The Thirteenth Tale

I'm on a role! I can't believe I read another book in only a week. It's nice to be in a reading groove again--I don't think I have been since before the baby.

Anyway, this book, written by Diane Setterfield, is a very interesting read. It was gripping, mysterious, and dark. There were many turns in the plot that kept you guessing and captivated. Perhaps that is why I was able to read it in a week!

Basically, it's about a very famous author in England (fictional of course) who is a recluse. No one knows where she came from or who she really is. She offers many interviews a year and in each one she tells a different story, so everyone knows it's not true. This author, Vida Winter, is dying, and decides to finally tell her story. She chooses someone to write her biography for her. The book is the biography that she wrote, except it's not your typical biography. Margaret, the biographer, is trying to figure out the truth within the story and as she does, she discovers things about her own past as well.

I know this is a pretty ambiguous summary, but there are too many details to include! I highly recommend this book. It's got the feel of something like Wuthering Heights, I'm not quite sure why, but it just does for me. Definitely two thumbs up!

Sarah's Key

Sarah's Key, written by Tatiana De Rosnay, is a book that switches from 1942 Paris to contemporary Paris. In July of 1942 there was a round-up of French Jews by the French police. They sent the Jews to camps in France and then ultimately to Auschwitz. Anyone sent to Auschwitz didn't come back alive. What was alarming about this round-up was the number of women and children involved. It was so sad to read about.

The main character in the book, Julia Jarmond, is an American who had been living in Paris for 25 years. She married a French man and had a daughter. She was a journalist for a magazine that asked her to research the round-up for the 60th anniversary of it. While doing her research, Julia discovered the story of Sarah, hence the title "Sarah's Key".

I will not lie--the first 1/2 of the book was so depressing I could only read a couple pages at a time. I have read many Holocaust books in the past, but for whatever reason, this one was especially hard to take. Maybe it's because I'm finally a mother now. I always thought the idea of families being ripped apart was terribly sad, but now that I can imagine someone doing that to me and Jack, I can barely stand it.

The second 1/2 of the book was not nearly as depressing, but the switch from 1942 to current stopped and it just stayed in the current time period. I found myself missing the point of view of Sarah. I wanted to read more of her story, not Julia's. Julia becomes a little obsessed with Sarah's story and I found it a little unrealistic.

It was an interesting book, but I'm not sure I'd consider it a fave. Too sad at the beginning, too unrealistic at the end. But you'll have to read it to see if you agree!