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![Sarah's Key by [Tatiana de Rosnay]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5157cJ4O-gL._SY346_.jpg)
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Sarah's Key Kindle Edition
Tatiana de Rosnay
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherSt. Martin's Press
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Publication dateJune 12, 2007
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File size2069 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
–Naomi Ragen, author of The Saturday Wife and The Covenant
“Sarah's Key unlocks the star crossed, heart thumping story of an American journalist in Paris and the 60-year-old secret that could destroy her marriage. This book will stay on your mind long after it's back on the shelf.”
–Risa Miller, author of Welcome to Heavenly Heights
Review
“Polly Stone's delivery of Sarah's story is riveting with its spare emotional power.” ―AudioFile Magazine
“This is a remarkable historical novel, a book which brings to light a disturbing and deliberately hidden aspect of French behavior towards Jews during World War II. Like Sophie's Choice, it's a book that impresses itself upon one's heart and soul forever.” ―Naomi Ragen, author of The Saturday Wife and The Covenant
“Sarah's Key unlocks the star crossed, heart thumping story of an American journalist in Paris and the 60-year-old secret that could destroy her marriage. This book will stay on your mind long after it's back on the shelf.” ―Risa Miller, author of Welcome to Heavenly Heights
“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.” ―Publishers Weekly
“Sarah's Key opens a door into this heartbreaking WWII episode that's been cloaked in silence, making it intensely real and affecting.” ―Book Page
“Tatiana de Rosnay offers us a brilliantly subtle, compelling portrait of France under occupation and reveals the taboos and silence that surroudn this painful episode.” ―News-Record
“Polly Stone's flawless transitions alternate between English and French and the 1942 and present time setting of two stories.” ―The Chapel Hill Herald
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.Review
“A shocking, profoundly moving, and morally challenging story…nothing short of miraculous. It will haunt you, it will help to complete you…”—Augusten Burroughs, New York Times bestselling author of Wolf at the Table and Running with Scissors
“It will make you cry--and remember.” –Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us
“Sarah’s Key unlocks a star-crossed, heart-thumping story… This book will stay on your mind long after it's back on the shelf.” – Risa Miller, author of Welcome to Heavenly Heights
“Rich in mystery, intrigue and suspense, Sarah’s Key made me wonder and weep.” –The Roanoke Times
About the Author
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
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.
From AudioFile
Product details
- ASIN : B001HNE3NO
- Publisher : St. Martin's Press; Reissue edition (June 12, 2007)
- Publication date : June 12, 2007
- Language : English
- File size : 2069 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 305 pages
- Lending : Not Enabled
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Best Sellers Rank:
#45,034 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #84 in Jewish Literature (Kindle Store)
- #115 in Jewish Historical Fiction
- #144 in Jewish Literature & Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Sarah’s Key is a heart- wrenching story that brings light and awareness to the tragic events of the holocaust. The way the author wrote from the perspective of Sarah made me feel as if I was there, witnessing the pain and horror that the women and children had to face. I loved push and pull of emotions as I read on into the book, but I wish it focused more on Sarah’s story, and not as much on the life of Julia.
In conclusion, Sarah’s Key is an emotional book that will make you want to just keep reading. This book is a blend of fiction and histoy, and is a great way to learn more about the events that occurred in Paris in 1942. It is memorable and will keep you thinking even after you finish the book. I would definitely recommend this book, it was a great read!
A present day female journalist becomes obsessed with a girl from this time when she discovers a tragic connection to her own life. The past and the present begin as two stories and merge into one.
This book is one part riveting history, one part page-turner, and one part tear-jerker. I gave it four stars instead of five because the last part of the book turns the focus onto the personal problems of the journalist and becomes a sort of rambling soap opera, which some may enjoy and others may not.
However, I would recommend this book for its portrayal of history, its swift pace, and its many twists and turns.
Ursula Hegi is an author with a European background who has a sympathetic view towards the Jewish people and is able to create authentic characters and a book packed with effective symbols and images. Her book Stones from the River is a much more sophisticated piece of writing and highly recommended.
I appreciated deRosnay's efforts to expose another aspect of the Holocaust in revealing the complicity of the French, although this could be done in either better novel fashion, or simply by writing an essay. It seemed more a book of persuasion than description; the realities of the Holocaust do not require persuasion if portrayed accurately, since the horror of the reality seems more than adequate to show this truth.
Any novels about this period in history are going to have some similarities, and I felt this one was more tragic than most, but also more uplifting in the end.
This book was simply riveting! Hard to put down. It was everything I was told it would be and more. I've since recommended it to others as well.
Top reviews from other countries

