I really enjoyed this book when I started it but I found I grew less interested near the end. I was so involved in the life of Sarah and her story told from her perspective. It was so interesting and I really liked how the story kept switching back and forth between perspectives and past and present.

Once the story was based solely in present day I found it a little tedious and boring. I enjoyed the book as a whole, I would have just preferred it to go more the way it did in the beginning.

Good book overall and it is certainly worth a read.

Could not put this book down! Amazing story about how two families lives connect and how one little girl's story during the Holocaust changes many lives forever. A life-changing story that pulled at my heartstrings.

In 1942 in Paris a ten year old girl, Sarah is rounded up with her parents by the French police and taken to Vel' d'Hiv'. Before she leaves she locks her little brother in a cupboard thinking she will be back soon to release him.

In a parallel story Julia Jarmond is asked to write a story about the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup for the 60th anniversary. She is determined to follow Sarah's footsteps.

Switching between the two stories the book tells us of Sarah's trials and ordeals and the horror of being a Jew in occupied France. Julia meanwhile, feels Sarah's anguish as she pursues her story and finds out how closely intertwined it is with her in-laws' story. Julia starts to question her own marriage and life. I did not really empathize with Julia and found while Zoe her daughter seemed to be so mature it was almost unreal.

I did not know about the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup but I did know about how the French do not want to discuss any of their 'ugly' part in WWII. Interestingly, I recently picked up A Thread of Grace By Mary Doria Russell which is about Jews in occupied Italy and how they were hidden. Two authors, similiar subjects and completely different treatments. As much as the French were shown to be brutal the Italians are shown to have some sympathy.

*****SPOILER*****

I would never have continued living in an apartment where the body of a little boy had been found. I may not have had the courage to stand up to the brutality and even might have overlooked how I got the apartment but to continue to live there. UGH!!!
One never knows until one is in that situation how one will react. I could always hope I would stand up and be counted.

Couldn't put the book down! Such passion and character this book has! The sister in the book goes through such trials and tribulations to find and possibly save her little brother! I cried through parts of the book-could feel the characters pain!

This book was quite remarkable.. It made me want to cry and infuriate me at times as well. It really brought alot of emotion out and ask Why ? Why? and Why?. I was thoroughly impressed with this book. Fantatstic!!

Sarah's Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay, is a book that I was to read for my January book club, though I hadn't intended on reading it when I did, or finishing it in such a short time. You see, my husband plays hockey Sunday mornings and, on occasion, I'll go with him if we're planning to go somewhere else afterwards. Let me just say that without my morning coffee, I'm not quite all "there" in the morning, so when we went to leave I must have grabbed the first book on my nightstand without paying much attention. I was reading Secret Daughter at this time and had intended on continuing to read it at hockey, so when I whipped out Sarah's Key, I was confused for about 5 minutes, until I realized that my bookmark wasn't missing: I had grabbed the wrong book.

Oops.

After giving myself heck for not taking the correct book, I settled into what I brought and was then kicking myself for owning this book for such a long time and not reading it until now.

Sarah's Key tells two stories: one is the story of Sarah, a Jewish girl, during the days of the Holocaust, who made the decision to lock her brother in a cupboard when the French police came to take her family away, telling herself that she'll come back to get him. The other is the story of Julia, an American in Paris, a journalist who is writing a story about this particular time in history. The story is told, at first, from each perspective, ultimately merging partway through the book.

I thought it was a fantastic read and found myself hooked from the first chapter. I have read books on the Holocaust in the past and whenever I do, I find myself wanting to read more. I was entranced by Sarah's story and wanted to hear more from her, long after her part of the story came to an end. I appreciated Julia's point of view, but it was nothing compared to Sarah's. de Rosnay paints a picture of the wartime and it was hard not to get completely absorbed by both stories with their well-painted characters and landscapes.

While I appreciated Julia's story, I found myself intrigued mostly when she was relaying information about Sarah's story, though, as a character, I didn't really like her character. I thought she acted like a doormat in her relationship and I couldn't find myself relating to her. She didn't have the strength that Sarah had during her story and I had hoped she would find the strength by the end of the novel, but she never did.

