Helpful Score: 34
I loved this book from the first chapter. I got it in the mail, opened it to just get a "feel" for it and I was a goner! Read it in a day. The story is a haunting one about a Jewish family rounded up during the July 16, 1942 raids in Paris and Julia Jarmond, an American living in Paris in present day. It's a piece of the Holocaust I had never heard about, and definitely an event I plan to learn more about. The lingering pain of all the families affected by this tragedy is hear between the covers of Sarah's Key; it's intense and raw. You will remember and never forget.
Helpful Score: 29
I just finished this book and I must say it's the most riveting book I've read in a long time. I could not stop reading until I found out what happened. I had not heard of the French rounding up the Jews so this was a surprise to me. I had always heard the French were mainly involved in the underground, but it appears it was not so. I may have to read this book again because I cannot get it out of my mind. It haunts me. A really great read. The whole world failed those poor European Jews. I give this book my highest rating mainly because I literally could not quit reading it until the last page. It's been a long time since a book affected me that strongly.
Helpful Score: 18
I'd never heard of the round ups in Paris in July 1942 before reading this book. The novel is a fictionalized account of that event and is told in alternating voices, sixty years apart. I loved this book. It is well written, engrossing and deeply moving. I cried through much of the book. I am putting Ms. de Rosnay on my list of authors to watch for and am looking forward to reading more on this subject.
It took me a while to get into this book. I wasn't really sure what it was about and only managed to read about 40 pages in a week. I picked it up again today and could not put it down. This was an amazing and educational book. I highly recommend it to everyone and if you don't get into it right away, just keep reading because you will!
Helpful Score: 7
This book sat on my nightstand for months. When I finally began reading it, I couldn't put it down. I was sobbing within the first 10 pages. I love a great book that can evoke so much emotion in its readers. This is definitely a novel that will be with me for a long, long time.
Helpful Score: 6
Sarah's Key is the story of a young girl and her family who are taken in the Vel d'Hiv roundup and deportation in 1942 Paris. The story grabbed me from the very beginning and I didn't put it down until I was finished.
In the first chapters the author alternates between Sarah's story and a modern day journalist who is assigned to write about Vel d'Hiv on the 60th anniversary. While not usually a fan of stories that flip-flop between time periods, these chapters were short enough that I didn't lose track of who was who and what was happening. But the format abruptly changes and the rest of the story is told only by the journalist as she tries to find out what became of Sarah.
Mixed in with the whole mystery is the journalist's life drama which got to be a bit tedious when I really was much more interested in Sarah's story.
4 stars for sending me to the internet to find out more about Vel d'Hiv and the creative and interesting story, 3 stars for the writing.
In the first chapters the author alternates between Sarah's story and a modern day journalist who is assigned to write about Vel d'Hiv on the 60th anniversary. While not usually a fan of stories that flip-flop between time periods, these chapters were short enough that I didn't lose track of who was who and what was happening. But the format abruptly changes and the rest of the story is told only by the journalist as she tries to find out what became of Sarah.
Mixed in with the whole mystery is the journalist's life drama which got to be a bit tedious when I really was much more interested in Sarah's story.
4 stars for sending me to the internet to find out more about Vel d'Hiv and the creative and interesting story, 3 stars for the writing.
Helpful Score: 6
A haunting story that is painful to read about France during the Second World War in 1942. This is one of those books you will never forget and certainly never the little girl, Sarah, in it. Beautifully written and in the end I was sobbing - very well told story, excellent book.
Helpful Score: 4
I enjoyed this easy read, historical fiction-lite novel. The story tells the harrowing fate of a French Jewish boy, destined to die in a closet, locked there by his sister, who, upon hearing the police at the door to seize the family, thought to protect him. Her story is heartwrenching--a lifelong ordeal with the attendant guilt, both for her brother's death and her own survival. Intertwined with this poignant fictional tale is the tale of a modern American journalist who slowly, uncovers the sister's story and sets her own life on a collision course.
The author's voice is entertaining, and the true context of the sister's story is riveting and shines a light on a little-remembered incident in Holocaust history. The American journalist is difficult to like, perhaps intentionally so---one character is as genuine and upstanding as they come, the other, her perfect contrast, is rather shallow and un-reflective on her own life and choices.
The author's voice is entertaining, and the true context of the sister's story is riveting and shines a light on a little-remembered incident in Holocaust history. The American journalist is difficult to like, perhaps intentionally so---one character is as genuine and upstanding as they come, the other, her perfect contrast, is rather shallow and un-reflective on her own life and choices.
Helpful Score: 4
On July 16 and 17, 1942, 13,152 Jews were arrested in Paris and the suburbs, deported and assassinated at Auschwitz. Those Jews were drug from their homes in France by FRENCH police following orders given by the Nazis. On the day that she was rounded up by French police, 10 year old Sarah Starzynski had locked her little 4 year old brother Michel in a cabinet telling him that she would be back to let him out when the police let them come back home. The families of men, women and children (most between the ages of 2-12 and most BORN in France) were not allowed to return to their homes; instead they were taken to the Voledrome dHiver and sequestered there in abominable conditions. They were separated by sex, husbands taken from wives and even worse -- mothers were torn from their children. These confused, hungry and mistreated citizens were loaded on cattle trains and taken in convoys to the camps.
This fictionalized account of the roundup and of the relationship of two families connected through an apartment on Rue de Saintonge in Paris is haunting and memorable.
The novel shifts from past to present with chapter changes, moving between scenes of Sarah as she is imprisoned in Vel Dhiv to American born, now French citizen and journalist, Julia Jarmond Tezac who is assigned the story when that tragedy is to be memorialized on the 60th commemoration of the Vel dHiv. Julia soon discovers that the French are largely ignorant of this deplorable event and their embarrassment at knowing that this was done keeps them from remembering those lost families and in fact, many French families simply took over the homes and possessions of the former Jewish occupants. Sarahs story affects Julia in ways she never imagined and completely alters her views of herself and her life. Julia becomes consumed with knowing what happened to Sarah and her family and begins a mission of discovery. What she learns provides a lesson and an admonishment for us all: Zakhor. Al Tichkah. (Remember. Never forget.) Highly recommended - read with [[ASIN:0156031663 Those Who Save Us]] by Jenna Blum and [[ASIN:0307394964 Skeletons at the Feast: A Novel]] by Chris Bohjalian -- two other incredible novels that provide additional insight into how the horror of the Holocaust affected all of Europe in those very dark days of World War II.
This fictionalized account of the roundup and of the relationship of two families connected through an apartment on Rue de Saintonge in Paris is haunting and memorable.
The novel shifts from past to present with chapter changes, moving between scenes of Sarah as she is imprisoned in Vel Dhiv to American born, now French citizen and journalist, Julia Jarmond Tezac who is assigned the story when that tragedy is to be memorialized on the 60th commemoration of the Vel dHiv. Julia soon discovers that the French are largely ignorant of this deplorable event and their embarrassment at knowing that this was done keeps them from remembering those lost families and in fact, many French families simply took over the homes and possessions of the former Jewish occupants. Sarahs story affects Julia in ways she never imagined and completely alters her views of herself and her life. Julia becomes consumed with knowing what happened to Sarah and her family and begins a mission of discovery. What she learns provides a lesson and an admonishment for us all: Zakhor. Al Tichkah. (Remember. Never forget.) Highly recommended - read with [[ASIN:0156031663 Those Who Save Us]] by Jenna Blum and [[ASIN:0307394964 Skeletons at the Feast: A Novel]] by Chris Bohjalian -- two other incredible novels that provide additional insight into how the horror of the Holocaust affected all of Europe in those very dark days of World War II.
Helpful Score: 4
This was a wonderful, absorbing read that I'll be remembering for a long time, unlike most other books. It was interesting reading about France's role in the Holocaust, since there's not a lot of information on that subject.
Helpful Score: 3
Superb story telling. I couldn't put the book down. The author melded the two stories to gether so well, the past story of the young jewish girl in France, and the main character in the present day who is learning about this girls own personal story within the greater story of the French government's involvement in the destruction of thousands of Jews in 1942 Paris. It is amazing to see how so many lives far and wide are affected by something that happened so long ago. As a reader you won't be the same and you know that for the characters in the story as the past is revealed to them.
Helpful Score: 3
I finished Sarah's Key just moments ago -I had to log on and write my review about this fabulous book! This book grabs you from the first page and keeps you on your toes until the last page. I was engrossed in the story of Sarah, a little Jewish girl growing up in Paris during the summer of 1942; and Julia an American living in present day Paris. I loved reading about Sarah's story and at the same time was horrified of how Jewish people were treated under the Nazi regime. I finally cried when I was reading the final chapter . . . This is one book I will always remember!
Helpful Score: 3
What a fantastic novel. Told from two perspectives, one in present day Paris and one during WWII, that 'intersect' due to circumstances surrounding an apartment and a journalist.
I could not put this book down and finished it in about two days. Wonderful, heartbreaking story. Although it is fiction the story is based on factual events, which make this novel so unspeakably sad.
The only negative I could say about this book was the ending - I did not want it to end!
I could not put this book down and finished it in about two days. Wonderful, heartbreaking story. Although it is fiction the story is based on factual events, which make this novel so unspeakably sad.
The only negative I could say about this book was the ending - I did not want it to end!
Helpful Score: 3
I read Sarah's Key in French this summer when in France on an NEH Seminar on Visions of the Dark Years: World War II and its Legacy in France. I did a project on the Vel d'Hiv roundup which occurred in July, 1942, when approximately 13,000 French citizens of Jewish descent were rounded up into the stadium, Velodrome d'Hiver (now torn down), and then deported to French "camps" in Drancy with a final destination of Auschwitz. Sarah's Key tells the story of one family's experience during this horrible time. It is suitable for young people up to adults. I reviewed the book on Amazon.com and the author, Tatiana de Rosnay started emailing me, thanking me for my excellent review. This book is a real page turner....you just can't put it down until the last page.
