Review - Sarah's Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay

Released: June 2007

Publisher:  St. Martin's Griffin
Audience: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII
Source: Owned

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Summary from Goodreads:

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.

Review:

I avoided this book for a long time - a combination of all the hype around it & the disturbing subject matter. After looking at it on my shelf for a while, I decided I just needed to start. I had very low expectations, mostly due to the fact that so many hyped books I've read lately have fallen short. So I was surprised to find that I really loved this book! (It is my favorite read of the year so far.)

Tatiana de Rosnay wove a beautiful story of past & present, the story of a young girl's experience with the Jewish roundup in Paris, 1942, & the story of a woman journalist researching that horrific part of French history in the present.

Rosnay alternated back & forth between the two narratives for the first half of the book, allowing us to learn bits & pieces of these two lives & the mystery around Sarah, the little Jewish girl. She then focused on Julia for the second part of the book (something I had to get used to since I really loved the little girl's narrative & missed it once it was gone). While I wasn't crazy about Julia's character at first, she grew on me. She started out reserved & weak & then grew into such a strong, take-charge woman. The story of Sarah was a horribly sad one, & I found myself crying often throughout this book. Hearing about the Holocaust & from the perspective of a young French girl was different than anything I'd ever come across before, & it was heartbreaking. While reading this story & visualizing all the Jewish children with the stars sewn onto their clothes, I kept thinking about Dr. Seuss' The Sneetches. I read this book often as a child & still think about it years later. It made me think how ridiculous it was to label someone with a star to prove that they were beneath you, or, in The Sneetches, that those wearing the stars were better than the rest. I kept thinking, "We're all part of the human race. How could anyone be so prejudiced & full of hate for another person?" It is something I just can't comprehend.

This book was very touching to me, & while I won't jump to read another book by this author in the near future (again, the difficult subject matter), I do plan to read more of her work when I can.

5/5

""How was it possible that entire lives could change, could be destroyed, and that streets and buildings remained the same, she wondered." ~ Tatiana de Rosnay, Sarah's Key

Review - Clockwork Angel, by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Angel

Author: Cassandra Clare
Released: Aug 2010
Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry
Pages: 479

Rating: 5/5
Source: Owned
Purchase: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Review:
I loved this book!!! I flew through it & was so sad when it was over. I mean come on! I have to wait how much longer for the next one to come out?! I was ready to start reading right away!

I read Clare's The Mortal Instruments series last year & really liked them, a lot! But I admit, it took me a little while to get into them (at least the first one). I didn't really see what all the hype was about until I got to Book #2: City of Ashes, & then I was pulled in. THIS book, however, pulled me in pretty dang quick! I loved the characters & the storyline. Sure the language was a bit awkward to read at times, but once I looked past that, I became enveloped in the world of the shadowhunters & downworlders once again!

Tessa's character was great! She started out kind of young, helpless, & naive, but soon changed into a much stronger character. I loved her references to books throughout the story: A Tale of Two Cities, Pride & Prejudice, Jane Eyre. She was a reader, & I could relate to that ;). I also loved that she was a fighter & stood up for what she believed in. She didn't shrink back in the presence of men, but voiced her opinions & stood her ground when it probably wasn't very normal to do so in Victorian England. But even with her strong convictions, she wasn't preachy, arrogant, or superior. She was just good.

I'm also curious to see what happens with Will & Jem - the two guys who are perhaps part of a love triangle with Tessa? . . . still not too sure what's going on here, but I'm excited to see where the story goes with this. I don't think I can pick a "team" yet. I thought I had it all figured out, but was left wondering who would really be best for her in the end. Plus I'm just excited to learn more about their back stories - I bet they're pretty interesting!

I am so excited for the next book in this series to come out!!! I feel like Clare's writing just continues to improve with each book she writes, and I'm so glad that this one wasn't nearly as predictable as The Mortal Instruments series. I thought I had something figured out, & then was shocked with how things worked out instead. This book had me flipping pages so fast!

So now I don't know what to read next because this left me on a shadowhunter high, & I don't know how long it's going to take for that to burn down enough for me to move on to something else! Help! I think I'm addicted to a new series!

5/5

"You know," Gabriel said, "there was a time I thought we could be friends, Will."

"There was a time I thought I was a ferret," Will said, "but that turned out to be the opium haze. Did you know it had that effect? Because I didn't." ~ Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel

Review - The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Title: The Pillars of the Earth

Author: Ken Follett

Released: February 2002 (1st published in 1989)

Publisher:  NAL Trade
Pages: 976
Rating: 5/5
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Summary:
An enjoyable historic thriller, well told. A mystifying puzzle involving the execution of an innocent man, the erection of a magnificent cathedral, romance, rivalry, murder, arson, lust, and love. Set in 1135 England.

Tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known... of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect - a man divided in his soul...of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame...and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state and brother against brother.

Review:
The Pillars of the Earth follows the lives of Tom Builder & his family, Lady Aliena, Prior Philip, Jack Jackson, William Hamleigh & many others in Medeival England. You witness Civil War, heartless Earls, corrupt bishops, famine, the building of a cathedral, endurance, renewed hope, & love.

Even though I'd heard how amazing this book was, I always pushed it aside for something else, partly because I wasn't sure I cared to read about the building of a cathedral, but even more so because of its near 1,000 pages (32 discs on audio!). This book was going to be a commitment! But man, am I glad I took the time for this big boy. This book pulled me in dramatically from the very start. Follett's ability to bring the characters to life was incredible! I came to a point in the book (a couple points, really) when I felt like I'd been punched in the gut & actually mourned for the characters. At other times, I laughed out loud & rejoiced with them. It shocked me to feel so involved in their fictional lives!

This book alternated between different narrators. In some books this is frustrating b/c certain characters' stories are never as interesting as others'. I didn't find that to be the case in Pillars.  I would get so involved with one narration, & then it would switch to another's perspective. I would hate seeing some narrations end, but would quickly get caught up in the new one. There was hardly an uninteresting moment throughout the book. The story completely captivated me!

I also appreciated the research Follett did in writing this, not only about that time in history, the culture, land, laws, . . . but also the actual construction of the cathedral. I found it fascinating!

This is one of the best written books I've read, & I consider it a new favorite. I highly recommend it!

5/5

"Having faith in God did not mean sitting back and doing nothing. It meant believing you would find success if you did your best honestly and energetically."

~ Ken Follett, The Pillars of the Earth