From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. De Rosnay's U.S. debut fictionalizes the 1942 Paris roundups and deportations, in which thousands of Jewish families were arrested, held at the Vélodrome d'Hiver outside the city, then transported to Auschwitz. Forty-five-year-old Julia Jarmond, American by birth, moved to Paris when she was 20 and is married to the arrogant, unfaithful Bertrand Tézac, with whom she has an 11-year-old daughter. Julia writes for an American magazine and her editor assigns her to cover the 60th anniversary of the Vél' d'Hiv' roundups. Julia soon learns that the apartment she and Bertrand plan to move into was acquired by Bertrand's family when its Jewish occupants were dispossessed and deported 60 years before. She resolves to find out what happened to the former occupants: Wladyslaw and Rywka Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and four-year-old Michel. The more Julia discovers—especially about Sarah, the only member of the Starzynski family to survive—the more she uncovers about Bertrand's family, about France and, finally, herself. Already translated into 15 languages, the novel is De Rosnay's 10th (but her first written in English, her first language). It beautifully conveys Julia's conflicting loyalties, and makes Sarah's trials so riveting, her innocence so absorbing, that the book is hard to put down.We will meet at Caron's house on June 24th at 7:00 PM. I am looking forward to seeing you all there!
4 comments:
I need to borrow a copy. Anyone have one?
It seems like everyone is having a hard time getting their hands on this book, and I feel really bad. They do have them on amazon for as little as $4.46. I will try to finish mine fast so someone can borrow it.
Don't fell bad, Caron. There are copies floating around. Ann has read it already so I can ask her where she got her copy from. I am 1/2 way through my copy so it will be available soon. I will also get a copy from the bookmobile. It will be available next Thursday. I am excited to see you all in a couple of weeks.
Yay... Dave will be in town. So I'm excited to come. Jayce has a tball game at 7pm. So I'll be late, but I'll be there.
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