Helpful Score: 3
I am pretty ambivalent about this book. From reading its description and reviews, I had some very high hopes. Unfortunately, the execution of its premise fell flat. It was quite predictable. Not to mention, drawn out in all the places where it should have been succinct, and succinct where the ideas should have been expanded upon. The entire first half especially had this problem - the chapters set in 1942 were so much more vivid than their 21st century counterparts, and when they abruptly ended, it was disappointing. And Julia's character... was somehow not fully fleshed out. I will say that the ending and the hints of what happens after the pages finished was the most satisfying part of the whole novel. Really, what ruined it for me was the slow tearing of the Band-aid in learning Michel's fate... it was inevitable, predictable and utterly too drawn out to be actually moving.
Helpful Score: 3
This book has something for the history buff, mystery reader and romance. This was a quick read, but like Julia, the story of what happened in 1942, France and Sarah continue to haunt me.
Helpful Score: 3
A very poweful book. I have read many books about the holocaust but none about the Vel' d'Hiv. It is an important story, gut wrenching. The mystery kept me riveted.
Helpful Score: 3
This was a good read for me. I enjoyed it mainly from the historical standpoint that I learned something I did not know before. It was about the roundup of Jews in Paris during World War II. This book is sweet and heartbreaking. It is narrated from two different perspectives: one of the past, Sarah's story and one of the present day, Julia's story. Sara is a French Jewish girl and Julia is a journalist who discovers the story of the Jewish round up and begins to do research about it. Ultimately the story has such an effect of Julia that I think it changes her life. I would have enjoyed the book more if Sarah's story could have lasted a little longer and in more detail. Still a very good read. I read it for my bookclub.
Helpful Score: 3
Good but wanted more of Sarah's story.
Helpful Score: 3
Right from the biginning this book is powerful. Then you are fully sucked in by the end of the first chapter. This book was very hard to put down. If i didn't have to go to work or make time for my family, i'd of read it in one sitting. Excellent read. Excellent author, i'd like to read more from her.
Helpful Score: 2
This book is part historical fiction, set in 1942 Paris, and part modern. The first part tells the story of Sarah Starcyzinski, a young French Jewish girl born of Polish parents. The events take place during July of that year, when the "Vel Dhiv" roundup took place--with thousands of Jewish families arrested (by French police, not the Gestapo) and initially held in a cycling velodrome, then moved first to interment camps within France and eventually on to Auschwitz. Sarah has her own particular horror to live through that involves her young brother Michel, who gets left behind when the family is arrested.
Meanwhile, in modern-day Paris, Julia Jarmond, a middle-aged American now living in Paris (and married to a Frenchman) is set to move into the apartment where Sarah's family lived in 1942. Julia discovers this connection when she begins researching the "Vel Dhiv" roundup for a newspaper article she's writing and then, when she learns that her husband's family took the apartment when a Jewish family was arrested, becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to that family, which eventually leads her to Sarah's trail. The two stories intersect, of course.
This book sounded a lot better than it was. I didn't like the main character in the modern part very much, and there was a point in the last third of the book where Sarah's voice goes away and her story is left dangling until Julia finishes it--and that's when I really lost interest, not really wanting to put up with all of the whiny Julia's ramblings. I enjoyed the story overall, and learning about an event in history that I really had no knowledge of, but it could have done with a lot less of the minutiae of Julia's life.
Meanwhile, in modern-day Paris, Julia Jarmond, a middle-aged American now living in Paris (and married to a Frenchman) is set to move into the apartment where Sarah's family lived in 1942. Julia discovers this connection when she begins researching the "Vel Dhiv" roundup for a newspaper article she's writing and then, when she learns that her husband's family took the apartment when a Jewish family was arrested, becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to that family, which eventually leads her to Sarah's trail. The two stories intersect, of course.
This book sounded a lot better than it was. I didn't like the main character in the modern part very much, and there was a point in the last third of the book where Sarah's voice goes away and her story is left dangling until Julia finishes it--and that's when I really lost interest, not really wanting to put up with all of the whiny Julia's ramblings. I enjoyed the story overall, and learning about an event in history that I really had no knowledge of, but it could have done with a lot less of the minutiae of Julia's life.
Helpful Score: 2
I loved this book!! I read it in just a matter of days - and then passed it on to a friend before adding it to my bookshelf here. The author keeps your attention and really draws you into the story. It's captivating! This lead me to read the author's other novel, a Secret Kept; which was much slower to get into. The fact that this was based on an actual historical event was even more intriguing, in my opinion.
This has to be one of the most compelling stories I have ever read. Not only does it deal with horrors of the Nazi occupation, but the forgotten stories of that era. The ones that no one wants to remember, admit or talk about.
Although fiction, the events are based on complete truth. This book will always stay with me.
Although fiction, the events are based on complete truth. This book will always stay with me.
Helpful Score: 2
This book is told from two points of view which interchange at each chapter for the majority of the book. First is Sarah, a young Jewish girl in Paris who is rounded up with her family during the Holocaust. These parts of the book were horribly hard to read as they portrayed terrible things that happened to her family. I won't lie, this would have been a much better book if I didn't have a toddler at home. I nearly couldn't get through the first half of the book for the sheer terror I felt in the cruel things that were happening to the little children. The second point of view is from an American born woman married and living in France. As a journalist she is researching the events of the little known French roundups while fighting to keep her personal life together. Her story as well as her life intertwine with Sarah throughout the book. If I hadn't been so heartbroken over the children, I would say this was an incredible book. Very well written and very emotional.
Helpful Score: 2
A non-stop read that held me captivated from the first page to the last.
I learned a lot about an ugly blot in history which was swept under the carpet and never talked about.
The 2 parallel stories was a new reading experience for me. I liked it very much.
This was an excellent book and I look forward to Ms de Rosnay's next one.
I learned a lot about an ugly blot in history which was swept under the carpet and never talked about.
The 2 parallel stories was a new reading experience for me. I liked it very much.
This was an excellent book and I look forward to Ms de Rosnay's next one.
Helpful Score: 2
The best part of this book was learning about the Val'de Hiv event. Like many of the characters in the book, I had no idea that this happened, and it is something that everyone should be aware of - the complicity of other nations in the Nazi atrocities.
Having said that, the plot was ridiculous, and the ending completely denies belief. SPOILER ALERT!!!(And not just that a middle-aged divorcee with an infant in NYC would be the object of desire for at least five different men within two years!!) This plot line seems even more trivial when you consider the impact of the Sarah plot line. So Julia married a self-absorbed Frenchman and it took her 15 years to notice that she didn't much like him as a person - setting that in counterpoint to people struggling against all odds to survive the cruelties of others makes Julia seem even more silly. Hmmm, does this really make me feel sorry for her? (Answer: Not at all, and I lose respect for her as well.)
Finally, MORE SPOILER ALERT!! I read somewhere that Holocaust survivors actually have a much lower suicide rate than the average population, so to imagine that Sarah would have survived as she did, and created a new life, only to end it by driving into a tree, is extremely far-fetched.
Having said that, the plot was ridiculous, and the ending completely denies belief. SPOILER ALERT!!!(And not just that a middle-aged divorcee with an infant in NYC would be the object of desire for at least five different men within two years!!) This plot line seems even more trivial when you consider the impact of the Sarah plot line. So Julia married a self-absorbed Frenchman and it took her 15 years to notice that she didn't much like him as a person - setting that in counterpoint to people struggling against all odds to survive the cruelties of others makes Julia seem even more silly. Hmmm, does this really make me feel sorry for her? (Answer: Not at all, and I lose respect for her as well.)
Finally, MORE SPOILER ALERT!! I read somewhere that Holocaust survivors actually have a much lower suicide rate than the average population, so to imagine that Sarah would have survived as she did, and created a new life, only to end it by driving into a tree, is extremely far-fetched.
Helpful Score: 2
This is one of those stories that stay with you long after you've read it. Written so well that I couldn't put it down until the last page was read. I cannot recommend this enough. Everyone should read it.
Helpful Score: 2
This was a very moving book about an incident in history that few of us have ever read about. I found the story both heart wrenching and intriguing. The ending was a little bit contrived and predictable, but other than that this is a great book.
Helpful Score: 2
I really liked this book. Thought it went on too long at the end though. I was more interested in Sarah's life than the reporters.
Helpful Score: 2
A great book that is highly readable. Be careful when you pick it up because it'll pull you in right away and keep you enraptured for hours.
Dancing between WWII Paris with the round up of the Jews and modern day Paris where an American journalist is slowly uncovering events related to that time, the story plays itself out well. Tatiana de Rosnay is a great writer. Don't miss this book.
Dancing between WWII Paris with the round up of the Jews and modern day Paris where an American journalist is slowly uncovering events related to that time, the story plays itself out well. Tatiana de Rosnay is a great writer. Don't miss this book.
Helpful Score: 2
This was a very powerful book. I particularly enjoyed how it explored two families, and how their stories entertwined during WWII. It was also for me very informative, as I was not aware of the trouble in France during this time.
Helpful Score: 1
Really great. I was sucked in right away. The charcters, the plot, the unexpected twists -fabulous.
Helpful Score: 1
A heart-wrenching book that is worth reading.
Helpful Score: 1
One of the most poignant and riveting stories I have ever read. Some things I learned about the holocaust and France, which I did not know about. This book will keep you glued to your seat, whether in horror, sorrow or anticipation. I almost hate to part with it - It was that kind of book!
Helpful Score: 1
The author does a great job transitioning back and forth with the present day and 1942. The book is engaging and well written. Part of the story is a bit predictable but still a good book to read.
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this book. It held my attention from page 1 all the way through. I was interested in both the present day storyline and the storyline from the 40s. I would definitely read another book by this author.
