Saturday, January 22, 2011

Review: Sarah's Key By Tatiana De Rosnay

Summary- Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
 
Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.
Tatiana de Rosnay offers us a brilliantly subtle, compelling portrait of France under occupation and reveals the taboos and silence that surround this painful episode.

My Opinion- Well all I have to say is this book was the best book I have read in a very long time! It goes back and forth between the perspective of Sarah a Jewish girl being taking in the Vel' d' Hiv roundup of Paris in July of 1942, and her heart breaking story. Then it changes to the perspective of Julia Jarmond, a journalist who is about to write an article on the roundup, for its sixtieth commemoration. She starts to do research about this horrible day in Paris. Eventually she comes across an old family secret, that connects her to Sarah. This story is about a secret that connects two families and the pain and horrible truth they both go through. This devastating secret eventually causes Julia to question her life and marriage. This book at times made me want to cry it is a very emotional book. Out of all the books about World War Two and the holocaust that I have read, this is definitely the best one by far, because it goes from the past to the present. I felt i could really get into the book because all of the characters were very relatable. All of you definitely need to go out and read this book!

My Rating- * * * * *

5 comments:

  1. loved this book. still get the shivers every time i think about the key!

    Laura
    http://smartlit.wordpress.com

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  2. It is a really moving and haunting read. Good review.

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  3. I also read this book and loved it. It really shook me to the core. Great review.

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  4. thanks guys! and those are great ways to describe the book

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Barbara
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