Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, Format: Kindle Edition, File Size: 515 KB, Print Length: 304 pages Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0312370849, Publisher: St. Martin's Press; Reprint edition (April 1, 2010)
Source: A friend told me about it and I downloaded it on a whim to my Kindle. (Hence the danger of a Kindle.... automatic gratification at about $10 a pop!)
Rating: 4.5 of 5 STARS
This was a super interesting book to me from a historical perspective. It is based on the 1942 Paris roundups of thousands of Jewish families who were first arrested and held at the Velodrome d'Hiver just outside the city and then eventually deported to Auschwitz. Incredibly this was done by Paris police and not German soldiers. De Rosnay flashes from 1942 to modern day to tell the story of Sarah, a little girl caught with her family in the roundup and Julia Jarmond, an American born but French-married journalist writing a magazine article on the 60th anniversary of the event.
De Rosnay does a wonderful job writing the story in a clear and compassionate way, making the characters come to life. I have to say, though, I enjoyed the voice of Sarah much more than Julia. Julia, with modern-day marital problems, was rather predictable. About three-fourth's of the way through the book, it turns completely over to Julia which is why I didn't give it a full 5 STAR rating. I would have liked to hear more from Sarah and less from Julia. With that said, though, I had a hard time putting the book down... which is unusual for me.
So, I definitely recommend this one, my reading bloggy friends!
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3 comments:
I've been meaning to read this one and still haven't. Thanks for jogging my memory!
I loved this book as well... and also wanted to hear more from Sarah. Julia kind of irked me. I am looking forward to reading her next book - A Secret Kept.
I read this book last year. I thought it was interesting as far as the French attitude in the war.
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