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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Absolutely spellbinding. Beautifully tragic story. I stayed up until 2 a.m. finishing this one because I couldn't put it down. Be prepared to cry!
I picked this book up on a whim at the Politics and Prose member sale. It sounded interesting -- a story about a young girl in France during WWII whose family was taken off in the night to the Velodrome d'Hiver and then to Drancy for eventual deportation to death camps. She helped to hide her brother in a closet and kept the key with her when the police took her and her parents away. It is intertwined with the story of a present-day American woman who is married to a Frenchman and takes on a research assignment for the 40th anniversary of the Vel d'Hiv tragedy. Unfortunately I felt that the story lacked something larger that would have kept me more engaged. And as it progressed, I felt that some of the events in the American woman's life were a bit over the top. And I didn't buy the idea that so many French people were unaware of what happened at the Vel d'Hiv and at Drancy. I have been to both sites and it seemed to me (drawing on memories from over 10 years ago) that people I spoke with were familiar with what happened to the families and the children at both places. I wouldn't really recommend this book. I can't really describe what was missing, but something is definitely not there.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's a small and cruel world. That should be the theme. But it was put together in such an interesting way I could not put this down. I love the history of the Holocaust and the strength people have to come through such a horrible injustice. It is that strength that brought her book to life.
Until this book I had never heard of the Vel' d'Hiv' (a round up of Jews in the Summer of 1942 by the Paris police). Loved the way the author flipped between Sarah's story and Julia's story and how she seem to have a different voice for each story. I loved that despite the predictable outcomes for both stories I still couldn't put the book down. Definitely a story I won't soon forget.
Hard to believe I read two books today! Recovering from a biking accident and sitting...wonderful reading time!
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Based on true events, Sarah's Key tells the story of a 10 year old Jewish girl living in Paris during WWII. One summer night in 1942, the French police rounded up thousands of Jews and took them to a stadium where they were held without food or water for a few days. Sarah and her parents are among those rounded up, but Sarah helped her 4 year old brother hide in a one of their favorite hiding places the night the police came for them, a deep cupboard where she and he often played hide and seek from their parents.
Sarah locked the cupboard and put the key in her pocket, thinking she'd be back in a matter of hours to let Michel out. As the horror of their circumstances becomes apparent she is distraught at the thought of her little brother alone, scared, hungry. She knows she must escape, for him.
Interspersed with Sarah's story is the modern day story of Julia, an American who has made Paris her home for 25 years. Julia is married to a Frenchman, they have a daughter, and she writes for a newspaper largely aimed at Americans in Paris.
Julia is given an assignment to write about the Vel d'Hiv (the name given to the round up of the Jews on July 16,1942). The shocking details Julia discovers change her life in ways she'd never imagined.
The role of the French people and the French police in committing crimes against Jews during WWII is unknown to many. Julia is disturbed that so many around her don't care to know or don't want to remember what happened during the War.
The two stories eventually intersect in a very beautiful and moving fashion, to say more would be to give away the end.
Sarah locked the cupboard and put the key in her pocket, thinking she'd be back in a matter of hours to let Michel out. As the horror of their circumstances becomes apparent she is distraught at the thought of her little brother alone, scared, hungry. She knows she must escape, for him.
Interspersed with Sarah's story is the modern day story of Julia, an American who has made Paris her home for 25 years. Julia is married to a Frenchman, they have a daughter, and she writes for a newspaper largely aimed at Americans in Paris.
Julia is given an assignment to write about the Vel d'Hiv (the name given to the round up of the Jews on July 16,1942). The shocking details Julia discovers change her life in ways she'd never imagined.
The role of the French people and the French police in committing crimes against Jews during WWII is unknown to many. Julia is disturbed that so many around her don't care to know or don't want to remember what happened during the War.
The two stories eventually intersect in a very beautiful and moving fashion, to say more would be to give away the end.
I'm so torn about what to think about this book. I love Sarah's half of the book, and didn't really care about Julia's half, other than to find out what happened to Sarah.
Sarah's half was powerful and compelling, and I wanted to know more about what happened to her, her parents, and her brother. I felt for Sarah, and I want to know more about the Vel d'Hiv roundup.
What lost me, though, was Julia's story. I didn't really care about her or her marital problems. And the connection between her and Sarah? It didn't feel very believable. It's almost like de Rosnay decided that the only way to connect the two women was to have Julia's in-laws live in the apartment that Sarah's family lived in.
The ending was especially annoying, and I didn't really care that Julia was divorced or living in New York. It was no surprise that she named her 2nd daughter Sarah- the second Julia found out she was pregnant (and not sure if she wanted to keep the baby) I knew 2 things. One, she would keep it, and two, her baby would be a girl so she could name her Sarah.
Anyway, it went from a really interesting and captivating story, and turned into something completely stupid once Sarah got back to her old house. If only de Rosnay had focused more on Sarah, instead of having Julia figure out what happened to her...
I really wish I could give it 2 different ratings- one for Sarah and one for Julia. But since I can't do that, I'll give it a 3 out of 5.
Sarah's half was powerful and compelling, and I wanted to know more about what happened to her, her parents, and her brother. I felt for Sarah, and I want to know more about the Vel d'Hiv roundup.
What lost me, though, was Julia's story. I didn't really care about her or her marital problems. And the connection between her and Sarah? It didn't feel very believable. It's almost like de Rosnay decided that the only way to connect the two women was to have Julia's in-laws live in the apartment that Sarah's family lived in.
The ending was especially annoying, and I didn't really care that Julia was divorced or living in New York. It was no surprise that she named her 2nd daughter Sarah- the second Julia found out she was pregnant (and not sure if she wanted to keep the baby) I knew 2 things. One, she would keep it, and two, her baby would be a girl so she could name her Sarah.
Anyway, it went from a really interesting and captivating story, and turned into something completely stupid once Sarah got back to her old house. If only de Rosnay had focused more on Sarah, instead of having Julia figure out what happened to her...
I really wish I could give it 2 different ratings- one for Sarah and one for Julia. But since I can't do that, I'll give it a 3 out of 5.