Author: Tatiana de Rosnay
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publish Date: 2007
Pages: 293
ISBN No.: 978-0-312-37084-8Genre: Historical Fiction
Sub Genre:
Reader’s Annotation:
A mesmerizing portrait of France under occupation and the overwhelming
consequences of a little girl's best intentions.
Summary:
It is July 1942 in Paris and the French police during the Vel' d'Hiv roundup forcefully arrest a ten year-old Parisian girl, Sarah Staryzynski, and her Jewish parents along with thousands of other Jewish families, holding them outside of Paris prior to shippping them off to Auschwitz. Thinking that she will be back within a few hours and in plenty of time, she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment for his safety. Fast forward to May 2002 and in Paris the impending 60th anniversary of the Vel' d'Hiv is about to get underway when journalist, Julia Jarmond is asked to writer 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 link her to Sarah. Julia finds herself drawn to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible time in the Vel' d'Hiv, to the camps and beyond. As she probes into the past, she discovers a personal connection with this same apartment formerly occupied by a family member. She begins to re-evaluate her marriage and her life.
Evaluation:
I loved this book when I first read it a couple of years ago. It was a real page turner for me and I could not have been happier when our Historical Fiction Group selected it for the book discussion. As a student of history, I gravitate towards any book of a historical nature but especially this one as I have a personal connection with time in history and the Holocaust.
Why I Would Include It:
This book is a must read for anyone who is interested in history and especially this period. It is also an important book for there are those people who may have little knowledge of the Vel 'd'Hiv and its connection to the Holocaust.
Rating: 5
Evaluation:
I loved this book when I first read it a couple of years ago. It was a real page turner for me and I could not have been happier when our Historical Fiction Group selected it for the book discussion. As a student of history, I gravitate towards any book of a historical nature but especially this one as I have a personal connection with time in history and the Holocaust.
Why I Would Include It:
This book is a must read for anyone who is interested in history and especially this period. It is also an important book for there are those people who may have little knowledge of the Vel 'd'Hiv and its connection to the Holocaust.
Rating: 5
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