Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

About the book/film

Set in Paris, this book has two main characters: Sarah, a 10-year old Jewish girl and Julia, an American journalist who is researching events of World War II. 

What I think about the BOOK

Fairly early on you can predict the fate of Sarah and her family, but yet reading about it - and all the harrowing details - is not boring. As Julia researches the events of the Vel' d'Hiv to write an article to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of this atrocity, she becomes more and more affected by what she discovers. Coupled with a personal trauma, I found her a very sympathetic character.


I immediately felt pulled in by this narrative. For the first half of the book the two main characters take turns to be the centre of a chapter. This has the effect of not one, but two stories driving the narrative forward and both were equally compelling. I liked the fact that the different chapters, those of Sarah and Julia, were written in different styles and found this book to be a real page-turner.  

What I Think about the FILM

Having read this book about six months ago I recently watched the film (director and screenplay: Gilles Paquet-Brenner). I always like to read the book first to allow my imagination to shape the setting and the characters. This does, more often than not, ruin the film. The best way round this is to wait a while. However, in this case I was not disappointed. The screenplay was phenomenally close to the original book to the point that I don't think anything was omitted or added unnecessarily. 

Kristen Scott Thomas is wonderful in the screen version of Sarah's Key (original title: Elle s'appelait Sarah), which is a predominantly French film. She brings depth and the right level of emotion to the character of Julia. The other actors, including Mélusine Mayance who plays the young Sarah Starzynski, are also brilliant. 


About the author

Tatiana de Rosnay was born in Paris and is of English, French and Russian descent. Since 1992 she has published eight novels in French. Sarah's Key was her first novel written in English and has already been translated into 20 languages.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday

About the Book

This is a political satire based around an idea to launch salmon fishing in the Yemen. 

What I Think 


The thing I really liked about this book was that it was written in various different ways, i.e. emails, memos, diary entries, etc. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I think this made the book varied and interesting. 

I think it was quite an achievement to make a book about fishing, something I know nothing about, seem so compelling! Torday cleverly uses the subject of fishing as the main premise, but there are so many other factors that come into play: politics, working relationships, romantic relationships, fear of failure, which allows this narrative to constantly be moving forward. 

The film, directed by Lasse Hallström, is also worth watching. It has tried to keep the feel of the original, still using different methods of communication and correspondence. The acting is superb, with Kristen Scott Thomas stealing the show as the Prime Minister's strong-willed Press Secretary, Patricia Maxwell. Unfortunately, it has suffered slightly from the 'Hollywood syndrome' - if you read the book, then watch the film you'll know what I mean!

About the Author

Paul Torday (b. 1946) is a British writer who after having had a successful career as a businessman, turned to writing later in life. He published his first novel at the age of 59. This book, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, was inspired by his love of fly fishing and his interest in the Middle East. The book won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic writing in 2007 and was serialised on BBC Radio 4. It also won the Waverton Goodread Award in 2008.