A review by patsmith139
The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss by Edmund de Waal

3.0

Parts of this book really gripped me, other parts were almost a struggle but I certainly learned some new things about European history. I think an interest in art and antiques would have helped my enjoyment but as it is I found the descriptions of all the treasures the family acquired somewhat tedious. However the netsuke, including the Hare of the title, were certainly the most interesting of them all and have quite a tale to tell. By tracing the owners of the collection of over 200 netsuke the author follows the fortunes of the family of his paternal grandmother-extremely wealthy Jewish bankers based in Paris & Vienna. Anyone with even a vague knowledge of the history of the last two centuries will realise this covers some momentous events.
I would recommend a visit to the author's website, as recommended at the end of the book, as there are some wonderful pictures of some of the netsuke and some further family pictures not included in the book.