Sarah's Key [NOOK Book]

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Overview


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 ...
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More About This Book

Overview


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.
Tatiana de Rosnay offers us a brilliantly subtle, compelling portrait of France under occupation and reveals the taboos and silence that surround this painful episode.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
In the summer of 1942, the French police arrested thousands of Jewish families and held them outside of Paris before shipping them off to Auschwitz. On the 60th anniversary of the roundups, an expatriate American journalist covering the atrocities discovers a personal connection—her apartment was formerly occupied by one such family. She resolves to find out what happened to Sarah, the 10-year-old daughter, who was the only family member to survive. The story is heart-wrenching, and Polly Stone gives an excellent performance, keeping a low-key tone through descriptions of horror that would elicit excessive dramatics from a less talented performer. Her characters are easy to differentiate, and her French accent is convincing. De Rosnay's novel is captivating, and the powerful narration gives it even greater impact. A St. Martin's hardcover. (June)

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781429985215
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Press
  • Publication date: 6/12/2007
  • Sold by: ST MARTINS / MPS
  • Format: eBook
  • Edition description: First Edition
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 304
  • Sales rank: 314
  • File size: 2 MB

Meet the Author


TATIANA DE ROSNAY was born in the suburbs of Paris and is of English, French and Russian descent. She is the author of nine French novels. She also writes for French ELLE, and is a literary critic for Psychologies magazine. Tatiana de Rosnay is married and has two children. SARAH'S KEY is her first novel written in her mother tongue, English.

Read an Excerpt


Chapter One
Paris, July 1942
The girl was the first to hear the loud pounding on the door. Her room was closest to the entrance of the apartment. At first, dazed with sleep, she thought it was her father, coming up from his hiding place in the cellar. He'd forgotten his keys, and was impatient because nobody had heard his first, timid knock. But then came the voices, strong and brutal in the silence of the night. Nothing to do with her father. "Police! Open up! Now!"
The pounding took up again, louder. It echoed to the marrow of her bones. Her younger brother, asleep in the next bed, stirred. "Police! Open up! Open up!" What time was it? She peered through the curtains. It was still dark outside.
She was afraid. She remembered the recent, hushed conversations she had overheard, late at night, when her parents thought she was asleep. She had crept up to the living room door and she had listened and watched from a little crack through the panel. Her father's nervous voice. Her mother's anxious face. They spoke their native tongue, which the girl understood, although she was not as fluent as them. Her father had whispered that times ahead would be difficult. That they would have to be brave and very careful. He pronounced strange, unknown words: "camps," "roundup, a big roundup," "early morning arrests," and the girl wondered what all of it meant. Her father had murmured that only the men were in danger, not the women, not the children, and that he would hide in the cellar every night.
He had explained to the girl in the morning that it would be safer if he slept downstairs, for a little while. Till "things got safe." What "things," exactly? thought the girl. What was "safe"? When would things be "safe" again? She wanted to find out what he had meant by "camp" and "roundup," but she worried about admitting she had eavesdropped on her parents, several times. So she had not dared ask him.
"Open up! Police!"
Had the police found Papa in the cellar, she asked herself. Was that why they were here, had the police come to take Papa to the places he had mentioned during those hushed midnight talks: the "camps," far away, out of the city?
The girl padded fast on silent feet to her mother's room, down the corridor. Her mother awoke the minute she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"It's the police, Maman," the girl whispered. "They're banging on the door."
Her mother swept her legs from under the sheets, brushed her hair out of her eyes. The girl thought she looked tired, old, much older than her thirty years.
"Have they come to take Papa away?" pleaded the girl, her hands on her mother's arms. "Have they come for him?"
The mother did not answer. Again the loud voices down the hallway. The mother swiftly put a dressing gown over her night dress, then took the girl by the hand and went to the door. Her hand was hot and clammy, like a child's, the girl thought.
"Yes?" the mother said timidly, without opening the latch.
A man's voice. He shouted her name.
"Yes, Monsieur, that is me," she answered. Her accent came out strong, almost harsh.
"Open up. Immediately. Police."
The mother put a hand to her throat and the girl noticed how pale she was. She seemed drained, frozen. As if she could no longer move. The girl had never seen such fear on her mother's face. She felt her mouth go dry with anguish.
The men banged again. The mother opened the door with clumsy, trembling fingers. The girl winced, expecting to see green-gray suits.
Two men stood there. One was a policeman, wearing his dark blue knee-length cape and a high, round cap. The other man wore a beige raincoat. He had a list in his hand. Once again, he said the woman's name. And the father's name. He spoke perfect French. Then we are safe, thought the girl. If they are French, and not German, we are not in danger. If they are French, they will not harm us.
The mother pulled her daughter close to her. The girl could feel the woman's heart beating through her dressing gown. She wanted to push her mother away. She wanted her mother to stand up straight and look at the men boldly, to stop cowering, to prevent her heart from beating like that, like a frightened animal's. She wanted her mother to be brave.
"My husband is . . . not here," stuttered the mother. "I don't know where he is. I don't know."
The man with the beige raincoat shoved his way into the apartment.
"Hurry up, Madame. You have ten minutes. Pack some clothes. Enough for a couple of days."
The mother did not move. She stared at the policeman. He was standing on the landing, his back to the door. He seemed indifferent, bored. She put a hand on his navy sleeve.
"Monsieur, please-," she began.
The policeman turned, brushing her hand away. A hard, blank expression in his eyes.
"You heard me. You are coming with us. Your daughter, too. Just do as you are told."
Copyright © 2007 by Tatiana de Rosnay. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 2431 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(1302)

4 Star

(648)

3 Star

(291)

2 Star

(97)

1 Star

(93)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 2451 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 16, 2010

    Sarah's Key will move you to tears...

