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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
This was such a powerful, well written story. I don't think I've been moved this much by a book in a long time! I'm so glad I finally picked it up!
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Oof. Well that was a let down. Read this for spookopoly prompt five star prediction and as you can see it did not meet that mark.
I have various issues with this work primarily I feel the author wanted to write a cheap lit fic and used ww2 to sell copies. The horrific crimes are about 15% of the book in my opinion. I understand she ties it back but the whole time I was reading it I felt like I was reading two separate stories the author combined into one conglomeration.
Moving along I felt the writing was lacking. This may have been a stylistic choice to make Sarah sound like a child and Julia (?) to sound like a stupid American but my goodness it was grating. I didn’t care for it one bit and felt annoyed reading it.
On to a list of pros. I had no idea about France’s participation in the heinous slaughtering of Jews so found that super fascinating and gripping. My stomach was in knots reading about the vel d’Hiv roundup and all that entailed. Which is why I feel this book would have been so much stronger as a novella or simply telling the story of the crimes committed by Parisians.
I considered dnfing after Sarah finds her brother and leaving the story there but decided I should finish it out since the author thought the story needed nearly 200 more pages to finish the book. Boy-o was I wrong. I’d recommend reading to Sarah finding her brother and then stop because no one gives a rats ass about the present day story.
I have various issues with this work primarily I feel the author wanted to write a cheap lit fic and used ww2 to sell copies. The horrific crimes are about 15% of the book in my opinion. I understand she ties it back but the whole time I was reading it I felt like I was reading two separate stories the author combined into one conglomeration.
Moving along I felt the writing was lacking. This may have been a stylistic choice to make Sarah sound like a child and Julia (?) to sound like a stupid American but my goodness it was grating. I didn’t care for it one bit and felt annoyed reading it.
On to a list of pros. I had no idea about France’s participation in the heinous slaughtering of Jews so found that super fascinating and gripping. My stomach was in knots reading about the vel d’Hiv roundup and all that entailed. Which is why I feel this book would have been so much stronger as a novella or simply telling the story of the crimes committed by Parisians.
I considered dnfing after Sarah finds her brother and leaving the story there but decided I should finish it out since the author thought the story needed nearly 200 more pages to finish the book. Boy-o was I wrong. I’d recommend reading to Sarah finding her brother and then stop because no one gives a rats ass about the present day story.
I enjoyed when the two strands of this story came closer and closer -- a compelling story with portraits of people with true character. I'm glad I read it.
There are spoilers in this review, but only for the first 75 pages or so, and nothing that you probably didn't already guess from the book's summary.
I wanted to like this book. I really did. But I got about a third of the way in and had to stop.
On it's own, Julia's story would have been great, I think. What I got through of her chapters was well-written. I liked Julia, and I liked that she seemed to be coming alive for the first time in years as she slowly noticed how little her husband seemed to care about his family and as she began to research Vel d'Hiv. If the novel had centered more firmly around Julia, I probably could have finished it. However, this is not the case.
Parallel to Julia's story is Sarah's story, and while I fully knew what I was getting into when I started reading it (it tells you on the back cover that she locks her brother in a cupboard), I was not expecting Sarah to understand what she had done quite so quickly. And that was my downfall with this book. Ever since I became an aunt, I haven't been able to stomach any kind of violence or neglect against children, intentional or otherwise. Sarah understands very quickly that she's done something that might kill her brother simply by reading her father's face. I might even have been able to stomach that, but de Rosnay kept drawing attention to deaths going on around Sarah--quick deaths that were gruesome to see/read about, but that would have been relatively painless and instantaneous for the victims, with the growing, looming implication that Sarah's brother is going to suffer and hurt and know what is happening to him.
And that's what I couldn't stomach. I couldn't stomach the protracted, drawn-out death imagery being constantly related to a child not much older than my niece. I'm actually kind of disappointed, because I'd heard good things about this book, but I can't do it. De Rosnay is too good at implying things.
I wanted to like this book. I really did. But I got about a third of the way in and had to stop.
On it's own, Julia's story would have been great, I think. What I got through of her chapters was well-written. I liked Julia, and I liked that she seemed to be coming alive for the first time in years as she slowly noticed how little her husband seemed to care about his family and as she began to research Vel d'Hiv. If the novel had centered more firmly around Julia, I probably could have finished it. However, this is not the case.
Parallel to Julia's story is Sarah's story, and while I fully knew what I was getting into when I started reading it (it tells you on the back cover that she locks her brother in a cupboard), I was not expecting Sarah to understand what she had done quite so quickly. And that was my downfall with this book. Ever since I became an aunt, I haven't been able to stomach any kind of violence or neglect against children, intentional or otherwise. Sarah understands very quickly that she's done something that might kill her brother simply by reading her father's face. I might even have been able to stomach that, but de Rosnay kept drawing attention to deaths going on around Sarah--quick deaths that were gruesome to see/read about, but that would have been relatively painless and instantaneous for the victims, with the growing, looming implication that Sarah's brother is going to suffer and hurt and know what is happening to him.
And that's what I couldn't stomach. I couldn't stomach the protracted, drawn-out death imagery being constantly related to a child not much older than my niece. I'm actually kind of disappointed, because I'd heard good things about this book, but I can't do it. De Rosnay is too good at implying things.
At times difficult to read because of the emotional subject matter, Sarah's Key is a beautifully written and moving account of the round-up of Jewish families in France in the summer of 1942. Focusing on the life of one Jewish girl and the journalist who, 60 years later researches her life, this book had me crying at parts. Definitely worth the read!