Helpful Score: 1
Unlike the other reviewers, I could not read this book in one sitting. Don't get me wrong, this is a fabulous book, however I would read a few chapters than walk way to absorb what I had read. Then I would come back and read some more. This is a powerful book that engrosses you from the beginning to the end. I loved the charactrs, believable dialogue and the descriptions of the setting. Very well done.
Helpful Score: 1
It is a good thing that I was home after surgery the day I picked up this book. I was hesitant at first, not really wanting to read a book about WW11, but after the first couple of pages, the writing, the characters, Sarah and her brother's plight all caught me. I could not stop reading. I finally had to put it down at midnight with only 2 chapters to go, but at daylight, I jumped up and finished it before breakfast. It is a 10/10 for me and I am sorry for all you wishlisters, but this one is going on my permanent shelf to be loaned to friends and family and to be read again and again. I may even bread down and buy a hardback copy when this one gets threadbare and post the paperback. Who knows.
Helpful Score: 1
What a thought provoking book on many different levels. Would you do it? I enjoyed the how the stories were separate then woven together to the completion of both. Great history lesson included with the French involvement with the Nazi in rounding up Jews. A really great read.
Helpful Score: 1
This book is very well written. Although it is very sad, every one should read this book about the Holocaust. We should never forget!
Helpful Score: 1
This is such a beautiful, yet horrifying and bittersweet book that takes place during the roundup of Jews in WWII Paris in the middle of the night in 1942. Sarah is a 10-year-old girl who tries to protect her little brother by locking him in a bedroom cupboard with the promise that she will be back for him. What happens ties into a story 60 years later when an American journalist investigates the roundup and finds a trail that leads her to Sarah's story and to questions about the journalist's own romantic future in Paris.
I read this book very quickly and the reader definitely needs tissues in some parts. I have a duplicate copy or else I wouldn't give this one up.
Sandra
I read this book very quickly and the reader definitely needs tissues in some parts. I have a duplicate copy or else I wouldn't give this one up.
Sandra
Helpful Score: 1
Sarah's key was a wonderful book. It is a great and quick read. I highly recommend this book.
Helpful Score: 1
This book was delicious. I ate it up I could not read it fast enough and when I was done I did not want to put it down. I would recommend this book to all of my friends which in fact I'm trying to do. LOVED IT
Helpful Score: 1
Gripping and heartwrenching book. I couldn't put it down and I'm not sure I'll ever forget it.
Helpful Score: 1
Despite the sadness of the story, I had a hard time putting down Sarah's Key, which focuses on the Vel d'Hiv roundup in 1942 in Paris.
Around 12,884 Jews were arrested and imprisioned in the Vélodrome d'hiver - an indoor track -- for five days before being sent to camps in France. Utlimately, they were sent to Auschwitz.
.
According to Wikipedia, The roundup accounted for more than a quarter of the 42,000 Jews sent from France to Auschwitz in 1942, of whom only 811 came home at the end of the war.
Sarah's Key centers around two women - Sarah, whose family was taken in the roundup and Julia, an American living in Paris decades after the war.
When the novel starts, Sarah locks her four-year-old brother, Michel, in a secret cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that they'll only be gone for a few hours.
The book alternates between Sarah's story and Julia's. Julia becomes drawn to Sarah's tale after being assigned to write a story about the roundup's 60th anniversary.
I usually don't like it when books flash back and forth like Sarah's Key does, However, in this instance I felt like it helped break up the unrelenting sadness of Sarah's tale. I thought this was an interesting look at love, redemption, secrets and forgiveness.
Around 12,884 Jews were arrested and imprisioned in the Vélodrome d'hiver - an indoor track -- for five days before being sent to camps in France. Utlimately, they were sent to Auschwitz.
.
According to Wikipedia, The roundup accounted for more than a quarter of the 42,000 Jews sent from France to Auschwitz in 1942, of whom only 811 came home at the end of the war.
Sarah's Key centers around two women - Sarah, whose family was taken in the roundup and Julia, an American living in Paris decades after the war.
When the novel starts, Sarah locks her four-year-old brother, Michel, in a secret cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that they'll only be gone for a few hours.
The book alternates between Sarah's story and Julia's. Julia becomes drawn to Sarah's tale after being assigned to write a story about the roundup's 60th anniversary.
I usually don't like it when books flash back and forth like Sarah's Key does, However, in this instance I felt like it helped break up the unrelenting sadness of Sarah's tale. I thought this was an interesting look at love, redemption, secrets and forgiveness.
Helpful Score: 1
I sobbed like a baby on a plane full of people reading this book. Depressing, well-written, disturbing, true-to-life - these are the words that come to mind when I think of this book. A great story, but gird your loins before you dive in.
Oh, wait. One thing. The book juxtaposed itself between the present and the past and I really disliked the present, which sort of sucked. The main character in the present was nice, but her husband was an obvious a-hole and she just kept letting him get away with crap, which drove me crazy. While I understand that Sarah's past helped with her future, I hate reading books about people with sucky lives making sucky decisions that I disapprove of because we just know that after 100 pages of boring angst they realize they just wasted theirs (and our) time.
So, again, like with Julie and Julia, I liked the story set in the past much more than that of the woman in the present who is the vehicle for us to see said historical story. Just give me the damn story already, stop with the subterfuge!
Er, sorry for the rant. Still gave this book four stars because it is well-written and moved me. But it's raw. You have to really love angst for books like this.
Oh, wait. One thing. The book juxtaposed itself between the present and the past and I really disliked the present, which sort of sucked. The main character in the present was nice, but her husband was an obvious a-hole and she just kept letting him get away with crap, which drove me crazy. While I understand that Sarah's past helped with her future, I hate reading books about people with sucky lives making sucky decisions that I disapprove of because we just know that after 100 pages of boring angst they realize they just wasted theirs (and our) time.
So, again, like with Julie and Julia, I liked the story set in the past much more than that of the woman in the present who is the vehicle for us to see said historical story. Just give me the damn story already, stop with the subterfuge!
Er, sorry for the rant. Still gave this book four stars because it is well-written and moved me. But it's raw. You have to really love angst for books like this.
Helpful Score: 1
A haunting book that will stay with you for a long time. A horrible time and the awful things that happened during the war. A well told story about a little known incident in Paris. I would highly recommend reading.
Helpful Score: 1
The historical facts this book is based on (the round-up and deportation of French Jews by the French government in 1942) definitely deserve to be more widely known. However, I didn't particularly enjoy the book.
For the first half, the book moves between the story of Sarah, a 10-year-old girl caught up in the deportation, and Julia, an American journalist assigned by her French magazine to write a story about the deportations. Sarah's story is by far the more interesting and heart-wrenching, but it stops halfway through the book, and we are led the rest of the way by Julia, who is frankly, an irritating and unsympathetic character.
The story of Sarah and the others like her who were destroyed by their own country is indeede worth knowing more about, and that's the value of this book. The fictional story created around it is a throwaway.
For the first half, the book moves between the story of Sarah, a 10-year-old girl caught up in the deportation, and Julia, an American journalist assigned by her French magazine to write a story about the deportations. Sarah's story is by far the more interesting and heart-wrenching, but it stops halfway through the book, and we are led the rest of the way by Julia, who is frankly, an irritating and unsympathetic character.
The story of Sarah and the others like her who were destroyed by their own country is indeede worth knowing more about, and that's the value of this book. The fictional story created around it is a throwaway.
Powerful, haunting, and thought provoking. Finished the book, and the story stayed with me for days. A good read for young adults (older teens) also.
When you feeling blue on a gloomy fall day just read this book and you will get a different perspective on life. Wanted to read it before going to the movie. Powerful!!!
Helpful Score: 1
Very good book. Quite a shocker what these poor people went through. How can so many people let something like this happen without responding and gathering together to stop it! There is certainly a lesson to be learned from reading a story like this.
Helpful Score: 1
I absolutely loved the book. I am not ready to repost as I may read it again.
Helpful Score: 1
Amazing and moving, best book I have read in a long time. My only negative feedback is I wish it was longer!
Helpful Score: 1
Amazing story. It is a super quick read because the story is so heart-wrenching. I love that it informs or reminds you of some very important events in history and opens the door to conversations that need to happen. I highly recommend this book!
Helpful Score: 1
This is a very well-written book. The author alternates the voices of Sarah, a young Jewish girl who was a victim of the Holocaust and Juliet, an American living in France, who learns about Sarah in her research as a journalist.
Helpful Score: 1
This book floats between past and present, something I really enjoy in a story. Unfortunately, I disliked EVERYBODY in the present story. But the past made up for it. This book was a heart-breaker, and an eye-opener. I never knew the French actually helped the Nazis round up Jews during the war. Not only did they willingly, almost gratefully, give them the requested adults, thinking it would please the Nazis, they threw in the children...and this is a story that needed telling...
Helpful Score: 1
I was deeply moved by this story. Based on the actual events in Paris 1942, a young girl named Sarah is taken with her family to the Velodrone d'Hiver in Paris. Her younger brother Michael, age four, is locked in the bedroom cupboard to protect him from the French Police. This two-part, two-voiced narrative takes the reader back into Sarah's life and the life of Julia, an American journalist. Julia discovers the link between her own inlaws and the events of 1942. Compelling, thought-provoking, poignant and unbelievably sad, this book will leave an imprint on you.
Great historical fiction about the Holocaust - my friends found it very depressing but I just found it very real. I feel like I learned a lot and I was happily invested in the characters.
Helpful Score: 1
I saw the movie (on Netflix) before I read the book. 99% of the time the book is way, way better than the movie, so if possible I always see the movie first, so I can enjoy it for what it is, and then read the book to enjoy it more. This time I would say the book and movie are about equal. The book has more detail, more background, more insight into Julia's marriage. When there are discrepancies between book and movie, the movie actually tightens the plot, cuts down the rambling end, removes the swearing (there's not much of that to begin with), and keeps it down to a PG13. I highly recommend both book and movie.
