The Hare with Amber Eyes : A Family's Century of Art and Loss (Hardcover)

from mikerr

De Waal inherits a collection of Japanese netsuke (small, intricate decorative objet) from his gay great-uncle, and sets out to trace their history. In so doing, he examines the rise and fall of his family's spectacular wealth, the development of Viennese anti-semitism, and some of the forces tha...

from anyotherbizniz

A beautifully realised book; almost crafted rather written - like a series of netsuke rather than chapters. An intriguing starting point for what is in effect a diasapora history of the last 150 years. Slow, yes, but it caught wonderfully the undercurrent of anti-semitism that swirled around (and...

from michigantrumpet

World class potter de Waal inherits 264 netsuke from his Great-Uncle. An artist himself, he helps us to appreciate the beauty of these small intricately carved objects used to fasten obi sashes. His exposition goes further afield, using the netsuke as a literary device to follow the (mis)fortunes...

from jessibud2

I found this to be a well-written and thorough personal journey. I happen to really enjoy this genre, especially when there is a family tree at the beginning, to follow the story from generation to generation. Still, I did find it a bit slow at the beginning and actually put it down for a few mon...

from Laurenbdavis

A wonderful book by a talented writer. Part family memoir, part holocaust narrative, de Waal's meditations on the nature of our relationships with objects is fascinating -- what they displace in the world, what we choose to hold, to touch, how their loss affects us, and how they stand as metaphor...