The Hare with Amber Eyes: a Hidden Inheritance

by Edmund de Waal

333

Hardcover

About the author

Edmund de Waal describes himself as a 'potter who writes'. His porcelain has been displayed in many museum collections around the world and he has recently made a huge installation for the dome of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Edmund was apprenticed as a potter, studied in Japan, and read English Literature at Cambridge University. 'The Hare with Amber Eyes', a journey through the history of a family in objects, is his most personal book.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/edmund...

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a memoir written by a renowned potter about his family and a treasured possession. Netsuke are small wooden or ivory carved depictions of animals or people used by Japanese people pre 1800s, as functional ornaments - clasps for obi sashes. How did this family collection of netsuke come into being and where all have these objects traveled? This is the super imposed theme upon a wealthy Jewish family told through a book of art history.

The memoir has several positive attributes: it is informative, it focuses on tangible objects rather than an individual which is interesting, and reminds the reader of a past time when chaos ruled. On the other hand, the initial part of the book drags intolerably, the writer's style is obtuse at times, and much of the content could have been included in footnotes rather than repeating the decor of salon tapestries.

In spite of these shortcomings, this was a call to rethink where we place value and how we treat this treasure.

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written history of a Jewish family (Ephrussi) from Odessa to Paris, Vienna, London, America, Tokyo and back, researched and written by a Ephrussi descendant, all centred around his passion for netsuke (tiny Japanese sculpted figures) collected by family members through blessed and perilous times. A tad ”artsy” at times, but a gripping story.