Book Club: The Hare With Amber Eyes

Blurb: 264 Japanese wood and ivory carvings, none of them larger than a matchbox: Edmund de Waal was entranced when he first encountered the collection in his great-uncle Iggie's Tokyo appartment. When he later inherited the 'netsuke', they unlocked a far more dramatic story than he could ever have imagined.

From a burgeoning empire in Odessa to fin de siecle Paris, from occupied Vienna to post-war Tokyo, Edmund de Waal traces the netsuke's journey through generations of his remarkable family against the backdrop of a tumultuous century.

Boy, I've been waiting weeks to do a review of this but, as it's a book club book, I always want to wait to hear what everyone else thought - otherwise what would be the point?? 

In short, absolutely loved this book. Almost everyone liked it by the end but agreed that it took some getting into. For me I can give a book about 50 pages but any longer than that and the book is ruined for me, even if it picks up later on. This was a case of getting past the first chapter, I'd say. Some of my friends felt it took a bit longer than that... one saying 200 pages... and one not getting into it full stop. I can totally see why that happened, but for me it was a different story.

At first, all I knew about The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal was that it was a family memoir written by some potter... it didn't jump off the shelf to me, I admit. Luckily, though, it was much more than that. It is a family memoir, yes, but it's also a moving social history that takes you all over the world: Austria, France, England, America, Japan and Ukraine.

The world has a rich modern history but it's rare that we read so much of it together in one place. This book jumps between some of my favourite topics, including impressionist art in Paris, schmoozing with novelists like Proust and artists such as Degas and Renoir, to the tumultuous events of World War 2 and the treatment of Austrian Jewish communities.

De Waal really gets personal with his ancestors so that you feel you are just starting to fill in the gaps between the history books and the horrible, personal reality. The netsuke form the main thread of the story but they are not dull, as you might think. They are an important link that makes you keep reading otherwise you might think the book isn't going anywhere. How else would you determine what and who to write about when you have so much to choose from?

This book made me want to read more non-fiction, and that is rare. It also made me cry, another thing that is rare with books! It's a definite must and has a great twist that will make you smile and well-up at the same time!

Book club gave it 7/10.

It's a 9/10 from me.