Blog tour: Counting Lost Stars

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Welcome to the blog tour for Counting Lost Stars by Kim van Alkemade!

More about the book…

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 neighbour, 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?

More about the author…

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. 

My impressions…

Alternating between 1960s New York and 1940s Holland, this book takes us to two very different worlds, and each of them feels so real that it’s clear the author has done extensive research. In each timeline, we follow two strong women facing difficult decisions. When reading a book with dual timelines, I normally have a favourite but Rita and Cornelia are such amazing women that I was equally intrigued by both, and I couldn’t wait to find out how their stories would eventually come together. Learning how the Nazis used technology during the war was also super interesting, and something I hadn’t come across before. A great historical novel.

Three words to describe it. Moving. Powerful. Engaging.

Do I like the cover? Beautiful doesn’t even begin to describe it!

Have I read any other books by the same author? No, and I’m not strong enough to resist the temptation!

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