Sarah's Key
by Tatiana de Rosnay
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.95 You Save: $9.00 (65%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.50 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Sarah's Key
Book Review: Uneven Ride
Summary: 3 Stars
Sarah's Key recounts the fate of a Jewish family in Paris in 1942 who were victims of the Vel' d'Hiv. Thousands of Jews were rounded up by the French police--not the Gestapo--and ultimately sent to their death in Auschwitz. A particularly horrific aspect of this campaign is that the children were split from their parents and placed in a separate camp prior to being sent to Auschwitz.
Tatiana de Rosnay describes the plight of a particular family through the eyes of ten year old Sarah. Prior to being ordered to leave their home, she locks her little brother in a secret closet, mistakenly believing the family would be returning home soon. The author's description of these tragic events makes for compelling reading, and the author should be commended for drawing attention to a bleak chapter in French history that has received comparatively little attention.
Unfortunately, that account only comprises one-third of the book. The remainder centers on a present-day journalist--Julia Jarmond--writing a story on the Vel' d'Hiv'. She is an American who has married into a very Parisian family and begins to discover that she has a personal link to the fate of Sarah and her family.
These present day characters are like cardboard cut-outs. Julia's husband is charming and boorish and doesn't really change. Julia continuously wonders why she puts up with the antics of her husband. The dialog is wooden and nobody appears to be listening to what anyone else is saying. As Julia becomes more and more fixated on learning Sarah's fate, her efforts to find out can only be described as manic and irrational. Yet these efforts (such as flying to Italy at the drop of a hat when sending a simple email would be more effective) are characterized by the author as praiseworthy in a "follow your convictions" sort of way.
This book would have been a much better read if it focused more on the events of 1942 and less on the present day. In particular, the inclusion of a romantic element felt forced and contrived in light of the somber subject matter of the remainder of the book.
Book Review: May we never forget those who perished during the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup
Summary: 5 Stars
A fantastic historical fiction novel, set during the occupation of France in the earlier days of WWII. You will be captivated from page one and experience an immediate connection with the characters and the suffering they went through during the Nazi decreed roundup of Jews in France. While most, to this day, believe this was carried out by the Nazis, it was actually carried out by the French Vichy police. This appalling event is a huge dark spot in France's history, and thus, not well-known, even by WWII history buffs. With this event as the backdrop, you are drawn into the terror, panic and despair of over 13,000 Jews were arrested, packed into a stadium in the summer heat, with no food, water or adequate facilities to accommodate that many people. Many died in that stadium and many became aware of what their ultimate fate would be, begging for the nightmare to just come to an end. While reading about the main character's experience and that of her family and those in her community, you sense the psychological passage through the stages of grief as it becomes clear that escape from this atrocity will only be through death. Shock of being forcibly removed from their homes; Anger at being targeted because of their religious beliefs and betrayal by their own Government's civil servants; Denial that life will not return to normal for the victims in that stadium; Acceptance that what was ahead of them was a destiny they could not change. Though not on the scale of the Vel' d'Hiv, I couldn't help but draw upon the images of the victims of Hurricane Katrina, huddled in masses, with an inadequate supply of food, water and restroom facilities, while the Government was so slow to respond and send aid to it's desperate citizens. This event, not one of America's finest moments. An outstanding and a definite must read and a recommendation of Bad Faith: A Forgotten History of Family, Fatherland and Vichy France (Vintage) if you want to read more about this infamous event in France's history.Book Review: One of the best holocaust based fiction novels I have read....
Summary: 5 Stars
July 1942 marked a dark period in the history of France where thousands of Jewish families were rounded up and forcibly kept in the Velodrome d'Hiver. Sarah's Key is the story of 2 families tied to this horrible time in an unusual way. Sarah is the main focus of the holocaust story and Julia is the main focus of a modern day story. The stories a told in a parallel fashion: one chapter Sarah, one chapter Julia. About half way through Sarah's story stops and Julia is the focus. It is an interesting way to unravel a story and Tatiana wrote it extremely well.