Helpful Score: 1
Heartwrentching, stayed with me for days. Modern day woman set to move into an apartment and finds it linked to her journalistic work. Also tells the story of Sarah, her part set in WWII France. She is a young Jewish girl forced from home and family. Unnecessary side story of the journalist's divorce. (The marriage alone would have made the story complete, not sure why she had to be divorcing.) Would like to read more by this author.
Helpful Score: 1
This book was sooooo good, I read it in 2 days. I love how the author went back and forth between the little girl and the women in Paris sixty years later. Very informative as I knew nothing about this horrible experience. Would highly recommend!
Helpful Score: 1
lovely book, very well written. has 2 wonderful story lines that are connected. one during the beginning of the holocaust in france and current times in france. lovey read.
Helpful Score: 1
A well-written, compelling and heartbreaking story. I found it easy to zip through, but couldn't stop thinking about it after I had finished. I highly highly recommend.
Helpful Score: 1
This is my latest "Have you read....?" book -- I'm recommending it to everyone.
The underlying story is dark, and the ends wrap up a bit too neatly at the end. But the story of Sarah's survival is beautifully told. It's a chapter of history I never knew about.
The underlying story is dark, and the ends wrap up a bit too neatly at the end. But the story of Sarah's survival is beautifully told. It's a chapter of history I never knew about.
Helpful Score: 1
I thought this was just a terrific book. Thought provoking and a real eye opener. A good read!
Helpful Score: 1
In this mesmerizing story, Rosnay interweaves the story of how young Sarah and the events in 1942 France interact 60 years later with Julia Jarmond. An american journalist living in Paris. Julia is assigned an article about the Vel dHiv roundup which in turn reveals family secrets. A wonderful read.
Remember. Never forget.
Remember. Never forget.
I was apprehensive about reading this book due to the disturbing subject matter BUT it is so well written that I couldn't put down. It is sensitive to the issue without being too graphic, interesting without being overly gratuitous.
I loved the way the author seamlessly went from past to present, and back again.
Its a quick read and would definitely recommend it.
I loved the way the author seamlessly went from past to present, and back again.
Its a quick read and would definitely recommend it.
Helpful Score: 1
Wonderful book, absolutely loved it! Very poignant storylines taking place during the Holocaust and the present. Excellent.
Helpful Score: 1
Very emotional book! I could not put it down, though. I did like it a lot. It was a little predictable, though, but I kept reading hoping it turn out another way!
Helpful Score: 1
Throughly engrossing-this book is two stories in one-one past, one present. I had not heard of the subject matter of this book, so I found it very interesting. Young Sarah is a brave, and ultimately very tragic young girl-what she lives with is beyond comprehension.
Helpful Score: 1
Sarah's Key is based on the Vel dHiv. A tragic and horrifying event in which thousands of Jewish families were rounded up by the French police and shipped off to the Auschwitz gas chambers.
The first half of the book is told in alternating viewpoints - first we meet young Sarah as her family is being rounded up by those French policeman in the middle of the night. In order to save her brother, she locks him in their secret hiding place, a cupboard in their bedroom. She thinks she will be right back to let him out; however, things do not go the way Sarah thinks they will.
Second we meet Julia who is a journalist that is covering the 60 year anniversary of the Vel dHiv roundup. What she uncovers during her research will change her life forever.
I wish the book was told entirely from young Sarahs perspective but it is still a good story and tells of a time that is not well known in World War II history, so for that purpose, I would recommend it.
The first half of the book is told in alternating viewpoints - first we meet young Sarah as her family is being rounded up by those French policeman in the middle of the night. In order to save her brother, she locks him in their secret hiding place, a cupboard in their bedroom. She thinks she will be right back to let him out; however, things do not go the way Sarah thinks they will.
Second we meet Julia who is a journalist that is covering the 60 year anniversary of the Vel dHiv roundup. What she uncovers during her research will change her life forever.
I wish the book was told entirely from young Sarahs perspective but it is still a good story and tells of a time that is not well known in World War II history, so for that purpose, I would recommend it.
Helpful Score: 1
A bittersweet story although it does reveal the horrors of the holocaust. The details of how children , especially, suffered through such inhumane treatment, is heart wrenching; not to take away at all how all Jews were I'll-treated. A good story that I didn't put down until I finished. And I never knew before this book the involvement of the French in the holocaust. Love the historical information included in the story. This story could very well have happened to any family "rounded up" by Nazi command. How sad.
Helpful Score: 1
The beginning half of the book was really good but then it got slow for a while. It picks up at the end.
Helpful Score: 1
A riveting, unusual story, told in two voices/time periods for most of the book. This was probably the first time in my life when I was happy each time the narrator changed -- I was that involved in BOTH stories being told. Usually one story outshines the other, but not in this case. The unusual aspects of the story I will leave readers to discover -- they may be due in part to the French sensibility of the author.
A good read overall: good (if overall predictable) plot, "real"-seeming characters, strong writing.
A good read overall: good (if overall predictable) plot, "real"-seeming characters, strong writing.
Helpful Score: 1
This book is extremely sad but so fascinating, loved it. I love historically based fiction.
Helpful Score: 1
I was captivated and read it in a day. It was a very excellent story and very believable and emotionally charged.
Helpful Score: 1
Heartwrenching and riveting. Could not put this down. The emotions of this story swept me away.
Helpful Score: 1
Absolutely loved this book. Gave it to a friend and she loved it too.
Helpful Score: 1
Very well written story about the Holocaust in France during WWII. It is a heart wrenching and I could not put it down. It, following "Water for Elephants" has become my second favorite book that I have read. If you enjoyed that book, you will enjoy this one!
Helpful Score: 1
This one of the best books of historical fiction I have read in a long time. I was truly moved by the character's predicament, although I was more interested in the past timeline than the characters in the modern timeline. This is a must-read for anyone interested in WWII or Women's fiction. This is a more serious, gritty look at German occupation than "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society," but if you like one you should appreciate the other. Both authors do a good job of creating a descriptive setting and full characters.
Helpful Score: 1
I just finished reading this short novel. It is another sad story about a girl who lost her family during the Holocaust and a journalist who finds out about her and her family while doing research for a piece to be published in a magazine. What is interesting is the fact that the author found out about an unknown day in French history when many French Jewish families were captured by the French police and sent to the concentration camps in Poland in 1942. That is something I didn't know. It is a quick and easy read, non elaborate descriptions or beautiful prose. Just short and to the point. The author doesn't waste a line in any literary license to make the story more poignant or lyric. She focuses on the story and that's it. If you like stories about the Holocaust, then this one is for you. However, it is not a survivor's story, and IMO it doesn't have a happy ending.
Helpful Score: 1
A sensitive book, this reveals an ugly moment of French history that I did not know about; it also reveals the effect on a child of experiences no child should ever have.
This was a wonderful book I read it in two days! The story was heart wrenching but so well done with a few twist and turns, which kept you guessing. I never knew this part of history and it makes me sad to know these people had been forgotten, but also relieved to know this book will remind people of their stolen lives!
I liked this book a lot. I did not even know about the round up of Jews in Paris.So it was all very interesting. My interest waned a bit when Sarah;s story ended and it was just Julia's. I like the style of writing the author used, the back and forth between then and now.
Beautifully written story about the interwoven lives of two women, one who lives in present day and another during the 2nd world war. The chapters alternate between the lives of the two women, until the reader comes to the part where they realize how the lives of the two women lives intersect.
One of my favorite books ever. I loved it. The characters moved me as well as the story within the story. It didn't want it to end.
Excellent but sad book.
very well written and moving.
very well written and moving.
The book was interesting and well written. The story line provided insight into the plight of Jewish families in France during the war. Heart rending and sad at times but an enjoyable read.
I loved the story. It had me hooked.
Such a great book! Easy read and a very interesting story
Fast paced, compelling and topically important.
I just finished this book and I must say it's the most riveting book I've read in a long time. I could not stop reading until I found out what happened. It haunts me. A really great read. I give this book my highest rating mainly because I literally could not quit reading it until the last page. It's been a long time since a book affected me that strongly.
This was one of the best books I have read in a long time...and I read a lot! It had me riveted from the first page. How could this persecution of the Jews happen in France....and brought about by the French police. Aside from the horrors of the war, this story balances nicely with the present day relationship of Julia, a journalist covering this story of the roundup of the Jews. Her life entertwines with the present and past in a remarkable story. Read it!
I've read and studied a lot about the Holocaust, but had never heard of this horrifying atrocity. The author brings it to life, from the perspective of a young girl. The first book in 4 years I've read cover-to-cover, staying up 5 hours late to finish it. I HIGHLY recommend it, with one caution. Although Sara is about 10 when she tells us her story, this is NOT a book for children and may be too distressing for 'tweens and young adolescents. It would be great required reading for Juniors and Seniors in high school.
Excellent book! A must read for anyone that has an interest in reading stories about the Holocaust. The reader gets wrapped up in the characters very easily. Tatiana de Rosnay tells two stories at once and the way she eventually intertwines them is brilliant. And although the sequence of events are heartbreaking, the overall story is told superbly.
Wonderfully written; combination of history and current perspective with a bit of romance. The characters were ones you could hold in your heart, root for, even shed a tear for. Highly recommended
I read this book in a few days while on vacation - it was very engrossing in wanting to fit the pieces of the puzzle together on how the lives entwined. Wonderful but sad story.
Sarah's Key raises awareness of an autrocity of WWII most people are unaware of.
Even with family who had been aware of many of the happenings from WWII, there was surprise about the events of Vin'd'Hiv'. A friend who was schooled in France had also never heard of it.
