Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

My friend Mary is so generous with her books! She handed me this one on my way to a family reunion, and it was the perfect inflight read. It's the story of how the French police rounded up Jewish families and children during the German occupation of World War II. It is a novel, but it's an accessible way to learn about the tragic events in this dark part of France's history. While it was hard to read of the hardships these people suffered, it doesn't go into these hardships deeply enough... What I mean is, it's a disturbing but somewhat shallow treatment. The author tells two stories, one old and one modern, and then brings the stories together. She has the annoying habit of drawing out and repeating phrases when I wished the story would just move on. One the plus side, the Parisian setting in the modern story was enjoyable and recognizeable. The characters were fairly flat and predictable... that was disappointing. Overall, it helped me learn about some interesting history, but I wouldn't recommend it as being particularly compelling or memorable.