, the old woman comes across as a really mean character and I don’t think all that believable. I found myself frustrated that Yona (the main character) quite happily accepted all the restrictions that were placed upon her.
Once I got passed the first 200 pages the book seemed to drag, and the reader is asked again and again to suspend disbelief that Yona not only knows how to survive in the forest but seems to be quite well educated??
The ‘main message’ of the book (how differences are seen and how can you still believe in God in times of crisis) was not exactly subtle. This message was repeated again and again.
Apart from this the book is very well researched and tells a part of the history of World War 2 that I was not aware of. I would recommend this book to others who are interested in World War 2.
I haven’t read any other books by Kristin Harmel but will in the future as I really enjoyed this book. Kristin did a great job of exploring how our culture and values impact our actions and interactions with others. Kristin included various spiritual beliefs (witchcraft, jewish, catholic and Christian) in conjunction with the overview of evil verses light to address the big question of God and how He interacts with us. I loved this inclusion, as it left me contemplative as all the best reads do. I appreciated the level of research that was done to ensure the storyline was believable and accurate to history. I am curious to rewatch the movie Defiance that is about the same time and place in history but am sure it will not be as informative as this read. Well worth the read!
This book has several lessons to offer the reader. The author tells us It is about identity – who we are born to be, who we are raised to be, and who we choose to be, and in that sense, she has nailed it. It is a story of survival and of resilience from the perspective of a young woman who grows up with no human contact with the world outside her forest until she reaches her very early twenties. Upon meeting real people (not those she has read about in books), she learns of different hardships than those she has faced up until then and responds in a surprisingly mature and compassionate way.
I wished I had read the author’s note first rather than at the end of the novel which was written with a nod to folklore, with references to witchcraft bookending it. Based on a foundation of real-life stories of partisans surviving during WW2, I found the coincidences in the protagonist’s life somewhat contrived. Still, her discussions with those with strong religious beliefs (Christian, Jewish, or otherwise) felt essential to the stories used to make the point that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.
This is the first book I have read by Kristin Harmel. What a cracking read! I couldn’t put it down and have read it in a very short timeframe.I am a big fan of the historical genre and this story is compelling. It is a story of unimaginable hardship and survival against the odds.
The story of Yona, stolen from her parents and raised in the forest by Jerusza, who teaches her the skills to survive and thrive in the forest. This knowledge will be vital to assist Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazi occupation during World War II, and certain death at their hands. The story is very well written and completely involves the reader, engaging them in its pathos. There is much sadness but it never seems bleak, always there is the glimmer of hope and human goodness to be found in amongst so much evil.
I particularly liked that so much of the storyline was based on factual events and that the author had done so much research to ensure that the story remained true to historical fact.
The Forest Of Vanishing Stars took me on an incredible journey that had me captivated from start to finish. Following the life of Yona, the main character, through tragedy, unthinkable horror, self reflection, love and sacrifice, left me with a rollercoaster of emotions from utter joy to complete sadness. As I dived deeper into her desperate world of survival against all the odds in the harsh, yet strangely protective forest I was drawn in and captivated by her resilience and strength to survive.
This incredible story was utterly compelling and had me racing to turn over each page. By the final chapter I had tears rolling down my face as I witnessed the haunting past and joyous future joining together in a poignant unison.
The book was incredibly well written and the attention to detail was raw, hard hitting and thought provoking, sending chills down my spine. The Forest Of Vanishing Stars is a true hidden gem. Despite the suffocating blanket of tragedy all around, Yona’s incredible story keeps shining bright and is a beacon of hope in a hostile world, where the stars of lightness reflect on, long after the covers are closed.
I really enjoyed The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel. It described a side of the war that I hadn’t read before. The bravery of these people and the ingenuity they displayed in the face of such brutality was amazing.
A well-researched WWII historical novel told from a unique perspective. Based on the stories of Jewish people in Eastern Europe who escaped from the ghettos to survive in the forest. I was intrigued from the opening scenes – a two year old girl is kidnapped by an 80 year old woman from her German parents based on “knowing things that others didn’t”. This piqued my curiosity – why was the child kidnapped, what was the fulfillment of her destiny, how would the story play out from here? Later I was intrigued to learn how would they all survive in the forest whilst trying to evade the German soldiers who were hunting them and survive against the cold and lack of food?
Sadly, after such a promising start the book didn’t really work for me. The story has a fairy tale quality and the characters were too one-dimensional for me – either good or evil and no real nuance, for example Yona is almost superhuman in her talents. There were too many coincidences and too much magical realism for my tastes. Would appeal to those who like magical realism, historical fiction and romance.
This book takes a look at the persecution of Jews during World War II. The story of people who endured so much trauma just trying to stay alive, hiding in the forests of Poland.
It has opened my eyes to a different aspect of the War. The plight of these people was heart wrenching.