This book uses fiction to educate and remind us that we have to be aware of history to be sure we don't repeat the same mistakes.
This is a beautiful story of a journalist who is assigned the Vin'd'Hiv as an assignment for her magazine and it leads to her own coming of age. It was a book I couldn't easily put down.
Even with family who had been aware of many of the happenings from WWII, there was surprise about the events of Vin'd'Hiv'. A friend who was schooled in France had also never heard of it.
This book uses fiction to educate and remind us that we have to be aware of history to be sure we don't repeat the same mistakes.
This is a beautiful story of a journalist who is assigned the Vin'd'Hiv as an assignment for her magazine and it leads to her own coming of age. It was a book I couldn't easily put down.
Excellent historical account of France's involvement during WWII that I was unaware of. However, I could have skipped every other chapter that contained the fictional characters. They were cubersome, predictible and spoiled.
This book was amazing! I was hooked from the first few pages and finished it within 2 days which doesn't happen often for me!
This book tells the story of fictional characters, but it set in Paris France starting in July 1942. I had no knowledge of the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup or France's part in the holocaust until reading this book. It flows easily back and forth between past and present day and tells alot of history that we normally don't hear much about.
This is a very emotional book, as are most books about the Holocaust fiction or non-fiction. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the Holocaust or who loves a great book! It will stay with me for a long time!
This book tells the story of fictional characters, but it set in Paris France starting in July 1942. I had no knowledge of the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup or France's part in the holocaust until reading this book. It flows easily back and forth between past and present day and tells alot of history that we normally don't hear much about.
This is a very emotional book, as are most books about the Holocaust fiction or non-fiction. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the Holocaust or who loves a great book! It will stay with me for a long time!
Wonderful , I had no knowledge of the roundup in 1942 before this novel. One of the greatest historical fiction I have ever read.
Moving story of Sarah during the Nazi occupation of France, and a parallel story of a journalist who learns about Sarah and whose life intersects with hers.
read this book because it was the monthly selction in my book club. I realy was dreading reading it but couldn't put it down and finished the book in 24 hours while working full-time. One of only a few books that really touched me and made me reflect on my own life in relation to the characters in the book.
Beautifully written, historically accurate and very compelling. I highly recommend this book.
I was hooked on this book until almost 3/4 of the way threw it. It was mesmerizing and so very sad. If the book ended there it would have been a tragic story that would stay with you forever but, the author choose to continue. I found myself unable to relate to the main characters feelings and reasons why she choose the path she did.
The book did spark my interest in an area of history that was not taught in high school. So much time in history class was devoted to the concentration camps and their horrible outcomes that we glossed over many of the other events during world war two. Once I began reading about it I was floored at how many long it took for the French government to acknowledge their role in this terrible event.
I do feel books like this need to be written from the prospective of those involved. In one section of the book the main character made a remark about how she thought the train operators, the French police men and the guards felt about the events and what they could have done to stop it. They all knew what was happening. It would be interesting to read a book from that prospective both the good and the bad.
The book did spark my interest in an area of history that was not taught in high school. So much time in history class was devoted to the concentration camps and their horrible outcomes that we glossed over many of the other events during world war two. Once I began reading about it I was floored at how many long it took for the French government to acknowledge their role in this terrible event.
I do feel books like this need to be written from the prospective of those involved. In one section of the book the main character made a remark about how she thought the train operators, the French police men and the guards felt about the events and what they could have done to stop it. They all knew what was happening. It would be interesting to read a book from that prospective both the good and the bad.
Incredibly tragic story that enlightens the reader about how the French were also involved in the murders of thousands of Jews. It'll break your heart and keep you engrossed until the very end. Can't wait to see how they turn this one into a film. Highly recommended.
If you like WWII fiction, a good tear jerk er, and strong characters this is the book for you. I was never good in History so I don't know if we were taught about the Vel' d'Hiv' in France in 1942. But learning the truth about what actually happened at that dark time to thousands of innocent people, especially one strong little girl gives me goose bumps now as I type.
Once I was in Sarah's world I didn't want to leave. I had to find out what happened next. I was totally addicted to the end. Tatiana de Rosnay is a tremendous author. I'll be looking up her other titles soon!
Once I was in Sarah's world I didn't want to leave. I had to find out what happened next. I was totally addicted to the end. Tatiana de Rosnay is a tremendous author. I'll be looking up her other titles soon!
Enjoyed the book . . .couldn't put it down. Didn't know about this awful period in French history . . taking place in a city I love! It is haunting but I wasn't impressed with the writer's style. Just felt something was missing.
very interesting book - didn't want to put it down
Great story even tho it was a tough subject matter.
I loved it...it will make you cry and remember!
I really enjoyed this story until I got towards the end. The ending felt rushed and left me feeling luke warm to the book. It was still a fresh idea and spin to the story.
One of the best books I've ever read, once I began reading I did not put it down until finished. The story will amaze and surprise you, right up until the very last sentences. An emotionally wonderful conclusion. Highly recommended.
Saw the movie and was very moved. I enjoyed the book as well.
The Story line was interesting. I found it hard to relate to the characters. The history woven in was the most compelling.
Present and past collide in this novel, which very cleverly deals with the unraveling of a marriage and the story of Sarah, a child who survived the round-up and extermination of French Jews in 1942. Very moving (and more than a little emotional for me, as my father also survived Vichy France).
Really hard to say how much I "liked" or "loved" this book, since I always find it so extremely painful reading anything about Nazi Germany, or, in this case, I'll loosely say "Nazi France." I'm sorry if that offends, but at least as this episode is concerned the only difference is the language being spoken. Anyway, definitely one of the most intense books ever--had to read it in small bits, but had to continue. BTW, if you can make it through this, you'll find the move much more tolerable.
Very interesting and well written. I would highly recommend it
Opal Hernandez
Opal Hernandez
Great book! The cover pictured on website is not accurate. The cover is a more updated & colorful. This was also made into a movie, but the movie did not come close to being as good as the book.
An unflinching look at the horrors of war and the Holocaust as perpetrated by the French Vichy government and the Parisian police force. The anti-Semitism and betrayal of the French Jewish population was a crime against humanity and an indictment of French society for its collaboration with the Nazis and its indifference to its own citizens. Could have been a 5-star read but for a slow beginning and some unevenness--predictable in places but throat-gripping in others. Probably will keep my copy and read it again.
really liked this book. would recommend this highly.
This is a must read! It is a horrifying story of a young girl sent to a concentration camp. I loved that it was written in 2 different time periods and the lives of strangers were intertwined.
Sarah's Key starts out slow, but it ends with a bang!I would suggest this book to anyone that is interested in learning more about the Holocaust.
I liked this book very much. I did feel, however, that the modern day main character was not as developed at the historical main character. That didn't interrupt the flow of the book. I had no clue that these things happened in France during World War II.
Wonderful book. Emotional and heart wrenching.
OK, this book was NOT what I expected. It should be under romance not historical fiction. LAME! It was predictable and I felt, did not give the subject matter the respect that it deserves. The characters are under developed and also predictable. In the interview with the author she says that she wanted to make the 1942 Sarah less "heavy". OK, so my question is how do you make the round up and massacre of Jews fluffy? REALLY? I will never read her books again. Wish I could get the time that I spent reading this one back!!
This book was great. Page turner for sure. However the end wasnt as good as I hoped it to be
Incredibily moving story. No matter how many stories you read about this time in hisory, it is still hard to imagine living through such nighmares, whether as a parent or as a child. A must read for everyone.
I really wanted to read this before the movie came out. I started it around noon on Saturday and finished Sunday morning. I simply couldn't put it down.
I absolutely could not put this book down. It was spellbinding, and heart wrenching. A must read.
Wow. If you are looking for a pick-me-up, this is definitely not the book for you......but it is an amazing story that helps us to never forget what happened.
Loved, LOVED, this book. A great read!
you will cry at this story... unimagineable to think of what happened during this time. it's a great book....
A fairly good book. A good read. A little cleched in parts but over a fast paced entertaining read.
Sarah's Key is an excellent story of how the lives of two families become intertwined after one of the characters, a journalist in present day, is assigned to write a magazine article for the 60th anniversary of the Jewish roundup in German-occupied Paris in 1942 known as Vel' d'Hiv.' Tatiana de Rosnay uses a clever text structure that alternates between Sarah and her Jewish family in 1942 and the journalist's present-day experiences while she researches and writes about the event. The horrors of the mistreatment of the Jewish families were difficult for me to read because of their emotional impact so returning to the present-day story for a chapter allowed me to take a breath before returning to Sarah's harrowing tale. The book is extremely well written and was especially timely as I was reading it while in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where Anne Frank wrote her diary and was also sent to the Nazi concentration camps. Sarah's Key is a heartbreaking story that stays with you long after your read the last page. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII and Jewish history as well as anyone who enjoys a well-crafted story.
This book is the perfect combination of smiles and tears.
This was a book I could not put down. A riveting account of a young Jewish girls life in 1942. A second story threads its way through the book and kept my attention throughout.
Certainly a book to remember and a good suggestion for club discussion.
Certainly a book to remember and a good suggestion for club discussion.
Great read. Enjoyed the book.
I did like this book, however I did not love it. I had a hard time getting into it, but I did find it to be quite a page-turner. I would have liked to have know more about what happened to Sarah, then what happened/happens with Julia.
A super story.... Could not put it down.
I was hoping for more with this book. I had a hard time getting into the book because of the bouncing back and forth between two separate stories. It was somewhere around 100 pages that the two stories were finally connected. After that the author started telling just one story. The author points out that this is not a historical fiction, but I think with a little more research this really could have been an awesome historical fiction.
I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. This is one of my top 5 favorite books of all time. Incredibly touching story.
An incredible story - I read it in two sittings and literally could not fall asleep as I was thinking about Sarah. Well-written, deeply moving.