The story starts with Sarah's family being rounded up by French policemen. Her mother, her brother, and Sarah stay in their upstairs apartment and the father hides in the cellar at night in case a round up like this happens as he heard rumors it may happen at any moment. When the policemen come in looking for Jews, Sarah has her 4 year old brother, Michel, hide in a cupboard in their play room. She promises Michel she will come back and let him out after the police leave. Sarah had no idea she would be led away with her parents to the Velodrome d'Hiver then on to internment and concentration camps. What happens to Michel?
Julia is an American living in Paris with her husband, Bertrand, and child, Zoe. Julia writes for an American magazine about Paris. Her editor assigns her an article about the roundup as the 60th anniversary is coming up. Julia gets caught up in her research and is determined to find out more about Sarah and what happened to her brother. She also unravels many family secrets of Bertrands family
Both sides were written so well. You feel the emotions that each character feels. There were predictable parts but it wasn't disappointing. There were several shocking moments that had me hanging on and not able to stop reading. I was sincerely hoping the end of this story would be different but it still ended really well. This makes a great lazy weekend read! I also read in several places that this is being made into a movie. I would definitely go see it!
[...]
Book Review: Different reactions to the two stories
Summary: 4 Stars
It had been in the back of my mind that I should read this book and when a friend recommended it, it gave me the nudge I needed to pick it up and see what I thought. The bottom-line summary is that I liked it and am glad I read it. However, I actually had two different reactions to the two story lines going on -- one set in July 1942 during the French roundup of Jews to be sent to Auschwitz and the other set primarily in France in 2002.
The historical story focuses on a young girl and her family as the French police arrest thousands of Jews, mainly women and children between the ages of 2 and 12. The family is living in an apartment in Paris and are caught up in the Nazi hatred and French cooperationg. On that fateful day the police come and take them to a velodrome to await transportation to a another holding camp before reaching their final destination of Auschwitz. As tragic as this story is, there is one other entwined which just breaks your heart and yet another which gives rise to hope and shows the beauty of the human soul. This story line is captivating, heartbreaking, and the writing takes your breath away. The writing is beautiful and the author draws pictures with words that you would rather not see. The book also exposes a piece of French history that many people don't know about and the French try to ignore -- that they turned against their own citizens to help the Nazis during this very dark period of time. Definitely 5 stars.
The 2002 - 2005 portion of the story is not nearly as strong for me. While necessary to add relief from the serious and dark Holocaust, it just doesn't have the same punch. It feels contrived at times and at the very end a little too much like a soap opera/romance novel with convenient, tied-up endings -- too nicely packaged to feel real. It's not that it's bad, it just pales in comparison to the 1942 story. This part I would rate 3+ stars.
Again, well worth a read and I was caught up in the story from the first pages to the end. A good (overall) novel.
Book Review: heart-breaking and moving
Summary: 5 Stars
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
July 16, 1942. The French police rounded up Jewish families to be taken to Velodrome d'Hiver,an indoor stadium known as Vel' d'Hiv for short. Thousands of Jewish families were locked up there for days before being shipped off to Auschwitz. Sarah is a young girl who hid her brother in a locked cupboard in their apartment to be kept safe until her family was released by the police.She promises to come back for him. Sarah did not understand what was happening and that she wasn't to be going home. Once she does, she is desperate to get to her brother, to save him.
July, 2002. Julia Jarmond is an American writer who has lived in Paris for the last 25 years. Her boss wants her to do an article on Vel' d'Hiv as the sixtieth anniversay approaches. This causes tension between Julia and her French husband Bertrand, as the French did not want to be reminded of that dark period in their history.
The first half of the novel alternates between Sarah's story and Julia's search for information. Julia discovers a link between her French family and Sarah. The second half of th book is Julia's search to discover what happened to Sarah, while dealing with the changes in her life and marriage.
This is easily one of the best books I have read this year. Sarah's story is heartbreaking as she discovers the horror of what is happening to her and her parents.
The woman had little by little disappeared. She had become gaunt and pale, and she never smiled or laughed. She smelled rank, bitter. Her hair had become brittle and dry, streaked with gray. The girl felt like her mother was already dead.
Not only was this story well written but it brought to my attention the plight of the Jew's in France, something I did not know that much about. The book is heart-breakingly beautiful and touching, a story that will stay with me a long time. I read this in two days because it was so riveting. You won't be disappointed in this brilliant novel.
my rating 5/5