Sarah's Key

Even though Julia & Bertrand were terrible people who did terrible things, I still enjoyed reading this. Sarah's story is a wrecking ball to the heart but I didn't know of the Vel' d'Hiv' and all that went on there in 1942. The 2000's storyline didn't do the 1940's story justice IMO. But overall I'm glad I read this.

An outstanding fictional account of the horrid activities of the French police in collusion with the Nazi in the early days of World War II. Jewish children were rounded up and housed in the Vel' d'Hiv temporarily on the way to Auschwitz. This story flips between 1942 and present time when a journalist was assigned an article on the 60th anniversary of the Vel' d'Hiv.
The author gets into the mind of Sarah, a ten year old Jewish girl who escaped from the Vel' d'Hiv in an attempt to get back to her apartment and rescue her young brother. This part of the story grips you and stays with you.
The other part of the story is Julia's attempt to understand what these children went through and the secrets that her French in-laws were hiding. This show more part of the book didn't grip me as much as Sarah's story and in parts it seemed to drag a bit. But it all came together in the last page and brought Sarah's story full circle.
I highly recommend this book even if you aren't interested in World War II or the Holocaust. It is a wonderful story on its own. show less

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 directly to Auschwitz (where they will be gassed), but Sarah escapes the camp and finds refuge with an elderly farm couple.

She’s haunted by the fact that she left her younger brother locked in a closet – she believed she’d be back show more within a day or so. When she finally convinces Jules & Genevieve that she will go to Paris alone if necessary, they accompany her to her old home only to discover a new family living in the apartment, and Michel’s decomposing body in the well-hidden secret cupboard.

Meantime Julia Jarmond has been given an assignment to write about the Vel’ d’Hiv’ for the 60th anniversary commemoration. She’s an American who has been in Paris for about 25 years, but has never heard of the event. She becomes obsessed with the story, and when she discovers that her husband’s family moved to the apartment the day after Sarah’s family “vacated” it, she doubles her efforts to find the truth.

I was completely mesmerized by the story for the first 160 pages, because the chapters alternate between Julia’s search for the truth, and what is happening to Sarah 60 years earlier. But after Sarah returns to the apartment we no longer hear from her. The rest of the book focuses on Julia, and frankly descends into a chick lit romance drama.

I thought The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, The Book Thief, and Suite Francaise were all much better books dealing with the Holocaust. show less

Two stories are told told in short, alternating chapters. The first takes place during the two-day Vel' d' Hiv', a Nazi-directed roundup of Jews by French police, surely one of the most shameful moments in French history. Over 13,000 Jews, including 4000 children, were arrested in July, 1942, and kept for days with little food or water and no sanitation, about 7500 of them in an enclosed stadium, before first the men, then the women, were taken to Auschwitz. The children, children of all ages, were kept for some days more and then transported to Auschwitz for immediate gassing. One child's story is told, that of Sarah, a 10-year old girl whose 4-year old brother locks himself in their apartment's hidden closet when the police break in. show more Sarah takes the key with her and promises to return for him.

The second story is of a modern-day American journalist, long settled in Paris, who discovers her in-laws' apartment was taken over by her husband's family only weeks after the arrests. She becomes obsessed with finding out who the family was and if anyone survived. Her discoveries result in dreadful memories unburied and family histories revealed, and they change the lives around her forever.

I had several strong reactions to this story. First, the descriptions of the stadium, of the agony of the families being separated and the children being torn from their parents with no explanation or any promise of resolution, was heartbreaking and immediate because of what's been going on at the southern border in the U.S. The details bring alive the monstrous situation certain of our political leaders seem to think is business as usual and with which they are little concerned. No, hopefully the kids our government have arrested will not be executed, but spiritually and mentally the damage is horrifying and likely to come back to haunt us. I hesitate to compare our current leaders with the Nazis (wannabes, maybe), but in this instance the similarity is pretty clear.

The other thing that bothered me was the author's descriptions of the French character. If she is correct, it's rather shocking to American sensibilities. If not, it's quite a gross exaggeration. If someone who has read the book and knows France ever comments on this I'd be very interested.

