Book suggested by Stacy, meeting hosted by Carol W.Stacy chose this book because it was on the New York Times Bestseller list, and she also likes to read about WWII. This is the first book the author wrote in English. Her previous seven books were in French.
This book was disturbingly real that haunted most of us after we read it. None of us were aware of the French involvement in the round-up of the Jews. It brought to the surface again the brutality of the human race and how much we can learn from our past actions. The moral of the story seems to be "Never Forget" and it makes us wonder how much will be forgotten and forgiven by generations to come.
The book raised questions that sparked lively discussion. Could we live in a house that had that kind of history if we were aware of it? Julia had a hard time balancing her life between her family, friends, and job. How do we do it, and is it healthy? Is it good or healthy to keep deep dark secrets?
Most of us liked the first half of the book and the chapters involving Sarah more than the Julia chapters. Julia seemed selfish, not a very giving mother, and seemed almost possessed with her quest to uncover and expose the past. We were disappointed in the ending and saw it as contrived and rushed. We were surprised by the revelation about Sarah near the end.
We are an optimistic group, and we held out hope that Michael had been rescued and we were hoping for a reunion of Sarah and Michael. Lucia and Kim liked the possibility of romance at the end of the book. It was also great to have a quick read after Pillars of the Earth. The scoring was average.
Here's a YouTube link to hear an interview with the author: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy0lnc76RaQ
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