Sarah's Key: A Novel
Now a major motion picture!
From beloved international sensation and #1 New York Times bestselling author Tatiana de Rosnay come's her celebrated novel Sarah's Key.
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.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
What Bookclubbers are saying about this book
✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *Sarah’s Key* powerfully reveals the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup, blending past and present narratives with emotional depth and impressive historic...
But the history isn't the only revealing part of this novel - the love created between Sarah and Michel, her younger brother, is timeless. A true testament to familial bonds. Additionally, the characters that come to Sarah's aide - to save her, to guide her - show a development of humanity unsurpassed.
And that is just Sarah - we also have Julia Jarmond in present times writing about the tragic events of the past. Living in France with her French husband (whom I could not stand) and his family, she stretches the bounds of appropriate French behavior when she simply can't leave well enough alone. Her uncanny sense of understanding what needs to be done to right a wrong from so many years ago, and the way de Rosnay brings her character, her family, full circle to better understand the implications of what happened so long ago is wrenching and powerful.
Tataina de Rosnay creates a layer of character traits that weave seamlessly across decades of time. Their bond in the end allows the reader to truly empathize with Julia, sympathize with Sarah, and become a better person for it.
An enthusiastic
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.