My book club just finished reading this book. Everyone in the book club loved the book. The book is fiction, however, it contains a lot of historical facts about the treatment and deportation of Jews in France. I enjoyed the way the book was written giving you a view of the past and current times and how it all melded together. The book was a quick read. Loved it!!!!!!
I really enjoyed this book!! I loved that the chapters bounced between Julia of today and Sarah of yesterday. I couldn't put the book down. I will admit I was more interested in Sarah's story than Julia's but did enjoy the book in its entirety. We read this book in our bookclub and it was a hit. I also enjoyed learning about the Vel' d'Hiv - something I had never even heard of before. I can't wait until the movie comes out!!
Sarahs Key follows the story of two people Sarah Starzynsky, a ten-year-old Jewish girl living in Nazi-occupied Paris and Julia Jarmond, an ex-patriate American living in Paris and writing an investigative piece for the 60th anniversary of the Vel dHiv round up.
On July 16, 1942, the French police rounded up the Jewish families in Paris, took them to the Velodome dHiver (aka Vel dHiv) and left them there with no food, water and inadequate bathroom facilities for days. Sarah and her parents are part of this group. Her brother, Michel, has been left behind, hidden in a cupboard in their apartment. Sarah has the key and has promised to come back and rescue her brother.
Eventually, the French police separate the men from the women, and then the women from the children. The adults are sent, straight away to concentration camps, where they are gassed. The children arent sent right away they are held back until other adults are sent to the camps. These children are immediately sent to the gas chambers as well.
The whole time, Sarah is determined to get back to her apartment and save her brother.
In July 2002, in Paris, the French still deny knowledge of the events of that July. Most will say it was the Nazis and that it was in the past, so it should stay there. France is a country in denial. Julias investigation of the roundup is causing a bit of a stir among her friends and her French husbands family.
While working on the story, her husband, an architect, is in the process of remodeling the apartment his grandparents moved into in July 1942, so they move into it. Julia soon realizes that her husbands grandparents were probably able to get the apartment because the Jews were deported. She tries to ask his grandmother about the events, but her father-in-law finds out and tells her to not discuss this with her any more. Her relationship with her father-in-law has never been good, but she respects his wishes but continues to investigate what Jewish family had lived in their apartment.
The book starts out switching back and forth between Sarah and Julias stories. Each story told from the appropriate characters POV, but it takes several chapters before they tell you their names. I found this to be a bit off-putting, because if the chapter was longer than two pages, youd just be getting into the characters story and then the POV would change.
Eventually, when Sarahs story comes to a dead end, this stops and the story focuses on Julia.
This was a wonderful book I had a hard time putting it down. I really wanted to find out what happened to Sarah and if Julia would ever learn of her connection to Sarah.
On July 16, 1942, the French police rounded up the Jewish families in Paris, took them to the Velodome dHiver (aka Vel dHiv) and left them there with no food, water and inadequate bathroom facilities for days. Sarah and her parents are part of this group. Her brother, Michel, has been left behind, hidden in a cupboard in their apartment. Sarah has the key and has promised to come back and rescue her brother.
Eventually, the French police separate the men from the women, and then the women from the children. The adults are sent, straight away to concentration camps, where they are gassed. The children arent sent right away they are held back until other adults are sent to the camps. These children are immediately sent to the gas chambers as well.
The whole time, Sarah is determined to get back to her apartment and save her brother.
In July 2002, in Paris, the French still deny knowledge of the events of that July. Most will say it was the Nazis and that it was in the past, so it should stay there. France is a country in denial. Julias investigation of the roundup is causing a bit of a stir among her friends and her French husbands family.
While working on the story, her husband, an architect, is in the process of remodeling the apartment his grandparents moved into in July 1942, so they move into it. Julia soon realizes that her husbands grandparents were probably able to get the apartment because the Jews were deported. She tries to ask his grandmother about the events, but her father-in-law finds out and tells her to not discuss this with her any more. Her relationship with her father-in-law has never been good, but she respects his wishes but continues to investigate what Jewish family had lived in their apartment.
The book starts out switching back and forth between Sarah and Julias stories. Each story told from the appropriate characters POV, but it takes several chapters before they tell you their names. I found this to be a bit off-putting, because if the chapter was longer than two pages, youd just be getting into the characters story and then the POV would change.
Eventually, when Sarahs story comes to a dead end, this stops and the story focuses on Julia.
This was a wonderful book I had a hard time putting it down. I really wanted to find out what happened to Sarah and if Julia would ever learn of her connection to Sarah.
This is a fascinating historical novel! I couldn't put it down from the moment I started it. Tatiana de Rosnay has created a riveting story of families torn apart by the horrors of Nazi influence. I always admire a writer's ability to construct and interweave different story lines spanning different eras. Ms. de Rosnay has done just that in this touching, sometimes gut-wrenching tale. I felt myself actually gasp out loud when I read certain passages. This is a book I will always remember. The characters will all live in my heart forever.
WOW--what an awesome book and it is now in my top 5 favorites of all time.
At first I didn't like the style of writing but as Sarah's storyline continued so did my interest. I never knew that they had a concentration camp in Paris--will definately do more research on this on my own, and the author also gives other books that she suggests to read if you want to read more on the subject.
The anguish for that whole family must've been horrible.
I was honored to meet a concentration camp survivor a few years ago and he described some of the horrors that you never read about and this brought that conversation back to life. I always have to wonder what I would've done during that time. I'm German and would hope I would have helped--but you never really know.
Never Forget!
At first I didn't like the style of writing but as Sarah's storyline continued so did my interest. I never knew that they had a concentration camp in Paris--will definately do more research on this on my own, and the author also gives other books that she suggests to read if you want to read more on the subject.
The anguish for that whole family must've been horrible.
I was honored to meet a concentration camp survivor a few years ago and he described some of the horrors that you never read about and this brought that conversation back to life. I always have to wonder what I would've done during that time. I'm German and would hope I would have helped--but you never really know.
Never Forget!
This book was captivating and well-written. I passed it on to a history buff who thoroughly enjoyed it. I found myself waiting and hoping throughout the story.
Please do not miss reading this very touching but so well written story. Its a keeper.
absolutely loved this book. A must read.
This was an excellent book. I loved this book and couldn't put it down. Make sure you put this one on your list of must reads. It is well written, deeply moving. I am looking forward to reading more on this subject.
A great book worth reading. I quickly go engrossed in this book and could not stop until I reached the last page. Awesome book!
This was a wonderful story. It was fiction, but depicted real events that happened in France during WWII alongside fictional events that could have happened.I cared deeply for the main characters. Be sure to use a tissue for a bookmark, because you will need one. I will not be swapping this book back because I am passing it around to all of my friends to read and then it will take up permanent residence on my bookshelf. It is a keeper!
I could not put this book down and stayed up late reading it each night until I was finished. One of my favorite books and one which I will remember. Highly recommended!
I couldn't put this book down. I didn't realize this happened and never learned about it in school. I was so shocked and disturbed by what they did to these people. The story was written so well that I couldn't put it down! The story of Sarah is one you will never forget.
Fantastic. Great storytelling!
I love the historical reference in this book ... switching between modern day and 1942 was a real treat! Enjoyed it!
A very thought provoking book about France and WW2. Although a fiction novel, it is very plausible. It really is a sad book because of the war, but it also is redemptive and allows the characters to grow and heal.
Like everyone else, I loved this book. If you are interested in the Holocaust, whether fiction or not, then this is a good read.
However, like someone else reviewed, the best part is the first 3/4ths of the book. Then it becomes more about the current day life of Julia, and it's not nearly as interesting.
However, like someone else reviewed, the best part is the first 3/4ths of the book. Then it becomes more about the current day life of Julia, and it's not nearly as interesting.
It took a while for me to read this - so glad I did.
Truly amazing and chilling story about an event that I was not aware happened historically.
Well written page turner!!
Truly amazing and chilling story about an event that I was not aware happened historically.
Well written page turner!!
Was a good read, not the best, but good.
I found this to be a riveting book from beginning to end. Based upon the little known roundup of the Jews in France the story is told through the perspective of an eleven year old girl captured in the roundup and a journalist initially given the assignment to write about the events.
As the journalist learns more of the facts of the events and becomes captured by the story of the little girl she finds her life changed in many ways. The ending left me wanting the story to continue just a little bit more.
A real page turner from the beginning.
As the journalist learns more of the facts of the events and becomes captured by the story of the little girl she finds her life changed in many ways. The ending left me wanting the story to continue just a little bit more.
A real page turner from the beginning.
This book is gripping. There is so much about WWII that my generation doesn't know - and even though I've been to Paris numerous times myself, I had no idea that stories like this one took place in such a glorious place. France will never truly recover - no country could - but to be able to move on with the grace that these characters portrayed is commendable. A must read.
Couldn't put it down. Important history that everyone should know about.
although, this was one of the most heartbreaking, sad, tearful book I have ever read, it is one of the best stories I have ever read.
Great heart-wrenching story. Though a bit predictable its still worth the read.
Sarahs Key by Tatiana de Rosnay is a novel with two alternating stories set in Paris. One is of a Jewish girl during WWII. The other is about an American journalist in current times who learns of the girls life during the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup of Jews in German-occupied Paris. Vel dHiv was a bicycle stadium (velodrome) where Jews were gathered on the 16th and 17th of July, 1942 before they were disbursed to concentration camps. Julia, the American journalist, learns that during the roundup Sarah locked her brother in a bedroom cupboard to keep him safe. As Julia investigates, the fate of the brother and sister are slowly revealed. The book flips back and forth between the past and present and moves along very quickly. It was captivating and interesting. Even though it was a terribly sad subject, my book club liked the book and would recommend it. Read other reviews at http://readinginthegarden.blogspot.com
good story! a bit melodramatic but interesting throughout.
