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The Hare With Amber Eyes

The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance

by Edmund de Waal

3.47 out of 5 (34 ratings)

Format:
Paperback 
Pages:
368 
Publisher:
Vintage 
Publication Date:
22 January 2011 
Category:
Non-graphic Art Forms 
ISBN:
9780099539551 

Description

THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. WINNER OF THE 2010 COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD. 264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them bigger than a matchbox: Edmund de Waal was entranced when he first encountered the collection in his great uncle Iggie's Tokyo apartment. When he later inherited the 'netsuke', they unlocked a story far larger and more dramatic than he could ever have imagined. From a burgeoning empire in Odessa to fin de siecle Paris, from occupied Vienna to Tokyo, Edmund de Waal traces the netsuke's journey through generations of his remarkable family against the backdrop of a tumultuous century. 'You have in your hands a masterpiece' Frances Wilson, Sunday Times. 'The most brilliant book I've read for years...A rich tale of the pleasure and pains of what it is to be human' Bettany Hughes, Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year. 'A complex and beautiful book' Diana Athill.

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Showing 1-4 out of 37 reviews. Previous | Next

  • I found this gripping reading. Ostensibly the story of some small Japanese artefacts (netsuke), the book is a fascinating chronicle of a prominent Jewish family who originated in Russia, and spread all over Europe. From Odessa to Paris to Vienna to London to Tokyo and back to Odessa, this is an amazing story, and brings home to the reader the personal side of history that you don't read in the history books. Highly recommended.

    5.00 out of 5

    hugh_ashton

  • This book is written by an artist, a very fine artist of ceramics, and the beauty of his writing is extraordinary. He takes you to Paris, Japan and Vienna, tracing his ancestors and the netsuke's history. Non-fiction at its very best.

    5.00 out of 5

    Harmonious

  • Absolutely the best book I have read in a long time. Using the collection of netsuke he inherited as a starting point, the author traces his family history and tells the story of the rise and fall of the Ephrussi dynasty. Much of the book is set in Vienna and, as I currently live in Vienna, I found it absolutely fascinating, particularly as many of the buildings, cafes etc mentioned still stand. This book is both history and biography, with a little mystery thrown in - brilliant!

    5.00 out of 5

    PennyAnne

  • A family memoir that reads like an adventure novel

    5.00 out of 5

    nancyryan

Reviews provided by Librarything.

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