From the Bookshelf of Challenge: 50 Books…

Sarah's Key

Tatiana de Rosnay

Why we're reading this: My Book Club chose this book. It is about a young Jewish girl in France and how her family was caught up …more
[close] My Book Club chose this book. It is about a young Jewish girl in France and how her family was caught up in the Holocaust and also an American woman in modern day, living in France researching France's role in the Holocaust.

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Feb 27, 2012 Melissa Wiebe rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, bookclub, ww2, 2012

Originally reviewed at Jayne's Books.

Really enjoyed this read as it introduced something that I hadn't even heard about until I sat down and read this book. Overall the book was good, but it wasn't really something that took me by storm in that when I finished, I felt that the plot was a little contrived, at least towards the end of the book. Its not that it was a bad book; its just that it seemed a little too formulaic by the end. Basically to say that for the first 3/4 of the book, it was quit Originally reviewed at Jayne's Books.

Really enjoyed this read as it introduced something that I hadn't even heard about until I sat down and read this book. Overall the book was good, but it wasn't really something that took me by storm in that when I finished, I felt that the plot was a little contrived, at least towards the end of the book. Its not that it was a bad book; its just that it seemed a little too formulaic by the end. Basically to say that for the first 3/4 of the book, it was quite an intriguing read and made me want to read more on the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, of which I could basically find nothing on the subject between the two public libraries that I frequent. While it wasn't a formulaic romance book, it kinda felt it was a bit formulaic in terms of what woman's fiction has become, in that the main character's life seems to fall apart as she starts to research Sarah and her family.

The writing was clear and the author's tone seemed to carry throughout seamlessly throughout and was consistent, even though it seemed to be a bit cliched, especially towards the end. The characters were well-developed and I started to care about them as the story moved on and felt like they were a part of me and wanted to believe that they were real people, even though I knew that weren't. Another thing that I liked about the book is that it made me think and, like I said earlier, made me think about an event I hadn't even heard about previous to reading this book and also made me want to visit the various monuments that commemorate this "event" in the Paris. Despite the fact that it was extremely readable, it wasn't something that was too hard to put down. Maybe it was the subject matter of the book that made it a book that made it something that not that hard to put down and let the book just simmer. And when I picked the book back up (about a week and a half later...), it wasn't too hard to get back into the book and its story. In otherwords, it was something that didn't exactly require that much energy to read the book. ...more

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Jun 01, 2009 Marla rated it really liked it

Very sad story yet well written & weaving of 1940"s and contemporary storyline. Always intrigued and compelled reading about people (real or fictional) who followed the pack and turned a blind eye or whose evil previously suppressed was given an open door but more the few righteous and braves ones who risked their lives saving strangers. ...more

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Jul 13, 2009 Marty rated it it was amazing

This was wonderful. I just happened to pick it up from the library's best seller shelf. This is about the present, and also about the past in Paris, France during WWII's Jewish round up. I could not put this down. ...more

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Apr 20, 2009 Stephanie rated it really liked it

I'll admit I saw the movie first, even though this was sitting in my room for so long :P

I loved the movie, man was it moving. So much that I had to start reading this the next day. While the book was also touching and enlightening (must admit I wasn't aware of this happening in France either!), the parts about Julia did annoy me at times. A lot of whining and pity towards her marriage, enough already! I would've prefered the whole book being Sarah's story. Still, I couldn't put it down and I rea ...more

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