This book was heartbreaking and beautiful in so many ways. I loved following both story lines as they interwove and tumbled through this hazardous world. We go on a historical journey that will tear you apart and bring you back together in the next minute. I have to believe that to fix this fractured world that Julia and William do end up together. I loved this book and hope you enjoy it too!
OH my gosh. I just wrote this long review and everything just erased. SO ANNOYED.
I'll try to type it all out again. Aaaah!!!!
I was not aware of the Vel d’Hiv round-up of the Jewish people living in France by the French police. I could not put this book down and finished it in 3 days, only because I had other things I had to do (such as touring and performing). Still, I can't give this book a 5-star rating.
The book takes the reader through parallel stories that intertwine. One story, set in 1942, starts when a young girl (Sarah) is arrested at her house by the French police, along with her family. Being naive and believing she would return soon, she locked her 4-year old brother in a hidden cupboard and promised him she would free him. The author describes the young girl's horrific experience and what she had to endure with vivid detail.
The other story takes place in the year 2002 and follows a journalist named Julia as she researches the Vel d'Hiv round-up. She soon learns there is a hidden secret in her family regarding the round-up and gets personally invested in finding out the truth and what happened.
As I said earlier, it took me 3 days to read the book because I had things to do. Still, every time I put the book down, I kept thinking about Sarah, her family, and the round-up. I wanted to know what happened to them. Would Sarah escape? Would someone rescue her brother? I wanted to research the events on my own and the thought of visiting Paris to go to some of the places mentioned in the book crossed my mind a few times. I felt very involved in the story and had a difficult time thinking about anything else.
So why the 4-star rating?
Julia's story.
When the first chapter ended (which was Sarah's story), and Julia's started, I felt disappointed. The disappointment didn't last long and the book was an easy read. I found myself wanting to finish Julia's chapters so I can get back to Sarah's story.
I haven't felt so emotional reading a book in a long time, and yet, I didn't cry. I think it's because every few pages, Julia's story kept interrupting! Bertrand? No, thank you. C'mon, Julia. For a modern woman, you took a lot of crap. I thought her drama was holding me back somehow. I also felt incomplete about many of the characters, which I don't like.
Towards the end of the book, when Sarah's story ended and Julia's continued, I was really frustrated. I wanted more of Sarah! I felt unsatisfied and at the same time, Julia's story (that I didn't really care for) continued. Chapter after chapter. I SO wanted to read more of the 1942 setting. For me, the end really dragged.
Because of all the above, this book would be more like a 3-star rating... maybe even 2.5 or a 2..., but I haven't been this involved in a book in awhile and I discovered something I didn't know before. I couldn't put the book down and it made me want to go learn more. If it weren't for the above, I would probably give it a 4.5 or a 5. The theme of the book, "Remember, don't forget" is a strong one. 4-star seemed right as the average of the 2. I mean, I really was moved.
I'll try to type it all out again. Aaaah!!!!
I was not aware of the Vel d’Hiv round-up of the Jewish people living in France by the French police. I could not put this book down and finished it in 3 days, only because I had other things I had to do (such as touring and performing). Still, I can't give this book a 5-star rating.
The book takes the reader through parallel stories that intertwine. One story, set in 1942, starts when a young girl (Sarah) is arrested at her house by the French police, along with her family. Being naive and believing she would return soon, she locked her 4-year old brother in a hidden cupboard and promised him she would free him. The author describes the young girl's horrific experience and what she had to endure with vivid detail.
The other story takes place in the year 2002 and follows a journalist named Julia as she researches the Vel d'Hiv round-up. She soon learns there is a hidden secret in her family regarding the round-up and gets personally invested in finding out the truth and what happened.
As I said earlier, it took me 3 days to read the book because I had things to do. Still, every time I put the book down, I kept thinking about Sarah, her family, and the round-up. I wanted to know what happened to them. Would Sarah escape? Would someone rescue her brother? I wanted to research the events on my own and the thought of visiting Paris to go to some of the places mentioned in the book crossed my mind a few times. I felt very involved in the story and had a difficult time thinking about anything else.
So why the 4-star rating?
Julia's story.
When the first chapter ended (which was Sarah's story), and Julia's started, I felt disappointed. The disappointment didn't last long and the book was an easy read. I found myself wanting to finish Julia's chapters so I can get back to Sarah's story.
Spoiler
I haven't felt so emotional reading a book in a long time, and yet, I didn't cry. I think it's because every few pages, Julia's story kept interrupting! Bertrand? No, thank you. C'mon, Julia. For a modern woman, you took a lot of crap. I thought her drama was holding me back somehow. I also felt incomplete about many of the characters, which I don't like.
Towards the end of the book, when Sarah's story ended and Julia's continued, I was really frustrated. I wanted more of Sarah! I felt unsatisfied and at the same time, Julia's story (that I didn't really care for) continued. Chapter after chapter. I SO wanted to read more of the 1942 setting. For me, the end really dragged.
Because of all the above, this book would be more like a 3-star rating... maybe even 2.5 or a 2..., but I haven't been this involved in a book in awhile and I discovered something I didn't know before. I couldn't put the book down and it made me want to go learn more. If it weren't for the above, I would probably give it a 4.5 or a 5. The theme of the book, "Remember, don't forget" is a strong one. 4-star seemed right as the average of the 2. I mean, I really was moved.
Generational trauma but I wish the author spent more time on Sarah and less on Julia. After all, the story is meant to be about Sarah and her experiences and less about Julia and writing about sarah while she’s pregnant. Eh just wasn’t my favorite and seemed drawn out on stuff that was unnecessary. I did enjoy reading about history and the horrific things that have taken place
informative
relaxing
sad
medium-paced