I also thought that, at times, things came a little too easy to Julia with her research. People, places, and events needed little to no research and some of her acquaintances seemed too coincidental. Though, I did find myself guessing what would happen throughout the novel, only to find that my original instincts were constantly being thwarted. The writing is simple and the prose easy to read, and the message about never forgetting is a powerful one.

If you enjoy reading books about history (though de Rosnay is clear to say that this is not an intentional book about the history of the Vel d'Hiv), or want a quick, engrossing read, give Sarah's Key a try. I found myself wanting to read more about the events, as well as learning more about the history of my own country.

The sadness, the fight, the struggles, the passion. This novel has all this and more. You feel the pain of Sarah, you feel the fight of Julia. It's as if you are there in France experiencing what Sarah is experiencing. A very well written novel, and must read!

I did not want it to end!

I read this book in one day. I sat at the cottage and read, I went for a walk and couldn't wait to get back to read, I had company over and couldn't wait until I could crawl back into bed and read. It was a page turner to say the least. I truly enjoyed this of writing, this is a must read. From past to present and back, it keeps you thinking, it reminds you of the horror of the past and of just how lucky we are to live in North America in 2012.

After reading all of the reviews I had high expectations for this book but unfortunately, it fell short for me.

It was good, certainly an interesting page turner that kept me engrossed but not as compelling as I expected.

I enjoyed this book for sure! Though it is an easy read, it does pull on your heart strings... Sarah is what keeps you going in it. But I agree with others who have reviewed this book, that I liked how it kept coming back to Julia. I have recommended it to others, and they also have enjoyed it. Its worth the read

I was so excited when I started reading this book. The first half of it is so spectacular, I just couldn't put it down. But then it takes a bad turn and I just found it dull and predictable. I won't ruin the story line for you, but just be prepared that it does not sustain it's momentum throughout the whole book.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as most of the reviews I've read. I felt that the story of Sarah, the Holocaust, the experience of the French family who sheltered Sarah, the French police who participated and the French public who condoned got overshadowed at times by Julia's pain about her failing marriage, etc. There is a huge important story here, and it wasn't really about Julia.

This was definitely a quick read and a book that was passed around my family - enjoyed by all!

I loved how the book went back and forth from the war era to the "present" almost 60 years later. The alternate views were page turners - for me. To be honest I even caught myself skipping a chapter so I could continue reading about Sarah's experience because the suspense was killing me!

I was pulled in from the first page! Tatiana's writing style has a natural, easy flow. Her descriptions of character and setting made for a vivid, clear picture in my mind. Will definitely read more of Tatiana's writing.

this book was amazing! loved every minute of it. i think i only put it down for breakfast lunch and dinner

I read a lot of reviews on this book and it has always intrigued me. Unfortunately I was always in the middle of another book. I got into this right after I finished The Help (awesome book). My bf's mom recommended it.

Very easy read and the pages flow from one another easily. Switches narrators from Sarah and Julia. At first it bothered me, bc the chapters are short and I wanted to keep reading the same narrator and it would go back to the other narrator.

Eventually I got use to it and started becoming emotional to the 2 characters. Good book, but reader beware it is a very sad book. I am not emotional person, but this book made me really sad afterwards. I was thinking about both characters for the next few hours.

A highly recommended read to anyone who would like an easy read but a solid story.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I like her writing style - just the right balance between descriptive and narrative content. This book grabbed me from the very first page and I couldn't - and didn't want to - put it down. A shocking storyline, and the author manages to completely drawn the reader in. This book stayed with me long after I finished reading it.

This book had me reading until it ended. It was a great story enlaced with a tragic historical event that I really had no clue about! i loved the punctuation and sentence structures, made the book really easy to read and read and read more.

I did find it a bit repetitive and predictable at times, but i would still recommend this little book.

Almost impossible to put down. Weaves history and present day and makes historical facts come alive. Difficult to read about the round-up of the French Jewish community particularly from the perspective of a child.