Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. This book sat on my night stand for months before I finally decided to pick it up. And then there was no stopping me; I read it in one sitting finishing after midnight and much too keyed up to go to bed. de Rosnay presents two intertwined stories, one of Sarah, a young girl among the thousands of Jews who were rounded up by the French police on July 16, 1942, and the other, an American journalist in Paris assigned to write a story about the fateful day at the Velodrome d'Hiver and its aftermath. Some may find the intersplicing irritating. I appreciated it, if for no other reason that it kept the horrible story of what happened to France's Jews during World War II from crashing down on me all at once. But de Rosnay spares nothing in her demand that the French deal forthrightly with the atrocities carried out by their countrymen during that dark time, suggesting that remembrance, rather than time, will heal all wounds. Make sure you have plenty of Kleenex on hand before you plunge in.
Friday, August 14, 2009
More Recommended Reading
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. This book sat on my night stand for months before I finally decided to pick it up. And then there was no stopping me; I read it in one sitting finishing after midnight and much too keyed up to go to bed. de Rosnay presents two intertwined stories, one of Sarah, a young girl among the thousands of Jews who were rounded up by the French police on July 16, 1942, and the other, an American journalist in Paris assigned to write a story about the fateful day at the Velodrome d'Hiver and its aftermath. Some may find the intersplicing irritating. I appreciated it, if for no other reason that it kept the horrible story of what happened to France's Jews during World War II from crashing down on me all at once. But de Rosnay spares nothing in her demand that the French deal forthrightly with the atrocities carried out by their countrymen during that dark time, suggesting that remembrance, rather than time, will heal all wounds. Make sure you have plenty of Kleenex on hand before you plunge in.
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7 comments:
oh my goodness...I read this a few months back and like you could not put it down...I became obsessed with researching the ocupation...what a story!...to imagine being in that velodrome during the summer in the heat...too much...an amazing story
I loved Sarah's Key also. Have you read Charles Glass's Americans in Paris: Life & Death under Nazi Occupation? It is a well-researched history but reads like a novel. Lots of info on the American Library in Paris and the American Hospital, etc. Wonderful.
Terry
We read about these atrocities but we never seem to learn anything. Iraq anyone?
This is on my summer reading list as well. Thanks for the review!
That's on my TBR list for sure. I love sad books. Thanks...
www.mykoladementiuk.com
Terry: Thanks for the recommendation.
I'll add this one to my list. Thanks for posting.
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