Last Words

People should read this book because it gives you many life lessons. It shows us that we need to realize our mistakes from the past in order to improve them. If we just shove our problems aside, we will learn nothing from the mistakes and the past could repeat itself.

I think people should read this story because it is extremely interesting because it gives us more information on one of the biggest topics in history: the Holocaust. Most people never knew the French were involved in the massacre of the Jews and others. People just assumed it was all the Germans who did everything. However, the French had just as much involvement in that horrible event as the Germans.

This book would help you try to imagine you were a little child in the Holocaust and what those children had to go through. Luckily for Sarah she escaped most of the danger but she still lost her whole family and everything she had. If you have any interest in what happened in World War II this would be a perfect book to read so that you are able to see what else happened and learn the hidden facts.

Finding Sarah

Now that Julia has found out that the Starzynski family was the family who lived in her future home, Julia sets out to find Sarah. Knowing that Sarah is now 60 years older than she was in 1942, Julia has a hard time tracking her down. Although Julia, with the help of her lawyer sister Charla, manage to track down the name of Sarah's husband and his adress, who now lives in the United States. Julia took a trip to the states to find her.

Julia goes to this adress of where Sarah Starzynski lives only to find out she is not living there. Turns out Sarah had passed away in 1972 from a car accident and the woman she just met was R.J. Rainsferd's second wife. Julia was extremely upset when she learned she would not be able to speak to Sarah after learning all she's been through. However Julia finds out that Sarah had a son: William Rainsferd who she has just set off to Italy to find.

This all shows just how dedicated Julia is to her work and how much she wishes people would be more apologetic towards Jews and what the French have done to them. All Julia wants is to let them know that people care and that they won't be forgotten. Julia wants to find Sarah's son so she can apologize to him for what she hadn't even known.

One ironic thing is about the way Sarah died. Sarah had been struggling for so long to get away from the French police and to get away from being killed. She had hundreds, if not thousands of people (if you include the Germans) who wanted her death, yet she was killed in a car accident. It just seems like a bad way to go especially if you were able to withstand the Holocaust where millions of people were killed.

Families

Biological family   Family by marriage/other

Starzynski family
generation 2: Mom   Dad
generation 3: Sarah   Michel

Rainsferd family
generation 1: Sarah   Richard (R.J.)
generation 2:  William
Dufaure family
generation 2: Jules  Genevieve
generation 3: Gaspard  Nicolas  Sarah

Tézac family
generation 1: André  Mamé
generation 2: Edouard   Collette
generation 3: Laure  Cécile   Bertrand   Julia

Jarmond family
generation 2: Mom   Dad
generation 3: Charla  Julia
generation 4: Zoë

What happened to Sarah?

(pg. 66-67)

Since the beginning of the book every chapter has been alternating between Sarah in 1942 and Julia in 2002. Starting on page 67, Sarah's story is no longer told. At first it leads you to believe that Sarah was taken by the French police and killed. But the more you read Julia's story, the more you start to wonder what really happened to Sarah.

Other than the connection of the old woman with the bread, there is another connection between Sarah and Julia.

Julia was asking Mamé questions about the Vel' d'Hiv when Edouard (Julia's father in law) warned Julia to never ask her again. Julia became suspicious when Eduoard told her not to talk to her about it. Julia then finds out from a conversation with Edouard that the house that Julia is to move into, rue de Saintonge, was Sarah and her family's house before they were taken away. A huge coincidence that Julia and Sarah would have lived in the same house. Julia then learns that Eduoard's father was the little boy who answered the door when Sarah came to find Michel.

The Escape

After the fathers were taken away from their families, it was the mothers turn to be torn from their children. Sarah and her mother were separated at the roundup and Sarah felt all alone. She had lost all who she loved and confided in Rachel another young girl. Rachel and Sarah devised a plan to escape their horror. On their way out of the roundup a French police caught the two of them. (pg 90-92) They were mortified. However, Sarah managed to convince the police to let them go because she explained how her young brother was trapped in the cupboard back home and that he'd die if she didn't get home to him. The reluctant police finally let them go and said "For God's sake, run! Run now, quick, both of you. If they see you... Take off your stars! Try to find help. Be careful! Goodluck!" He gave them a thick wad of money and freedom: Sarah couldn't have been more thankful. Rachel and Sarah had no where to go since they were easily recognizable as Jews. They found a little doghouse on a small farm and hid in it when the dog found them. The owners of the house came out and discovered the two of them in the doghouse. Sarah and Rachel thought this was the end when the two owners of the house told them to hurry inside to get safe. Jules and Genevieve were the two nice couple who took Sarah and Rachel in to try to safe their lives. However Rachel got extremely sick and so the couple had to call a doctor. This meant that the police would come to and when they did they found Rachel (a Jew) and took her away. Jules and Genevieve were horrified because they just wanted Rachel to get better they didn't want her to be killed. With the police in the house Sarah had to hide in the cellar in a sack of potatoes so they did not find her. Sarah was extremely grateful for the kindness of Jules and Genevieve but decided she had to leave to get home to Michel.

Sarah had finally left for her journey to Paris to find her brother. Jules and Genevieve wanted to go with her because she became the daughter they never had. The fate of her brother was discovered when she got home to the cupboard and found out her brother had died. Sarah had been so upset she fainted. 

After all Sarah's been through, she now has to deal with the loss of her little brother who was no older than 4. Most likely Sarah's parents have been killed, but the book does not tell us what has happened to them yet. Sarah has gone through so much in her life at the young age of 11.

This is the end of Sarah's story in the novel.

Small world

In 2002, Julia went to visit an old woman with Bamber (her coworker). They asked this woman if she remembered anything about the Vel' D'Hiv. The interesting part of what she said was: "...I realized that in the véledrome, they hadn't had much to eat or drink. I felt helpless and angry. I tried to throw them bread and fruit, but the police would not let me." (pg 68) I found this interesting because back in 1942 when Sarah had just arrived at the roundup, a woman tried to give her bread because she felt bad for her. (pg. 56) It is weird how all the way in 2002 Julia has crossed paths with the same woman who tried to help Sarah survive in 1942. It just shows how Julia and Sarah's lives cross even if one part of the story was in 1942 and the other was 2002. This also shows that not all French people were approving of what the French police were doing to the Jews. Overall it's strange how 60 years later Julia is sitting talking to the same woman who was back in Sarah's past. It goes to show that some people really are generous and kind even if most people believe everyone has a bad side to them and is self-absorbed.

Where were they?

"Where were they? She hadn't had time to look at the name of the station as they had pulled in. But she noticed the first things a city child pays attention to: the lush countryside, the flat green meadows, the golden fields. The intoxicating smell of fresh air and summer. The hum of a bumble bee. Birds in the sky. Fluffy white clouds. After the stink and heat of the past few days, this was glorious, she felt. Maybe it wasn't going to be that bad, after all." (pg. 64)

I think this was very interesting because all the Jews have been living in such poor living conditions the past few days and now they are in a place that sounds really nice. This was a big change for Sarah and her family who have spent the past few days at the roundup stuck inside the giant garage. The garage was small, smelly, hot and was not a place they wanted to be. The change of revenue made Sarah extremely excited because at this place they moved to was beautiful and didn't look like it would be a bad place at all. Sarah thinks that maybe nothing bad is going to happen to them since the scenery is so nice and looks harmless. Little does Sarah know this is just the beginning of her journey to where all the other Jews will be going: death.