You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
This is the WW II book I was hoping for when I read Julie Orringer's The Invisible Bridge earlier this year. Rosnay's story is of young Sarah, a Jewish girl born in Paris, who is included in a round-up of Jews by the French police in July of 1942. Her story is researched by an American reporter living in Paris who, coincidentally, has relatives living in the very apartment from which Sarah was removed.
The author weaves the two stories - past and present - together very nicely, and puts a human face on the horror of the Holocaust while still offering a hopeful outcome.
There were some glitches in the story (answer the damned cell phone when it rings, woman!) but overall it was a nice read. Not going to win any literary awards, but a good read none-the-less. Thanks to everyone who recommended it to me. :)
The author weaves the two stories - past and present - together very nicely, and puts a human face on the horror of the Holocaust while still offering a hopeful outcome.
There were some glitches in the story (answer the damned cell phone when it rings, woman!) but overall it was a nice read. Not going to win any literary awards, but a good read none-the-less. Thanks to everyone who recommended it to me. :)
This book was a page turning book. I was torn between hating what the Jewish people were forced to deal with yet loving the story that was weaved into it!! I couldn't pit this story down, especially when the 2 stories became one!! Now off to watch the movie!
I got this book through Early Reviewers at LibraryThing, which was pretty cool. Since the fire, I haven't really been reading - which was frustrating me, but I just hadn't been able to focus. This was a good book to restart my reading. It was a quick and engaging. It reminded me a lot of The 6th Lamentation by William Brodrick (both deal with the WWII period in France) - although that novel was a little more suspenseful and this one a little more personal and emotional. I don't think the actual writing was as strong as the underlying story, but I did enjoy reading it.
This was such a sad, sweet book. I've read quite a few WWII books recently so I am enjoying all of the different perspectives. This one switched from a modern day woman living in Paris to a young Jewish girl trying to survive during the French Vel' d'Hiv roundup of Jews. I learned some history about France's role in Hitler's war. I tend to like stories with some darker aspects and this one has it without giving me nightmares although it was haunting.
Wonderful book. The story is very heavy and some parts are difficult to get through, but I loved reading this.
I like the book and it took me no time to finish because I could not put it down. That being said I agree with other comments that the "modern" story line was a bit predictable. I loved Sarah and would have enjoyed her story, just her story.
This book was very powerful to read. It was interesting to flip from the past to the present between chapters. The characters were powerful and I really liked the main character who was on a mission to find out what had happened.
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
***This review contains spoilers!!!***
I know, I know... I either love or dislike a book. I'm not sure why. In fact, I almost gave Sarah's Key two stars because I felt bad about all of my recent one-star ratings.
Well, I'm going to stick with one. I didn't enjoy this book much.
The story describes two females: Sarah, a young Jewish girl that lives in France during the Holocaust, and Julia, a reporter that follows her story 60 years later. After I read this short synopsis on the back cover of the book, it was obvious that their paths would cross somehow.
This leads me to my major issue with Sarah's Key: Why did Rosnay, the author, have to foreshadow so much? Why was her story line so predictable? For example:
-As soon as she spent chapter-after-chapter discussing Julia's new French apartment, I knew it would be the same place Sarah left her brother.
-Everyone knew that Sarah's brother had, tragically, passed on.
-Everyone, even Julia, knew her husband was being unfaithful.
-Everyone knew that Julia's baby would be named Sarah. Why would Rosnay keep calling the child "the baby" if she wasn't just waiting to drop the news? I thought to myself, God, I hope the ending isn't the baby's name reveal. Oh, it was.
-Maybe not everyone, but I knew that Sarah's son and Julia would meet again, possibly romantically.
Honestly, I'm not a good predictor. I never try to figure out the ending of movies or books, but these were so obvious that I felt cheated. Not to mention, each chapter's ending reminded me of the "Goosebumps" series I used to read as a kid: forced drama. It's as if I was supposed to gasp each time as I hurried to the next page in anticipation. (I didn't).
I also wasn't fond of the back-and-forth story. One chapter discussed Sarah's life, and the next was Julia's (for the majority of the book, at least). Honestly this interrupted the continuity of any emotion I had the potential of developing. I can say the same about her sentence structure too, which was composed of fragment, after fragment, after fragment--it was almost distracting.
Apparently I'm on my own though, because this novel is so highly rated. Of course, as always, I give the utmost respect to Rosnay who has written such a well-loved novel. Au revoir.
Interesting way to explain a lesser-known historical event and its fallout across several generations.
I liked the historical story more than the modern-day story.
Don't want to add an spoilers, so that's all you get from me!
I liked the historical story more than the modern-day story.
Don't want to add an spoilers, so that's all you get from me!