This was an amazing and heartbreaking book. I didn't mind the way the author went back and forth between the past and the present, I thought it was well done. I would highly recommend this book, but have a box of tissue ready!
This is a good book! I had a hard time putting it down to go to bed at night, and finished it in less than 2 days.
I read this book in less than 24 hours. I loved seeing Sarahs story unfold and following Julia through her discoveries of Sarahs story and the connection it had to her own life. I highly recommend this book!
Although the premise of this book sounded interesting, the sophomoric style and complete lack of believability for every story line made this a real disappointment. Julia's whiny, apathetic, unrealistic personality made the narration atrocious. It had potential but never even came close.
Okay, great story line. I like how the author did flashbacks, i really think that added to the book. You also see the views from different characters in each chapter. I like how the author used real places and locations. I actually learned quite a bit. I looked up online the places and times she mentioned in her book, i didnt even know about them. So check out the places that she mentions.
Fascinating book. Well written....a page turner. I knew nothing about the French police, at German Nazi orders, taking away whole French Jewish families for detention and eventual concentration camps. A piece of history the world should know.
I saw the movie (on Netflix) before I read the book. 99% of the time the book is way, way better than the movie, so if possible I always see the movie first, so I can enjoy it for what it is, and then read the book to enjoy it more. This time I would say the book and movie are about equal. The book has more detail, more background, more insight into Julia's marriage. When there are discrepancies between book and movie, the movie actually tightens the plot, cuts down the rambling end, removes the swearing (there's not much of that to begin with), and keeps it down to a PG13. I highly recommend both book and movie.
Really readable and intriguing story. I loved the twists and turns of the plot, the switching from present to past. Wonderful book.
There are two parts to this novel and the author moves from one to the other weaving the two into one fascinating story. In 1942, little Sarah and her family are taken from Paris home by the French police at the direction of the Nazis. Ten-year-old Sarah hides her younger brother in a secret area, hoping to keep him safe. She believes the trip with the police will be short and promises to be back to let him out.  With the key in her pocket, she and her parents join others sent to the Vel' d'Hiv for processing to eastern "labor camps".  Most die in concentration camps.
Sarah tells the story of the Jewish people, the conditions in the Vel' d'Hiv, and how children were separated from parents, some torn from the arms of their mothers or fathers. Later packed into cattle cars they are deported to "labor campsâ.  Always the frightened Sarah thinks always of her brother locked away waiting for her return.
Years later, Julia Jarmond, an American journalist, is researching to write about the 60th anniversary of Val' d'Hiv. Like Julia, I was unaware of the horror of this period during the Nazi occupation. Julia uncovers Sarah's story and what happens to her parents and her brother, hidden away only to die of starvation. Finding a link to her husband's family she becomes deeply involved and determined to learn more.Â
The Vel' d'Hiv gathering of Jewish people by French collaborators is a tragic event most French prefer to forget.  This tragic part of French involvement in exterminating their Jewish population was concealed. The French prefer to forget and focus on the future. The author reminds us to be alert and to never forget how little human life can mean to some groups.  In our own country with violent groups bent on creating chaos and upsetting our government, we must be alert to what could happen. It's so important. NEVER FORGET
Sarah tells the story of the Jewish people, the conditions in the Vel' d'Hiv, and how children were separated from parents, some torn from the arms of their mothers or fathers. Later packed into cattle cars they are deported to "labor campsâ.  Always the frightened Sarah thinks always of her brother locked away waiting for her return.
Years later, Julia Jarmond, an American journalist, is researching to write about the 60th anniversary of Val' d'Hiv. Like Julia, I was unaware of the horror of this period during the Nazi occupation. Julia uncovers Sarah's story and what happens to her parents and her brother, hidden away only to die of starvation. Finding a link to her husband's family she becomes deeply involved and determined to learn more.Â
The Vel' d'Hiv gathering of Jewish people by French collaborators is a tragic event most French prefer to forget.  This tragic part of French involvement in exterminating their Jewish population was concealed. The French prefer to forget and focus on the future. The author reminds us to be alert and to never forget how little human life can mean to some groups.  In our own country with violent groups bent on creating chaos and upsetting our government, we must be alert to what could happen. It's so important. NEVER FORGET
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would highly recommend it. I enjoyed the past/present format in the contrast, the historical base, and the highly "believable" characters. I did feel the ending was contrived, but overall it was a really good, quick read!
I thought I had read all of the holocaust books I'd ever read, but had read nothing about the Jews who were rounded up in July 1942 in France by the French police, under orders from the Nazis ocupying France. It is definitely worth reading combining Sarah's story, the mystery of her missing brother, and 60 years later the connection to an American journalist and her family living in France.
It was definitely a page turner, rich in intrigue and suspense. Yes, you will weep, but you will also rejoice.
It was definitely a page turner, rich in intrigue and suspense. Yes, you will weep, but you will also rejoice.
this book held my interest from page one to the end.
I was stunned by how poorly written this book is. The author uses types instead of creating characters: the protagonist of the novel's contemporary story arc even refers to her husband as "the archetypal Frenchman." This is lazy writing, pure and simple. I want to read about real, complicated people - not archetypes.
The language elsewhere in the book is stilted and wooden - not compelling or convincing as dialogue - and the author describes characters and scenes, telling us what characters are like and how they're feeling (and thus how we are supposed to feel for and about them) instead of showing us through detail and observation.
The ending of the book also drags on far too long, and a small detail that apparently is supposed to be a major surprise or twist can be seen coming for more than twenty pages before it's revealed.
The protagonist of the book's contemporary story, Julia, is also singularly annoying. An American, she's lived in Paris for 25 years and all she can do is complain about the place (gee, how come she feels as if she still doesn't fit in?). She puts up with her husband's infidelity and other shortcomings, apparently because the sex is great, and then accepts his blame for the fact that their marriage is falling apart. Her daughter may admire her, but this reader just wanted to give her a hard slap and tell her, "Snap out of it!"
The language elsewhere in the book is stilted and wooden - not compelling or convincing as dialogue - and the author describes characters and scenes, telling us what characters are like and how they're feeling (and thus how we are supposed to feel for and about them) instead of showing us through detail and observation.
The ending of the book also drags on far too long, and a small detail that apparently is supposed to be a major surprise or twist can be seen coming for more than twenty pages before it's revealed.
The protagonist of the book's contemporary story, Julia, is also singularly annoying. An American, she's lived in Paris for 25 years and all she can do is complain about the place (gee, how come she feels as if she still doesn't fit in?). She puts up with her husband's infidelity and other shortcomings, apparently because the sex is great, and then accepts his blame for the fact that their marriage is falling apart. Her daughter may admire her, but this reader just wanted to give her a hard slap and tell her, "Snap out of it!"
Wonderful! Different, but enthralling. Rates high as historical fiction; characters are masterly portrayed.
I highly recommend this book. Thought I knew everything about the holocaust but had never heard of Vel d'Hiv. Sarah stayed with me long after I finished reading the book.
Great read! This kept me wanting to learn more since I hadn't heard of the French Jewish roundup. Although,the last portion of the book wasn't as interesting after the initial 1942 story had been told.
A heartbreaking story with relatable characters. A fictional story based on an historical event. A thought-provoking yet easy read.
Great book.
This is a profoundly moving story. I highly recommend it!
In the summer of 1942 the French police were rounding up Jewish children under the orders of the German Gestapo. In an effort to protect her brother, Sarah Starzinski locks her brother in a hidden cupboard. Sixty years later, the events of that summer have a profound affect on two families.
The author uses two strong female narrators to bring to life a rarely talked about historic tragedy. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.
The author uses two strong female narrators to bring to life a rarely talked about historic tragedy. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.
Would have been much better if it were two volumes. The story we care a lot about ends halfway through.
Sarah's Key tells two stories: the first is of one family's plight during the infamous roundup of Jews in Paris by French police during World War II, and the other story is of an American journalist living in Paris who investigates the roundup on its 60th anniversary. Julia's quest to tell the story of the roundup and make sure it is not forgotten turns into a near obsession impacting her relationship with her husband's family. But it is Sarah's experiences that are the heart of this page-turner. Griping, chilling, and highly recommended.
Spellbinding story. Heart wrenching. A must read.
A worthwhile read. It shifts between the holocaust and present time. What happened to the young girl who lost everything and the baby brother left behind in the cupboard?
Compelling, fascinating, heart stopping - a wonderful read that will touch you deeply.
Loved this book! The first 100 pages or so were quite emotional for me but I couldn't put it down.
This was an amazing book that is beautifully written. I couldn't put it down and was sad when it ended.
This is one of the best books I have ever read -- my dau.-in-law loaned it to me after reading it. It tells about the round-up of the Jewish people in France and how they were sent to concentration camps by the Germans. It is very well-written and the characters stay in your mind as if they were part of a family history. Having been born into a Jewish family and then sent away because my mother would not accept the religion, I have always read books about the lives of the people in an effort to understand why they have been persecuted throughout the ages. Looking forward to another book by this author.
This is one of the most fantastic novels I've read in a long time. The story is absolutely heartbreaking, and I was appalled to realize that I, in my mid-thirties, had never heard of the Vel' d'Hiv'. Great congratulations and many thanks to this talented author for bringing a horrifying but important piece of history to light.
While I would love to keep this beautiful book as my own, I know it is on many members' Wish Lists (that's how I received it!), and I want as many people as possible to read it. I recommend this book to everyone!
While I would love to keep this beautiful book as my own, I know it is on many members' Wish Lists (that's how I received it!), and I want as many people as possible to read it. I recommend this book to everyone!
This book was fantastic. It started off slowly and tragically and managed to keep my attention with its twists and turns. I really really enjoyed this book from about page 50 forward. I had never heard of the events during WWII which formed the back drop for this book and it was informative without becoming boring historical fiction. This author also did an excellent job of melding the two story lines together. THis is a must read.
