Sarah’s Key

Sarahs Key, written by Tatiana de Rosnay, switches back and forth between the lives of two people. One chapter is written to talk about Sarah, a young French girl, and her emotions, development, and grief during the time of the Vel dHiv round-up in July of 1942. The next chapter switches to the life of Julia, an American living in France as a journalist. The two stories become intertwined when Julia is asked to write about the Vel dHiv. She researches the dark event and comes across Sarahs story, which fascinates her.
Sarahs Key is a heart- wrenching story that brings light and awareness to the tragic events of the holocaust. The way the author wrote from the perspective of Sarah made me feel as if I was there, witnessing the pain and horror that the women and children had to face. I loved push and pull of emotions as I read on into the book, but I wish it focused more on Sarahs story, and not as much on the life of Julia.
In conclusion, Sarahs Key is an emotional book that will make you want to just keep reading. This book is a blend of fiction and histoy, and is a great way to learn more about the events that occurred in Paris in 1942. It is memorable and will keep you thinking even after you finish the book. I would definitely recommend this book, it was a great read!

Sarah’s Key describes the roundup of the Jews of Paris in 1942 at the orders of the occupying Nazis. Many French citizens did what they could to help the victims, while others cooperated in the roundup. Whole families were taken away by regular French police and transported by ordinary city buses. They were held in camps in France before being transported to their deaths at Auschwitz.

A present day female journalist becomes obsessed with a girl from this time when she discovers a tragic connection to her own life. The past and the present begin as two stories and merge into one.

This book is one part riveting history, one part page-turner, and one part tear-jerker. I gave it four stars instead of five because the last part of the book turns the focus onto the personal problems of the journalist and becomes a sort of rambling soap opera, which some may enjoy and others may not.

However, I would recommend this book for its portrayal of history, its swift pace, and its many twists and turns.

This book’s treatment of an important era in history–not to mention French involvement in the Holocaust–was disappointing overall, especially given the fanfare (at least in the way it was presented to me.) The characters seemed superficial and cardboard-like, and the events quite predictable. The author did not seem to be able to create truly authentic characters, most of whom were either ‘bad’ or ‘good’ guys with somewhat weak attempts at creating depth. Though she seems genuine in her emotions, the dilemma of the Jewish people in Europe deserves stronger writing.
Ursula Hegi is an author with a European background who has a sympathetic view towards the Jewish people and is able to create authentic characters and a book packed with effective symbols and images. Her book Stones from the River is a much more sophisticated piece of writing and highly recommended.
I appreciated deRosnay’s efforts to expose another aspect of the Holocaust in revealing the complicity of the French, although this could be done in either better novel fashion, or simply by writing an essay. It seemed more a book of persuasion than description; the realities of the Holocaust do not require persuasion if portrayed accurately, since the horror of the reality seems more than adequate to show this truth.

I’ve read several compelling novels set during the WWII Holocaust, but this one moved me more than most. It is a story about a little-known event in which the French police gathered up Jewish families on one terrifying night to turn them over to the Gestapo. It was written from an unusual point of view- that of a modern-day journalist researching the event as a landmark anniversary approaches. While doing the research, she happens to learn of an incredibly sad story involving a young Jewish girl and her family who were rounded up during this incident. She uncovers an amazing connection between that family and her ex-husband’s family, and that connection is what makes the story so compelling.

Any novels about this period in history are going to have some similarities, and I felt this one was more tragic than most, but also more uplifting in the end.

It is a sad, moving story . The part that is set in 1942 is moving and depressing . The part set in 2002 is really mostly unnecessary . It is yet another book that switches back-and-forth between two time periods in order to have the later time period tell the story of the former . In the miracle story in that later time period is simply annoying . So if it had been much more about 1942 and much less about 2002 the rating would have been much higher.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member