Synopsis, from Goodreads.com:
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.

I had heard about Sarah’s Key a while ago but never thought it would really interest me. A self-confessed chick-lit freak, the historical nature of the book made me quite hesitant to pick it up! But, after Amber and Amber (Amber²? *snort*) had nothing but good things to say about it when I asked about it on Twitter, I figured, why not?! Bookstore gift card in tow, I picked it up and started reading it a couple days later.

My verdict? LOVED it!!

The author, Tatiana De Rosnay, tells the story of a young girl, Sarah, during the French Round-Up (Vel d’Hiv’) of all the Jewish occupants of Paris in 1942. Sarah, along with her mom and dad, were transported to essentially a “holding tank” before they were shipped off via train to yet another holding queue, where they would eventually be separated and then executed. Sarah’s little brother, however, hid in a secret hiding area of their home after Sarah told him that she’d be back to rescue him. Sarah’s chapters in the book tell how she escaped the round up and made her way back to Paris to try and save her brother.

De Rosnay alternates Sarah’s chapters with those of Julia, an American journalist who has been living and working in Paris for (I believe) 16 years. She is assigned to write a story for the anniversary of the round-up and doing so, she discovers a family secret that seems to both intrigue and shock her all at the same time. On top of her research, Julia also struggles in her marriage to her French husband.

Now, usually I like reading one character’s chapters over the other, but both sides of the story were so compelling that I loved them both equally. The historical nature of the book actually made it more gripping because Vel’ di’Hiv was an actual event, even though Sarah’s story is fictional. I personally didn’t know of France’s role in the execution of Jewish occupants of Europe, so I was quite shocked that it had happened. (Sadly, it’s amazing that 70 years after WWII, we still can’t all seem to get along …)

My heart broke for Sarah while reading the book and I cheered for Julia as she searched for everything she was looking for, both in work and in life. I don’t think there was anything that I didn’t like about it, other than I wish I could have read more about Sarah’s story.

I could go on and on about the book, but I don’t want to give it all away! I will just say that I highly recommend you pick up this book if/when you can and give it a read! I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Have you read Sarah’s Key? What did you think of it?

Little Earthquakes
By Jennifer Weiner

From the back of the book:
“Jennifer Weiner’s richest, wittiest, most true-to-life novel yet tells the story of three very different women as they navigate one of life’s most wonderful and perilous transitions: the journey of new motherhood.
Becky is a plump, sexy chef who has a wonderful husband and baby girl, a restaurant that received citywide acclaim – and the mother-in-law from hell. Kelly is an event planner who’s struggling to balance work and motherhood while dealing with an unemployed husband who seems content to channel-surf for eight hours a day. Ayinde’s basketball superstar husband breaks her trust at her most vulnerable moment, putting their new family even more in the public eye. Then there’s Lia, a Philadelphia native who has left her Hollywood career behind, along with her husband and a tragic secret, to start her life all over again.
From prenatal to postbirth sex, Little Earthquakes is a frank, funny, fiercely perspective take on the comedies and tragedies of love and marriage.”

This is the fifth Jennifer Weiner novel I’ve picked up and read, and like all her other books, I loved it! This is actually one of her earlier books – I jumped on the bandwagon when Best Friends Forever first came out.

To be honest, when I first started reading the book I found it hard to get into, but once I did I was addicted to the characters and couldn’t put it down. There was something in Kelly, Becky, Ayinde and Lia that you could relate to on some level – trying to erase the past, trying to please, trying to overcome your in-laws, all while trying to raise a child. I think that even if you don’t have children, you’d enjoy this book.

Little Earthquakes’ chapters are broken down by the characters, one of the reasons why I couldn’t put it down. To find out what happens next with Becky, I had to read through the other three characters first. Addictive, I tell you! Oddly, only Lia’s chapters are written in first person, which was strange and I’m not sure if I liked the switch. It seemed to break up the flow of the book, and not in a book way.

Overall, I enjoyed Little Earthquakes, but not as much as the rest of Weiner’s books. I’d still recommend it though – I think it’s a realistic glimpse into life after childbirth!

Are you a Jennifer Weiner fan? Which books have you read of hers? Any favourites?