I'm not sure how do review a dual time book where I liked the part that ends before the book is over, Sarah's story, but doesn't care as much for Julia's story. I do like her daughter, Zoe, though. I did like that there were short chapters which made me want to keep reading. ( )

This book was GREAT! A difficult read due to the fact that it dealt with the roundup of Jewish families in Paris in 1942, and particularly the story of Sarah. There was also a parallel story with Julia as a journalist writing a story about the roundup. She becomes embroiled in Sarah's story and it affects her life in ways she didn't anticipate. I highly recommend this book. ( )

World War 2

This was amazing! I think the only reason I did not cry with this story is because I have read so many true horror stories of the Holocaust that nothing fictional can ever compare. However, it's really not about the Holocaust.

In 1942 the Vichy government in France fell prey to the ideals of the Nazis and Hitler and joined their cause to eradicate the Jews in their country. Sarah's Key tells the tale of a young girl who is taken by the French, with her parents, to the Vel d'Hiv, a tournament arena in Paris for several days before being transported to a camp outside of the city. There, she is separated from her parents, who are taken immediately to Auschwitz and gassed. She escapes with the help of a French policeman who knew her.

All is not happy, however. At the age of ten, Sarah was very close to her four year old brother, Michal. In their apartment, there was a small cupboard in the room they shared where they played--it was outfitted with a little bit of water, cushions to sit on, and storybooks that Sarah would read to him. They had grand adventures within this cupboard. When the police came to their house to arrest them, Sarah had thought to keep him safe and innocently locked him in the cupboard, thinking to free him within a few hours, if not a day.

Many years later, Sarah's story is discovered by Julia Jarmond, an American-born journalist living in Paris, while doing research on the events of the Vel d'Hiv. She becomes obsessed with Sarah's story, and eventually finds ties between her life and Sarah's, allowing the story to encompass her even in the wake of a failing marriage.

It's a love story, in a way. The love of a sister for her brother. The love of a mother for her children. Nothing in this world can compete with the emotions of these. And yet, there is the love for human life that comes across so vividly--the idea that we should never forget, that the love of life lives in us all, and that we have no right to take away a life because of perceived differences.

( )

Deeply moving story. ( )