Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours. Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life. (from Goodreads)
Flo's Review
I picked this audiobook up on a whim from the library a few weeks ago. Immediately, I fell in love. What a poignant story! It probably led to some unsafe driving on my part...I mean, it's a little hard sometimes to drive when you are crying! But I kept my hands steady on the wheel and kept going because I wanted to hear more of the story. I wanted to hear more about Sarah's bravery, Julia's search and discoveries, and even the trials of Julia's modern life. For 75 - 80% of the book I was riveted. It was 5 out of 5 stars for sure. I looked forward to driving so I could hear the rest of the story.
Then, I hit the end. And the ending just dragged....and dragged....and dragged. I kept thinking, "We are still going? Why is this not over yet? I cannot take anymore Julia's internal turmoil about Sarah!" I agreed with Zoe when she told her Mom that she had to let it go. I don't want to give away anything, but basically, I think that pages 269 to 293 could have been replaced by a single page at the most. The ending stretched out for waaay too long. If it had ended at the end of the story and added a brief Epilogue, it would have stayed at 5 stars. But the 30 useless pages kind of turned me off. I'll still recommend the book, as it really is a beautifully sad story, but I can't give it more than 3 out of 5 stars when I left it feeling slightly annoyed that it dragged so long and relieved that it was over. I should have left it feeling sad and hopeful both at the same time.
Sarah's Key was made into a movie, which I just picked up from the library today. I will most likely watch it over the weekend and let you know my thoughts.
I read the book and it's a favorite for me. I thought all of the book was amazing!
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