Easy read, couldn't put this one down. I enjoyed the descriptive style of writing.
This is an incredibly beautifully written book that fills your heart with emotion.
It will make you smile, cry and feel all the emotions that make us human.
I highly recommend this wonderful book.
It will make you smile, cry and feel all the emotions that make us human.
I highly recommend this wonderful book.
I don't really get the hype. I loved the book and couldn't get enough of it for the first three fourths. After that, I foind Julia to be very mean, self-centered, and a destroyer of families.
This book is one of the most well written historical fiction stories I have ever read. The story is chilling, and told in such a compelling manner. It is obvious it was not written in English but rather translated, but I truly enjoyed that fact.
A GREAT READ!
A GREAT READ!
I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get through this book as I expected it to be a very heavy read another Holocaust book. But to my surprise, I couldn't put it down! I just had to find out what was going to happen to Sarah, her brother, and her parents. I didn't learn about the Vel'd'Hiv' in school and was saddened to read about it in this book. There were tough moments throughout but de Rosnay did a wonderful job getting her story around it in the present day. This is a must read! Excellent.
this book grips you from chapter one. it easily moves back and forth from two different women each with a moving tale to tell. i couldnt put it down until reaching for the kleenex all the way to the last page.
Moving story! I couldn't put this book down!
Very intricately woven story that I will never forget.
Very intricately woven story that I will never forget.
This is the first book written by Tatiana De Rosnay but it will not the last one I read. Sarah's Key takes place mainly in France between World War II and current time. The story is about Sarah, a young Jewish girl and Julia Jarmond, an American journalist living in Paris The story line is about the Vek'd 'Hiv roundup in July 1942 by the French police of Jewish people; men, women, and children who were sent to Auschwitz. I have read many books about the holocaust. My first was about Anne Frank while I was in school. But I had never heard about this event until now. This is a book about an actual event but is a work of fiction. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to my friends.
This was a GREAT book!I started it and woke up in the middle of the night to read it some more. Hardly could put it down. We need more books like this to remind us what can happen when a leader (Hitler) tries to eliminate human decency from our world and force his will and opinions on everyone. I recommend this to everyone. Great Read! Unfortunately I cannot list this copy because it was sent to me with water damage and messed up cover, but I am glad that someone decided to send it to me though...it was well worth not being able to repost it.
This is a gripping story that I had to read in one day. This author takes you back
in time to WW11 and then to the present and when you follow the main character you feel her trauma. A good club read.
in time to WW11 and then to the present and when you follow the main character you feel her trauma. A good club read.
I saw the movie (on Netflix) before I read the book. 99% of the time the book is way, way better than the movie, so if possible I always see the movie first, so I can enjoy it for what it is, and then read the book to enjoy it more. This time I would say the book and movie are about equal. The book has more detail, more background, more insight into Julia's marriage. When there are discrepancies between book and movie, the movie actually tightens the plot, cuts down the rambling end, removes the swearing (there's not much of that to begin with), and keeps it down to a PG13. I highly recommend both book and movie.
If in Paris go to the Bir-Hakeim metro stop .Across the street is a very out of the way monument to the Jewish people. Very moving.
Wow!! This is a heart-wrenching story about the jewish children and adults lost during the raids in the 40's. Having children myself brought me to tears reading this book. SO MANY innocent lives were lost during such a selfish era. I am so glad I read this book though, having never heard of the French Police raids on a massive amount of jewish people. These jewish people lost need to be remembered and this book does a wonderful job at doing so. I HIGHLY reccomend this book for EVERYONE to read!! It will make you appreciate your life you have now!
I was drawn in immeadiatly to this book. Very heartwarming tale.........
Interesting story of a little-known aspect of the Holocaust. Too bad a run-of-the-mill romance intruded.
A REALLY GREAT STORY. I hated for it to end.
A real page turner - you will not want to put it down until you read the last words!
Could not put this book down. Haunting and compelling, it gave me new insight into WWII. I will remember this book for a long time.
Heartbreakingly beautiful book! This is the best read of the year. I love the way it alternates between past and present. One of the best holocaust novels I ever read.
Even though this book was very sad in parts, I still enjoyed it. It's one of my favorite books.
At first I didn't think I would like the book.It starts out telling 2 stories at a time.I thought going back and forth between chapters would make me loose intrest.The book is about Sarah and her family who are Jewish living in Paris France during the war. July 16 1942 the French Police had orders from the Germans to gather up all the Jewish families.The other story takes place 60 years later,Julia Jarmond, an American journalist married to a French man is given the assignment to write about the Vel'dHiv.A secret France doesn't want to remember happened. I could not put the book down once I got into the story. You will feel an entire range of emotions. The book is rich in mystery, intrigue and suspense.Sarah's story intertwines with that of Julia's.
This is an interesting insight into the horrendous actions of the French against the Jewish people, particularly the children, in 1942. The far-reaching effects of what happened when a young girl attempted to save her brother when the French police arrested her family are vivid. The first part of the book is powerful. The second part is predictable, but it is still a book worth reading.
I greatly enjoyed reading this book. It held my attention throughout. The ending seemed a tad contrived, but was not over-the-top enough to spoil the read.
i had this book on my reminder list for a long time and just found it in a thriftshop [ now i can spent the credit on another book ]... anyhow , i am just about done with it , i couldnt lay the book down . its not really my type of book , but the writeup intrigued me . it is a well written book , worth your time to read . the story will stick with you and the sadness can overwhelm you in places . its not an easy book to read . i would recommend this book -- but with reserve , due to the explicit description of the way some things " had been done " . it also needs to be mentioned, that some of the language and words used are not "clean ".
Page turner, but have your box of kleenex handy.
Very well written. One of those books you want to keep reading. Good reminder of that terrible place in history.
Great great great book!
Can't say enough about it...it was so compelling and thought provoking that it will stay with you for a long time after finishing it!
Might be one of the best I've read this year.
Can't say enough about it...it was so compelling and thought provoking that it will stay with you for a long time after finishing it!
Might be one of the best I've read this year.
Captivating novel about a girl's loss of family because of the holocaust.
A very touching story. The conbination of fiction & actual events bring out so many emotions. de Rosnay has captured the essence of the helplessness & shame brought to so many through the Holocaust. Sarah's Key relives one of the most horrific era's of our World's history & once again reminds us of the precious souls who's lives were sacraficed through the pure evil of one man & those who were evil enought to carry out his orders.
This was a great book. I read it a weekend. It was very sad but also very informative.
I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN...A PAGE-TURNER. However, please do not read if you are depressed or sad.
A top rated review from me. I listened to this book in awe. Although it is a tragic story, the writing was done beautifully. The story will remain in my heart and mind forever.
This is a wonderful, touching, lovable story. I seldom give a book the maximum rating...but I do this one. I really enjoyed it. It is one that kept me wanting to continue until the last page. :)
This was truly an amazing book! It really gave you a picture of what life was like during the Holocaust, It showed hope for those Jewish people who were helped during this horrific time. I thought the weaving of different times and people involved at the time as well as current times was done well. My husband and I really loved the book.
This is one of my favorite books. I couldn't put it down. Sad but very good read.
Excellent and original book. Totally plausible story of how French collaborators imprisoned Jews who were then taken to die in the camps. History impacts modern life, whether one knows it or not, fiction or not. End was a tad predictable but satisfying.
Not a light read but provided a glimpse into the horror of the round up of Jews by French police at the order of Nazi regime.
This was a GREAT book. I could not put it down.
Compelling! I had no idea the Jews were rounded up like cattle in 1941 by the French police & sent off to horrific circumstances. Astounding tale that will stay with you a long time. Love the way it was written. An easy, although disturbing story. I could not put thi s book down. Read it in one day. A must read.
enjoyed this very much...it went smoothly from present to past and the character development was excellent
Moving book...brought to life an event that I had no prior knowledge of. A quick read that's worth the time.
Fabulous! Heart wrenching story about a holocaust survivor.
Incredibly good book, grabbed me from the first page.
Very good book.
I had a really hard time getting through this book. The subject matter is interesting but I didn't care for the present day character very much. It wasn't an easy read.
This book is a fiction book, and doesn't even claim to be historical fiction, but it is so believable, and made me aware for the first time of the great round up, in 1942 of French Jews at the Velodrome d"Hiver or Vel'd'Hiv for short, which was a true historical event. It tells about how one little girl's life is turned upside down by the event and about a journalist who is writing a story about the event many years later, finds she has a personal tie to the little girl named Sarah. Once I started reading it, I had a hard time putting it down until I read it all. I
Oh my, what a great read...you just put it down it is so good.
Emotionally charged story based on a true event using fictional characters.
Heartbreaking. A must read to those who want stories told.
An amazing story despite mediocre writing. I stayed up way too late, unable to put down the book.
Very sad. It will haunt you.
A haunting story that will stay with me for a very long time. I loved it.
I could not put this down -- haunting, interesting, important story about the children and families killed by the French collaborators during WWII -- fabulous gem of a novel. There was a mystery in the novel that gets revealed in an interesting way.
This is a fantastic example of historical fiction. The story is gripping and sheds light on an important historical event that many people, especially Americans, are probably unaware of (I know I was). Seen through the eyes of an American journalist in Paris, I was drawn into both her personal story, as well as the historical story she is researching about the Holocaust for her newspaper.
Difficult subject matter, handled well.
This deserves way more than 5 stars. The best book I've read in a long time. I tore through it in one day.
I absolutely loved this book, never heard of this historical moment and shame on history from hiding it on us. Well written and easy reading...I'm passing this on to my daughter so she will remember...
A beautifully told story that made me want to learn more about the tragic events in the story.
What a powerful book!!! I couldn't put it down once I started reading it.
haven't read it yet
