Sarah's Key in Crazy Challenge Connection

Nov 10, 2010 Book Concierge rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club, france, concierge, world-war-ii, library, holocaust

The book is told in alternating chapters – Sarah Starzynski, her parents and younger brother in Paris and environs during WW 2, and Julia Jarmond Tezac, an American living in Paris in 2002.

Sarah and her parents were rounded up in August 1942 by the French police on orders of the occupying Nazi regime. They were held for about a week at the velodrome stadium – without food, water, toilets, beds. They were then sent via train to a detention camp, and some time later divided. Her parents are sent ...more

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May 27, 2009 Stacy rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

Five stars for Sarah's story; three stars for Julia's story. Average = 4 stars. ...more

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Mar 12, 2010 Liz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-recommend, ni-group-read, 2011-book-list

I avoided this book for a long time - a combination of all the hype around it & the disturbing subject matter. After looking at it on my shelf for a while, I decided I just needed to start. I had very low expectations, mostly due to the fact that so many hyped books I've read lately have fallen short. So I was surprised to find that I really loved this book! (It is my favorite read of the year so far.)

Tatiana de Rosnay wove a beautiful story of past & present, the story of a young girl's experie I avoided this book for a long time - a combination of all the hype around it & the disturbing subject matter. After looking at it on my shelf for a while, I decided I just needed to start. I had very low expectations, mostly due to the fact that so many hyped books I've read lately have fallen short. So I was surprised to find that I really loved this book! (It is my favorite read of the year so far.)

Tatiana de Rosnay wove a beautiful story of past & present, the story of a young girl's experience with the Jewish roundup in Paris, 1942, & the story of a woman journalist researching that horrific part of French history in the present.

Rosnay alternated back & forth between the two narratives for the first half of the book, allowing us to learn bits & pieces of these two lives & the mystery around Sarah, the little Jewish girl. She then focused on Julia for the second part of the book (something I had to get used to since I really loved the little girl's narrative & missed it once it was gone). While I wasn't crazy about Julia's character at first, she grew on me. She started out reserved & weak & then grew into such a strong, take-charge woman. The story of Sarah was a horribly sad one, & I found myself crying often throughout this book. Hearing about the Holocaust & from the perspective of a young French girl was different than anything I'd ever come across before, & it was heartbreaking. While reading this story & visualizing all the Jewish children with the stars sewn onto their clothes, I kept thinking about Dr. Seuss' The Sneetches. I read this book often as a child & still think about it years later. It made me think how ridiculous it was to label someone with a star to prove that they were beneath you, or, in The Sneetches, that those wearing the stars were better than the rest. I kept thinking, "We're all part of the human race. How could anyone be so prejudice & full of hate for another person?" It is something I just can't comprehend.

This book was very touching to me, & while I won't jump to read another book by this author in the near future (again, the difficult subject matter), I do plan to read more of her work when I can.

5/5

"How was it possible that entire lives could change, could be destroyed, and that streets and buildings remained the same, she wondered." ~ Tatiana de Rosnay, Sarah's Key

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Jul 30, 2008 Suzanne rated it liked it

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Oct 17, 2010 Tien rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, contemporary, france

Truly captivating!

Firstly, I found the concept of the novel itself of interest: locking your little brother in a closet to keep him safe and promising to return to him. Unfortunately, looking back retrospectively, we know that nothing is for certain. Would you keep your loved ones with you to keep them safe or hide them away somewhere hoping for the best?

I loved that the chapters alternate between the Now and Then and the distinguishing feature of different fonts to let the reader know right off ...more

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May 19, 2010 Sue rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: wwii

This was an emotional book about the Holocaust in France. It details a little-known instance under the Vichy government where Jewish families were rounded up by French police, driven to French-run camps outside Paris, and then transported by trains to Auschwitz where they were all gassed immediately. This story of Sarah and the modern woman who discovers her story is heart-wrenching. I liked the device of having it set in the present as we uncover the truth along with Julia, but then intersperse ...more

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