PTPI Blog

Question answered by Eileen Purkeypile, Coordinator, Membership Services at PTPI.

5. Historical photos are discussed in the book Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, but not provided. To gain a visual insight into the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup, view a gallery of images that document the roundup, the children who were taken, and the Holocaust in France. Click on the image to read the caption, in order to learn details of the photo and view photo credits.

View the gallery of images, collected by Eileen Purkeypile from a variety of online sources. The links within the captions will take you to the source of the image. A preview of some of the images is below.

Twins Berthe and Jenny Burakowski were deported from Paris at the age of 8 on August 21, 1942. Photo courtesy of www.mazal.org.

Jewish children during the Vel' d'Hiv roundup in Paris, 1942. Photograph by Antoine Gyori/Sygma/Corbis.

Jews being arrested in the street in the 11th arrondissement during a roundup in Paris on August 20, 1941. Image courtesy of www.holocaust-history.org.

People to People International’s Global Book Club is a way to connect with your global community. Global Book Club members communicate about valuable, international topics and gain unique insight and understanding of various cultural views in relation to those topics. For more information on People to People International, visit www.ptpi.org

The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of  PTPI or its Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.

Question answered by Karen Hoch, Director, Americas Region and Conferences at PTPI.

4. If you have had the opportunity to see the movie version of Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, which did you like best – the novel or the movie? Why?

It was very fortunate that the movie came out just as the staff readers were beginning to read Sarah’s Key. (I made sure to finish the book before watching the movie though!) I believe it is typical for a book to be better than a movie based on it and I would build the same case for Sarah’s Key. As tends to magically happen with movies, within a short time you are drawn into the story, but as I was watching I felt the need to fill in the blanks where parts of the story were left out or changed.

When reading the story, I created my own vision of how the main characters should look, talk and act so I was not overly pleased with the cast – they were good actors but not necessarily who I would have chosen. Julia was stronger in the movie than in the book, and her husband weaker. Sarah was more like I had envisioned, but her character was not captured as well as in the book. Sometimes I found the switch between English and subtitles a bit annoying as well.

Despite the above, and the slight changes in the story line, I found the movie to be good and would definitely recommend it. Watch the trailer here.

People to People International’s Global Book Club is a way to connect with your global community. Global Book Club members communicate about valuable, international topics and gain unique insight and understanding of various cultural views in relation to those topics. For more information on People to People International, visit www.ptpi.org

The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of  PTPI or its Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.

Question answered by Eileen Purkeypile, Coordinator of Membership Services at PTPI

3. In a story filled with so much grief, what were some positive aspects of Sarah’s Key?

Although the majority of Sarah’s Key is made up of dismal elements, such as war and death, the following are a couple of positive aspects of the story:

Julia’s journey of self-discovery, which was one of the most inspiring elements of Sarah’s Key. Julia is an American who seems eager to “be” a Parisian. Her relationship with her husband is not one of love, but of misplaced passion. She slowly comes to accept her husband’s indirect disrespect for her. The culmination of her identity-loss comes when she decides to undergo an abortion to alleviate her husband’s fears.

At the beginning of the story, Julia appears to be living in a daze without personal conviction. After she learns of Sarah’s tragedy, Julia begins to act upon what she believes, no matter the cost. She decides to keep her baby, and to bring light and justice to Sarah’s life. Sarah’s story encourages Julia to choose life over death, and ultimately live a life she can be proud of.

Another positive component is the freedom experienced by the Tezac family. For years, Édouard carries the burden of knowing that his family contributed to Sarah’s tragedy.  In desperation, Édouard unveils the family secret to Julia. I can just imagine the flow of emotions as he and Julia sit in that car. First, the confession, followed by a desire to keep things secret, and ultimately a desperate search for the truth. Through Julia’s final discovery, the Tezac family as a whole experienced the lift of a heavy burden and a life filled with dignity for the good done for Sarah. 

People to People International’s Global Book Club is a way to connect with your global community. Global Book Club members communicate about valuable, international topics and gain unique insight and understanding of various cultural views in relation to those topics. For more information on People to People International, visit www.ptpi.org

The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of PTPI or its Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.