Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay

Sarah

Julia

Starzynksi family: Wladyslaw Rywka Sirka / Sarah Michel Veldrome d’Hiver Vel’ d’Hiv Codename: Operation Spring Breeze Rachel – escaped with Sarah Genevieve and Jules Dufaure Stephanie Dufaure – Sarah – pretend granddaughter Nicolas – grandson William Rainsferd – Sarah’s son

Tezac family: Julia Jarmand Bertrand Zoe Sarah Colette and Edouard – Bertrand’s parents Mame and Andre (deceased) – grandparents – moved into Sarah’s apartment end of July 1942 Amelie – Bertrand’s mistress Antoine – Bertrand’s business associate Siene Scenes: Joshua – boss Bamber – photo director Alessandre – features editor Jarmand family in US: Sean and Heather Carter Charla – sister Franck Levy – Association to find survivors Herve and Christophe – Julia’s friends Guillaume – grandmother survived round-up

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from paperback edition.

1. Even after Julia lived in France for 25 years, Bertrand’s parents still referred to her as “The American.”  Does this in some way parallel the idea that children such as Sarah were Jewish even though they were born in France?    Why do we feel compelled to label people?
2. Bertrand’s family was surprised that Julia wanted to go by her maiden name.  If you have been married awhile and took your husband’s name, did you think there was an option?   Would you do the same if you were younger and getting married today?
3. How did you feel about Bertrand?  I felt he was a very negative character until Julia’s pregnancy when the author began to show a different side of him.   Did your feelings about him change throughout the novel?
4. Were you able understand Bertrand’s desire to abort the baby when he explained that he was getting older and that he didn’t “want to be seventy when this child is twenty” (page 136).  Julia’s doctor agreed and “suggested that maybe he was going through a midlife crisis.   That the responsibility of another child was too much for him to bear” (page 152).
5. Were you surprised that the French people had no idea about the history of July 1942?  In several instances throughout the novel people ignored various plaques commemorating the events.  When Julia talked with a man who had been 15 at the time, he said “I stopped thinking about it.  We all have…We don’t want to remember” (page 144).  Can you understand their feelings?
6. What did you think about Andre not telling his wife about Sarah and Michel and telling his son, Edouard, to do the same?  Did he understand how this would affect Edouard?  In the same vein, why did Edouard never tell his wife and children?
7. Was the Terza family a good way to describe the two sides of the French people’s views, either forgetting or remembering the history?
8. Sarah’s parents kept everything that was happening against the Jewish people from her.  When they were taken from her home, she wondered is they had been right to protect her and if things would be easier to bear is she had known everything.  Were they right to protect her?  What would you do?
9. Was Julia justified in finding William Rainsford and telling him something so painful about his past?  Were you surprised that he did not know his mother’s story?
10. Did you understand Julia’s feelings when she was asked by Gaspard Dufaure, who knew Sarah, why she, as an American, would feel sorry when the Americans had freed France in 1944.  Julia’s response was, “Sorry for not knowing.  Sorry for being forty-five years old and not knowing” (page 192).
11. Did you like the way the author went between the two time periods?  Was this effective to your understanding and enjoyment of the book?
12. Did you learn anything from this book or think about something you were not aware of before reading?

*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and  Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.   Click on the upper right link.