** spoiler alert ** 
 It is very true that little is told about the German occupation of France during the second world war, until I read Sarah's Key I had never heard of the Vel' d'Hiv and knew next to nothing about the German occupation of France (in fact it is sad to say that most of what I knew came from watching 'Allo 'Allo, which I am sure is very historically accurate!). I have read a lot of novels set around the world wars but I haven't come accross one set in France in the second world war before. I'm not sure if this is because they are rare or just that I happen not to have come accross them. Sarah's Key has certainly piqued my interest to read more about France during this time, it's been a long time since I've read a work of historical fiction that has done that, and I would love some recommendations if any of you guys can think of another book like Sarah's Key. 
 I feel I am going off on a tangent a little. Sarah's Key was beutiful, heart wenching, at times it was so sad I did not want to keep reading, but I did, I had to, and I'm glad I did. I loved Sarah. I loved her strenght and determination. Seeing how she changed was so sad, no child should have to grow up that fast, but I think it was done well, I felt it shouldn't have happened but in a way it gave a sense of hope. I didn't like Julia's side of the story so much but it was good to see how people looked back at that period of time and it broke up the sadness a little which made the book easier to read. Some parts of Julia's story I found unnecersary ,such as the whole pregnancy and the problems that caused, it felt almost like adding a chunck of chick-lit into a serious book. Other bits I found unbelievable, I could see her going to America to chase down Sarah, especially as she had family there anyway, but her going to Italy to find Sarah's son seemed a little far fetched. The ending kind of spoiled the book for me too, it made it kind of cliched, with Julia naming her child after Sarah (which was not only cliched but also kind of predictable). I was at least glad that she didn't end up with Sarah's son but the suggestion was there.