Thursday, August 19, 2010

Fatal Paris

These are my most recent reads. My sister suggested I read Sarah's Key, a historical fiction novel set in the 1940's in France. In a series of events largely ignored by the French people, the French police, in collaboration with the German Nazis, locked up French Jews and sent them off to the gas chambers. Families were separated from each other early on in France and then taken to other concentration camps.This book tells of a young girl's journey to the camps, and what life was like after her escape. I loved the historical aspect of this novel. A whole new moment in history was opened up to me. This was a fast read too, which always makes a book enjoyable. The last 1/3 or so of the book seemed unnecessary-- the author trying to connect the past to the present with a feeble love story. Great novel, sans the romance. Just give us the real hard grit (with a little redemption at the end), please!

The Paul Auster book I picked up at the library. I read the book jacket and was hooked. Being a bit of a design aficionado- I was also intrigued by the pretty cover. I loved this book. It's a hard book to explain. It starts in 1967 when a Columbia college student meets a professor at a party. You get the sense from the beginning that this professor has a dark side, and is possibly up to no good. This eery relationship is central to the plot of the book. And, like Sarah's Key, Paris plays a starring role in this novel as well. The story ends in the present day, and you're left wondering, even as you read the final page. I don't want to say too much--but it's an oddly enjoyable book.

Read on!

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