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    Counting Lost Stars: A Novel
    Counting Lost Stars: A Novel
    Counting Lost Stars: A Novel
    Audiobook13 hours

    Counting Lost Stars: A Novel

    Written by Kim van Alkemade

    Narrated by Andi Arndt

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    New York Times bestselling author of Orphan #8, Kim van Alkemade returns with a gripping and poignant historical saga in which an unmarried college student who’s given up her baby for adoption helps a Dutch Holocaust survivor search for his lost mother.

    1960, New York City: College student Rita Klein is a pioneering woman in the new field of computer programming—until she unexpectedly becomes pregnant. At the Hudson Home for Unwed Mothers, social workers pressure her into surrendering her baby for adoption. Rita is struggling to get on with her life when she meets Jacob Nassy, a charming yet troubled man from the Netherlands who is traumatized by his childhood experience of being separated from his mother during the Holocaust. When Rita learns that Hitler’s Final Solution was organized using Hollerith punch-card computers, she sets out to find the answers that will help Jacob heal.

    1941, The Hague: Cornelia Vogel is working as a punch-card operator at the Ministry of Information when a census of Holland’s population is ordered by the Germans. After the Ministry acquires a Hollerith computer made in America, Cornelia is tasked with translating its instructions from English into Dutch. She seeks help from her fascinating Jewish neighbor, Leah Blom, an unconventional young woman whose mother was born in New York. When Cornelia learns the census is being used to persecute Holland’s Jews, she risks everything to help Leah escape.

    After Rita uncovers a connection between Cornelia Vogel and Jacob’s mother, long-buried secrets come to light. Will shocking revelations tear them apart, or will learning the truth about the past enable Rita and Jacob to face the future together?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 18, 2023
    ISBN9780063289932
    Author

    Kim van Alkemade

    Kim van Alkemade is the New York Times bestselling author of the historical novels Orphan #8 and Bachelor Girl. Born in Manhattan, she grew up in New Jersey and went to college in Wisconsin, where she earned a Ph.D. in English. For many years, she was a professor at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. Now a full-time writer, she resides in Saratoga Springs, New York, with her partner, their two rescue dogs, and three feisty backyard chickens. 

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    Reviews for Counting Lost Stars

    4.5/5

    59 ratings3 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A breathe taking historical fiction novel- Intricately layered in fact and emotion.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Couldn’t put it down! Loved the dynamic characters and intertwined drama!
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. It often takes me a while to listen to an audio book, but I couldn't stop listening. I was very drawn by each woman's story. Even when not listening, I found myself pondering the events in the story or wondering how the two timelines would merge. I wish there had been an epilogue so I could see how the conclusion of the book played out for these characters.