sarah's key

I just finished reading "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay, and, I have to say, after all of the hype, I was underwhelmed. I did get through it pretty quickly, so I couldn't have disliked it that much (it takes me forever to get through a book I am hating), but it's definitely not one I was sad to see end or one that I will reread. The book is two story lines that intersect --- Sarah is a young Jewish girl in Paris during WW2, and Julia is a journalist in modern day Paris who learns about Sarah and her family while doing research on the Vel' d'Hiv roundup of 1942.
What I enjoyed about the book were the historical lesson (before reading it I had never even heard of the Vel' d'Hiv roundup), and parts of Julia's story (a marriage to a cocky Parisian on the rocks, a sweet relationship with her precocious daughter, life in France as an ex-pat, etc.). What I disliked about the book was that I didn't feel Sarah's story was fleshed out fully enough,  and, toward the beginning of the end of the book I really started to tire of Julia's somewhat hard-to-believe obsession with Sarah's life story (and some of the  strange actions that that obsession led her to take). Finally, the ending was very removed from the rest of the story (to me).
All in all, it's not the worst book I've ever read, but it's certainly not a great literary achievement - especially considering the rich subject matter. Perhaps in the hands of a different writer this story could have reached its full potential.
Recent WW2-related books I've read, and really enjoyed, are: "Suite Francaise" by Irene Nemirovsky, and "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I can, and do, recommend both of those books confidently.
Next up is another story about a young girl during WW2 (whoa, my book club seems to be WW2 obsessed!)  - "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. I've heard great things about this book, and I am looking forward to digging into it tonight. Right now it's a gorgeous sunny end-of-winter day, and I just want to go out and play!
Happy reading, friends.