In Paris on July 16/17 1942, over 13,000 Jews - men, women and children - were forcibly rounded up by the French police and arrested in Paris and its suburbs. They were detained in appalling and horrifying conditions in the Velodrome d'Hiver aka the Vel' d'Hiv, transported to internment camps, where the children and mothers were separated from each other, and ultimately deported to Auschwitz and other concentration camps where they were murdered. Their 'crime' was simply that they were Jewish.
This historical novel moves between two core characters; Sarah, a ten year old Jewish girl, who assuming she will be back later in the day to set him free, locks her four year old brother into a hidden cupboard before being held and deported, and Julia, a journalist researching for an article about the sixtieth commemoration of Auschwitz's liberation in 2002.
A powerful but tragic story that moves at a fast pace and is very hard to put down. Indeed at one point, whilst sitting on a train, I was so engrossed in reading it, I very nearly missed my stop! My one critiscism and the reason for the four, rather than five star rating is because the last part of the book focuses more on Julia and becomes her story rather than Sarah's. However despite this, it did lead onto a very satisfying ending.
'Zakhor. Al Tichkah translates from Hebrew to mean: Remember. Never forget.' (Tatiana de Rosnay 2008)

I'm not sure I liked some of the characters and I disliked Julia's husband Bertrand from the beginning. I wasn't surprised when he turned out the way he did.
As I said the first half of the story was excellent, but I was dreadfully disappointed with the second half that concentrated in the 21st Century and was more Julia's troubles and love life. I lost respect for her as she seemed to lose focus and was intent on finding herself a man to stop herself being lonely. I thought her a completely different character from the one at the start of the story. It all got a bit woolly. I feel the discovery of Sarah's brother ended the story for me.
However I had never heard of the atrocity committed in the cycle arena in Paris although I knew the French police and people collaborated with their German occupiers and it was obvious the author had lived in France and had done a great deal of research. It was this that boosted Sarah's Key from three stars to four stars. It will be interesting to read other reviews on this story.


Sarah’s Key flips between the past and present day following the stories of Sarah and Julia respectively. I personally preferred the elements of the book set in the past as Sarah’s story was incredibly moving – I would challenge anyone not to be moved by her determination to save her beloved brother Michel. Although I liked the character of Julia, I didn’t connect with her story in the present. I found it a little predictable and light on substance. Overall though, Sarah’s Key is a heart breaking and harrowing read that shines a light on a shameful event in French history that everyone should know about.

I found this book to be rather inspiring, insightful and education. In general, I find learning about the Holocaust rather fascinating and found this book covered a dark era in history in a very sensitive and delicate way.
The book was slightly different to others I have read in this genre as it highlighted an important, and yet often forgotten part of French history during the Second World War - the Vel d'Hiv roundup.
Very briefly, the Vel d'Hiv roundup or the Vélodrome d'Hiver, was an indoor cycling stadium in Paris. The roundup took place in July 1942 and saw the arrest of thousands of Jewish men, women and children across Paris arrested by the French police. They were then imprisoned in the Velodrome in inhumane and inhospitable living conditions.
This is a rather sad and heart-breaking part of history and this book tackled this in a very sensitive way.
The book also follows two parallel plots and centres on the lives of two central characters across two different time periods - Sarah and Julia.
Firstly, Sarah is a little girl who was born in Paris and was arrested as part of the Vel d'HIV roundup in 1942. It then goes on to follow Sarah's story and her search for her younger brother who she left locked in a cupboard in her house.
The novel also centres on Julia who is a journalist in the present day. She is originally from New York and has spent many years living and working in Paris. Julia is asked to write a piece on the Vel d'Hiv roundup for the upcoming anniversary and as a result of her research comes across Sarah's story.
This is a heartbreaking novel which explored both Sarah's life and Julia's discovery of some of Paris' darkest moments.
This book is a powerful and heartbreaking read and one that I struggled to review. I always find reviewing books on the topic of the Holocaust hard as they are so important for remembering and learning from the past.
I would of loved to give this novel more stars, however, I found the ending to be a little dissapointing and felt that Sarah's story could of continued for a bit longer. I felt it ended a little too soon for me. I also found Julia at times to be slightly annoying, although I did like her as a character by the end of the novel.
Furthermore, the writing style made the book clear and easy to read. I also liked and thought it was clever to use a darker bolder font for Sarah's sections, splitting the book up clearly between past and present, Sarah and Julia.
On a final point, the film adaptation of the book is also very good and is worth a watch as it complements the book in bringing the characters and events alive in more vivid detail.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book immensely and found it inspiring and rather educational. I learnt a lot from the book and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning about the Holocaust more generally and events in France or the Vel d'Hiv roundup more specifically. This is a book and a story that will stay with me for many years to come.
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