    It has been a long time since I read a book that truly made me weep. It is amazing to read about the 1942 Jewish roundups in France, known as the Vel d'Hiv. It is a part of history that has been buried. De Rosnay weaves a quite personal and believable fictional story about the character Sarah and her family with facts about the Vel d'Hiv atrocity. It is a very moving novel about something we should never accept nor forget. This is a book you cannot put down once you get started. Highly recommended!

    8 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted July 8, 2011

    Heartwrenching at times but a great read. I really liked how she broke up the book between past and present.

    5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 24, 2011

    Amazing!

    One of the best books i have ever read!

    5 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted July 11, 2011

    A must read for sure!

    I would give this one 10 stars if I could! One of the most moving stories ever! I would read anything by Tatiana de Rosnay!I give it 5 stars!

    3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted October 27, 2010

    A Great Blend of Fiction And History

    I really enjoyed this book. It was a great blend of fiction and history. Going back and forth from history to modern times kept me at the edge of my seat. It is a heartbreaking story, but there's no changing history. I found the characters appealing and the ending satisfying.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 14, 2011

    Drags on adding things to the plot that don't need to be there

    I lost total respect for the main character in the middle of the book.

    2 out of 14 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 27, 2012

    Could Have Done Without Julia's Story

    At first, I found myself having difficulty putting this book down. The chapters were short, Julia’s mission clear, and Sarah’s storyline was gripping, fast-paced, and terribly tragic. However, after Sarah’s voice ends, so does the interest for me. Upon first reading, I thought that this book would be more about Sarah and her journey through the holocaust, focusing on her emotions, development, and grief. Rather, it was more about the life of Julia, the journalist, which I didn’t particularly care about. I was less interested in reading about Julia’s failed marriage and mid-life baby crisis.

    I felt more satisfaction in reading about Sarah’s life and the Vel d’Hiv round-up (of which I was previously, sadly unaware), and would have liked more on the aftermath of the war and its impact on Sarah and her family. I am glad to have read the book because of the historical significance of Vel d’Hiv. However, Julia’s story took up too much of the end, felt contrived, and was too predictable.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 14, 2012

    To old for a forth grader

    Is this book to old for a forth grader

    1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 14, 2011

    Great Read!

    Great and fast read. Quite a lage turner. It got a bit slow near the end; however, ever detail was vital to the story. Beautifully written story. Will look into more stories from this author. This was my first book by her, and I enjoyed it.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted November 1, 2011

    Loved it!

    I would recommend this book to anyone! I could not put it down. I was completely drawn in to the characters and could not wait to see where the next chapter would take me!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted October 11, 2011

    Wonderful

    One of the best books I've ever had the pleasure to read

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted October 8, 2011

    Wonferful book

    Couldnt put it down, sad but gripping.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted September 3, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Great Story!!!

    Through the heartbreak and two families coming togethere because of a horrable thing. I could not put it down! I actualy had a hard time putting it down to go to sleep, go to work and when my breaks were done at work! Also there are great questions in the back for book clubs to use. Tatiana de Rosnay did a great job on this book and now I can't wait to find the movie that is made from this book to see how simmilar they are and if my picture of the characters are what it has also.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted July 3, 2011

    This is a must read!

    Wonderful storyline that will also teach you the history of a dark event that is not well known. Loved reading from Sarah's point of view.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 25, 2011

    Loved this book!!!

    This was such a great book. I couldn't put it down.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 24, 2011

    Best book I've read in ages!!!

    I thought this book was excellent. It brought me to tears several times. The end was a smidge predictable and somewhat abrupt, but overall, I thought it was fantastic!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 21, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    a page turner

    This book was a personal approach to history, I could not put it down. I quickly became attached to the characters and the story became alive. The story is told from the past and present and intertwined perfectly.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 3, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Good Reading.....

    I really enjoyed getting into this story. I have not done research on the facts but it did seem historically accurate. I became emotional in parts of the book and was disappointed when it was over, the sign of a good read to me!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 2, 2011

    Love it!!!!!!!!!!

    Great book, couldn't put it down. Well written. Buy this book you wont be sorry!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 1, 2011

    Could not put this book down!

    This was an amazing and captivating tale. The historical and emotional journey seemed so real! I cannot wait to read A Secret Kept next.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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