The book sort of winds down too long before the final page, but the first three-quarters make for a stunning page-turner. show less

I read this one purely because a friend urged it on me. It confirmed my impression that it wasn't something I would have chosen for myself, but parts of it were very well done. It's a dual story of now and then, with an American female journalist trying to find out what happened to a particular young girl who was caught up in the "deportation" of Jews from Paris in 1942. This one has a bit too much modern drama in it, which I think detracts from the real story, and too much coincidence to suspend my disbelief. I also rather disliked the modern protagonist as presented, because in the face of the stunning historical story she was "researching", she let it become all about herself. Her husband, arrogant bastard that he was, was a more show more interesting character, and their daughter, Zoe, was a small wonder--I loved her. I did learn some things about the situation in occupied France during the war, though, and reading this book will definitely lead me to pursue the subject further. For that reason, I'll give Sarah's Key 3 stars, but I won't recommend it. show less

I haven't felt this emotionally ravaged since reading "Last Stop Klindenspiel" by Marta Tandori and it surprised me when I checked my GoodReads list that I read it in 2014. "Last Stop Klindenspiel" is historical fiction based on The Nazi Party: The “Lebensborn” Program (1935 - 1945) and the novel "is dedicated to all war children but especially to the surviving Lebensborn children scattered across the globe. May you find peace at last."

"Sarah's Key" is also historical fiction based on the Vélodrome d'Hiver (or "Vél d'Hiv") roundup which was the largest French deportation of Jews during the Holocaust. It took place in Paris on July 16, 1942. In a similar way, Tatiana de Rosnay shares in her "Author's Note"...

"This is not a show more historical work and has no intention of being one. It is my tribute to the children of the Vel’d’Hiv’. The children who never came back. And the ones who survived to tell.”

I had tears in my eyes as I read most of the story and sometimes my eyesight became so blurry that I had to brush them away so I could continue to read. I think the words spoken by Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup describes the poignancy of much of my reading of historical fiction and especially this story of the Holocaust.

“Sorry for not knowing. Sorry for being forty-five years old and not knowing."

I am >20 years older than the character of Julia at the time of reading this novel and I did not know. I was profoundly moved.

There are so many times in the history of the world when hate, racism and religious persecution has brought heartbreaking tragedy to so many and especially to children. Will it never stop? "Sarah’s Key" has been published in 40 countries and has sold over 9 million copies worldwide and a movie adaptation by Gilles Paquet-Brenner was released in 2010. We that have read the book or watched the movie must continue to share the story. We must lead by our actions not just our words. In the ending words of one of the remembrance plaques, “Passerby, never forget.”

Tatiana de Rosnay was born in the suburbs of Paris and lives in Paris with her family. Her father is French, and her mother is British and she grew up in France, USA and UK, learning both languages at the same time. In the FAQ section of her website she shares "I was not taught about this event at school, during the 70’s. And it seemed to be shrouded by some kind of taboo." I believe it is all the more powerful that the author has brought this part of French history into the light writing with sensitivity. It is riveting, compelling, page-turning reading and a story I will never forget. show less

This is a haunting. beautiful , and achingly sad story. The setting is Paris, France on July 16, 1942, a time that this country was occupied by Nazi Germany. In this book, we follow two parallel stories. One is told by Julia Jarmond, an American journalist living in Paris with her French husband Bertrand and their daughter Zoe. Julia is investigating the Vel De'Hiv' incident, the roundup by French police of over 13,000 French Jews, 4000 of whom were children, that ultimately resulted in their deaths in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. The second story is of ten-year-old Sarah Starzynski, who ultimately escapes the mass round-up but not without personal trauma as she is taken away by the French police without ever revealing that she had show more locked her younger brother into a secret closet in their apartment. Julia and Sarah's stories intersect in deeply touching ways.

I almost did not choose this book to read. I thought it was a misshelved young adult book because of its title. I actually selected it at random as a library CD. It turned out to be a novel aimed at an adult audience.

I was particularly engaged in reading this book because I, too, lost my maternal grandparents, albeit not from France, in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. The Hebrew words in the book, "Zachor. Al Tishkakh" (my spelling), meaning "Remember. Never forget." is my personal reason for reading Holocaust literature deliberately from time to time.

My only uncertainty about this novel is wondering if Sarah really could have survived for real as she had in this book. Upon further reflection, however, I know those were extreme times, and stories of some actual Holocaust survivors sometimes seem nothing short of miraculous.

This is one of the more touching Holocaust novels that I have read. It does not delve into gruesome talk about the death camp, but stresses human connections and the will to survive. Please read it. It's that good. My husband read it in one sitting. show less