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katie0528's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This book was devestating. Alternating POVs between 1942 and 2002, this story explores the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup of Jews in Paris in July 1942 and French attitudes about it at the 60th anniversary. Sarah, a young Jewish girl living with her brother and her parents, has her home invaded and she and her parents are arrested by the French police. Thinking she'll be back soon, she locks her brother in a hidden cabinet. Meanwhile, in 2002, American reporter Julia is researching a story of French indifference to their complicity to the murder of thousands of people while juggling a failing marriage and dark family secrets. It's a devestating book, as Holocaust books tend to be, but Sarah's POV wraps up about 2/3 of the way through the book. The last section is about the fallout of Julia's investigation and while it was interesting, it was less compelling than Sarah's story or even her investigation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Medical content, Abortion, and Pregnancy
chloepfrimmer's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I enjoyed the story overall, but I do wish it focused more on Sarah’s POV. I felt the author went into a little too much random detail about Julia’s life, and the ending was weird and unnecessary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Miscarriage, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Deportation
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Infertility, Car accident, and Pregnancy
spacerkip's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
You know that tumblr post that's like "I hate adult fiction - everyone's getting a divorce."
Yeah.
Sarah's story was interesting, and for a book that was supposedly about her, I really, really wish more time was spent in her perspective than the French soap-opera we got in Julia's chapters. I did not care about this journalist or her jerk of a husband, and yet. And yet. Fortunately, the writing was simplistic and bland enough that I was able to get through it all in a few sittings. Why anyone would cheapen a horrific event like the Holocaust with shallow, modern-day drivel is beyond me.
Yeah.
Sarah's story was interesting, and for a book that was supposedly about her, I really, really wish more time was spent in her perspective than the French soap-opera we got in Julia's chapters. I did not care about this journalist or her jerk of a husband, and yet. And yet. Fortunately, the writing was simplistic and bland enough that I was able to get through it all in a few sittings. Why anyone would cheapen a horrific event like the Holocaust with shallow, modern-day drivel is beyond me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Cursing, Infertility, Infidelity, Suicide, Excrement, and Abortion